What qualities does the sphinx teach us to pass the trials of the elements?

Answers from the books of Samael Aun Weor

Man should have the four characteristics of the sphinx: The Lion claws –courage, nobleness-. The tenacity of the ox –represented by the legs of the ox-. The wings of the eagle –these are the wings of the spirit and the intelligence of man –represented by the head of the sphinx-. The man should be serein before his worst enemies. The man should be tenacious in his purposes and not dismay before the obstacles and inconveniences that may show up. The man should have the majesty of the eagle for not succumbing before the worst failures. The man must develop his intelligence to know how to adapt to every circumstance of life without difficulty. When the man has developed the four characteristics of the sphinx, then he is prepared to pass the four trials of Earth, fire, water and air. By the means of these four trials the moral of the disciple is examined. This is, then, a symbolic exam that corresponds exactly to the moral of the disciple. The one who has not developed the serenity will not pass the trial of fire. The one that succumbs before an economic failure will not pass the trial of air. The one that has not developed altruism and adaptability to life will not pass the trial of water. The one who has not learned to be tenacious will not pass either the trial of earth. The sphinx is the man himself. The man should have the wings of the eagle, the intelligence of man, the claws of the lion and the tenacity of the ox. These four characteristics of the sphinx allow the man to pass the four trials of earth, fire, water and air.

Samael Aun Weor. The Perfect Matrimony

Answer of the Book: The Magic Flute and the Initiation.

The millenary Sphinx shows us the four fundamentals elements of nature, the fire in the Lion’s claws, the air in the eagle’s wings, the earth in the legs of the ox and the water in the human face. The same elements of the evangelists since Luke is always represented with an ox, Mark with a lion, Matthew with an angel and John with an eagle. In the millenary Sphinx are indicated the qualities needed to pass the trials of the four elements, we have to become a Sphinx, we have to acquire these qualities represented in each one of the elements that form her.

The Magic Flute and the Initiation. Chapter 11: The trials of the Four Elements.