Element to Element

Fire Signs

ARIES, LEO and SAGITTARIUS are the Fire signs. Though they sparkle in different ways, they are all passionate, and restless. Don’t look here for a quiet life. Be ready for a temper that flares up at the slightest provocation but then rapidly burns out. Be ready too, to face irrepressible ambition. Fire fancies itself as invincible. Though it is always hungry and in a hurry, it thinks that sooner or later, it can wear down the most resistant material and make it come ablaze. If a Fire sign person wants you as a partner, you’ll find it hard to damp down their enthusiasm. Saying no will merely make you seem like more of a challenge. If you really don’t want the heat, keep well away from the kitchen. But some like it hot... and those who do are right in their element here. 

Earth Signs 

TAURUS, VIRGO and CAPRICORN are the Earth signs. They are solid and strong. Or so, at least, they seem. Think though, of soil and the way it surges with invisible, life-giving energy. Or consider a tree. Though very much 'of the earth' it is constantly in a state of change. It adapts to the seasons and never stops growing. Earth sign people, despite their image of implacability, are sensitive, sensual and subject to slow but steady change. They possess enormous power and love to put this to a fruitful use. The further into the earth you dig, the more hidden treasure you find. If you seek depth and meaning, an Earth sign person is your ideal companion. Likewise, if you want loyalty, dedication and integrity. If though, you thrive on drama, adventure or debate, you may prefer someone with whom the ground rules are less clearly defined.

Air Signs

GEMINI, LIBRA and AQUARIUS are the Air signs who dwell in the realm of thought and theory. Their heads are always in the clouds. From this lofty position they can see a long way and find a lot to say. If you enjoy conversation, debate and discussion, here's your perfect partner. Not so if you happen to feel there's more to life than words. An Air sign person can say pretty much anything and make it sound persuasive. So persuasive, indeed, that they will convince themselves it must be true! Woe betide you if you argue. That's playing right into the Air person's hands. Air likes to whip up a wind. It also likes to be free to float. If you like things to be the same from day to day, Air's constant changeability will drive you bananas. If though, you like to get high on the exhilarating oxygen of brainpower, here's your source of eternal excitement.

Water Signs

CANCER, SCORPIO, and PISCES are the intuitive and emotional Water signs. They wear their hearts on their sleeves and rightly so, for their hearts are pure and kind. Though they pretend, in different ways, to be dry, they can't help but well up with compassion at the slightest sob story. But they can afford to be a little more giving than the rest of us because, for all their apparent insecurity, they can never come to real harm. It's easy to disperse water but hard to destroy it. Sooner or later, even if it has to seep underground or evaporate in order to escape, water always finds its way to more water. If you seek a companion full of heartfelt feeling, look no further. If you prefer less fluidity or you fear being swamped by ever-changing moods, you're out of your depth here.. 

Element Pairings

Fire + Fire = The Inferno of Attraction
Fire is always attracted to more fire. The question, when you put two fire people together, is not 'will they be drawn to one another' but 'will the relationship burn itself out?' It certainly will if there's too much competition for the same source of fuel. How then, can you prevent a Fire sign partnership from flaring up wildly, only to go out in a blaze of glory? You need a totally shared sense of purpose. You have to turn your fire on a common enemy, not on each other or reach an agreement about what you are trying to achieve together. Even with such a deal struck, sparks will occasionally fly. Fire people love a challenge. They can't resist infuriating each other every so often. Then again, if you thrive on passion, there are some distinct advantages to life with someone who can always get you feeling fully inflamed.





Fire + Earth = The Erupting Volcano
Earth is covered in vegetation which fire can burn. Deep below the earth there's coal and oil, even more substantial fuel for fire. It is easy then, to see why Fire people are drawn to Earth people. They provide constant psychological fuel for the fiery person to consume. Why though, should an Earth person fancy a Fire person? Where's the advantage in getting together with someone who will take all you've got to give and come back for more? The Earth person is understandably cautious. But the Earth person does have a need for fire. You can see this more clearly if you appreciate how sensuous Earth types truly are. They yearn to feel the earth move and nothing makes the earth move more dramatically than an explosion! That's why, if this relationship gets off the ground, it turns out to be such dynamite. 
 


Fire + Water = The Passionate Potboiler
Put fire under water and you get steam. Place water over fire and you put the fire out. Everything depends, in this relationship, on who takes the lead. Hot water is more powerful than cold. When water is changed by fire, it makes greater impact. No wonder then, that Water people find Fire folk appealing. They have nothing to fear. They know they can quench fire if it gets too hot. But why should a Fire person want to get close to a natural force that can destroy it? There is no logical answer. Water has nothing to offer Fire, but it needs it and wants it. That's why it works so hard to attract it! Fire is willing to be drawn because it hungers to be powerful in any way it can. It can't resist that steamy sizzle. Fire likes living dangerously. Water likes to get excited. This pairing may not be wise but it's hard for either to resist. 



