Air Element

Origin and tradition

In classical Greek cosmovision, Air is an intermediate element: neither as dense as Earth nor as light as Fire. It is breath, wind, spirit. The Greek word pneuma means at once "air" and "soul": for the ancients, what we breathe is literally the spark of life. The same idea appears in Sanskrit (prana), Hebrew (ruach) and Latin (spiritus).

In alchemy, Air corresponds to the gaseous state of matter: the volatile, that which connects above and below, that which moves invisibly. In ceremonial magic, Air is the element of the sword and the mental plane: that which cuts the true from the false, that which distinguishes, that which communicates.

Air in the zodiac and tarot

In astrology, the Air signs are Gemini, Libra and Aquarius. They share qualities: mental agility, sociability, communication ability, ideas, networks, taste for the abstract, search for harmony and future. People with many planets in Air signs tend to conversation, culture, multiple relationships. Their shadow: dispersion, emotional coldness, mental excess, difficulty embodying what is felt.

In tarot, Air is associated with the suit of Swords: the cards of thought, decisions, mental conflicts, rational clarity or confusion. In Wicca, Air is invoked at the east of the altar and represented with incense, feathers or bells. Its correspondences include spring, dawn, the colour yellow or light blue, flying animals (eagle, owl), aromatic herbs (lavender, sage, mint).

How to work with Air

If you lack Air, practices to cultivate it include reading, intellectual conversation, mental travel (study of languages, philosophy), conscious breathing, meditation, pranayama exercises. If you have excess Air, it should be tempered with practices of Earth (body, roots) and Water (emotional sensitivity).