The Elements

The following diagram gives a layout of the
elements as they correspond to the seasons:

The arrows indicate the direction that each
elemental combination is pulled.

    There are eight possible elemental combinations. The seasonal cycle and the elements they embody determine these combinations. As the diagram shows, Fire cannot combine with Air because Winter and Summer are at opposite times of the year. Similarly, Earth cannot combine with Water because Fall and Spring are at opposite times of the year.
    The elements that people embody correspond to the season which their Spirit came into their body. According to this teaching, this can take place anytime from conception to three months after birth. This offers a one-year window. In other words, no matter when a person was physically born, they can embody the elemental energy of any time during the year. A person could be born in December, for instance, and embody the energy of the time around the Summer Solstice.
    Most people embody the energy close to a seasonal shift - either shortly before or after a solstice or equinox. These are times of transition when two elemental energies are mixing; so most people are a combination of two elemental energies - one being their primary element and the other being secondary.

As an example, if a person's Spirit came into their body within fifteen days before the Fall Equinox we would say they are Air over Earth or Air/Earth. Air being their primary element and Earth being secondary. If, on the other hand, they came in within fifteen days after the Fall Equinox, they would be Earth over Air, or Earth/Air. The primary element is the energy that the person abides in; the secondary element is the energy they are pulled toward. Therefore, an Air/Earth person abides in Air energy and is pulled down toward the grounding influence of Earth, whereas, an Earth/Air person resides in Earth energy and is pulled upward toward Air.
It is common for people to accept one of the elements they embody and to resist the other. In addition, we often times interact harmoniously with people of certain elemental make-ups but find ourselves in conflict with people embodying other elements. As we push away part of our nature, we tend to cling to other parts. This dynamic seems to keep us caught up in struggle. Unconsciously, we play this opposition out in our interactions with other people as well as our relationship to money, work, our home and our bodies. Most of us are not consciously aware of this dynamic or how to deal with it effectively. We simply find ourselves attracted to, struggling with, or avoiding certain types of people or situations again and again. The elements teaching can help us to understand why we feel compelled to do this.