“…The Greeks had a very extraordinary compound hieroglyphic to represent the four elements. Juno (Hera) was depicted as being suspended from the clouds by a chain fastened around her waist, at the upper end of which is a large ring held by the hand of Jupiter (Zeus), while heavy stones were bound to her feet; and in this situation she hangs over the waters of the sea. Juno herself represented the air; her chain the fire; and the weights, water and earth.” (The Greek Origin of Freemasonry, 1956, 2nd edition, p. 128)
It is interesting that it is the female – Hera (Juno) – that represents the elements, Nature Herself. These elements do not only exist in the physical world but also symbolically, in the metaphysical world.
Physical: The literal elements in Nature and the seasons – Air: Spring; Fire: Summer; Earth: Autumn; Water: Winter.
Metaphysical: So here we have the Zodiac signs, all of which are divided into the elements. It is more complicated here since Zodiac signs do not neatly fall into seasonal categories. In the Northern Hemisphere we have the following: Spring, Aries (Fire), Taurus (Earth) and Gemini (Air); Summer, Cancer (Water), Leo (Fire) and Virgo (Earth); Autumn, Libra (Air), Scorpio (Water) and Sagittarius (Fire); Winter, Capricorn (Earth), Aquarius (Air) and Pisces (Water). Each season has three Zodiac signs and each of these signs falls into one of three categories: Cardinal – signs that begin every season (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn); Fixed – the signs in the middle of each season (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius); Mutable – end of season Zodiac signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces).
Symbolically, the elements also represent various aspects of ourselves and our lives – Air: thoughts, the spoken and written word; Fire: spirit, motivation, creativity; Earth: the body, material possessions and structures; Water: emotions, the subconscious, dreams. The Tarot is embedded in this symbolism.
Helen
