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Astrology and the classical elements
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Astrology has used the concept of classical elements from antiquity up until the present. In Western astrology and Indian astrology four elements are used, namely Fire, Earth, Air and Water.
Western astrology
In Western tropical astrology, there are always 12 astrological signs; thus, each of the four elements is associated with 3 signs of the Zodiac which are always located exactly 120 degrees away from each other along the ecliptic and said to be in trine with one another.
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Encyclopedia
Astrology has used the concept of classical elements from antiquity up until the present. In Western astrology and Indian astrology four elements are used, namely Fire, Earth, Air and Water.
Western astrology
In Western tropical astrology, there are always 12 astrological signs; thus, each of the four elements is associated with 3 signs of the Zodiac which are always located exactly 120 degrees away from each other along the ecliptic and said to be in trine with one another. Most modern astrologers use the four classical elements extensively, (also known as triplicities) and indeed it is still viewed as a critical part of interpreting the astrological chart.
Beginning with the first sign Aries which is a Fire sign, the next in line Taurus is Earth, then to Gemini which is Air, and finally to Cancer which is Water. This cycle continues on twice more and ends with the twelfth and final astrological sign, Pisces. The elemental rulerships for the twelve astrological signs of the zodiac (according to Marcus Manilius) are summarised as follows:
Elements in classical astrology
Triplicity rulerships
In traditional astrology, each triplicity has several planetary rulers, which change with conditions of sect – that is, whether the chart is a day chart or a night chart. Triplicity rulerships are a very important essential dignity – one of the several factors used by traditional astrologers to weigh the strength, effectiveness and integrity of each planet in a chart.
Triplicty rulerships (using the "Dorothean system") are as follows:
"Participating" rulers were not used after the Hellenistic period.
Triplicities by season
In ancient astrology, triplicities were more of a seasonal nature, so a season was given the qualities of an element, which means the signs associated with that season would be allocated to that element. The seasonal elements of ancient astrology are as follows:
- Spring - Earth - Aries, Taurus, Gemini
- Summer - Fire - Cancer, Leo, Virgo
- Autumn - Air - Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius
- Winter - Water - Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces
These associations are not given any great importance in modern astrology, although they are prominent in modern Western neopaganism, druidism and wicca
Elements in modern astrology
In modern astrology each of the elements are associated with different personality types. The following table summarizes their characteristics as follows:
| Element | Horoscope | Description | Misused... |
|---|
| Fire | Aries, Leo, Sagittarius | These signs are fiery, bright, ardent, enthusiastic, leaders, confident, proud, spontaneous, self-sufficient, and romantic. | They can be very arrogant, self-centered, bossy, and forceful; and hungers for attention. These signs don't have time to sympathize and comfort others; they have no patience for emotionalism or heaviness. They also tend to take credit for things that others have also taken part in. | | Earth | Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn | These signs are practical, stable, consistent, rigid, determined, dependable, patient, conservative, and sensual. They love material comforts and have good recuperative powers. | They can be stubborn and very harsh. | | Air | Gemini, Libra, Aquarius | These signs can talk and communicate well; they tend to be intellectual, and they are able to handle abstract reasoning. They are logical, objective, talkative, social, spontaneous, flexible, cautious, idealistic, and unprejudiced. | They can be cold, superficial, and impractical. These signs fear something new and hunger for freedom. They can also be very insensitive to other people's emotions. | | Water | Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces | These signs are feeling, sustaining, and receptive. They are emotional, intuitive, responsive, sensitive, psychic,deep, kind, and caring. They tend to be susceptible to mood swings, and it takes a while to get to know them. They are also nurturing and base many actions they take on sense. | They can be self-protective and like to spoil themselves. If their emotions become too strong, these signs can become addicted to drugs, alcohol, food, or anything that keeps them from being overloaded. Along with their empathy, also comes a tendency to actually absorb the emotions of others. | |
Indian astrology
Indian astrology shares the same system as Western astrology of linking zodiac signs to elements. The following table gives the correspondences:
In addition, in Vedic thought each of the five planets are linked to an element (with ether as the fifth). It was said in the Veda that everything emanated from the one basic vibration of
"Om" or "Aum." From "Om" the five elemental vibrations emerged representing the
five different tattwas (or elements). The five planets represent these
five vibrations – Jupiter for Ether, Saturn for Air, Mars for Fire,
Mercury for Earth, and Venus for Water.
Chinese astrology
In many traditional Chinese theory field, matters and its developmental movement stage can be classified into the Wu Xing. They are Tree, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Note that the Wu Xing are chiefly an ancient mnemonic device for systems with 5 stages, rather than the notion of different kinds of material. For further information, see Wu Xing.
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