Planets in the Elements – Part 1

©April 2011 by Fabienne Lopez

Planets in the Elements: Why is it important?

Continuing our series on the 4 elements – Fire, Earth, Air and, Water, let’s turn our attention to the planets in the elements.

We seldom think of the planets in terms of elements. Astrologers focus instead on the sign, house, and aspects the planet makes with the rest of the chart. However, having a look at the planet distribution in the elements can give additional clues as to how we approach life.

As Stephen Arroyo reminds us in his book “Astrology, Psychology and the Four Elements” Each planet in addition to their natural energy will have the energy of that element. Each planet has a type of outgoing energy and an urge towards an expression of a certain kind, but also reveals a need for activity and fulfillment that must be fed along a particular incoming wavelength.

This new series will start with a two-part general look at the 7 classic planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn) outgoing energy and expression, followed by a closer inspection of each planet in each of the 4 elements. When warranted I will interspersed the posts with comments and observations on creativity.

Let’s go back to the basics and review how each planet and how he expresses himself in a particular element. We will start with Mercury, Mars, Venus, and Moon, leaving Sun, Jupiter, and Saturn for part 2 of this post.

Mercury in the Elements

Mercury is the planet of communication. Depending on which element your mercury falls in, this element will influence your “logic” and how you express these thoughts.

In water, Mercury indicates a mode of communication where our thoughts reveal our deepest yearnings and sub-conscious dispositions.

In earth, our thoughts are influenced by our practical needs.

In air, our thinking is an expression of our concepts.

Our aspirations are behind the way we express ourselves when Mercury is in the element of fire.

Venus in the Elements

A look at which element your Venus is located in can help you understand how you express affection, feel appreciated and react to the give and take of relationships.

A Water Venus is in need of constant emotional feeding.  Due to their sensitivity and vulnerability, they look for a sympathetic, consistent, and steady flow of caring and attention to feel loved.

Words are the primary means of expressing and sharing for the Venus in Air.

A Fire Venus will express itself via grandiose romantic gestures.

An Earth Venus will show their affection through tangible commitments that indicate they steady and practical nature.

Mars in the Elements

Mars in the elements shows what types of experiences, activities and with what type of energy one seeks to assert themselves.

An airy Mars will assert itself forcefully through his ideas and with a great deal of persuasion.

Direct physical action and strong power of initiative are the favorite way of expression of a fiery Mars.

On the other hand, water Mars will find its assertiveness through their emotional power, persistence and strong intuition.

Concrete achievements, conquered over time through patience and efficiency, are the characteristics of an Earth Mars.

Moon in the Elements

The element of your natal moon will indicate how you react instinctively to experiences and also how you will use your energy to adjust the changes.

An airy moon reacts to life experiences by expressing one’s thoughts and feelings to others.

Emotional intensity is the usual response of a water moon.

A fire moon will tend to respond to life challenges with enthusiasm and an immediate and direct action.

On the other hand, an earth moon will react in a steady, grounded matter of fact way to any life challenge.

Sun, Jupiter and Saturn in the elements will be discussed in tomorrow’s post.

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Photos Credits: Flickr Creative Commons