Air Astrology & Zodiac Correspondences

As I said in lesson 4, the four elements can be regarded as four basic principles of life. These can be applied to all sorts of things through the principles of similarity and analogy. C.G. Jung has opened the door to a modern understanding of these categories by developing a system of types, in which the elements correspond to four basic functions of the psyche. The emphasis or non-emphasis of the elements in the individual horoscope reveals fundamental aspects of the personality.

In Astrology, the signs are grouped in four triplicities based on their element. The triplicities are water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces), fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius), air signs (Libra, Aquarius, Gemini) and earth signs (Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo). Each has the three Zodiac signs associated with that element.

This lesson focuses on how the element Air influences / affects Air Signs. Air Signs are Libra, Aquarius, and Gemini.

General Characteristics for Air Signs: Those with planets in air signs use their minds to make sense of their lives. With Air, there's more space between the life lived and the observing mind. This can lead air signs to appear detached, aloof, remote, cool. Sometimes they'll try to talk their way through feelings or analyze a situation instead of encountering its full emotional weight.

The gift of Air is flexibility, and their ability to experience life through many prisms. They're often excellent communicators, storytellers, interpreters and journalists. They link people together socially, and often have a curiosity that keeps them out and about.

Those with planets in Air signs lead with the head, and those wheels are always turning to analyze and interpret their world. These are the "idea people," who breeze in and offer a fresh perspective on the situation at hand. As observers, they're often seeing from a loftier position, and able to offer clarity that others don't have.

The air signs are social creatures, since their currency is ideas, and they'll find more stimulation when out mingling. Some are drawn to words and become professional communicators, while others -- especially Aquarius -- have a more conceptual way of thinking. Air signs are masters at navigating through the collective waters, and therefore are astute commentators of the cultural trends, attitudes, and consciousness of the times.

When Air is out of balance, you can encounter a talking head, someone cut off from his own physical self. Air signs are more vulnerable to the excesses of our mind-body split, and could benefit from yoga and other somatic practices. A meditation practice helps Air signs calm the static.

In relationships, the distance of Air to their emotions can be refreshing. They're great conversationalists because they're the keepers of so much knowledge, gossip, strange factoids, etc. Talking with an inspired Air sign can be like skipping through a kind of virtual reality full of detail, specificity and local color.
Keywords: analytical, curious, thinking, intellectual, social, detached

How are the three Air Signs different? The signs of the Zodiac are grouped by elements in their triplicity, but they are also grouped by something known as their quality. Each type of quality has a unique path of expression. For the Air signs, Libra is cardinal, the leader, Aquarius is fixed, able to doggedly follow one train of thought and Gemini is mutable and as mercurial as the planet that rules it.

Broken down by Sign:
Libra: Cardinal Air / Ruler: Venus / Exaltation: Saturn / Detriment: Mars / Fall: Sun
Libra is a cardinal air sign, which is important to remember because, as the Venus ruled sign of one-to-one relationships, it is often automatically assumed to be a water sign. As a cardinal sign, Libra has very strong views about justice, harmony and civilized behavior. Libra is refined. It rules all the civilized arts - the theatre, concert halls, art galleries, as well as the laws with which any civilized society conducts itself. Saturn, which is exalted in Libra, is very comfortable in this sign, since Saturn also rules laws. The function of Libra, as indicated by the symbol of the scales, is to balance the system.

Aquarius: Fixed Air / Traditional Ruler: Saturn / Collective ruler: Uranus / Detriment: Sun
It is difficult to visualize fixed air except symbolically, as fixed ideas and ideals or, perhaps, as the structured intellect or rigid thinking. What we can certainly say is that, when we look at the sign of Aquarius, we are once again reminded of the duality of the air signs generally and immediately confronted with a sign which contains radical contradictions, described by the very different motivations of the two planetary rulers of this sign: Saturn and Uranus.

Gemini: Mutable Air / Ruler: Mercury / Detriment: Jupiter
Gemini is the child of the air signs, ruled by Mercury. Gemini is intelligent, curious, clever, witty and articulate, interested in everything, fascinated by information and facts and always learning. As a mutable air sign, Gemini is particularly good at multi-tasking. The theme of duality runs right through this sign, and Geminis are often at their best when they are doing at least two things at once - such as reading a book while watching television, or checking their e-mails while talking to someone on the phone. This can also extend to other areas of life, since I have noticed that Geminis often buy two of this or that, and are immensely attracted to things that come in pairs, such as earrings and shoes!