Fire + Air = The Exploding Love Bomb
Fire needs air. Without it, no matter how much fuel it has, it cannot survive. Why though, does air need fire? It can exist quite nicely without all that smoke. It's the heat that it seeks. As any meteorologist will tell you, air currents are driven by temperature changes. Wind will not develop and travel unless something warms it up. Air sign people then, find Fire sign folk useful. They get them to stop sitting around thinking and they make them start doing things. There is strong attraction between these elements but there's also an ever-present danger. Fire folk glow so brightly in an Air person's company that they forget to refuel. Then, the wind ends up putting out the fading fire. But as long as there's even a tiny spark remaining, a breeze can rekindle it. Thus this relationship can carry on blowing hot and cold for a lifetime. 


Earth + Air = The Mountain of Dreams
Without earth's gravity, there would be no air. Without air, earth would be incapable of supporting life. People born under these two elements are strongly drawn to one another. Air people benefit greatly from having a partner who will ground them. Earth people (who need stimulation if they are ever to get anywhere) enjoy the flow of ideas that only an air person can offer. In theory then, this is a perfect union. In practice? There are a few little problems. Tornados, for example, that blow up when the Air person can find no other way to make the Earth person shift. Or underground caverns that entice in fresh air and then, by sealing up their entrances with a sudden rock fall, trap it there forever. These risks though, can be avoided. And, when they are, no relationship can match it ... in heaven or on earth! 


Earth + Water = The Quicksand of Desire
To understand this relationship, consider the contrast between land and sea. Imagine these forces in perpetual battle; think of mighty waves, crashing against rocks. Earth and water themselves seem to enjoy unleashing all that energy. Earth and Water people have a similar tendency to clash superficially but form a deep, fulfilling, lasting bond. They are not always instantly drawn together but slowly, they find a way to coexist. The more they do, the more they see how much they can offer each other. Soil needs rain in order to be fertile. Rivers need banks if they are to stay on track. Earth and Water people need each other for inspiration and support. Only when they fail to keep separate identities and try to 'merge' do we get a problem. Water mixed with Earth makes mud ... but then, some of us feel that even this is glorious! 


Earth + Earth = The Forest of Forever
What happens when irresistible force meets immovable object? Put two Earth sign people together and you'll find out! In theory, there's potential for endless pressure; a battle for ultimate supremacy between two tectonic plates that can only ever end in an earthquake. In fact, it rarely comes to this. Earth sign people are never drawn to each other unless they can both sense a viable way to share the territory. Agreement from the outset, is imperative. But lively relationships need just a small amount of friction. If you dare not allow even the tiniest amount of this to develop for fear of starting something that you can never finish, the result is likely to be a partnership that trundles, uneventfully on and on... and on. Looking for safety? Here's your promised land. Hoping for thrills? Here's your empty desert. 




Air + Air = The Love made in Heaven

"Who can see the wind? Neither you nor I. But when the tree bows down its head, the wind is rushing by." What are we to conclude though when we see that tree nodding wildly up and down like a teenage heavy metal fan? Surely this can only mean that it is being blown by two winds at once. Air sign people have no difficulty forming a rapport with one another - kindred spirits who feel, from the moment they meet, that they are renewing an old acquaintance. When they're in agreement, they're closer than a pair of lovebirds. When they're not, they're like clowns back to back on a tandem, each trying to pedal in the opposite direction. It's then that the relationship stops being a breeze and turns, instead, into a wild hurricane. Air sign people never agree to differ. They like contradicting each other too much. 

 
Air + Water = The Fountain of Joy
Put air into water and you get lovely bubbles. Put water into air and you get soft, fluffy clouds - provided that there's not too much pressure. We all know though, what happens to a fizzy drink if it's shaken. We also know how atmospheric pressure can cause water in the atmosphere to turn into something very cold and clammy. Air and water go well together... most of the time. Air sign people provide intuitive Water people with much-needed intellectual perspective. Water people return the compliment by compensating for the Air person's dry attitude. But while they can visit one another's domain, they cannot remain in it for long. The bubbles go flat after a while. Likewise, the clouds tend to disperse. This relationship has to be constantly renewed and revived. It is though, well worth the maintenance. 



Water + Water = The Ocean of Bliss

What does water want, more than anything else? To find its way to yet more water! Think how inland streams make their way across the country till they reach first the river then the ocean. Water people have a similar, natural desire to seek one another's company. There they find a level of empathy that nobody else can match. Even Water sign people who happily marry individuals of another element, will ensure they keep a fair selection of Water friends. Not all Water relationships though, are an instant success. Warm water tends to float, in a slightly superior way, over cold. Fresh water will try to keep itself from salt water. Some waters merge more naturally than others and all have a difficult time when it comes to separating. Every water/water marriage is 'for life', no matter how often or how intensely both may try to part. 

All  credits for Elemental pairings go to Johnathan Cainer @ http://www.cainer.com/