for students of the Hermetic Magic path – Scuola ContattaTi

Initiatic Test of the Four Elements

Hermetic assessment of the inner structure

General instructions
  • For each question: from 1 to 5 in sections 1–5, 7 and 8; from 1 to 10 in section 6 (Threefold Structure).
Thresholds of the totals per Element
TotalQualities (sections 1–4)Excess (section 5)
below 18missing (imbalance by deficiency)—
≥ 18presenttendency to excess
≥ 24dominantin excess
≥ 30—out of balance (hermetic alarm threshold)
  • The two sections are read together: excess counts first, and high qualities do not offset it.

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1. Fire

Direction – Will – Intensity – Decision

When I perceive a goal, my energy spontaneously concentrates on it without dispersion.
Faced with an obstacle, my natural reaction is to increase my force, not to retreat.
I find it easy to make quick, definitive decisions.
My presence tends to influence the environment, even without speaking.
When I get angry, my energy immediately becomes active and directed.
It comes naturally to me to take the lead when the group is undecided.
I have a strong sense of what “must be done” and I move towards it.

2. Air

Thought – Vision – Movement – Possibility

I generate many ideas and alternatives in a short time.
I find it easy to change perspective and see a problem from several angles.
I need to understand logically what I am doing before I act.
I like discussing concepts, theories, possibilities.
My mind is fast and tends to jump from one idea to another.
It comes naturally to me to connect different pieces of information and create syntheses.
I feel alive when I learn, study, explore new concepts.

3. Water

Feeling – Resonance – Imagination – Empathy

Other people’s emotions influence my inner state.
It comes naturally to me to perceive atmospheres, vibrations, unspoken intentions.
My imagination is vivid and spontaneous.
I move more by resonance than by logic.
I need emotional harmony to function well.
Aesthetic experiences (art, music, beauty) deeply change my state.
I find it easy to empathise and understand what others feel.

4. Earth

Stability – Form – Concreteness – Rootedness

I keep my commitments even when the emotion changes.
It comes naturally to me to build, organise, structure.
I prefer a few solid relationships to many superficial ones.
I need routine and order to function well.
I find it easy to stay calm even when others get agitated.
My decisions are slow but very stable.
It comes naturally to me to keep, protect, look after what I have.

5. The Elements in excess

(measures imbalances by excess: answer thinking of how you actually behave)

Fire

I tend to act on impulse, before thinking it through.
I have outbursts of anger or moments of strong irritability.
I become intolerant when others do not keep up with my pace.
I feel the need to come first and to have the last word.
I find it hard to really listen to a point of view different from mine.
To reach a goal, I sometimes ride roughshod over others.
I push myself to exhaustion, with constant impatience and frustration.

Air

I start many projects and finish few of them.
I struggle to keep my concentration for long.
I worry excessively and keep brooding over the same things.
I have intrusive thoughts that I cannot stop.
The flow of ideas keeps me from sleeping.
I tend to live things only in my head, staying cold in relationships.
I find it hard to make deep commitments and keep them over time.

Water

I let myself be completely overwhelmed by emotions.
I tend to dramatise or to feel a victim of situations.
I feel a strong fear of being abandoned.
I need to merge with the other person in order to feel safe.
I sometimes use guilt or emotional blackmail to get something.
I struggle to set boundaries and to make decisions.
I tend to dwell in memories and in melancholy for the past.

Earth

I resist change even when it would be necessary.
I struggle to accept what is new or different from my habits.
I am very attached to material goods and money.
The fear of losing my securities drives many of my choices.
I often feel heavy, slow or apathetic.
I dig in on my positions even when they lead nowhere.
Faced with situations that call for flexibility, I stay put.

6. Assessment of the Threefold Structure

(advanced test: measures the maturity of the three centres)

Thinking

My mind is clear and does not get lost in useless associations.
I can observe my thoughts without identifying with them.
My attention remains stable even under stimulation.

Feeling

Emotions do not drag me away from the present.
I can distinguish what I feel from what others feel.
My feeling is consistent with what I think and what I want.

Willing

I manage to complete what I start.
My will is not impulsive but directed.
When I decide, my energy aligns without conflict.

7. Assessment of Presence (Attention)

(initiatic test: measures magical capacity)

I can keep my attention on one point for at least 30 seconds without distraction.
When I observe something, my perception becomes more intense and defined.
I can perceive the continuity between what I live inside and what happens outside.
My attention changes my inner state.
My attention changes the environment.
When I am present, the three currents (thinking, feeling, willing) align spontaneously.
My attention is able to interrupt automatic impulses.

8. Assessment of the Ordering Principle (Will)

(hermetic test: measures the capacity to direct the flows)

I can consciously choose which current to use (thinking, feeling, willing).
My will is stronger than my habits.
I can keep a direction even when the emotion changes.
My will is stable and not impulsive.
I can say “no” when necessary.
I can say “yes” when necessary.
My will is able to unify the three currents (thinking, feeling, willing).

9. Initiatic interpretation

Elements: qualities (sections 1–4)

  • < 18 → Missing Element (imbalance by deficiency)
  • ≥ 18 → Present Element
  • ≥ 24 → Dominant Element

Elements: excess (section 5)

  • ≥ 18 → tendency to excess, to be observed
  • ≥ 24 → Element in excess, to be rebalanced
  • ≥ 30 → Element out of balance (to be transmuted)

State of each Element

  • qualities ≥ 18 and excess < 24 → in balance
  • qualities < 18 and excess < 24 → in deficiency
  • qualities ≥ 18 and excess ≥ 24 → in excess: the strength is there but degenerates
  • qualities < 18 and excess ≥ 24 → out of balance: the shadow of the Element without its quality
  • excess ≥ 30 → out of balance (to be transmuted)

Threefold Structure

  • ≥ 20 for each centre → Mature threefold structure
  • ≥ 24 → Integrated threefold structure
  • ≥ 27 → Operative I
  • ≥ 30 → Magical I

Attention

  • ≥ 24 → Unified attention
  • ≥ 27 → Magical attention
  • ≥ 30 → Continuity inside/outside (Netzach)

Will

  • ≥ 24 → Ordering will
  • ≥ 27 → Directional will
  • ≥ 30 → Hermetic will (magical act possible)

The final result is a hermetic formula: Fire X – Air Y – Water Z – Earth T; Threefold structure: P / S / V ; Attention: A ; Will: W. This becomes your own Initiatic Elemental Code. For each Element, the second number after the slash is the excess score (section 5).