Earth is the most dense and manifest element; its sense is smell, its organ the nose and its organ of action is the anus. We can stand on the earth and observe it in the solidity of mountains and rocks. We dig up the earth and build houses to shelter us from the other elements. The earth is made fertile and can be molded by water. We use terms like "down to earth", "salt of the earth ", "solid as a rock" to describe people or things that are dependable, reliable and stable. The bones of the body are a good example of earth as they are solid and give support; they also are the last tissues to decompose after death. We can observe the earth element in tribal societies like American Indians and Australian Aborigines with their worship and love of the land. In the mind earth can also be attachment to material possessions and goods. On the other hand it can be love of family and tradition. England’s Queen mother is a good example of this as she is short and stocky, very well preserved, long lived and enjoys earthy pursuits like horses and herbal remedies. With the principals of the earth element being stability, endurance, reliability, slowness, solidity, and perseverence the earthy character is a slow and persistent worker who dislike technology and prefers the old fashioned way of doing things and distrusts technology and electronic gizmos. There is a strong love of the land and working with raw materials in a steady and structured way. The stonemason or farmer is a good example of the earthy character. An earthy person has square and strong hands that are thick with short fingers. They are usually short in height and are solid in build. They are reluctant to talk much and have minimal movement of their hands when talking. Family is important to earthy types and the Italian green grocer who encourages his sons to follow him into the family business is a good example of the earth character. They like continuity and things to stay the same as they have always been.

Water has the characteristics of cohesion and receptivity. Its sense is taste through the tongue and its organ of action is the urino-genital organs. In nature water can be seen and felt but always runs downwards and is only contained by earth. When meeting a solid object water will try to go around it if possible and cannot be moved upwards unless powered by energy (fire and air). Water in the body relates to the fluids like blood and lymph. On a personal level water involves our emotions and personal relationships, our ability to blend and relate with others. It can symbolize healers and visionaries, but water reflects and can create illusions and false projections onto others. We can see things the way we want them to be and not as they truly are. This can lead to emotional attachment and unrealistic fantasies or desires. Terms like "go with the flow" are indicative of waters malleable nature but "wet blanket" can also show the bad side of two much emotion. The peace loving, longhaired, vegetarian hippie is a good example of the water element in society. With principals such as cohesion, empathy, nurturing, dreamy, imaginitive, poetic, visionary, harmony, inspirational and idealistic is is easy to see how water types must work in fields where they can best use their great sensitivity and love of nurturing people. The nurse or nursery teacher is a good example of where the watery person finds satisfaction in work. Water is an introverted and inward looking element and water types are changable and emotionally very sensitive. Like a rock thrown into the water they are easily disturbed and need to be in peaceful and harmonius surroundings. The water type does not like confrontation and prefers to blend in with others. They usually have long narrow hands and long fingers and wear their hair long. Their bodies can be either very slim like a fashion model or come in the "cuddly farmers wife" model where they hold water and are overweight. Their health is dependent on their emotional state and fall sick very easily when upset. They make circular movements with their hands when talking.

Fire has the opposite characteristics of water in that its radiant heat can be felt but not touched, it burns upwards and is goal orientated and straight in its direction. Its sense is sight through the eyes and its organ of action is the feet. Fire can nurture and warm us, it can also burn and destroy us. In the body fire relates to the energy and heat created from the digestion of food (earth). It gives us our color and glow and fires up our passions (boiling water). In the mind fire relates to mental digestion of thoughts and the ability to put thoughts into action. On the positive side fire gives us our determination and courage to go forward and achieve positive results. Terms like "hot headed"; "firey"and "hot tempered" give us the example of how fire relates to anger and hatred. Strong fire types have sharp and perceptive minds with strong opinions, they don’t like their ideas questioned. "It’s my way or the highway" is their creed and naturally this relates to business and politics where goal orientated behavior is easily seen. Negatively fire can give too much importance to goals and objectives and can lead people to a "win at any cost" mentality. This is seen in modern sport and business. The fire archetype is the sportsman, soldier, skinhead or business executive. With principals such as energy, intensity, focus, assertive, extroverted, expressive, dynamic it is clear why the fire element predominates in politics, sport and business. Fire types have sharp, quick and spontaneous minds and like to pursue goals and objectives. Fire rules the muscles, heat and energy produced from digestion and gives us our colour and glow. Fire illuminates the mind with perception and intelligence but this can also lead to anger and aggression when obstructed. Fire types have hands shaped like pine cones with the palm longer than the fingers and they usually have strong digestion. Through their impulsiveness and belief they are indestructable they can suffer accidents and the diseases of over indulgence like ulcers. Fire types have short cropped hair like a flat top or crew cut as seen on soldiers and police. They are blunt and direct in speech and use stabbing like gestures with the index finger when talking.

Air is the second least manifest element and can be felt but not seen. Its sense is touch through the skin and its organ of action is the hand. Physically air relates to movement via the nervous system and the movement of thoughts in the mind. In nature air moves horizontally and tends to fluctuate and change quickly. Air makes a fire burn brighter and water less stagnate. Airy types are preoccupied with theories and ideas that are not always practical and are often out of touch with the demands of their physical body. We use terms like "air ones views’ or "giving vent to an idea" to describe theories put forward. Negatively air is fickle and changeable and lacks consistency. It needs the stability of earth to ground it. The archetype of the air element is the Professor who can explain the origins of the universe in great detail but can’t do up his shoelaces. The principals of the air element are rational, theoretical, aloof, communicative, knowlegable and unconventional so air types predominate in universities, science labratories and computer companies. They like to analyse and rationalize and can be quite scientific. Airy types are usually physically weak with poor musclular strength and lack of co-ordination. They build models with their hands and are quick and capable speakers although what they speak about may not make much practical sense to anybody!.

Ether manifests the idea of connection allowing for interchange between all material mediums, communication and self-expression. Its sense is sound through the ears and its organ of action is the mouth. Ether is a combination of all the other four elements and is mind or the space in our heads where all the thoughts move around. We use terms like "spaced out" or "off the planet" to describe people who don’t seem to be rooted in reality and don’t seem to be with us physically. Ether is the least manifest element and is intangible as we cannot touch it or feel it, astronauts travelling in space develop weak bones due to lack of gravity and this can happen in the mind when it becomes to detached from reality. The above brief description shows how the five elements can give us a potent language to explain all levels of our existence.