Hey all! Been a bit. Progress on greater aspirations has been slow going. I’ve really been struggling with my mental health lately and it’s been difficult to work on anything. But I’m doing better now, so lets have a look at something I’ve been meaning to do for a long time.
I think it was a couple years ago that I did a subclass based on the Warframe Chroma. At the time, I was pretty happy with it overall. But as many people quickly pointed out, I left out acid as an element. Originally this was done very deliberately and I had no intention of changing it, reason being Chroma only has 4 elements and acid isn’t one of them. Now, had I made the subclass exclusively as part of a Warframe themed setting or supplement, that would have been fine and justifiable, but I made it for D&D as a whole and specifically linked it to the chromatic dragons, of which there are five not four. I’ve since pulled my head of of my ass and realized how stupid I was being. I’ve always been a stickler for source accuracy but I admit I can go too far sometimes, and my work can suffer for it. It’s a balancing act for sure, and one I’m still learning to deal with.
So what’s actually changed with this version? Well, I basically rewrote the whole thing from scratch so, uh, everything. Chroma’s had a few major changes since the original brew so I had quite a bit to redo and everything else just needed reworded to be clearer. Some of my early stuff is kinda janky so eventually I’d like to redo all of my old work. Some of them desperatelyneed it…
Honestly I had a really hard time formatting this one. Finding a suitable theme was difficult, the art was belligerent, and things didn’t want to line up right. But I got it in the end and overall I’m pretty satisfied with it. I also kept bouncing back and forth between names for it, as you might pick up from the Sneak Peak. Path of the Dragon has a better feel and rolls off the tongue better but the subclass exclusively deals with the chromatics so I didn’t want the name to mislead.
Funny story, when I was brainstorming ways to rework this subclass, I thought about extending it to all dragons and incorporating elements from Fizban’s but honestly that would be WAY more work than I care to do right now and at that point it wouldn’t be Chroma anymore. I have to draw the line somewhere, but hey, something for the future. Anyway, hope y'all like the rework.
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Kraków Bazylika św. Franciszka z Asyżu, XIII w. foto z 18 czerwca 2018
Ponad 8-metrowej wysokości witraż przedstawiający ognisko jako żywioł ognia według projektu Stanisława Wyspiańskiego został wykonany w 1899 r. w warsztacie Tiroler Glasmalerei w Innsbrucku.
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Kraków, Poland Church of St. Francis of Assisi, 13th c. taken on 18 June 2018
More than 8m (~28ft) tall stained-glass window depicting a bonfire as the element of fire designed by Stanisław Wyspiański and made in 1899 by the Tiroler Glasmalerei workshop in Innsbruck.
every chart has aspects, and those aspects can fall into a pattern. probably the most well-known is the grand trine. the element or modality in which the pattern falls is also important for the meaning, so i’ll explain the 4 most important patterns (imo) (and a bonus one :P) with elements and modality explanation and how it’s formed.
i also made a key at the bottom of the post if you don’t know the meaning of elements, modality, polarity, or if you don’t know the signs of fixed, fire, feminine etc.
if you don’t know if you have any patterns in your chart, you can simply find it onhttps://astro-charts.com/, fill in your info and scroll down a bit (it should under the normal aspects), if you don’t have any aspect pattern, you won’t see this section (you might also have a pattern i won’t explain, such as a stellium).
i also recommend to google the patterns, since it’s kinda hard to explain on paper what they look like.
grand trine
the grand trine is formed when 3 planets make a trine between 3 different signs (≈ 120º), usually in the same element.
the grand trine is a very powerful pattern because the trines strengthen each other. even tho the grand trine encourages talent and expression, a thing that is overlooked a lot is that there is a lack of tension, which can make the person have increased self-awareness, especially if there is a lack of square and oppositions in general.
fire grand trines: this makes you a proud and enthusiastic person, you are creative and like to express yourself. but be careful, because this pattern can make you have a god complex (because the grand trine is the strongest in the element of fire), which can be damaging to others.
