qualities of the elements
why do the elements mean what they mean? plato was the first to attach the term to what we know today as the 4 elements. he fleshed out the idea that the 4 elements are the smallest component that everything is comprised of (an idea that started with empedocles), after centuries of philosophers arguing about which was THE single element that everything on earth could be reduced to. then, aristotle took that even further. his idea was that the elements could turn into each other, so they have to have qualities about them that contrast. he established the 4 qualities of the elements. two pairs of qualities that have contrasting traits within each pair, but donât contrast between pairs.Â
hot is the opposite of cold, and vice versa. these are active qualities.Â
heat creates motion. hot signs are active and mobile.Â
coldness is slower, more stagnant. cold signs are reflective.Â
dry is the opposite of wet, and vice versa. these are passive qualities. these are qualities that happen to things.Â
dryness separates. dry signs are individualistic.Â
wetness connects. wet signs are fluid.Â
each element is assigned a quality from each pair and go as follows:
FIRE is hot and dry
EARTH is cold and dry
AIR is hot and wet
WATER is cold and wet
you may have heard this phrase for âcompatibleâ elements as âwater and earth make mud, fire and air make hot air.â this idea stems from aristotleâs theory of the elements. remember, his idea was that the elements can transmute into each other in a cyclical fashion. the elements that share an active quality (hot and cold) can transmute into each other easier than if they didnât share an active quality. fire and air are both hot, and water and earth are both cold.Â
the signs werenât always associated with the elements, according to Chris Brennan in his book, Hellenistic Astrology, The Study of Fate and Fortune (p.261), but they were always grouped into the 4 sets of 3 that would later be associated with the elements. valens was the first to associate these triplicities with the elements. he lists them in the same pattern we know today starting with aries being fiery and ending with pisces being watery.Â
resources ~
historical context): Hellenistic Astrology, The Study of Fate and Fortune by Chris Brennan (buy here)
this article on the qualities of the elements, by Ian ThurnwaldÂ
this video by Jo Gleason and Ryhan Butler of Cups and Crowns on youtube:Â https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3GIY2ZtGooÂ
I touched on this in a twitter thread on elemental compatibility. check that out here:Â https://twitter.com/classtrology_/status/997900564393537537Â
how did the elements get their traits? you can see these ideas further fleshed out with the temperaments that you might have learned about in PSYCH-101. I donât have anything written on this yet, but here is an article by E.V. Starling and another one by Ryhan ButlerÂ
















