This is a follow-up to the previous post in which we named the natural element that each aspect belonged to.



We find further nuances on the air triad (Breath - Mind - Heart) if we look unto the word Ruach, which itself means air, aka Breath. Then we can answer the question, what do these aspects have in common?



THE SOUL is divided by the Qabalists into three Principal Parts:-

1. NESCHAMAH The Highest Part, answering to the Three Supemals.

2. RUACH The Middle Part, answering to the six Sephiroth from CHESED to YESOD, inclusive.

3. NEPHESCH The lowest, answering to MALKUTH. NESCHAMAH answers to the higher aspirations of the Soul.

RUACH answers to the mind and reasoning powers.

NEPHESCH answers to the animal instincts.

The reasoning mind, therefore, is that which useth and combineth the Principia of Chokmah and Binah so that the parts of Chokmah and Binah which touch the Ruach are the initiators of the reasoning power.

The word Ruach, Spirit, also meaneth Air.

- (Golden Dawn)



Nefesh, related to natural instinct. Ruach, related to emotion and morality. Neshamah, related to intellect and the awareness of God. - (Wikipedia)



If we look upon an answer in the comic, that would be of choice, this we know since we had seen that Mind is choice from Terezi’s coinflips. As we saw in the comic, John’s first arc was about his determination to go into a foolish choice of taking the skyrocket and dooming the timeline, and Dirk’s dilemma was similarly into the ethics of parallel reality choice and the cloning of himself. The topic is presented albeit in different ways, John being more spontaneous or stubborn.



The Ruach uses the higher intellect (corresponding to the higher sephirot), to make for what we roughly consider to be thinking, reasoning and decision making.



It just so happens that Sburb and Paradox Space are a world in which magic is real so that a system of aspects which mirrors Jewish mysticism is responsible. The aspect of Breath, in particular, seems to encompass Ruach itself, or so we take by its name relating to wind. Air, of course, goes to Breath, Mind and Heart.

From Malkuth [Space] is formed the whole physical body under the command and presidency of the Nephesch. […] The Nephesch shineth through the Material body and formeth the Magical Mirror or Sphere of Sensation.

The lowest sephirot are said to represent primal emotions, and in fact this explains why Hope and Rage are named as such. At the least, they seem to represent more primal emotions and players such as Jake seem to go along by his other self being a hunter and living in the wild, for instance.