earth grand trines: you have a good sense of stability and security of yourself and others and you hold a lot of power. people with a grand trine in earth signs tend to be organized and are creatively resourceful.
air grand trines: you are very curious and idealistic and you have a broad view on life. you’re also very intellectual and easy going. people with a grand trine in air signs also tend to have a lot of friends.
water grand trines: this pattern makes you highly intuitive and very creative. you are empathic and understand others quite easily. you have broad imagination, and also this grand trine can make you idealistic and a dreamer.
grand square/T-square
since the grand square and T-square are really alike and share many things, i decided to combined to two.
the grand square, also known as grand cross, forms when a planet squares (≈ 90º) two planets (in different signs) and also opposites (≈ 180º) a third planet. so that it forms 4 squares with 2 oppositions, making a big cross and square.
the T-square does the same, except it misses one of the squares, which also means it doesn’t have the second opposition. it’s called a T-square because people say it forms a T, but i personally don’t really see that, so i’d rather describe it as a triangle with 2 squares and an opposition (i’m sorry if this description is chaotic, it’s kind hard to explain, so I recommend to look it up (just google ‘T-square astrology’) or check if you have a T-square on astro-charts).
what they have in common is that they both have oppositions and squares, which can be very challenging. the other thing that makes them alike is that the planets (usually) fall in the same modality. having a grand cross or T-square makes you in general very goal orientated and you are willing to work hard to achieve your dreams. it could also make you want to have power and control.
cardinal grand cross or T-square: with the cardinal energy in this pattern, you want to achieve your goals all at the same time, which makes you ambitious but also blinded by what you want to achieve. these people are natural leaders and like having power. this pattern can also make you disoriented, because your ideals can be quite contradictory.
fixed grand cross or T-square: this can be a very hard pattern, due to the lack of flexibility, you want to be secure in everything you do. even tho it can be hard for others, this pattern also makes you very strong, determined and high self-worth (this pattern gives me so much royal vibes ngl). you like your comfort, but in order to move forward, you have to learn to go with the flow sometimes.
mutual grand cross or T-square: a grand cross/T-square in this modality makes you a person that’s very focused on healing, reasoning, teaching and integrating. with your thoughts and emotions. unlike the fixed pattern, you have a strong desire to just go with the flow, but make sure you don’t wander around your ideas and that you stay focused on your goal. this pattern can also make you very spiritual and interested in witchy things.
mystic rectangle
this kinda rare rectangle forms with 2 sextiles (≈ 60º), 2 trines (≈ 120 º) and 2 oppositions (≈ 180º) forming a rectangle with each other. this is a quite mild and harmonious pattern, because it balanced with either feminine or masculine energy. as long there’s not too much energy focused on only one of the planets, it should make you a very mindful person. if the balance is off, you can become self-contained and crave and hold too much power. a wedge is a half rectangle (so 1 sextile, 1 trine, 1 opposition) and is quite common unlike the rectangle. it’s also definitely not as powerful, but you can still share the same traits that a rectangle has.
masculine rectangle: you’re probably quite extroverted and like to explore the world. you express your energy outwards and like to entertain others. your actions are powerful and strong and you like adventures.
feminine rectangle: great change that you’re an introvert. you like to explore your own mind and express your energy inwards. your mind is vivid and powerful. if there’s strong mercury influences, it can also make you quite smart.
yod(bonus)
the yod, also known as the finger of god, forms with a planet that makes two quincunxes with different signs (≈ 150 º) and a sextile (≈ 60 º) between those signs. it doesn’t hold a certain energy through an element, modality or polarity like the others, so that’s why it’s a bonus. In general, the yod is a very very challenging pattern, but with lots of learning and growing it’ll make you very spiritual and aware (like god or smth :P). there will be a certain ongoing theme in your life, which is usually a difficult theme, it will take time, skill and practise to grow out of this certain theme. Look at the planets (and houses!!!) involved in the yod to know where you should put your focus on in life in order to overgrow the difficulty.
