Healing with The Elements

Sun Types and Moon Types
The Sun by element in your astrological chart is indicative of your underlying essence, the dominant theme or orientation of your life. Therefore it is an excellent indicator of the life force available to you. Much more detail and accuracy can be gathered if the full horoscope is available. Here you will have information on ten planets plus the ascendant.In times of stress it is often the element of the Moon that will give you the most information in terms of tonic support to the system. The position of the Moon indicates instinctive habits or coping mechanisms that you return to for emotional support during times of difficulty; what you need in order to feel safe and secure.For example, a Moon in Scorpio prefers to move an uncomfortable situation into crisis rather than to leave it simmering. Only in that way do they feel they can move on--by bringing it to a head and moving through it, now. Comfort foods for Scorpio Moon will be found in the information for the water signs below, and are useful in supporting their need for emotional discharge.A Taurus Moon, in contrast, is extremely discomforted by emotional outbursts and will prefer to ignore them. As an earth sign, these people may pretend nothing is going on, plodding on despite the explosions around them. They use food as a panacea, or extra girth as a buffer to difficult environments. They are more emotionally unshaken, but need to be careful that they don't suppress difficult emotions entirely, as the suppressed emotions can develop into toxic tissue.

Identifying Excessive and Weak Elements
If you have access to your full horoscope, you have the tools for a more comprehensive picture of your health. By categorizing the planets and Ascendant into the four elements, you will come up with more details about the strengths and weaknesses of your unique constitution.Here is an example of a horoscope broken down into fire, earth, air and water for a person born August 3, 1987, at 4:30 a.m. This person has Sun in Leo (fire); Moon in Scorpio (water); Ascendant in Cancer (water); Mercury in Cancer (water); Venus in Leo (fire); Mars in Leo (fire); Jupiter in Aries (fire); Saturn in Sagittarius (fire); Uranus in Sagittarius (fire); Neptune in Capricorn (earth); and Pluto in Scorpio (water).If each planet is categorized by element, and if you give two points each to Sun, Moon, and Ascendant to reflect their greater influence, you have seven fire planets; six water planets; one earth planet; and no air planets. This gives an excess of fire and a deficiency in air and earth.If this were your horoscope, how would we describe your vitality, your elemental constitution? Immediately we know that you have high natural life force, are prone to sudden inflammations and high fevers when you are ill, and that you recover quickly. You tend to stretch yourself to the maximum and ignore your body's warnings, and need to take care not to burn yourself out. You tend toward headaches due to energy blockages that keep your energy high in your body. This could be rectified with acupuncture treatment. Your digestive function is extremely active, you have a voracious appetite, and are hungry again soon after eating.Grains, potatoes, squash, yams, sweep potatoes, and dairy products--heavy nutritious foods that take a long time to digest--are particularly beneficial. Reasonable amounts of sugars, butter and oil are also good for your constitutional type.Helpful herbs would be mineral-rich ones like seaweed, nettles, and Siberian ginseng for tonic support and steady grounding energy.

Balancing Your Elements
Few people are born with a perfect balance of elements in their makeup, and life is constantly presenting challenges that require adaptation. Health is not a constant state, but a perpetually shifting interaction between outer circumstances and inner constitution. Each time we eat a meal there is a complex interaction of elements as we adjust to the intake and adapt the materials presented by the meal to our unique needs. Moments of balance occur between periods of readjustment.Each element interacts with each other in nature, and also in our own bodies. Earth grounds air, water moistens fire, fire warms and dries out water, and air stimulates and aerates earth.

To Balance Fire

Low Fire
With a deficiency of the fire element, it may be hard to burn off or fight disease. The digestion and absorption of food are inadequate and need stimulation, but must be done gradually to prevent irritation. Eat foods that are light, hot, dry, and aromatic, and avoid cold foods. Hot spices and sour food, such as lemons and yogurt, are good, as are whole grains cooked in oil, spices, and even salt. Keep dairy and meat to a minimum, and frequent light meals are best. Midday is a good time to eat your main meal, as the maximum amount of fire your body can marshal is available at this time..Headaches are frequently caused by low fire, where the only partially digested food begins to ferment. Physical exercise helps strengthen the fire element.Low fire is strengthened by digestive stimulants such as cayenne, ginger, mustard, and cloves. Use circulatory stimulants such as cinnamon, garlic, and ginger.

Excess Fire
Excessive fire has a tendency to burn out as fire people find it difficult to conserve energy or pace themselves. They are prone to skin problems, acne, and have a strong body odor.Fire is hot, light, and dry, and is therefore balanced by foods that are cold, moist, and heavy, or slow-burning foods that ground energy. A voracious appetite reflects excess fire. Anything that stimulates this should be avoided, particularly if you are thin and wiry. If this is the case, eat bland foods, avoid stimulating spices, consume little oil, meat, nuts, and beans. Raw or steamed vegetables are good, as is fruit (avoid sour fruits, peaches, and bananas). Milk is good, but not yogurt, as it is too sour.Excess fire should avoid spicy herbs. Goldenseal, aloe, and milk thistle help detoxify the liver. Blood purifiers, such as yellow dock, reduce inflammations.

