In astrology elements play a very important role. They are building blocks of life or life-giving forces. Each of the 12 Signs falls into one of the four elements. All elements have their own polarity and qualities. The elements are also known as the Triplicities, and they represent personality tendencies. Knowing which element rules your Sign and which elements are strong or weak in your chart, can help you understand your nature. While Signs share the same elements, they each have a different modality, which further separates Signs from each other but we will check this later.

In Vedic astrology, zodiac signs are linked to elements, same as in Western astrology. Additionally, in Vedic tradition each of the five planets are linked to an element. With akash (space) as the 5th. It was said in the Veda that everything emanated from the one basic vibration of "Om" or "Aum". From "Om" the five elemental vibrations emerged representing the five different tattwas (or elements). The five planets represent these five vibrations – Jupiter for Akash (Space), Saturn for Air, Mars for Fire, Mercury for Earth, and Venus for Water.

"Thoughts come and go like leaves in the wind, but the core of consciousness is forever."

Vedic name: Vayu

Signs: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius

Polarity: positive +

Quality: light (hot, wet)

Represents: intellect

Keywords: communication, socialization, conceptualization, movement, expansion

Strong: intellectual, questioning, conceptualizing, synthesizing, observant, objective, detached, unrealistic, indecisive, talkative, interacting, cooperating

Air as the dominant element in the birth chart usually signifies a person who lives in their mind, restlessly seeking knowledge and sharing their thoughts with other people. Somewhat impersonal (emotionally detached), yet they thrive on communication and social interaction.

Weak: subjective, searching, disconnected, isolated, simple

These people often hunger for social interaction and they are very concerned with communication, yet they frequently feel out of contact of misunderstood. They may prefer to express themselves non-verbally, through writing rather than the spoken word. They learn primarily from experience rather than from the intellect. Nevertheless, they are endlessly conceptualizing and clarifying their thinking. They may lack objectivity and thus gain understanding of themselves only through receiving feedback from other people.

"In each moment the fire rages, it will burn away a hundred veils. And carry you a thousand steps toward your goal."

Vedic name: Tejas or Agni

Signs: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius

Polarity: positive +

Quality: ardent (hot, dry)

Represents: life energy

Keywords: enthusiasm, drive to express self, faith, energy, passion, transformation

Strong: enthusiastic, energetic, impulsive, spontaneous, ardent, intense, stimulating, inspirational, creative, self-motivated, self-confident, independent, idealistic, optimistic, subjective

Those with Fire as the dominant element in the birth chart may also be dominating, fast-paced, and inclined to invest all of themselves into their activities. They may have difficulty seeing other people as separate individuals, with their own valid needs and desires.

Weak: pessimistic, apathetic, uninvolved, depressed, unmotivated, unexcitable

These people struggle to become self-expressive and assertive, but they alternate between withholding themselves and expressing themselves in an overly dramatic manner. They are either tangled up in a hectic schedule of impersonal activities or, in contrast, become overly preoccupied with their personal experience. They may look to others for inspiration and motivation because they are not often aware of or enthusiastic about new possibilities. They often feel passive and detached or uninvolved; they seek deeper personal and emotional involvement in live.

"Instead of allowing ourselves to be led and trapped by our feelings, we should let them disappear as soon as they form, like letters drawn on water with a finger."

Vedic name: Apas or Jal

Signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

Polarity: negative -

Quality: soft (cold, wet)

Represents: emotions

Keywords: emotion, empathy, sensitivity, response, fluidity, adaptability, change

Strong: moody, sensitive, vulnerable, sentimental, empathic, responsive, dependent, nurturing, protective, secretive, personal, flowing, intuitive, imaginative, passive

People with Water as the dominant element in the birth chart frequently lose themselves in their feelings or the feelings of others, and have difficulty maintaining their separateness. Their extreme sensitivity often leads them to withdraw into themselves. Often quite psychic, they respond with great compassion to the needs of other people.

Weak: controlled, closed, unresponsive, impersonal, insecure, out-of-touch

People with lack of Water in the birth chart have an emotional vacuum which they attempt to fill by turning to spiritual realms or universal truths. This is an attempt to find meaning in their lives. Their difficulty remaining in touch with and expressing their feelings may lead them to form relationships with overly emotional people or to become addicted to excitement and intensity. Because they may not be aware of or able to respond empathetically to other people's feelings, they try to prove that they are sensitive by acting out nurturing activities, such as cooking a meal, or by acting overly concerned.

"The earth is not just our environment. We are the earth and the earth is us. We have always been one with the earth."

Vedic name: Prithvi or Bhumi

Signs: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn

Polarity: negative -

Quality: heavy (cold, dry)

Represents: physical

Keywords: practicality, security, caution, material world, solidity, stability, grounding

Strong: practical, materialistic, down-to-earth, security-minded, realistic, patient, persistent, enduring, dependable, stable, productive, methodical, exacting, thorough, orderly

People with Earth as the dominant element in the birth chart will be concerned with concrete details and tangible results. They will operate most frequently in the world of their senses (physical senses like touch, taste, and smell as opposed to emotional feeling), attuned to their immediate environment, to their physical bodies, and to sensory comforts and pleasures.

Weak: impractical, disorganized, compulsive, unproductive, unstable, security-conscious, ungrounded

These people often develop skills which have no practical application, flit from job to job, or overspend and borrow money freely. Alternatively, they may overemphasize the practical by becoming secretaries or accountants, or being overly concerned about budgeting, details, and order. Because they do not feel grounded, they frequently seek security by adhering to a highly structured system of thought or by following an organized but rigid routine. They may hold onto a job or relationship too long because of the stability and security it provides.

There are a few different methods for calculating the weights of elements in a chart. The results vary but are generally similar. One and the simplest of them is the one I will describe below.

Each planet or special point also has its own weight, according to its importance in the astrological chart, as you can see in the table below. Once you know which element the planet or special point is in, you add them together.

If Element has 6 or less points, it's weak or underemphasized. From 7 to 9 points it means it's balanced. If element has 10 or more points, it's strong or overemphasized.

Even with compensations, there still exists a deficiency. Compensations have the effect of increasing the desire to express the weak element, even while the individual lacks the natural ability to act accordingly. So, how can you make up for what you lack? You can work to develop qualities that you see in others. This is easier to do, if you hang out with people who have the qualities you lack. In other words, when the Element is weak or completely missing, there is a need in a person to discover and realize this type of energy. A person often becomes a seeker and tries to find ways to learn how to develop this type of energy within himself. There are examples of people who have, later in their lives, manifested the missing element in their chart very strongly, mostly because they have spent a lot of time learning how to do just that.

Sometimes, if a planet happens to be the only one in an Element, Quality or House type, that planet is a Singleton and it can funnel all of the energy of the horoscope. This planet is often the most important one in the horoscope. In other words, if you just interpret the position of this one planet by sign, house, and aspect, you will get to the handle of the horoscope. The effect is the same as if that planet were the only one on one side of the chart like you can see in The Bucket Pattern charts.