The Elements: A Beginner's Guide to Astrology (And Being Human)
A complete breakdown of the four elements—fire, earth, air, and water
Welcome to the Cosmic Classroom!
Where I bring astro-education pieces to paid subscribers. If you’re interested in learning more about yourself through the lens of your own chart, be sure to follow along!
Last edition we learned our way around the natal chart—how to find the signs, houses, planets, and more! If you missed it, or if you’d like a refresher, you can find it here:
The Elements
The elements are the key I come back to, time and time again, as they bring me back to the basics when things start to feel overwhelming—in life and in learning astrology. Most people have a sense of the elements already, as we meet them in our lives every day, whether we realise it or not.
These elements we see in nature are also found within each of us—because we are nature—we are not separate.
It’s up to us to take the time to notice.
During my first ever formal astrology class, I learned about the elements. Finding out my fire was dangerously low (pretty well burnt out) was life changing. Since childhood, I’ve been the serious one—often trying to hang out with the adults in the room because I felt older than I was—which has made it more difficult for me to access anger, joy, and the confidence to be seen in my adult life.
I have a distinct memory as a child, where I was trying to be heard—for my emotions to be given space—that I yelled and kicked the oven in the kitchen in an angry outburst. Not long after that outburst did I get physically sick. I was convinced that my anger (aka my fire) made me sick, and from that moment, my body learned it wasn’t safe to be angry—something I’ve later learned how to hold space for in a healthier way.1
Knowing I can intentionally balance the elements within me is a tool I will carry with me for the rest of my life. My homework during that class was to post a video online, and now reflecting back, I can still feel that version of me who was shaking at the thought of speaking about myself and showing my face to the world. Now I can go live on social media with zero second thoughts and chat unscripted as if I’m talking with a friend—something I once spent three whole days trying to work up the courage to do—which is proof that working the elements is like working a muscle at the gym. We all have access to all of the elements, whether we find them in our astrology chart or not. Working with the elements has given me the confidence to be me, unapologetically and without fear.
There are four elements in astrology: fire, earth, air, and water.
Part of coming into alignment with ourselves is by way of coming into alignment with nature itself. One way to do this is by working with the elements in our chart, and finding balance between them, noticing where we are overactive, and where we could turn up the dial—much like I did with my own fire.
Below you will find descriptions and medicine for each of the four elements. If you would like to gain access to the Cosmic Classroom and learn more about yourself through the lens of your chart, consider becoming a paid subscriber.