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What is a Shinto
Personality?
Shinto is a Japanese concept of
people being born under a certain element. The four
elements are Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire, with
Earth in opposition to Wind and Water in opposition
to Fire. These elements affect various personality
attributes such as
Relationships to
others Reactive emotions (how one
reacts to outside influence and
circumstance) Active emotions (one's general
outlook on life) Imagination and creative
aptitude Problem-solving
skills
Shinto is a fun and interesting way
to understand certain broad classifications of
personalities and how they interact, so seeing
which element best fits you or those around you can
give you insights into interpersonal relationships
and the way you or those around you will react in
various situations, as well as tangential areas of
aptitude that can help in such things as
determining what sorts of careers you are suited
for and what hobbies may satisfy you more than
others.
What element am
I?
I'm not going to go into the complex
astrological method of determining your element.
Frankly, I'm of the opinion that stars and other
astrological bodies are of minimal influence on
human personality, since there is no measurable
study which proves that determination of
personality attributes based on dates of birth or
presence of certain astological bodies in the
visible sky of your location at particular points
in your life is at all reliable. The way I feel
about it, you know more about yourself than the
Zodiac does, so to determine your element, simply
read through the brief explanation of each one to
see which fits you best. It is possible that you
may be a mixture of elements that are compatible
with each other. For example, you may be a wind
with water tendancies, but it is unlikely you'll be
a water with fire tendancies unless you're a very
self-conflicting person. Just for fun you'll find
some examples of the various elements at the end of
each description.
What is a Wind
element?
Wind is the element of the free
spirit. Dreamers and adventurers are born of Wind.
Winds are:
Cooperative and easy to get
along with. Intuitive to the point of near
empathy, winds can read others and understand
them. Winds are also great at communicating, so
there are few misunderstandings they can't work
out, and they can rally others to see their
dreams with their inspirational passions. While
in general they are often venerated as leaders
for their ability to inspire others, those that
work closely with them will usually find
themselves spending a great deal of energy
keeping them from straying off to follow a new
whim. Their good humor and spirit of adventure
coupled with a sense of immortality and
self-confidence tend to make them wildly
popular, especially with the opposite sex. Winds
have difficulty in maintaining a steady love
life, however, as they often lose interest when
a relationship is no longer fun. They are better
at flirting and romance than
commitment. Adaptable. When their
circumstances change, winds rise to the
occassion and change with them, most often with
little effort wasted on lamenting how unfair or
unjust the situation is. Carefree. Winds are sometimes
judged as airheads or reckless individuals
because consequences aren't part of their
thinking process. They go where their impulses
take them, which can either lead to appearance
of incredible courage or the depths of folly
depending on the success or failure of their
actions. Brilliantly imaginative. Winds
are dreamers. They look to the impossible, even
if they get distracted or bored before they
actually accomplish even the first step toward
achieving their goal. Reality is not a boundary
winds recognize. Inspirational. Winds sometimes
adapt so well that they will accept the present
situation rather than work on a solution to
better it. They can live in their dreamworld if
necessary, but seldom have the patience or the
interest in reality to actually change what's
going on around them single-handedly. However, a
deep issue will give a wind the determination to
actually get somewhere, although they best serve
as public relations people to raise awareness
than the type to work on the small details.
Other motivations that will get a wind moving
are celebrity, adventure, and romance.
Careers that winds excel at include
politics, psychology, teaching, diplomacy, public
relations, the arts, and exploration. It is not at
all unusual for a wind to change careers at a whim
or take on several at once. Their hobbies tend
toward the extreme sports, especially anything
involving speed or falling. BASE jumping is the
wind's dream hobby.
Real life winds include John F.
Kennedy, Gene Roddenberry, Neil Armstrong, and
Christopher Columbus. Examples of winds in
fictional characters are Xenogear's Sigurd Harcourt
and Final Fantasy VIII's Irvine Kinneas,
Dragonlance's Gilthanas Kanan, Seinfeld's Kramer,
and Star Wars' Han Solo.
The Wind Theme Song: Fly Away by
Lenny Kravitz
Wind Bumper Sticker: I can't drive
65.
What is a Fire
element?
Fire is the element of the top dog.
