Elemental Imbalances

My eight year old son has a Ninjago lego obsession and is fascinated by all the different characters, their attributes, personalities and what they stand for. We had a lovely discussion yesterday about his love of the ninjas and I explained to him the correlation between their elemental powers and Astrology! Kai is all fire, the fact he has a red outfit and cool hair appeals to my son, but he is also enthusiastic, risk taking, confident and dynamic which I know captures the imagination of my son's own fire moon. Cole is the earth ninja, dressed in sombre black and much more practical, with an attention to detail and sense of responsibility. Nya, the only girl ninja is of course the water element. Surely she must be a Scorpio?! After feeling left out that she wasn't a ninja like her brother Kai, she went about honing her skills in secret then hid her identity under the guise of Samurai X! And it would seem blue-clad Jay and the robot Nindroid Zane (lightning and ice respectively) together represent the air element. Not that my son would accept that, he was outraged when I said there was no lightning or ice element in astrology, let alone Lloyd's elemental power of green! But I digress....our conversation soon progressed onto our own family members and what elements they had represented in their chart. He asked me, "Mummy, what happens when you don't have all the elements in your chart"? "Well", I said, "what a great question!!"

I regularly see this in family, friends and clients and it never ceases to amaze me how people seem to instinctively understand their elemental imbalances without ever being consciously aware of it. I have lost count of the number of people I know with little or no earth in their chart who are always at the gym, or out running or obsessed with their diet and physical wellness. Or those who lack water who are fantastic swimmers, gravitate to being by the sea or always seem to attract emotional drama in those around them. Or the people low in air who are always studying, reading or learning a new skill. And an absence or lack of fire in one's chart can often encourage the person to take up competitive sports, undertake travel or actively seek inspiration through others . It truly is fascinating. When we don't have a particular element represented in our birth chart we often seek to find this externally as we instinctively seem to know we are unable to produce this within ourselves. People are endlessly resourceful!

It is important to remember that the placement of the planets can also be a mitigating factor in this scenario. For example, I don't have a great deal of air in my chart however I have a heavily aspected mercury (planet of communication) which is also conjunct my descendant (other people). As a result of this helpful factor I am ALWAYS talking, always connecting with others on a mental plane, always writing, always thinking and planning....you get the picture!

What elements do you lack and how do you think this manifests in your life? And if you have any helpful key planets how does this assist you in gaining a greater balance?