CIRCLE
OF
STARS
The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow The elements and modes (or modalities) offer the basic building blocks of astrology. They help us to determine the essential nature of the person represented by the birth chart. The elements offer information that describe the 'quality' of the energy that is present, the underlying influence. Here are some very basic keyword descriptions for the elements: Air - Mind oriented, thinking, focus on ideas, communication, fair-minded, detached Fire - Action oriented, spontaneous, enthusiastic, assertive, reactive Water - Feeling, intuitive, emotional, sensitive, reflective, responsive, fluid Earth - Grounding, stabilizing, manifesting, hardworking, practical, resourceful I've added the 'element' to the table I shared on the last blog: ***The Element indicates the 'quality' of the energy that is present, the underlying influence The Planet indicates what energy is present The Zodiac Sign indicates how the topics of the signs 'express' themselves The House indicates 'where' or what area of your life these energies are playing out The Elements in the Signs Each of the zodiac signs, as well as the planets have their own elemental associations. In order to determine what your elements are you would begin with the Sun - and see if it's in an Air, Fire, Water or Earth sign? Repeat this with the Moon, Asc/Rising Sign, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. You can also find a 'snapshot' of your elemental balance on your birth chart. It's usually found on a separate table, and includes all of the glyphs for the planets in your chart, together with their elements. Then you can see at a glance which elements might be more dominant, or might be in shorter supply. There is more information on this a bit further down. As with all things 'astrology' you can go much deeper, but you'll get quite a lot of information just by doing this! Just by looking at the elements of your Sun/Moon and Rising Signs, you can begin to get a sense of the energies that are in play. For example if your Sun Sign is in Leo (Fire element) and your Rising Sign is in Aries (another Fire element), and your Rising Sign is in Sagittarius ('another' Fire element), chances are you have a rather fiery personality! Elemental Combinations Some elements get along , but others don't necessarily play well together. If you have a lot of fire in your chart together with a lot of water - you may have a lot of passion and drive, but it's 'put out' (in a sense) by the water, so that you find it hard to get anywhere. On the other hand if you have a fire and earth combination, you have both the drive, and the commitment to move forward. This could lead you towards accomplishing any tasks that take time and require persistence. If you have the combination of Air and Water, you have the sensitivity of water combined with the mind - this could make you very intuitive, and able to both understand and communicate your feelings with others. A few other combinations might be: Fire and Air - Fire consumes air, and air feeds fire Earth and Water - Earth absorbs water and water shapes the earth There is a lot to unpack here, but analyzing your chart in this way can be very helpful. I share this not as a comprehensive list of all of the combinations, but as a further consideration of how the elements can blend in your chart. The Modes or Modalities of the Signs The other thing to factor in, is the 'mode' or 'modality' of the Sign. The modalities introduce the aspect of change, helping to anchor the elements into the signs. In order to better understand this, it's helpful to look at the birth chart as a wheel of the year, with Spring in Aries, Taurus & Gemini; Summer in Cancer, Leo & Virgo; Autumn in Libra, Scorpio & Sagittarius and Winter in Capricorn, Aquarius & Pisces (reverse in the Southern Hemisphere). (in the image below you will note that the positive and negative symbols, they represent receptive and active energies respectively) Cardinal Signs are the signs that begin each of the seasons: Spring Equinox - Aries; Summer Solstice - Cancer; Fall Equinox - Libra & Winter Solstice - Capricorn.
*The Cardinal mode represents the birth process, it radiates outward in a definite direction. It has the qualities of: - initiating energy, action oriented, creative, decisive, can be impatient Fixed Signs are the signs at mid-season. Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. *The Fixed mode takes this new energy and builds a recognizable, mature entity or form, that radiates inward, creating a strong centre that resists change. It has the qualities of: -sustaining, seeing things through, determination, purposeful, strong willed, slower starting, can be stubborn Mutable Signs are the signs at the end of each season. Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces. *The Mutable mode this form or entity becomes more adaptable and less well-defined in order to move the fixed nature toward a new level of consciousness or action. It is a spiralling energy that alternates between moving outward and inward. It has the qualities of: - embracing change, flexible, open minded, adaptable, can be indecisive Using this information you can assess your modality balance. Just by focusing on the elements and modes, you can get a lot of foundational information about your birth chart. This information is found in a table on your birth chart (as mentioned earlier). If you have created a birth chart at astro.com the elements are listed along the side (F, A, E, W) and the Modalities or Modes are listed on top (C, F, M). Each Planet or aspect is listed according to its element and modality, making it easier to see what the balance is. As an example, if you have someone with Air as their dominant element, and Earth as their weakest, you have someone who is in their head a lot, and maybe needs more grounding! If their dominant mode is Cardinal then you have someone who might be great at starting projects, but not necessarily good at finishing them. If you put the elemental balance and the modality balance together, you can see that this is someone who may get a lot of creative ideas, but needs to find ways to sustain that energy so they can follow through and complete any projects they've started. The birth chart is much more complex than this, but hopefully you can see how the pattern begins to build. So how does this apply to your chart? I'd encourage you to play with this, and see if it feels like 'you'. You could begin by just looking at your Sun/Moon/Rising Sign, and later add in the others. What is Remediation, and How Can It Help You? Although it might be interesting to know what your elemental/modality balance is, you might be asking what you can do with this information, how can knowing this be helpful for you? For thousands of years, Vedic, and Ancient Astrology have had traditions of using gemstones and talismans in order to help balance a person's birth chart. I'll share the link below, to an article you might find interesting: Astrological Remediation: The subtle art of creating a brighter future, one transit at a time by Andrea L. Gehrz For the purpose of this blog, I'll share some practices or strategies that might also be helpful. A few years ago I took a course in Astro Herbology as I feel that plant medicine is a useful ally, and I know that it has served me well. This particular topic opens up into medical astrology, which is another vast area that is fascinating, but outside the scope of this blog. Your homework is to figure out where your elemental/modality strength is, and where you might benefit from some remediation. In the next post I'll share some different balancing strategies, including practices, herbs, flower essences and crystals. If you have any questions regarding any of this please leave them in the comments below. Until next time! Carol Resources: *Mountain Astrologer Magazine: Chart Synthesis - Mary Plumb Astrology, Psychology, and The Four Elements - Stephen Arroyo
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Hi, I'm Carol - Thank you for visiting my Blog! I can be found most nights looking up at the Moon & the Stars, no matter what the weather. It was after I began learning Astrology and better understood the 'symbols' in my birth chart, that I felt 'seen', and gained some valuable perspectives about myself and my life!
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