* Taurus and Capricorn placements need to feel secure and financially stable because they most likely went through traumatic experiences as children where they had a lack of stability
* One of the most annoying things is hearing a Aries Moon lashing out. They yell and scream for 10 hours and you can’t get them to be quite or calm
* Cancers can be quite narcissistic but no one’s born as a narcissist. Cancers with early age family issues tend to internalize everything way more since cancer rules the 4th house (not saying it’s okay for them to be narcissistic, been abused by multiple narcissists and they all had cancer placements)
* people sexualizing Scorpios as extreme Doms is really annoying, ever met a mature Virgo or Cap? These are the Masters here
* Staying angry at someone with Pisces placements is so incredibly hard. They have this neptunian charm that makes you completely forget what they did to you. This could lead to so many toxic behaviors and relationships so watch out for that
* Not Sagittarius placements downplaying everything and calling you dramatic
* Virgo moons are so anxious all the time. The fear to fuck up their lives is a big struggle
* Getting ghosted by an Air sign isn’t a big thing but being ghosted by an Earth sign means you definitely fucked up
* Everyone says Water sign are soooo manipulative while forgetting about all the stuff fire signs put you through just because they’re more charismatic
* If a fixed mars sign + a fixed venus sign loves you, there is no way back
* People with 8th house and Scorpio placements actually really like 8th house synastry, they like that yandere stuff
* talking about yandere, when their Mars is conjunct to your 8th house and your First house and Lillith to their 8th house - “you can run but you can’t hide :)” indicator
* Capricorns are so annoying when you don’t want to take their advice, just leave me alone please, no hard feelings
* I can never imagine Libra placements having sex, is that a me thing or…?
faeries (not deities, but can be worked with in a similar manner - be sure to do very comprehensive research beforehand, though, as they can be dangerous to work with)
farore (zelda pop culture deity)
fei lian
njord
sidhe
shu
thoth
urania
zeus
crystals:
amethyst
aura quartz
aventurine
carnelian
celestite
diamond
glass crystals
peridot
pumice
quartz
sapphire
smoky quartz
topaz
tourmaline
turquoise
plants to grow/use in your craft:
acacia
apricot
baby’s breath
bamboo
dandelion
eucalyptus
hazel
lavender
lemon
lemongrass
lemon verbena
lilac
nutmeg
olive
oregano
parsley
peach
pine
pistachio
sage
snow pea
spearmint
tangerine
willow
things to start doing:
go to a park/field/backyard and practice yoga
burn incense in the morning that corresponds to the intent you’d like to set for the day
look into dream magic
make a sigil that means “i am protected by the winds” and use it when you’re feeling unsafe
unleash your creative side: write poetry, paint, draw, sing, play an instrument
research angels
wear more white, grey, blue and lavender clothes
research subjects you’re interested in - amass knowledge in all its forms
make an air altar (preferably facing east): fill it with feathers, incense, crystals, hanging plants, pictures of beautiful sunsets you’ve witnessed, a flute or a record player
talk to the wind. vent your frustrations, tell it your worries, your dreams, your desires. it will always listen.
research faeries
find a signature perfume or cologne. wear it always.
learn to cleanse with the wind. sit in the breeze, feel it blow through you, taking all your negative energy to faraway places and replacing it with fresh energy.
Elemental imbalances occur when an individual has a limited element present in their birth chart and most often an excess of another. An unattended imbalance can cause stress of extremes of an element being projected by ones personality (Think of the knights in the Tarot).
Having 10 planets in the natal chart, including the rising sign, we naturally have a high chance of having an elemental imbalance in our birth chart and personality.
An imbalance of elements often looks like a minimum of 2 planets in an element, often seen as only having 2-0 planets missing from being familiar with that elements associations.
Having aspects from planets that naturally contain the missing elemental energies prominent in the natal chart (example, if you lack air but have many mercury aspects), this can aid the elemental lack, though it will not necessarily bring the elements in ones personality into balance for the planet will still be in an excess sign (example mercury in pisces), and it will still act accordingly to the element it’s placed in.
