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Elements
The elements relate to the four basic physical material elements: Fire, Water, Air and Earth. (According to Stephen Arroyo and C.E.O. Carter, the elements are the "vital forces" that make up creation.) Astrology draws analogies between the nature of the physical elements and the nature of the more ephemeral elements of our being.
FIRE is hot, bright, dramatic, aggressive, volatile, explosive. Fire demands our immediate attention. It can be all-consuming, awe-inspiring, and mesmerizing. The power of fire is immediately apparent. When it is out of (our) control, it destroys quickly and completely. When we harness its power, it supplies us with warmth and light. Fire provides the heat to cook our food and to forge our tools. It transforms everything from base metals to human spirits--"through the fire." Fire is the Sun, the crucible, the eternal flame . . .
WATER is fluid and pervasive; seeping into all the hidden cracks and crevices. It is persistent; given time it can wear down solid granite. As a cloud, it is lighter than air. As a flood, it can be stronger than any natural or man-made structure. As babbling brook it delights us; as a majestic waterfall it thrills us. It is refreshing, cleansing, life-sustaining and thirst-quenching. It is calming, deep, unknown, unfathomable . . .
AIR has many qualities similar to water, but lighter... it too is pervasive, filling all empty spaces. It too is persistent, shaping whole landscapes--sand dunes and wind swept trees by the ocean come to mind. It too has incredible strength in extreme forms--tornadoes and hurricanes. Air is often defined by its sounds: rustling leaves in an evening breeze; howling wind on a stormy night. It is invisible and intangible. It is so pervasive we take it for granted, and yet it is the breath of life . . .
EARTH is solid, still, quiet and cool. It is the ground we walk on, our foundation, our main point of reference. Without Earth we have no direction... East, West, North and South have no meaning without the Earth. Earth provides the physical structure to our lives. We use products of the Earth to build our homes, roads, buildings and monuments. As with the other elements, Earth has awesome power. In a matter of seconds an earthquake can flatten a city that took years to build. Even a small quake leaves us feeling humbled. And it has the power to speed along its orbit, spinning on its axis at an amazing rate, all the while holding us close, in perfect stillness . . .
In my chart I have an emphasis of mostly water (Sun, Ascendant, Neptune and Mars) and fire (Moon, MC, Uranus and Saturn). Sometimes the water douses the fire. Other times the fire steams up the water. The only planets in earth signs in my chart are Venus & Jupiter in Virgo in the 11th. Thus, I often look to my relationships (Venus) with my friends (11th house) to "ground" me. With Mercury in airy Libra, I've always been able to keep my wits about me in a crisis, even when my firey emotions (Leo Moon) are causing my watery energy (Pisces Mars) to boil over!
How do the elements balance out in your chart?