To Balance Earth

Excess Earth
Excess earth is prone to heaviness in the body and sluggishness in the system, with dullness and lethargy. Digestion and metabolism are slow, increasing density of body tissue, i.e., thick thin, sclerosis, calcium deposits, tumors, and increased body hair. Excess earth eats too much, too frequently.Light foods such as fruit, salads, sprouts, and steamed vegetables with spices are advised. Meals that consist of liquids, juices, soups, and teas are better than heavier diets. If possible, the main mean should be taken at midday, when digestive fire is strongest. Meals should be simple. Keep combinations to a minimum, with no desserts and plenty of time to digest. Avoid dairy and fried foods. Fasting helps as earth tends to retain toxins.Use bitter tonics such as gentian or Swedish bitters, and hot spices such as ginger, black pepper, and cayenne.

Low Earth
Low earth needs grounding. Low earth people tend to ignore the body and are not instinctive about what they need. They need activities and routines that stabilize their lives and give a sense of security. Foods need to be heavy and nutritious, such as potatoes, unrefined grains, and dairy. Use vegetables steamed and served with cheese and butter. Reasonable amounts of sugar, butter, and oil are well tolerated. Keep fruits and raw foods to a minimum. To improve the digestion, cook with plenty of spices.Low earth should use demulcents such as licorice, slippery elm, seaweed, and minerals. Ginseng is grounding, as is astragalus and the auryvedic herb ashwaganda.

To Balance Air

Excess Air
Restlessness, excessively dry hair and skin, dry mucous membranes, nervous disorders, problems with balance, and even Alzheimer's disease are associated with too much air. Excessive air tends toward insomnia from an inability to turn it all off, as well as memory loss from systemic overload. Air benefits from a schedule with intervals of relaxation with minimal stimulation (not even television or radio), to allow the nervous system to recharge itself.Dancing, any slow and rhythmic exercise, yoga or yoga breathing, or any breath meditations are particularly helpful for air signs. The wearing of warm colors and the adoption of consistent daily routines will bring out the best of air's vivacious and versatile nature.Excess Air benefits from digestive enzymes or Swedish bitters and small, frequent meals. There is a tendency toward gas, and the bowels evacuate quickly.Air is cold and very drying and needs to be balanced by moisture and heat. In terms of diet use dairy (especially yogurt), cooked rice and oats, vegetables cooked in oil, nuts, and seeds.Air energy tends to collect high in the body and gains from any opportunity to connect with earth, to be drawn or enticed downward. Grains and root crops are particularly helpful. Raw foods aggravate the naturally cold quality of air. Raw salads should be kept to a minimum, though are easier to tolerate in the warm summer months. Otherwise use plenty of dressing, and add or replace with lightly steamed vegetables, nuts or croutons to ground the energy. Avoid yeasty foods, mushrooms, refined sugars, beans, and too much cabbage and broccoli.Herbs for excessive air signs include nervines such as skullcap, passionflower, or even valerian. These can be particularly soothing to the anxiety of the air type.
Low Air
For those lacking air there may be problems with the flow of body energy. Circulatory stimulants such as garlic and ginger are good. Anything that is light, dry, and stimulating will be helpful. Nervines can also be helpful, but specifically those that are tonic but not particularly sedating, such as skullcap or oats.

To Balance Water

Excess water
Excess water manifests as excess weight, in the form of water and fat. Even without an excessive appetite, these people have sluggish digestion, poor assimilation, and slow metabolism. Stagnant excess water may manifest as mucus, cysts, tumors, and swellings, as well as systemic candida. It is seldom helpful to decrease dietary intake alone; better results come from increasing the metabolic rate, decreasing the liquid intake, changing the diet, and increasing physical activity.Excess water is balanced by foods that are hot, dry, and light. Vegetables are well tolerated, steamed and spicy, with minimal salt. Sweets increase water and fat; if eaten, they should be eaten separately. Excess water is cold, wet, and heavy. Avoid heavy, oily foods, dairy, sweets, yeasty foods, breads, and salt. Beans and fruit are good, but avoid large quantities of melon.

Low Water
Low water constitutions have trouble flushing toxins from their systems, and lack lubrication to their systems. They tend to be stiff and dehydrated and have difficulty sleeping. They suffer from conditions similar to excess air, such as skin and hair dryness and difficult absorption of nutrients. They find it hard to receive emotional nourishment. Add baths, drink plenty of liquids, and live near water. Use wheat, rice, oats, seaweed, dairy Products, and natural sugars. Avoid beans and natural diuretics such as carrots, celery, cabbage, and asparagus. Don't fast. Take care with extreme exposure to heat or sunlight, and take extra salt with exertion or warm weather.

by Gretchen Lawlor,
copyright 1998