The Element of Air

We have all heard the saying "like a breath of fresh air." Well, that is exactly what we feel when air rushes onto the astrological stage. As the third element in the astrological cycle, air floats over the astrological stage and perceives everything from a broad, detached perspective.

A mythological figure that comes to mind when discussing the air signs is the Greek god Apollo. Ruler of the light and the sun, and also of truth and of prophecy, this god was an epitome of a "kouros," or "beardless youth," associating the air signs as rather childlike and eternally youthful. Apollo's interests were diverse, just as those of the air signs, ranging from music to poetry to archery and the arts. He was the embodiment of the qualities that modern society has labeled the "Renaissance man."

The air triad consists of Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. The planets associated with these signs include Mercury (through its association with Gemini), Venus (through its associated with Libra) as well as Saturn and Uranus (both associated with Aquarius). When the air signs arrive on the astrological scene, they seek a detachment and broader perspective from the trends already established by the fire signs and the order and responsibility put forth by the earth signs.

Air is concerned with the higher ideals of justice and equality. Just as Apollo was the patron god of light and also of truth, the air signs seek to breath a fresh perspective into the ordinary rituals of everyday living. Never one to be bogged down into heavy emotion like water or consummed by a preoccupation with personal identity like fire, air is the element that thinks of the broad picture. Air signs are more concerned with the collective, with the ideals of the group, and the idea that what is good for the many is good for society as a whole.

Think of a clear day with a light breeze that blows gently from the north, making the air crisp and clear, with visibility that can be seen for miles upon miles. One never knows if that breeze will change to become a sudden burst of severe wind, or whether the breeze will die away completely. There is a certain light, unpredictable quality to all of the air signs, just like the patterns of the air circulating all around us. Air never stays still for too long - it needs to circulate, to roam, to explore, to cleanse the atmosphere all around us of the filth that accumulates on a daily basis.

Just like the air we breath, the air signs seek truth, knowledge, and equality, but they are not always warm and circulating. Sometimes the air can turn cold and whip through the trees and around buildings with a persistent ferocity. This is when air confronts the things it cannot tolerate the most: injustice, irrationality, and ignorance. Like the icy chill of an arctic wind, air seeks to slice through ignorance and injustice with the icy edge of reason and rationality. Unlike the egocentric honesty of the fire signs or the realistic observations of the earth signs, air signs seek to enlighten and uplift through an adherence to the cold, hard facts, bereft of emotion, ego, or sentimental embellishment.

The triad of Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius is the most socially-oriented of the triads, as the air signs represent group consciousness and an ability to connect with many different types of people. There is a quasi-absence of ego present in all of the air signs: what is good for the group and society must be good for the individual. Always adept at conversation and social situations, air enjoys flittering from one topic of conversation to the next, as well as from one group to the other. However, the downside with this is that air can seem flighty, superficial, or even cold to the more emotional of elements. It is the element that is hardest to confine.

Air is always miles ahead of society's consciousness. There is something of a "mover and a shaker" or a "trendsetter" to this element's composition. Air governs thought and communication, as well as social situations. With its ability to detach and gain crystal clear perspective devoid of emotional or egocentric attachments, air has a prophetic quality for determining the direction of societal trends. It abhors violence and injustice, inequality and irrationality, and seeks to show us how detachment, rationality, and truth can enlighten all of us and help us to gain the clear perspectives it so desperately seeks.