The 4 Elements
copyright 2003 Eric Rosenbloom


The ancients to the early moderns appear never to have considered the 4 elements in the 3 dimensions in which matter in fact exists. Here, then, are the 4 elements arranged as the 4 points of the 1st Pythagorean solid, a tetrahedron.


4 elements


§ In the Tarot, Water is represented by cups, signifying enjoyment & matters of the heart;
Fire by wands, signifying building & concerns of power;
Earth by pentacles, signifying wealth, both material & emotional, the fruits of labor;
Air by swords, signifying adversity & doom.

§ The 5 points of the pentacle signify the 5 planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, like the earth all bodies.
§ The 2 blades of the sword signify the 2 fires: Moon & Sun.
§ The 1 circle of the cup's rim signifies the all-encompassing ocean.
§ The 4 directions of the wand's power signify the 4 winds: north, south, east, west.

1:    water
2:    fire
3:    fire & water
4:    air
5:    earth;  air & water
6:    earth & water;  air & fire
7:    earth & fire;  fire & air
8:    earth & water & fire
9:    earth & air
10:    earth & air & water
11:    earth & air & fire
12:    earth & air & fire & water
(i.e., wholeness)
96:    the sum of combinations


HOME