heart shaped world

tarot & astrology

the elements

air

mode:

thought

orientation:

objective

the elements: there is no argument here with those who like to point out that there is a periodic table with somewhat more than four elements and why o why o why etc etc... we are dealing with a very old reference system which only found it necessary to distinguish (for these purposes) four symbolic building blocks representative of life and its essential, key varieties. A more modern variation of such thinking can be seen by psychometric character typing with four basic types and the permutations afforded by subdividing each into four again, thus from the types 'Driver', 'Analytic', 'Expressive' & 'Aimiable'as main categories, 'Drivers' can be realised as 'analytic drivers', 'aimiable drivers', 'expressive drivers' or 'driver-drivers'. No-one is wholly and solely one type, this is simply a way to describe the types of influences that go into a personal mix, where some aspects may be more marked than others.

associated with air

Primarily the intellect. Air represents that ability for abstract thought, to use concepts, develop ideas, to 'see' with 'the mind's eye'. It also includes the ability to communicate ideas and concepts. Challenges and obstacles are not simply physical barriers to be overcome, they have a mental dimension too, and the associations of air in tarot and astrology are rooted in how we think about things. The air we breathe, the wind we shelter from, the breeze that cools and refreshes, and, without air, an unliveable vacuum.

air personality

Air types see the world primarily through thought-modes with ideas and concepts as real, or more real than tangible things. Material barriers can pose a problem to air types when their tangibility/reality exceeds what was planned for - but air types are naturally prone to thinking ahead well. This does not predispose them to optimism for they also have a well developed critical side, a part of their sense of mental balance. Passionate rather than sensual, air types are not overly emotional or sentimental and can be deterred by such displays. They are quick on the uptake and quick to let go, rarely harbouring grudges any more than maintaining outworn relationships. A cool and detached exterior often leads to them being considered emotionally shallow but it's simply that their sense of relationships has a much more intellectual framework, rooted in ideas rather than in displays and actions.

links
swords
Libra
Aquarius
Gemini
Venus
Uranus
Mercury