Fire Signs: Aries/Leo/Sagittarius
Air Signs: Gemini/Libra/Aquarius
Earth Signs: Taurus/Virgo/Capricorn
Water Signs: Cancer/Scorpio/Pisces
…
Signs, symptoms and manifestations of having a limited element in the chart
Limited Fire:
Lacking passion and enthusiasm to do things
Having difficulty standing up for yourself
Tending to drift along with the flow of things which ends up being time consuming and making things progress slower than others
Feeling easily offended by harsh words or criticisms
Feeling uncomfortable around those who are quite flamboyant and expressive
Can’t stand noise of fast movement of things and people
Being highly introverted
Often feeling a lack of creativity
Lethargy and low energy often
Inertia and lack of motivation to take action
Feeling cold often
Often being too passive
Hypersensitivity to everything/everyone
Limited Air:
Leaping before thinking which ends up resulting in problems later on
Cognitive issues
Disconnected from others (either from self isolation of difficulty relating to people)
Limited socialising
Difficulty understanding other perspectives and ideas
Prefer expressing the self through non-verbal ways of communicating
Not a fan of social media and/or technology
Quiet (or very loud) speaking voice
Difficultly conveying thoughts and ideas cohesively
Tending to care more about ones own endeavours or how one self feels over another
Putting oneself down in analytical and ‘logical/rationalising’ areas of life (aka “Im dumb because i don’t know or understand this”)
Getting too emotionally involved with people, places and situations
Having a difficult time when it comes to standing back and rationally observe whats going on.
Limited Earth:
Having difficulty creating a practical plan and routine
Not caring too much about the material world and possessions
Having a difficult relationship with ones own body (can develop eating problems, wanting body modifications, excess dieting and bodybuilding)
A difficulty getting in touch with the body and its functions (can’t tell if hungry or full, if its hot or cold ect)
Having a difficulty staying grounded and often day dreaming
Giving things away to freely
Having a poor sense of taste, touch, sight, smell and hearing in one form or another
Difficulty creating the reality one wants
Not feeling connected to nature or animals
Getting too lost in thoughts, ideas and feelings and forgetting the reality of whats going on around you
Not caring about money or material possessions making the day-to-day life difficult
Not bothering keeping track of money and bills
Avoidance of hard work if possible
Easily physically fatigued
Limited Water:
Difficulty bearing with ones own emotional nature and that of others
Repressing emotions then realising them in private when they overflow
Becoming angry/agitated
Difficultly empathising with others
Not truly understanding what one is feeling
Expressing feelings inappropriately (getting angry over the little things/being calm when a tragedy occurs ect)
Rejecting ones own pain/refusing to feel it
Getting frustrated with those who are in an overly emotional state
Trying to rationalise and make feelings a practical and manageable thing
Thinking oneself out of feeling (excess air)
Expressing rage then calming down immediately after (excess fire)
Over spending (excess earth)
Difficultly in discriminating or recognising inutile hints and psychic messages
Avoiding closeness and touch of others
…
Signs, symptoms and manifestations of having an excess element in the chart (3+ planets in element)
Excess Fire:
Feeling restless and having trouble sitting still/relaxing
Constantly thirsty/Drinking very little water
Feeling restless
Fluctuating Temper/Easily provoked
Loud and bold (at inappropriate times)
Over enthusiastic about ones own passion
Expression can overbear others at times
Can be desensitised to the feelings of others
Frustration when things are going ‘slow’
Leaping before looking
Excess air:
Talking too fast/Too loud/Too much
Not listening to others
Excess thinking to the point of blurring out reality
Dominant and sometimes intrusive thoughts
Fluctuating emotional stability
Difficulty relating to others on an emotional level
Detachment to people, places and things
Over intellectualising and over processing things
Consistent/loud mind chatter
Inability/Difficulty relaxing due to a need to move or fidget
Short attention span
Excess Earth:
Stubbornness
Low energy/Vitality
Slow process on tasks
Can lack drive and enthusiasm
Set in ones own ways
Emotionally distant by focusing only on what the 5 senses can provide
Focus on material gain and maintenance
Excluding family and relationships for work
Over/Under eating
Obsession with body (for good or bad)
Overworking ones self
Slacking and lazing around excessively
Excess Water:
Fearful and oversensitivity
Focusing too much on feeling to the point of creating a foggy reality
Not seeing reality for what it is
Living in a world of daydream
Feelings hurt easily
Fluctuating emotional state that can be difficult to control
Lacking drive to take action
Avoidance of everyday tasks if possible (chores/jobs/managing money)
Excess desire to connect with the higher realms and detach from the body
Physical weakness/lethargy
…
How to balance your elements
When we are unbalanced, we either draw others to use (or us to them) to act as an external reflection of the things we lack within ourselves, however, its possible to engage in other activities that can help bring our elemental lack into appropriate balance that can allow for self-healing and improved wellness.