Interaction with other Zodiac Elements:
Air and Earth: It can be a relief for the weighted down Earth to be lifted up by Air's ideas and free-thinking. Air may offer a different spin on how to prioritize things, which can be liberating for duty-bound Earth. Earth helps the remote Air discover the mind-body connection. Earth can also advise Air so that some of their dreams can be made real.

Air and Fire: This is a dynamic combo, with Air being able to create an outline of meaning through thought for the Fire to be inspired by. Air helps Fire take a more logical path toward success, some direction for their leaps of faith. Fire gives Air a sense of mission, purpose, and shines a light of focus through the jumble of collected data, thoughts, information.

Air and Water: These two benefit from each other by bringing balance to feeling and thought. Water shows Air a path to the feelings, and can help them grow toward being more nurturing, emotional expressive, etc. Water helps Air make the heart connection. Air lifts Water out of the murky swamp into the realm of thought. Like talk-therapy, Air encourages Water to find distance, to become intellectually curious about their experiences.

Air and Air: Here is a meeting of the minds, and when balanced by other elements, it can mean a lifetime of shared interests. The way of connecting is through the exchange of ideas. The deeper emotional truth of the situation at hand can be discussed coolly. This bond thrives when there is also emotional authenticity, action and physical touch.

For those of you really into astrology, you can take this even further with your natal or birth chart. If you know your birth chart (and there are a number of places online to get it free if interested), you can see how many planets are in each of the four elements, regardless of your zodiac element. Most birth charts indicate a fairly even combination of the elements. However, you may find that you have a dominant one that is not your Zodiac element and that the dominant element affects your personality traits even more so that the zodiac element. You might also find that you have a lack of an element, which can affect your personality traits.

For examples, someone who has a dominant Air chart might exhibit
• a strong emphasis on rational and logical thought, ideas and intellectual pursuits
• detachment and a sense of objectivity and fair-mindedness
• mental agility when communicating and expressing ideas
• more concern with theory than with application
• a tendency to be people-oriented but inclined towards the group rather than the individual
• varied interests which lead to a lifelong search for knowledge
While still needing:
• to ground ideas in reality
• to visualize a practical use for their ideas
• to guard against constant thinking and impractical dreaming
• to allow space for emotional development and interaction

Someone who has a lack of Air in their chart might exhibit
• an inability to communicate effectively or clearly, communication can be enigmatic and obscure
• self-consciousness associated with circumstances which point to incoherent communication
• difficulty learning when the goal does not have an immediate and tangible end
• enhanced ability to communicate emotionally, physically or psychically
While still needing:
• to learn adaptability and the use of the mental functions in a creative manner
• to view issues in a more objective manner
• to define and visualize alternatives and objectives
• to learn how to plan ahead
• expand horizons of general interests

Activity: Continue working on finding out your dominant element (homework originally from Lesson 4). Remember, the element of a sign reveals the basic temperament of the sign. The element of your Sun, Moon, or Rising sign are of significant importance, but the overall distribution of elements in your chart is what counts the most. Having more than 4 planets in an element will have an impact on your behavior, even if that element does not correspond to your Sun sign. An abundance (5 or more), or a lack (0-2), of an element has much impact on your temperament.
Birth charts take a lot of work to interpret, work not covered in this lesson. But, if you get a copy of your birth chart on a free online site, you can find your planets (the sun and moon count as planets in birth charts) and positions. Planets and elements are associated via their qualities: warm/cold and dry/wet. As early as Ptolemy, writing almost 2000 years ago, the planets were being ascribed with those same qualities. Thus, for example, Venus and the moon are both described as cold and wet, so eventually those bodies were associated with the element of water, which is also cold and wet. See chart image for Element associations of warm/cold and dry / wet. The planets basically correspond to the elements this way:
Sun: Fire
Moon: Water
Mercury: Air
Venus: Earth & Water
Earth: Earth
Again, a birth chart takes a lot of time to interpret, but you can do your birth / natal chart online for free and start with figuring out how your planets correspond to the elements and what seems to be dominant or lacking in yours.

Credit: Stacy Hartlage Taylor