by Rachelle Hicks
In astrology, each of the 12 zodiac signs is associated with one of the 4 elements: earth, air, fire and water. The element linked with a zodiac sign provides fundamental information for how this sign engages with the world, and how a planet might operate through this sign placement. So the elements are crucial to nuanced chart interpretation.
Depending on your birth chart, you could have one or more elements that are stronger than the others, one or more elements that are lacking, or an overall elemental balance.
An element that is strong in a person’s chart tends to be readily apparent in some way in their life. For example, in the chart of Tina Turner, there is an emphasis of the fire element (her Ascendant, Sun, . She was known for her lively, animated and exciting persona — characteristic of the fire element.
The elements connected to zodiac signs are as follows:
Fire
Aries, Leo and Sagittarius
Earth
Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn
Air
Gemini, Libra and Aquarius
Water
Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces
Elements Keywords
The following are keyword characteristics associated with the 4 elements. Consider how these key words might show up in your life according to your Sun Sign, and any other placements you might know in your chart.
- Fire: Independent, Spontaneous, Impatient, Passionate, Creative, Warm, Spirited
- Earth: Enduring, Grounded, Practical, Cautious, Unyielding, Pragmatic, Stable
- Air: Communicative, Observant, Curious, Logical, Ungrounded, Objective, Theoretical
- Water: Emotional, Receptive, Sensitive, Compassionate, Impressionable, Adaptive
The Elements in Jungian Psychology
In our Elements, Polarities and Modalities course, Karen Hamaker-Zondag links the elements to Jungian psychology through the following associations :
- Fire as Intuition
- Earth as Sensation
- Air as Thinking
- Water as Feeling
These distinctions can be fruitful for exploring the elements in psychological astrology. To learn more, see Karen’s book Psychological Astrology or her course Jungian Psychology for Astrologers.
Learn how to interpret the elements in astrology:
- The Elements, Modalities, and Polarities course
- Elements, Polarities & Modalities webinar with Demetra George
- Alchemical Fire, Earth, Air, Water webinar with Safron Rossi
- Astrology, Psychology and the Four Elements book by Stephen Arroyo
- Earth and Air and Fire and Water books by Darby Costello
Hi Rachelle,
This is a wonderful concise presentation to the basic ideas of elements. The references presented are top to the line of astrologers. Although I have been involved in astrology for over 40 years – I got a new insight into the relationship of the elements fire, my husband, and earth myself. Thanks for this.
Thank you so much, Alice! It’s wonderful to know that this post gave you some fresh insights about the earth and fire elements in relation to you and your husband. I appreciate your kind feedback : )