Temperaments and Elements
As a Waldorf early childhood teacher, I work closely with Rudolf Steiner’s concept of the four temperaments. The four temperaments are: choleric, connected to the element of fire, sanguine connected to the element of air, phlegmatic connected to the element of earth and melancholic connected to the element of water.
The children that I teach are very young and in the first seven years, as children have not fully entered their earthly bodies, most (but not all) seem to embody the element of air or the sanguine temperament. We see this in how they communicate, often switching subject mid-sentence, flitting from one activity to the next and in their movement, how they often seem to fly or float their feet barely touching the ground.
Understanding the temperaments does not only help me with the children in my care but it has helped me gain a better understanding of myself my family and my colleagues. When I first examined my Natal chart, I was not surprised to see that I had just two planets in water signs. One of which (Pluto in Scorpio) is the same in every millennial’s birth chart. My family too lack water in their charts. When I look at all five of us, we have but a handful of planets in Scorpio, Pisces and Cancer between us. A friend recently commented ‘where is all the water?’ before noting that it is probably why we live on an island surrounded by it! Indeed, I balance my fire by swimming daily in the ocean. My children love to do this too.
Bringing our elements or temperaments into balance is vitally important for our mental and spiritual health. For a person who identifies with the melancholic temperament and lacks fire, exercise will help them find balance. A friend of mine, a double Cancer, has regular boxing lessons to build fire. One of my daughters has a grand trine in Earth but despite this finds it hard to keep her feet on the ground. The trouble with a grand trine is that because of the ease of energy created by it, there is a lack of struggle. Which can make a person lazy when it comes to embodying this element. My daughter hugely benefits from barefoot walks in nature. Finally, a person lacking air may benefit from breathwork or certain yoga practices such as kundalini yoga.
It is important to note that one temperament is not better than another, one element is not stronger than another, one sun sign does not present more challenges than another… Each have their strengths and their shadow and in gaining a better understanding of yourself and your elemental make up, you can identify areas of growth to reach your highest potential.
