In astrology, all of the zodiac signs are classified as belonging to one of the four elements: fire, earth, air or water. Although the astrological elements are only one small part of the building blocks making up a birth chart, an understanding of each element can add another level of understanding when you’re looking at a natal chart.
Which Zodiac Signs are Fire Signs?
The three fire signs are Aries, Leo and Sagittarius.
What Does the Fire Element Mean in Astrology?
Astrologically, the fire element represents passion, strength, initiative, courage and creativity.
Traditionally, the fire signs are very self-expressive, excitable and usually confident too. They have a sense of spirit and adventure about them and are keen to act and to be involved in life. Fire signs are spontaneous, so they are quick to anger and have quite a temper. However, they are equally quick to forgive and do not bear grudges.
The fire element in astrology is seen as being joyful, vibrant and energetic and fire also rules our creativity. Whatever brings us joy can be represented by the fire element – think of the phrase ‘lighting a fire in your belly’ to get a sense of how the fire element channels and directs enthusiasm, creativity and fun.
To understand elements in astrology, it’s always helpful to refer back to nature. Fire, as you know, can warm gently, heat our lives and light the way. It can also destroy, kill, ravage and scorch. Fire can be all to easily put out or lost when you need it the most, but it can also be incredibly hard to control once it’s raging beyond your reach.
What are the Differences Between the Three Fire Signs?
In astrology, zodiac signs are classified as belonging to an astrological quality or mode as well as an element. The four astrological qualities are cardinal, fixed and mutable. Within each set of three elemental signs, one sign belongs to each quality.
In the case of fire signs, that works out like this:
Aries is a cardinal fire sign.
Leo is a fixed fire sign.
Sagittarius is a mutable fire sign.
Because the three fire signs belong to different astrological qualities, the way in which each of them expresses fire energy is subtly different. You can think of it as each fire sign manifesting fire in a unique way – it’s still fire, but it’s a different fire to the next fire sign. This is what makes astrology such a complex but fascinating subject to learn!
Aries is the first fire sign and also the first cardinal sign – and ‘first’ is an excellent keyword for understanding the whole Aries psyche. Here is fire energy which explodes onto the scene in a split second and overpowers everything else around it. This fire represents a need to win at all costs. For this reason, Aries tends to rush in headfirst, in a sign of either bravery or foolishness, depending. This fire sign can be rather reckless and is also not great at finishing what it starts – cardinal energy likes to start something. Tying up loose ends is another matter entirely.
Leo on the other hand is a fixed fire sign. Here, the fire element burns in a more controlled and directed manner. The Leo personality can often achieve great success through being able to channel their gifts and enthusiasms. Just like the glorious Sun which never burns out, however, Leo’s fixed fire shines bright all the time – and this radiance demands attention and adoration all the time too. Leo’s fire element likes to think it’s the center of everyone’s world – and when it isn’t, self-centered sparks can fly.
Sagittarius, the last of the fire signs, is a mutable fire sign. Here, the fire element isn’t fixed in one place, but instead moves, spreads and dissipates widely, adapting to the circumstances around it. For this reason, Sagittarius people are among the most open-minded in the zodiac, always willing to enjoy, respect and embrace other traditions, faiths and ways of life. All that scattered fire energy, however, can start a wildfire if it’s not careful – and just like wildfire, Sagittarius is a sign which is difficult to contain. Settling down is not really on the agenda for this fiery personality.
How to Balance Fire Energy in Your Birth Chart
Even if your Sun sign is not Aries, Leo or Sagittarius, you probably have some fire in your birth chart – it’s likely that one of the other planets or important chart points is in a fire sign. However, it’s possible to have no fire at all in your chart, or conversely to have too much fire if you have a lot of planets in fire signs.
The abundance – or not – of any element in your chart can also change over time as important transits and astrological progressions take place.
For a rough and ready guide to whether you have enough fire or not in your chart, try making a list of your Sun sign, Ascendant sign, Moon sign and sign of your ruling planet, and note which element each is in. If none of them are in the fire element, it’s possible that you could be lacking in fire. This is only an estimate, however, as to be sure you’d need to look at the full natal chart.
If you’re lacking in the fire element right now, you’ll probably feel lethargic, and not very motivated to get on with your plans.
If on the other hand you’ve been blessed with a bit too much fire, you may feel constantly burned out, on edge or angry.
If you’re lacking fire, here are some simple ideas to bring the magical passion and joy of fire into your life:
· Light candles
· Meditate on a candle flame
· Hold a BBQ
· Build a bonfire
· Sunbathe
· Burn incense
· Use a smudge stick to cleanse your home
· Make patterns with a sparkler
· Use red lamps in your home
· Wear red, orange or yellow clothes
· Watch a fire juggler
· Visit a volcano
· Cook outdoors
If you think you might have too much fire in your chart just now, think about trying out some ideas associated with water, which is an element that can soothe fire:
· Go swimming, especially outdoors or in natural water
· Drink plenty of cool water
· Splash in a few puddles and let your inner kid have a ball
· Watch raindrops running down window panes
· Go outside in a rainstorm and absorb nature’s energy
· Visit the sea and watch the waves come in
· Jump in and out of sprinkler spray
When you harness the true power of the fire element, and experience fire in proper balance with the other astrological elements, you’ll start to feel joy and enthusiasm return to your life – this is the true beauty of this element.
Without a properly balanced element of fire in your chart, your creative potential will struggle to reach its fullest extent – so it’s well worth your while considering how to best bring fire into your life and how to make the most of the fire planets and positions in your natal chart which already exist. Think about what you’ll do with nature’s fire – the possibilities are endless!
The Earth Signs: Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn
The Water Element: Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces
The Air Signs: Gemini, Libra and Aquarius
