[Cainehill]

Problem is that, as Gargoyle says, in one section it explicitly states You may only use as many gems to "Boost" your level as base paths you have. So if your Earth 2 Mage wants to cast an Earth 4 Spell he can boost up 2 Levels of Earth with 2 Earth Gems, then cast the spell.

This is incorrect, because as he also quoted, Up to 1 gem can be used for path requirements any other gems above 1 are only applied to increasing power for purposes of calculating fatigue.

Only one gem boosts the casters level, ie you must be no more than one level less than the desired spell, but the first section says an earth mage could boost himself two levels. Yes, the FAQ should be fixed.