Leaders and conquerers are born of fire. Fires
are:
Dominant. Fires take charge
wherever they are and have a pressing need to be
the leader in relationships. Fortunately, they
have a flair for it. They're decisive, ready to
take action, and determined to achieve. They can
be bossy, but since it's risky to challenge
them, they usually get their way. Fires expect
deep loyalty from those around them, especially
in romantic relationships, but they also
demonstrate a fierce protectiveness of those
they care about. Fires are not skilled
communicators, and the judgement that anyone
lacking their go-for-it attitude is weak gives
them the appearance of arrogance. Their emotions
tend to such passionate extremes that they are
usually seen in either pure rage or esctatic
joy, seldom in a mellow mood. Fires are often
the loudest ones in a group, demanding center
stage. Aggressive. Life is a
challenge to a fire, one they have to conquer
and win. If control is taken from them by a
change in circumstance, they will snatch it
back, violently if they have to. A fire's first
word is usually "Mine!" and they seldom get over
that attitude if they view their proprietal
rights infringed upon. They are generous,
however, bestowing gifts freely in demonstration
of their approval or affection for those around
them. Competitive. Fires view
everything as a win or lose affair. They fight
to be the strongest, the fastest, the richest,
the best at everything. Victory makes for a
happy fire, coming in second is a cue for
frustration. Goal-oriented. Fires don't go
in for fanciful daydreams. They only visualize
what they want and then charge after it,
bulldozing anything in their path. To a fire,
reality is what they will force it to be and
creativity is simply a slow way of getting
there. Fires see the world in black and white,
right and wrong. And they're always
right. Masterful. Fires organize
those around them and delegate the lesser tasks,
but the leadership role belongs to them.
Setbacks are not acceptable and will often be
met with frustration and redoubled effort. Fires
left on their own will tend to go for the
straight path to their goals and simply hammer
the obstacles into submission. Quit is not in a
fire's vocabulary, and any concession is as good
as complete failure. Fires don't follow rules,
they make them. Any problem, no matter how
small, can inspire a fire to solve it, and solve
it his way. The challenge itself is enough to
motivate them.
Careers that fires excel at include
politics, sports, military, law, and corporate
management. Their hobbies tend toward the
competitive, especially individual sports where
they are not required to share the spotlight with
anyone. In a team sport, the fire will be the
captain, the quarterback, the star of the team.
Real life fires include Steve Jobs,
Winston Churchill, Evel Knieval (a man so
competitive he repeatedly took on the laws of
physics in spite of spectacular defeat), and Mt.
Everest pioneer George Mallory. Examples of fires
in fictional characters are Xenogear's Jesiah Black
and Final Fantasy VII's Cid Highwind, Dragonlance's
Porthios Kanan, and Star Trek's James Kirk and
Jean-Luc Picard.
The Fire Theme Song: I Did It My Way
by Frank Sinatra
Fire Bumper Sticker: He who dies with
the most toys, wins.
What is a Water
element?
Water is the element of the
intellectual. Scholars and philosophers are born of
Water. Waters are:
Gentle and friendly. Waters
tend to go with the flow. They are competent in
a position of authority, but just as happy
following another. They tend to take a
supportive role rather than seeking leadership
and have little interest in public glory, but
often they are actually making group decisions
without others noticing their clever
manipulation. They will often internalize their
own pain to protect others, but are drawn to
assist someone they see in difficulty. Waters
have a tendancy to dramatics and often
overanalyze things and take them too seriously.
However, they are not without a sense of humor,
and often surprise those around them with witty
insights. Waters come off as meek and mild, but
this can be quite deceptive. In interpersonal
conflicts they will react with passive
aggressive behavior. When someone they care
about is threatened, they will defend with a
ferocity comparable to a mother bear. Patient. Waters like to know
every angle before they act, preferring to take
the time to be right rather than fix mistakes.
When faced with change, they retreat into a
period of analysis before making a move. This is
not to say that a water will be slow to act once
they are sure of their course, usually stunning
those around them by suddenly springing into
action once their plan is formulated. Attentive. Waters relish life
and love to observe the details others miss.
Their attention to detail enriches their
appreciation of the things around them. However,
their tendancy to overanalyze can make them
subject to fits of worry. Visionary. Waters are capable
of seeing both the forest and the trees. They
excel at discovery and can combine apparently
unrelated concepts with ease to arrive at new
ideas. Studious and organized. When
faced with a problem, waters handle it with
precision and planning. They formulate a
strategy and follow through with it. They work
well alone, and can be downright deceptive and
sneaky to accomplish a goal. They are less
skilled at teamwork, however, since they often
neglect to tell their partners just what they
are doing and why, leaving others to try and
catch up. Failure can result in retreat from a
challenge with the water blaming his or her
personal flaws rather than any outside factors.
Waters are most often motivated by a higher
purpose and improving the lives of those around
them, as well as the chance for
discovery.
Careers that waters excel at include
medicine, teaching, intelligence, ministry, and
sciences. Their hobbies tend toward the
intellectual and the pursuit of beauty. Waters
often love individual hobbies such as reading,
gardening, and music.
