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Lull's Book of
Propositions
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9 - Fig. Elements.
The Purpose of the Figure of Elements
The Elemental figure was devised and included in this Art so that through it the intellect might see
into the operations of nature and their secrets, by understanding
the beginning, middle and end of nature. Once it has seen these, the intellect is able to investigate
particular things in nature by using the propositions and
questions of the elemental figure in this book. As the elements are a mirror of S. (for just as there
is a natural order of elements, so there is also a natural order of
the powers of S.) and as S. is a mirror of A., the Elemental figure is included in this Art so that
S. can metaphorically see itself in A. and so that S. can likewise
see itself in this figure, in accordance with the way that the elements produce substantial beings and
likenesses, so that they might recognize themselves in these
likenesses. And with these things in mind, the propositions of the Elemental figure contained in this
book were devised for investigating particular things in nature
and for signifying the principles of the other figures through metaphor.
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