At times due to elemental imbalances in out chart, we may be drawn to another who has excess of the element we lack (even signs) as to experiences a sense of ‘ying and yang’ by interacting with another. You may find you personally may greatly clash with another, yet you are reluctant to part because they seem to ‘fulfil’ you in a way you can’t explain.
For the element you lack the most in your chart, see the table below to find out ways you can help bring the lacking element in your personality.
What is alchemy? Is it a wizened old man locked up in a laboratory, experimenting with metals and minerals to discover a miraculous stone which will turn any material into anything else he desired? A man who scoffs at Heaven and contorts the substances of Earth into whatever he wants?
Well, yes and no. First off, there were a not inconsiderable number of female alchemists who made important discoveries which led to their veneration by male successors in their craft, and many alchemists were also devout in their faith! The legendary alchemist Avicenna was said to have prayed for an answer anytime his research flummoxed him, and many monks at the very least studied and lectured on alchemy.
Not just Christian monks, either! Many Buddhist monks practiced Indian alchemy, a discipline sometimes known as Rasayana which deals primarily with herbal concoctions intended to extend one’s lifespan and is closely tied to disciplines like Ayurveda and yoga. There’s also a Chinese alchemical legacy which often pursued immortality and would, at times, overlap with qigong, Taoism, and other traditions of the world’s oldest extant nation.
However, if you’re talking just about Western alchemy, then you need to understand that it doesn’t end or begin in a laboratory. While I do advocate doing research and experimentation in order to understand the natural world, like the Druids who would study the cycles of the moon and the ways of the forest for 20 years before being able to step into their appointed role, alchemy is not fundamentally rooted in science as we know it today.
One could even make the argument that all the alembics and athanors are, in principal, just pageantry to cover up the true nature of alchemy. I’m sure most of you are not strangers to the fact that alchemists used much of their symbols and terminologies to baffle outsiders who they’d rather prefer made light of their craft as nothing more than mad science.
This was the view that alchemists would particularly prefer of the Church. This is because, at its heart, alchemy is not about turning lead into gold or developing a cure for all human diseases. It’s about transmuting your tarnished soul into its rightful divine state, and about providing a remedy to illnesses of the spirit like ignorance, hatred, and dissatisfaction.
Alchemy was so hated by the Church because it is a way to find salvation within oneself. Salvation from misery, salvation from despair, salvation from the illusion that people are powerlessly being tossed around in the storm known as life. When we study alchemy, we find the rhythms of nature and of human existence, and learn to either play along in tune or make our own song be known.
Where, then, is a person meant to start? Well, it’s not by going on to Amazon to grab an alembic or by practicing drawing transmutation circles from a certain excellent anime. Those can come later, don’t worry; life is too short not to have fun even in the pursuit of innate human divinity!
First, though, you need to understand the building blocks of alchemy. Those are the four elements, and that’s where we’ll be going in my next post on this subject! I’m so excited!
For now, I recommend that any of you who wish to put this into practice start by doing some meditation and research. Try to learn to clear your mind and be present in the moment, and spend some time indulging your curiosity in both the scientific and magickal aspects of plants, minerals, and animals.
Thank you for reading! May the Tree of Life always shelter you.
