Balancing the Elements Within Yourself

 

Getting in Touch with Your Personal Elements

Everyone knows that the zodiac signs have elements affiliated with them. Capricorn is considered an Earth sign, while Cancer is Water; but did you know that we are more than that one element? In truth each person has their own unique combination of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water within them and they’re rarely equal, which leads to an imbalance. Learning what your personal elemental makeup looks like and how it can either help or hinder you is just as important as understanding any other aspect of yourself. So, let’s take a few minutes to delve into ourselves in a new and enlightening way!

What is Your Default Setting?

Understanding your personal ‘default setting’ is an important part of your spiritual self-care toolbox. The first thing you will need to do is get your natal, or birth chart done. If you don’t happen to have a natal chart, you can get one for free by joining our Karma Rewards program. How easy and awesome is that? Once you have that in front of you, the fun part starts. Now it’s time to see which signs you have in your houses and jot down which element they happen to be.

As there are many different chart formats out there, I like to simplify everything and keep it as tight and uncluttered as possible. So, for this reason I recommend focusing on where the sun, moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, the North Node, and your Ascendant fall, in regard to the signs. An Astrology Psychic can help you look into what all of these placements mean in more detail as well.

Here is a quick chart to help you to figure out which signs are ruled by which elements:

• Earth – Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
• Air – Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
• Fire – Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
• Water – Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

Now, in my chart I have four Earth, two Air, one Fire, and four Water! And then my rising sign is in Scorpio, so I add another one for Water, giving me five Water in total. Not a very balanced distribution, is it? Most people have imbalances, so let’s take a look at what those imbalances can look like and how to fix them.

Being Off Kilter

Being out of balance can manifest in your life in several different ways. Though sometimes being slightly out of balance can be a positive, being too far off balance can really affect you in negative ways.

Earth

An Earth imbalance can show itself as lethargy, exhaustion, and being overly pessimistic. It can be hard to get out of your own way. Personally, I know that I can be prone to cycles of feeling down at times that are more than what can be attributed to all the Water in my chart.

Air

If you’re Air heavy, then you might find yourself thinking too much instead of actually following through and doing something. You might have a hard time even following the fast flush that are your thoughts, and for some people, you may find yourself feeling as if you are short of breath.

Fire

Being heavy on Fire can be identified by being quick to anger or very irritable. It can also manifest as exhaustion, lack of motivation due to too many interests, and occasionally, the feeling of always being thirsty.

Water

Having too much Water, like me, can make you prone to emotional outbursts or mood swings. It can even make making decisions based on logic and reason difficult.

The Positives of an Imbalance

This isn’t to say that there aren’t good aspects to these imbalances. For people who are heavy on Earth, they’re usually very grounded and can be counted on to think clearly during times of high stress and emotion. Those heavy on Air can always be counted on to have a new perspective and fresh ideas to get around a problem. Due to their emotional connection to everyone and everything around them, Waters remind you that sometimes you need to make choices based on your heart and intuition instead of pure logic. And Fires can invigorate people around them with their passion and determination! The problem comes when you are out of balance for too long.

The Elemental Balancing Ritual

Find a quiet space where you won’t be bothered for about 15 minutes. I like doing this either right before I get out of bed in the morning to prepare for my day, or before bed to adjust any imbalances that happened during the day. I recommend doing this exercise at least once a month until you have a good understanding of what you feel like when you are in balance compared to when you are out of balance. Once you hit that level of sensitivity you can do it only when you need it.

Closing your eyes, take five deep breaths in from your nose and out of your mouth. Focus on your breathing and the pause between your inhale and exhale.

Now visualize a box appearing before you. It can be as simple or as ornate as you would like it to be, the important thing is that you can visualize it clearly in your mind’s eye. Once you have the box sharp and crisp in your mind, reach out, open it up, and look inside.

Inside the box are tokens that represent each of the four elements of Earth, Air, Fire, Water. For Earth you might see leaves, stones, or mini trees. Air might manifest itself as tiny whirlwinds, smoke, or fans. Fire usually manifests as flames, matches, or lighters. And Water will sometimes appear as storm clouds, water drops, or small buckets filled with water. Take a good look at the mix of what is in your box, then one by one take each token out of the box and separate them by element so that you can truly gain the necessary insight to help keep yourself balanced for longer periods of time.

Where are you heavy? Where are you light? Where are you non-existent? Does the imbalance match your natal chart breakdown? Sometimes it will, other times it won’t because your daily interactions with others, stressors, and situations will nudge you out of balance. After this point in the exercise you might feel very tired or empty, and those are normal and natural reactions.

Now that you have broken things down and emptied out the box, it is time to reintegrate the elements back into the box, in a more balanced and healthy way. Select one token for each element and put them in the box. When you have finished with that you should notice that the extra ones simply disappear as they are no longer needed.

Take another deep breath, imagine closing the top of the box, and then pull the box into yourself. It will simply dissolve and imbue you with the needed elemental energies, putting you in balance and reinvigorating you.

Take another deep breath and open your eyes. How do you feel? Keep track of how this exercise makes you feel in a journal and of noted imbalances so that you can recognize any patterns. Do you usually find you have more Fire after dealing with that one difficult to tolerate family member or client? If you know that you will need to interact with them, you can do the exercise and throw in a little extra Earth to stamp down on the flares of the Fire.

You Can Use Imbalances to Your Advantage

Planned imbalances can help us when we need a little boost. When I am working on a project and feel like I am backsliding with my attention or energy, I will redo the balancing ritual and add in extra Fire and Air to help with my energy and my ideas. When I know that I will need to deal with people who tend to drain my patience, I will add a little more Earth to stay grounded as well as a hint more Water so that I can try to have more empathy to their perspectives and needs. Just like with everything else in life, knowing your baseline and adjusting things from there is the best way to move forward with your personal growth and understanding of yourself at a deeper level.

Understanding

Understanding how we are put together helps us to be the best versions of ourselves. This is probably one of the simplest exercises that I share with my students, and yet it always manifests the largest rewards!

I hope that it can help you to find the same balance within yourself that it has done for me!

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Astrology plays an important role in your day-to-day life. The planets are responsible for your moods, experiences and more, which is why you should get a psychic astrology reading. 

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Vikas P Deshpande

M.E. Civil, Structural Consultant

Vastu and Feng Shui Consultant

0434681647, deshpandevikas@gmail.com