By Natori Moore

Have you ever wondered why some people you know are more physically active than others?  Why some cry more easily than others?  Why one of your friends is very moody and one very businesslike?

The answer lies in the predominant element in a person’s astrological chart.  The four elements of astrology – Fire, Earth, Air and Water – each represent distinct personality characteristics we can easily recognize.

FIRE sign types (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) are high energy people who need a lot of room to move.  They are often physically active with strong opinions and an abundance of creative ideas.  They are usually confident, optimistic, outgoing and adventurous, and may make good salespeople or promoters.  They have a strong sense of self and are better givers than receivers.  They are visionary and need some area of their lives in which they can be leaders.  Negatively, they may be self-centered and find it difficult to listen to others or consider alternative viewpoints.  They tend not to be very flexible or good at spotting details.

EARTH sign types (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) are practical people concerned with physical comforts, money and the material world.  They are excellent business people and may be employed in banking, financial services, construction, farming, or any field requiring an ability to deal with money, land or tangible realities.  You’ll recognize an earth sign at home or at the office by the comfortable and substantial furniture, high quality sound system, or the money jar on the desk!  It’s important to them to be building something solid in life.  Negatively, earth signs can be stubborn, unimaginative, anti-social or stuck in routine.  They can be narrow-minded and closed to new ideas.

AIR sign people (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) are socially oriented and usually relate first to others through conversation.  These folks are intelligent, curious, broad-minded, well-read and love to keep up with current events and information.  They are delightful to have at parties because they help draw other people out.  They are friendly yet need space in their relationships and will keep a respectable distance between themselves and others.  They are inventors and idea people, occasionally exhibiting a touch of genius.  Negatively, air signs can be too detached, scattered or “spaced out.”  They may have trouble being aware of their emotions or feeling comfortable with intimacy.

WATER sign types (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) have tremendous depth and emotional capacity.  These are the people who cry easily and will give hours of their time to help a friend in need.  They are moved by the unseen realities of life and often help open others to their feelings, dreams and inner world.  You’ll often notice your water sign friends saying, “I just had a hunch about that,” or “My intuition told me it was okay.”  Water sign people are tender, compassionate, helpful and insightful.  It may even seem that they can see through you!  They like to be in the water, enjoying swimming, scuba diving or luxurious bubble baths.  Negatively, water signs can be over-emotional, over-indulgent and over-dependent on the good opinion and support of others.  Their sense of self can be weak and they can favor fantasy over reality.

If you notice that you have traits of more than one of these element types, you’re in good company.  We are all a blend of two or more types.  Yet there is usually one element that provides a clue to our most dominant traits.  This predominant element is not always the same as the Sun sign, which explains why a person with the Sun in Leo may act more like a Virgo, and so forth.  The more chart placements you have in a particular element – Fire, Earth, Air or Water – the more you will recognize yourself as a “type” in the above descriptions.  Can you recognize anyone you know?