Learning Your Elements

In ancient philosophy, everything in existence comes from four basic elemental principles: those of water, earth, air, and fire. Today, we have the periodic table to scientifically explain how the world is made up, but these four classical elements are still found everywhere around us, in nature, and in our modern spiritual thought and practice.

One of the most common places to encounter this thought today is in the Zodiac, where the elements contribute to the principles on which we understand the Zodiac, and so each element has rulership over three of the twelve signs. Each element also has rulership over a suit of the Tarot, and these factors mean that if we get a reading, a person significant to us might show up as (for example) a young man born under an air sign.

Knowing which elements we match with can be helpful in so many ways. For example, gemstones also usually have one or two elemental correspondences, and wearing stones that match your elemental affinities can enhance your spiritual consciousness or magnify the intended effect of the gemstone to a higher degree. We can also sense who we might be compatible with in love and life; while matching affinities with someone is one way, another is 'completing the square' (where you feel affinity with two of the four elements and they feel affinity with the other two).

Our Sun sign, or other placements on our chart - particularly our Moon and Rising signs - can be a good indicator of which elements we have an affinity for, but it's not the only way to tell. In fact, the very best way to know which elements you match with comes from your own experiences of life and spirituality.

People with water affinity might find comfort and coziness in a rainy day or love natural bodies of water, but a strong emotional intuition, a sense of compassion, and a desire to heal others who have been hurt can also be a deeper and more spiritually intuitive way to know if you resonate with the element of water.

Similarly, while a love for the grass under your feet or a natural talent in the garden can mark an earth element affinity, so can a steady and practical outlook to life which causes you to move along at your own pace, unbothered by others' drama, perhaps so much so that others in your life also look up to you as a natural source of stability and confidence.

A person in alignment with the element of fire might feel powered up by the glow of a bright summer's day or enjoy warmer surroundings, but they're also likely to spark passion in all those around them with their infectious enthusiasm. They won't be found waiting, but will be quick to take action when they know action is needed.

Likewise, a connection with the element of air might be found in someone who loves to travel by plane, or simply enjoys exploring new places, but an air affinity also lends itself well to the ability to reason and think through difficult situations, to take charge and project an air of calm that others around them sincerely appreciate.