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Astrological Compatibility: Part
II - Elements In
my article, “Astrological Compatibility:
Part
I - Aspects,”
I laid out a foundation of understanding of how astrology can bring
awareness to our relationships. In this article I would like to expand
on that foundation and show how the individual elemental and planetary
makeup of our own astrological chart interacts with that of others. In
astrology we call this interaction "synastry", a beautiful word that is
used to describe the relationship between the energy fields of two
people. In “Astrological Compatibility: Part I - Aspects,” I showed how the different signs interact or aspect each other. Basically I was speaking of the way Sun signs interact so this might mean that a person with the Sun in the sign Leo would find it more difficult relating to Scorpios, Tauruses and Aquarians (the Sun signs that are in challenging aspect to their own)In order to get a broader picture of how one would relate of any of these other signs, however, we would have to compare not only Sun signs but also the signs of the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. For simplicity's sake, let's just consider the so-called "personal" planets, the Sun through Jupiter. These six planets (actually the Sun is a star) are called personal because they are faster moving in the sky and affect us more on an individual level, whereas Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto move slower and tend to have more of a collective influence on our lives. Also, in comparing astrological charts of individuals who are close in age, it is much more likely that the outer planets will be in the same sign, thus minimizing the differences between charts. Since any of the planets can be in any one of the four elements (fire, air, water, or earth), one begins to see how many different combinations of elemental and planetary expression are possible. For example, out of the ten planets in my chart I have four in the fire element, three in earth, two in water, and one in air. This is my "elemental make-up" and tells a lot about how I express my own energy and how I will relate to others. As you can see, 70% of my planets are in fire and earth. I tend to be most happy when I'm doing things, now! In relationship my greatest challenge has been to maintain my patience with those who I perceive are moving slower than I am! I'm usually at home and fairly comfortable in the emotional realm as I have two planets and my rising sign or ascendant (the constellation rising on the horizon at birth) in Cancer, a water sign. Of course the hardest element for me to operate in is air, as I only have one planet there. For instance, if I have to read a manual for some sort of mechanical contraption I'll probably never get around to it. I'm much happier if I can just rip open the box and start tweaking buttons and twisting dials! One drawback of not having a lot of air in my chart is that I rely more on intuition and emotion to make judgments and decisions and consequently have less objectivity than those who "specialize" in the air element. In past relationships this has manifested as getting involved real quickly without too much thought about the appropriateness of the relationship. Understanding your own elemental makeup is extremely important if you want to get the most out of your relationships. By getting to know your own strengths and challenges you will begin to draw partners to you in a more conscious manner. You wouldn't believe how common it is to find couples or partnerships where one person is all fire and air (intuition and intellect) and the other is water and earth (emotional and physical). The couple or partnership are literally drawn together like magnets so that they can benefit from each other's "elemental specialization". This can be a great learning experience if it's done consciously but a highly co-dependent relationship if not. In an astrological chart the elements represent basic forms of energy within us while the individual planets symbolize our basic expression of that energy or life force in all areas of life - physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Each planet represents certain fundamental needs or urges that we all express to one degree or another. The way we express these fundamental energies characterizes what we typically call personality. In other words, each of us has a desire to express our individuality and sense of self (Sun), to be nurtured and to nurture (Moon), to communicate fully with others (Mercury), to express love in relationship (Venus), to assert ourselves (Mars), and to expand our sense of who we are (Jupiter). Naturally we all differ in our ability to fully express our needs in these areas and that is exactly why astrology can teach us so much about how our basic needs can be met or thwarted in a relationship.
In Figures 2, 3 and 4, I've laid out three diagrams of how the signs
aspect or interrelate with each other.
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