Elemental Cosmology (Part 1)

The Elemental Zodiac (Fire)

Astrology is a symbolic language that was born out of the observation of nature and its cycles. The 12 signs represent a living pattern of creation and express their energetic qualities within all things. Through observing the elemental expressions you can learn everything about each sign directly from nature and life itself. Instead of scouring through astrology books and the internet attempting to piece together information on the different aspects of astrology and your birth chart, these simple teachings on the 12 signs will allow you to turn to Mother Nature herself and actually experience the living spirit of each sign and how you reflect each one of them in your own life. Often times when we begin to learn astrology we end up finding ourselves more confused or caught between contradicting forms of astrology and not knowing which one to follow or "believe"...

In my understanding, much of our modern perception of astrology has been misguided and either oversimplified or over analyzed. It has been reduced to mere entertainment and also lost way out in the mind somewhere... waaaaaay out there into some cosmic portal. These teachings that follow are meant to do the opposite and bring it all back down to the Earth, back into the heart, and the present place that we find ourselves. Once you look beyond the mental surface layer of "Astrology" and peer into the energetic blueprint which created it (the patterns and cycles of nature, the dance of the four elements here on Earth, and the energetic architecture of creation) a new perspective of astrology will open up and you will find just how profoundly simple yet profound astrology really is.

It is important to start simple with astrology (that is where the profound wisdom is) and a great place to begin is with the Four Elements of Fire, Earth, Air, and Water. You may have noticed that each of the 12 signs of the zodiac are associated with an element and each element is connected to 3 signs. This is not a coincidence and the structure of the 12 fold pattern contains more wisdom than any single person could ever know. So we see 3 signs connected to an element, you may wonder why? The reason is that everything in nature holds within it a trinity, and if we turn to each element we can observe them and see that they each express themselves in 3 unique ways. This is the key to learning and creating a deeper relationship with each of the signs, allowing yourself to directly interact with them so that they may show you exactly who they are and how they are a part of you. So let's look into each element and observe its trinity. It all begins with the fire...

The Fire

It all begins with the fire and the fire can't start without a "Spark" (enter Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" chorus). The Fire element itself represents awareness and consciousness. If you simply look, what does the fire do? It shines its light on things and allows us to see, just as our awareness does. When looking at the element of fire we can see that it has three main expressions. First is the spark, which ignites the fire and is the living expression of the sign Aries. It is a quick hot flash created by energy, friction, and the release of stored potential. This spark is the beginning of creation and even the scientists agree with their theory of the "Big Bang". Thus, Aries is the sign located at the beginning of the 12 steps of the zodiac and marks the starting point of the Spring season and the return of nature's expressions. The ignition of the seasonal cycle...

Now that the spark has started a fire, we now see it evolve into a Flame which emits its light outward and is the living expression of the sign Leo. The flame expresses its light and dances for all to be seen. Each one of us has our Leo side and it can be seen as the flame that resides within our hearts, the inner child, and the "ego". It is the fire of self-awareness and the creative light which supplies all of the colors that we see in life. The Sun being the "ball of fire" in the sky gives its light to the Earth, shinning its creative force down to the plants and animals who utilize it to live and express themselves. Therefore, Leo marks the middle of the Summer season when the Sun is out and shinning! The full expression and most creative point of the seasonal cycle...

As the fire begins to die out we are left with the coals, embers, and heat which the fire released during its blazing journey. This is the living expression of the sign of Sagittarius. The heat travels away from the fire until it dissipates and if you look closely at the embers you will notice the glowing lights which travel across the coals giving them that glistening look. The warmth of the fire gives us the feeling of optimism and often times we sit around the fire's warm embrace and share our stories and prayers with one another. During the Sagittarius season, we bring the fire into our homes to keep us warm and we celebrate the holiday season with our families to uplift our spirits during the longest nights of the year near the winter solstice. The common perspective of our Sagittarian nature is that the "grass is greener on the other side", which reflects the viewpoint of that time of year during the end of fall, which is that the green life of nature will return again after we make it through the winter. When a fire dies out and all you see are the sparkling embers it is the same signature as when the main fire of the day has gone (the Sun) and we are left with the twinkling stars in the night's sky...

