Elements [sometimes called triplicities]

There are four elements in western astrology, [Chinese astrology has more]

These are FIRE, Earth, AIR and WATER.

Fire relates to Aries, Leo and Sagittarius

Earth relates to Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn

Air houses relates to Gemini, Libra and Aquarius

Water houses relates to Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces.

They generally describe a person’s energy nature.

FIRE; houses 1,5,9 are ACTIVE, CREATIVE, EXTROVERT. These are self employment houses, their work is through their own creative efforts, self generated. Varying from own work to publishing to distributing, travel and managing events. Often deals with a person’s morality in interacting with others.

EARTH; houses 2, 6, 10, are PRACTICAL, live in REALITY and DUTY Earth houses are the merchants houses, they buy and sell goods, and serve other people, things that are “raw”, things that are treatments, things that make people socially admired. Often deals with a person’s attitude to materialism and social standing.

AIR; houses 3, 7, 11 are considered intellectual, dealing with CONCEPTS, IDEAS, and PLANNING. Air houses love a conundrum, the historians, the puzzlers the communicators, the explorers, being at the cutting edge, knowing what’s going on, experimenting. Often dealing with a persons pride and intellectual snobbery, the copyright houses, failure to distribute ideas for fear someone else might use them or build on them.

WATER; houses 4, 8, 12 SENSITIVITY and EMOTIONAL having depth of feeling, and INTROVERTED, also INTUITIVE, IMAGINATIVE. Real estate, knowledge, money lending and taxation, insurance, looking after others, securing the future, heritage, understanding the cycles of the time, showing wisdom. These houses often deal with a persons wisdom in how they give to others, or manipulate others and support them.

Everyone has a mix of the elements within their charts, but usually one is more abundant than the others, even when it appears that an element is missing, go further into the chart and look at the decans and their rulership, usually the missing element can be found there.

Much is written on what element is missing and what element is abundant, but the fact is, that whatever elements are “missing” or low in number in our natal chart, we look for those attributes in our partner. What ever we have in abundance attracts a partner to us, to fill in their weakest element. This is the attraction of opposites and should be considered in long term relationships.

As the progressed moon moves around the chart, everyone has times of experiencing all the elements, but how the elements are used relates to the quadruplicities or qualities. These are a second grouping also known as Cardinal, fixed or mutable

ANGULAR houses 1, 4, 7, 10 show “taking new initiatives”, doing something they have never done before. They love a challenge, abundant angular house placements make for a challenge junkie. Beware of transits making a person jump from the frying pan into the fire; they have to learn to look before they leap, consider consequences and prior planning.

SUCCEDENT houses 2, 5, 8, 11 show consolidation, fixed opinions and unwillingness to change. Transits to a person with abundant “fixed” placements often shows the change comes with the third and last passing of a transit, there is a refusal to move from a comfortable place into the unknown, known for keeping things going, managers, tending, nurturing, supporting are the fixed attributes.

CADENT houses 3, 6, 9, 12 show distribution, flexibility and adaptability. Often many false start’s, because they commit without giving enough thought to the plan, which can cost them time and money in business. Considered weak houses because of easily being swayed by others, “others” can take personal power away. In an effort of teamwork, it requires self knowledge of personal strengths to make this position work the best. Often transits deals with truth and untruth, illusion and reality, in relation to others.