Real life waters include Bill Gates,
Jimmy Carter, Isaac Newton, and Albert Einstein.
Examples of waters in fictional characters are
Xenogears' Citan Uzuki and Billy Lee Black,
Dragonlance's Dalamar, Star Wars' Obi-Wan Kenobi
and Star Trek's Data.
The Water Theme Song: Life's A Long
Song by Jethro Tull
Water Bumper Sticker: I brake for
everything.
What is an Earth
element?
Earth is the element of the realist.
Builders and schedulers are born of Earth. Earths
are:
Solid and loyal. Earths will
stand by their friends through the worst of
times. However, they are not very good at
communication or at relating to other people and
have difficulty expressing their emotions.
Earths are terrible at romance, but their
commitment once they are in a relationship
borders on the obsessive. They are not easily
swayed by emotions, which makes them dependable
through any crisis. Earth humor is not likely to
be very original, but they are very good at
supplying unintentional jokes. Predictable and stubborn.
Earths hate change and will resist it
stubbornly. They will attempt to conduct
business as usual to the highest degree they
can. They like order and schedule and prefer to
live by carefully constructed habits. When
change is forced upon them, earths can become
quite sulky and will freely offer blame to
anyone and anything that may or may not have
contributed to the upset of their
world. Orderly. To an earth, order
rules. Rules rule. They like everything in its
place and neatly controlled. They are
perfectionists and enjoy ogranizing everything,
including people, into neatly understandable
catagories. To an earth, life is set by a
schedule and interruptions to that schedule are
to be dealt with immediately before the chaos
can spread. Realistic and literal. Earths
like solid images, precise words, and things
which can be comprehended instantly.
Rationality, logic, and realism are well within
an earth's comfort zone, however, abstraction is
tolerable only when they are able to catagorize
and conform it to their understanding. Methodical. Earths will solve
a problem by applying known principles in a
logical and rational manner. And they'll keep
notes. It is often difficult to motivate an
earth, but once set in motion, they will
doggedly pursue their goal to the very end with
unparalleled efficiency. The threat of change is
often the best way to get an earth going,
otherwise you will have to wait until they are
no longer able to tolerate the status
quo.
Careers that earths excel at include
engineering, programming, architecture,
mathematics, management, and finance. Their hobbies
tend toward the logical and methodical. Earths
enjoy solving puzzles and games of strategy such as
chess.
Real life earths include Herbert
Hoover, Alan Greenspan, George Bush, and Queen
Elizabeth. Examples of earths in fictional
characters are Xenogears' Fei Fong Wong and Kahrlin
Ramsus, Final Fantasy VIII's Squall Leonheart,
Dragonlance's Flint Fireforge, and Star Trek's Mr.
Spock.
The Earth Theme Song: Never is Enough
by Barenaked Ladies
Earth Bumper Sticker: The gene pool
needs chlorine.
How do the
elements work together?
Each element relates to the other
elements in different ways. Opposing elements cause
conflict, but also complement each other. Confluent
elements offer more cooperation, but can exaggerate
weaknesses both may tend towards. A perfect team
incorporates all four elements, with each element
lending its strength to the group effort.
Fire: the group
leader Water: the group
thinker Wind: the group
mediator Earth: the group
anchor
Fire
and Water: boil and burn This combination is volatile,
but can be effective if bloodshed is kept to a
minimum. When you put water and fire together,
you either extinguish the flames and lose the
water to vapor, or you get steam, which can be
used to power the engine of acheivement. Fires
consider waters weak and snivelling, but also
recognize their intellectual advantages. Waters
view fires as rash and violent, but respect
their leadership abilities and decisiveness.
Conflict is unavoidable between these two
elements, but is often the best way for them to
work together. Expect the fire to bully at times
while the water manipulates to gain the
advantage. Think of Steve Jobs, who as a classic
fire saw what he wanted and simply took it,
accomplishing what nobody thought could be done,
the marketing of the personal computer, and Bill
Gates, who used his water cleverness and
patience to successfully swipe most of Apple's
best ideas before Jobs was even aware that Gates
was anything more than a sweet little geek. The
two very easily could have followed their
impulses and attacked each other until both were
destroyed, but eventually they became a
powerduo, joining forces to rescue Apple from
the brink of destruction and forging their just
short of hostile way ahead to bring out a
computer revolution that may be even greater
than what they accomplished alone. Wind
and Earth: impasse Another opposing combination,
but not nearly as fight filled as Fire and
Water. Wind can't get past earth's stubborn
wall, but that won't stop it from trying to
erode the earth down. Winds see earths as boring
and slow, but can appreciate their logic and
efficiency. Earths think of winds as airheaded
and aimless, but will acknowledge their
creativity and communicative skills. The wind
will bemoan the earth's lack of feeling and
often resort to attempting to draw out a
reaction of any sort, even if it's negative,
while the earth will counter with silence or
terse observations on the wind's irrationality.
