Astrology · 5 min

The four elements

Fire, earth, air, water. The four most useful words in astrology.


Instead of memorising twelve signs, understanding four elements gets you there faster. Each element covers three signs and gives you what those three have in common.

The four, one by one

  • FIRE — Aries, Leo, Sagittarius. Starts things, warms the room, goes first. Energy points outward.
  • EARTH — Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn. Builds, maintains, cares about what you can touch. Energy points down, into the ground.
  • AIR — Gemini, Libra, Aquarius. Connects, talks, works with ideas. Energy moves sideways, person to person.
  • WATER — Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces. Feels, senses, goes deep. Energy points inward.
FIREEARTHAIRWATER
Signs of the same element sit 120 degrees apart on the wheel.

Which ones get along

Elements pair up well two ways: fire with air (air feeds fire), earth with water (water feeds earth). The other pairings take more work — fire with water, earth with air. That does not mean incompatible; it means running at different speeds.

In the app

Which element dominates your own chart is below. Having none of an element is information too — it is usually the area you work hardest at.

Open in Celestine
Check yourself

Which three share an element?