DETERMINATION OF YOUR ELEMENTAL PROFILE
It is vitally important to note that when we speak of the Elements of Astrology that we are not referring to a phenomena or substance as defined by the natural sciences. In scientific terms Fire is a process of rapid oxidation and combustion; Earth is usually considered an inorganic substance; Water is the compound resulting from two atoms of hydrogen bonded to one atom of oxygen and Air is a mixture of gasses in the atmosphere. In Astrology the term Element refers to an aggregate of qualities that inhere in life and consciousness which are best described by the terms Fire, Earth, Air and Water.
Consider yourself as being compounded of four Astrological elements – Fire, Earth, Air and Water. Thus you are made up of Fire, or energy and activity expressing the action of the will; Earth, the physical and sensory aspect of consciousness, expressing the action of the body; Air, the mind, expressing the action of articulated rational and logical thought; and finally Water, or feeling and imagination, expressing the activity of the emotions. The proportion of these elements with respect to each other in your Chart indicates their relative weight or importance in their expression in your life. Oftentimes one element is clearly dominant in the Chart and would indicated the leading trend of consciousness expression but oftentimes the elemental proportions are almost equal or two or three may dominate and one or two may not even be present in your profile. One of the most valuable insights is obtained if one of the elemental qualities is completely absent from your profile from which you could drawn the conclusion that this aspect of your consciousness expression needs more recognition or development to attain a healthy and balanced expression of your being. Even though by now you have probably acquired your own Natal Chart from one of the previously mentioned sources, to aid your understanding we are going to make a trial run using the simplified example chart on page 7 which is again reproduced here for your convenience.
After this example, which will familiarize you with the interpretive process, another table is presented which will allow you to interactively interpret your own Natal chart and determine your particular elemental profile and the relative proportion of each of these elemental qualities in your personal chart.
Simplified Natal Chart