Consider Star Trek's classic wind and earth
relationship, Bones McCoy and Mr. Spock. Bones
relentlessly pursues any emotional response from
Spock through constant digs and pleas to his
human half, to which Spock merely raises a brow
and patiently explains the value of logic and
reason to the exhasperated Bones in practiced
and concise quotes. Yet when forced to accept a
common goal, Bones will serve as Spock's
cheerleader and visionary while Spock keeps
Bones from straying into timewasting
sidepaths. Fire
and Wind: fuel to disaster This combination is one of
wild adventures, but can also spell major
trouble. Like the natural phenomena of
firestorm, a fire's heat will tend to drive a
wind faster, while the wind feeds the fire until
you have a wild cycle of intensity. Fires see
winds as co-conspiritors in the pursuit of
living life to the fullest, while winds see in
fires magnificent heroes who they just can't say
no to. You won't see much conflict in this
relationship, since the wind is unlikely to
challenge the fire's leadership, but you are
likely to see lots of danger. The wind will tend
to feed the fire's need for passion and thrills,
while the fire is hardly willing to ponder
consequences to slow the wind down. A good
example is Thelma and Louise. Thelma was
perfectly willing to follow Louise on her wild
vendetta against manhood, while Thelma's
spontenaity only fueled Louise into more and
more reckless adventures, consequences be
damned, until they were driven into a do or die
situation by their own behavior. Even then, the
combination of wind and fire compelled them to
do both and go out on their own terms. Fire
and Earth: solid rock These two elements have
difficulty getting a relationship going, but
once it's there, it will stand firm against any
obstacle. Earth is difficult to ignite, but
putting fire's energy into it can make solid
rock. Fires view earths as stubborn but strong,
whereas earths look at fires as undisciplined
yet powerful. The main difficulty for fires and
earths to overcome is who will be in charge. The
fire has to lead, but earths are not compatible
with following and become more resistant as the
fire resorts to bullying tactics. In conflict,
the earth will remain cool and superior, which
only throws the fire into a deeper rage and
determination to win. Consider the Angry Beavers
for this one. Norm, our typical earth, mocks
Dagget's attempt to lead, refusing to go along
with him on his adventures, and when Dagget
resorts to threats and competitive behavior,
Norm cooly taunts him. They seem to be each
other's worst enemy, but when one is threatened
with disaster from outside, the other will
sacrifice everything to come to his brother's
aid. Water
and Wind: dreammakers When these two get together be
ready for a storm of invention and creativity.
In the same way that wind shapes water into
waves that change the very face of the planet, a
wind will shape a water into following their
dreams and changing the world. Winds see waters
as wonders of emotional response, while waters
delight in watching the curiosity of winds, even
if they tend to worry over the consequences
their wind friends fail to think about. Expect
lots of communication and expression of
affection when these two are around each other,
but be aware of the tendancy of waters to fall
to the fun loving daydreaming of winds, leading
to more talk than action. Here we can see it
with Calvin and Hobbes. Calvin, our impetuous
and curious wind, is capable of creating
inspiration for Hobbes, who is happy to do his
best to bring it to life, while worrying over
where his daydreaming six-year-old companion
will next risk his neck. Water
and Earth: slow erosion This combination tends to
appear very one-sided to outsiders, but in fact
is about the only one to bring out an earth's
full potential. Like a river carving out a
canyon, a water and earth will take years to
forge their friendship, with the water doing
most of the work. Waters value the rationality
and depth of earths and will patiently work to
draw it out. Earths respect the dedication and
intelligence of waters and are not as threatened
by the slow pace they offer as they are by the
rush of other elements. The conflicts between
waters and earths are rarely settled by acts of
aggression, but usually fall into protracted
philosophical debate which can take decades to
resolve. To understand the relationship, look to
The X-Files' Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. Mulder
rarely so much as raises his voice to Scully
when presenting his rather far-fetched but
carefully considered theories, and in spite of
her earth skepticism, Scully grudgingly accepts
that he at least is well-versed in the
background information. This doesn't at all stop
her from arguing the conflicts with her known
understanding of logic, but the two express
themselves in impassioned but (usually)
civilized discussion of the matter until further
proof solid enough to convince the earth that
she must change her logic or the water that he
calculated in error is presented.
Shinto
& Abilities (World
of Eldridge)
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