A Broader Term Narrowed

The Sanskrit word tattva means "thatness" or principle and is far broader in its Indian philosophical use, Samkhya counts twenty-five tattvas, Shaiva systems thirty-six, than the five-element scheme the Western occult tradition adopted. The atlas notes this, treating the five tattvas here as they function in Western practice while acknowledging the wider Indian meaning.

The entries give each tattva its element, symbol, colour and use in scrying. The classical elements they correspond to are treated in the element category, and the practice connects to the ceremonial-magic section.