Understanding The Four Elements Of Western Astrology

The easiest way to begin to learn about astrology is to understand that there are four elements,
Fire, Earth, Water, and Air.
Fire Signs: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
Earth Signs: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
Water Signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
Air Signs: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius

Fire signs are just that, fiery. They are confident or pretend to be. They love action, are generally extroverted, competitive, hot-tempered, dramatic, and love to be the center of attention. Aries and Leo seek the center more than Sagittarius in general.

Earth signs are earthy. They are down to earth, appear calm and relaxed, pay attention to details and practical things. They can be seen as boring, but can also be reliable and punctual. Hard work makes them feel good. But, on the other hand, they tend to be naturally introverted or just not super comfortable with being in the spotlight.

Water signs are emotional. They tend to be romantic and deeply passionate when they feel an emotional connection to anything or anyone. However, their sensitivity and natural psychic nature lead them to protect their emotions a great deal. They are compassionate and can be moody but always willing to listen to the woes of others. Gut instincts are significant with this crowd.

Air signs are comfortable in the realm of thoughts and ideas. They tend to be light-hearted in nature and love to talk and think. They have a duality that gets shown more so with Libra and Gemini than with Aquarius. I find Aquarians to be open-minded and skeptical at the same time. That duality is less apparent than its sister signs. Geminis can be very moody and have two distinct sides. Happy one minute, fuck you the next. Libras can resist another’s point of view at first. Playing devil’s advocate is a natural habit for the Air signs. They want to think things through and come to a conclusion through their own minds.

Earth is compatible with Earth and Water.

Think about how, in nature, these elements support the lives of one another. Fire needs Air to grow, but it will get extinguished by Water and will scorch Earth. Earth holds Water, giving it a foundation to move, and Water feeds Earth and all that grows from it. Air carries Water also, but a more evaporated version of it. So earth and Air interact in a small way. They exist alongside one another but don’t heavily support one another directly. Because our charts have their own unique balance of elements, everyone is different. It’s not just about the Sun sign when it comes to compatibility.