The Living Expressions of Fire

• Fire and Consciousness: The spirit of the fire is what gives us the ability to be conscious. Our awareness and attention are like the light of the fire that allows us to shed light onto our surroundings. Without the fire, there would be nothing but darkness, and without the light of our awareness, we would be nothing as well. When you look into the fire you are looking at the birthplace of all consciousness. The spirit of the fire lives in our hearts, keeping us warm and circulating the blood throughout the body.

• The Cosmology of Fire: In the cosmological framework of creation, everything begins with the fire emerging from the void: the big bang, the primordial fire, “let there be light” to name a few. The fire brings the energy of light, and that energy forms into matter as earth for which the light shines upon. In between the fire (light) and the earth (matter) is the air (space) and then the water (life) flows and travels through each of the elements. Fire is our consciousness, the earth is our body, air is our mind and the water is our spirit.

• In the Body (Head, Chest & Quads): On a physical level we can see the “Aries spark” contained inside our head, eyes and brain; the “Leo flame” within our heart and solar plexus; and the “Sagittarius heat” radiating from the movement of our quads and upper legs.

The Wisdom of the Fire

The fire has watched over us since the beginning of time. There is a reason that many call the fire “grandfather” as it has been here since the beginning of creation and sits in the center of our solar system as the Sun and in the center of our body as our heart. The teachings we can learn from the fire are infinite, but let’s just observe the fire and see what we can learn.

• It takes effort, action, belief in oneself and sometimes even anger or frustration to start a fire. We must focus and not quit. Once the fire is lit we feel excited, strong and proud of ourselves.
• In order for a fire to stay lit it must be fed and tended to, yet not overfed or it may burn wild or get smothered. It needs air to breathe and is delicate (a little nudge to the wood can do a lot to make the flame stand tall). This is a reflection of how to take care of one’s own heart. We must tend to it, keep it fed enough to be sustained but not burn everything in its surroundings. It needs to breathe and is delicate (a small gesture from the heart can provide much light and warmth).
• The light of the flame reveals all the colors of life. The fire activates and purifies the other elements as it feeds on them to survive. The fire needs the earth to burn, the air to breathe and the water to release its gasses. Watch the fire move… it is literally water in reverse: water runs down, fire runs up!

And now a short story...

~ The Tyrant & the King of Hearts ~

"The Fire Speaks..."

The sign of Leo reveals to us a very important lesson from the flames and their relationship to our own hearts and egos. The tyrant believes that his people are his slaves and live to serve him. This is likened to the un-evolved ego (Leo) and if the fire were to speak from this point of view it would say, “Feed me my wood so that I may burn big and bright”. This is like the selfish ego only thinking of its own brilliance and perhaps turning itself into a raging uncontrollable fire, burning everything in its path. Now the true King/Queen believes that they exist to serve and guide their people. This is likened to the evolved ego (Leo) known as “the heart”, and if the fire were to speak from this point it would first understand that its strength would become the strength of its people and therefore must feed its flames. The fire would then say “If you can provide me with wood to burn, I will provide you with light, warmth, and a place to gather around”. This is the teaching that we all must learn wherever Leo is located within our charts and shows the potential for our egos to be transformed into “the heart”.

And now a video...

This short video was a collaboration with one of my very first students Jacqueline Bird Day. It is part 1 of a short series we will be putting together named 'The Living Elements' which is a part of the Elemental Cosmology teachings will be coming out in the future. Enjoy!

~ On Fire ~

Thank you for reading all the way through this article and checking out the 'On Fire' video. I hope that you have gained some new insights and appreciation for the element of fire and the spirit that it carries. Be sure to stay connected as in part 2 of this teaching series we will be exploring the Earth element and the signs of Taurus, Virgo, & Capricorn! If you liked these teachings be sure to leave a comment or ask a question below and I will do my best to respond and answer, also feel free to share this page and get these teachings out there and help our community grow! Thank you for being a part of the Living Astrology community!

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Article By – Tyler Penor

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