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Astrology has used the concept ofclassical elements from antiquity up until the present. InWestern astrology andSidereal astrology four elements are used:Fire,Earth,Air, andWater.

InWestern tropical astrology, there are 12 astrological signs. Each of the four elements is associated with three signs of theZodiac, which are always located exactly 120 degrees away from each other along theecliptic and said to be intrine with one another. Most modernastrologers use the four classical elements extensively, (also known astriplicities), and indeed it is still viewed as a critical part of interpreting theastrological chart.

Beginning with the first sign Aries which is a Fire sign, the next in line Taurus is Earth, then to Gemini which is Air, and finally to Cancer which is Water. Thiscycle continues on twice more and ends with the twelfth and finalastrological sign, Pisces. The elemental rulerships for the twelve astrological signs of the zodiac (according toMarcus Manilius) are summarised as follows:

• Fire — 1 –Aries; 5 –Leo; 9 –Sagittarius – hot, dry, ardent
• Earth — 2 –Taurus; 6 –Virgo; 10 –Capricorn – heavy, cold, dry
• Air — 3 –Gemini; 7 –Libra; 11 –Aquarius – light, hot, wet
• Water — 4 –Cancer; 8 –Scorpio; 12 –Pisces – cold, wet, soft

In traditional astrology, each triplicity has several planetaryrulers, which change with conditions ofsect – that is, whether the chart is a day chart or a night chart. Triplicity rulerships are an importantessential dignity – one of the several factors used by traditional astrologers to weigh strength, effectiveness, and integrity of each planet in a chart.

Triplicity rulerships (using the "Dorothean system") are as follows:^[1]

"Participating" rulers were not used by Ptolemy, as well as some subsequent astrologers in later traditions who followed his approach.

In ancient astrology, triplicities were more of a seasonal nature, so a season was given the qualities of an element, which means the signs associated with that season would be allocated to that element. The seasonal elements of ancient astrology are as follows:

• Spring (wet becoming hot) – Air – Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
• Summer (hot becoming dry) – Fire – Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
• Autumn (dry becoming cold) – Earth – Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
• Winter (cold becoming wet) – Water – Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

The seasonal qualities account for the differences in expression between signs of the same element. All the fire signs are by their nature hot and dry. However, the addition of the elemental qualities of the seasons results in differences between the fire signs. Aries being a Spring sign is wet (hot & dry, hot & wet), Leo being the midsummer sign gets a double dose of hot and dry and is the pure fire sign, and Sagittarius being an Autumnal sign is colder (hot & dry, cold & dry).

In the Southern Hemisphere the seasonal cycle is reversed.^[2]

This yields secondary and tertiary elements for each sign.

These associations are not given any great importance in modern astrology, although they are prominent in modern Westernceremonial magic,reconstructionistneopagan systems such asneodruidism andWicca.

Sidereal (Vedic) astrology shares the same system as Western astrology of linking zodiac signs to elements.

In addition, in Vedic thought each of the five planets are linked to an element (with space as the fifth). It was said in the Veda that everything emanated from the one basic vibration of "Om" or "Aum". From "Om" the five elemental vibrations emerged representing the five different tattwas (or elements). The five planets represent these five vibrations –Jupiter forSpace,Saturn forAir,Mars forFire,Mercury forEarth, andVenus forWater.

In many traditional Chinese theory fields, matter and its developmental movement stage can be classified into wuxing. They are:

• Wood, associated with Jupiter, green, the east and spring;
• Fire, associated with Mars, red, the south and summer;
• Earth, associated with Saturn, yellow, center and last summer;
• Metal, associated with Venus, white, the west and autumn;
• Water, associated with Mercury, black, the north and winter.

Despite that, the essence of wuxing is really about the notion of fivestages, rather than five types of material.

^aPtolemy^[3] later modified the rulerships of Water triplicity, makingMars the ruler of the water triplicity for both day and night charts – andWilliam Lilly concurred.^[4]

• Astrological signs
• Astrological triplicities
• Classical elements
• Esoteric cosmology
• History of astrology
• Technical factors of astrology

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata