Conflict and the Element of Friendship

"I do not wish to treat friendships daintily, but with the roughest courage. When they are real, they are not glass threads or frost-work, but the solidest thing we know."- Ralph Waldo Emerson

What would we do without our friends? A true friend is a gift from heaven but sometimes, when we are angry, it's easy to lose sight of the delicate nature of our friendships. When we look to understand our own astral natures and how we might behave in conjunction with the forces of nature on earth, it is easy to see how turbulent emotional tides arise when dealing with the element of friendship.


THE FIRE ELEMENT: (ARIES March 21-April 19, LEO July 23-August 22, SAGITTARIUS November 22-December 21

Ever notice what happens when you feed a fire? It burns bigger and brighter. Fire’s behavior may be evocative of a rash eruption, or a sudden increase, as is sometimes the case with the emotions of these sun signs. At its extreme, fire may char and/or reduce to ashes whatever is in its path. It is the nature of the fire element, after the embers of conflict have been lit, to burn discord out in the open until it is reduced to a respectable resolution. Generally, fire signs do not like to be hidden (smothered) or ignored, and when pushed or threatened will lash out. Fire friends may have a natural tendency to want to discuss conflict out in the open and come to some form of conclusion. They may have little patience for less consuming methods of confrontation, which they sometimes view as inane.

At its best, the fire element is nature’s purifier. And when disagreements arise, fire signs may offer the most unpolluted (or genuine) perspective of all the other signs.

THE ELEMENT AIR: (GEMINI, May 21-June 21, LIBRA, September 23-October 22, AQUARIUS, January 20-February 18

Ever walk down the street when a heavy wind is approaching? If you try to plant your feet or ground yourself you can be carried away, or propelled in another direction. When disharmony is circulating, it is wind’s nature to come from the distance in a gust and blow you away. Sometimes in a puff. Air signs may at times be so objective they can become impractical in their actions and beliefs. Generally, air prefers to avoid heavy emotional matter(s) and feelings that are more important to water signs. Air has a better time assimilating lighter matter(s), and when there is atmospheric turbulence, the air element may be inclined to simply blow you away to a safe distance, until it is ready to deal with the conflict.

At its best, the air element is nature’s transport system. Carrying oxygen, ions and other essentials we need to breathe, and because air can be everywhere at once it can offer the most unique perspective of all other signs.

THE ELEMENT WATER: (CANCER, June 22-July 22, SCORPIO, OCTOBER 23-November 21, PISCES February 19-March 20)

Ever ride a wave in the ocean? Or witness the powerful force of a typhoon? As does water in a glass, water signs conform to elements around them. When contention surfaces or when an argument can no longer be contained, water’s natural tendency is to gush, stream forth, or engulf what may be in its path - possibly to the point of inundation. Feelings, emotions, and deep personal conversations enhance the nature of our water friends, who assimilate by flow. Generally water, when ravaging, prefers to overwhelm if the structure that is holding it collapses.

At its best, the element of water is nature’s most essential component. The average human body is made up of at least 50% to 65% water, and therefore water friends can offer the most human perspectives of all the other signs.

THE ELEMENT EARTH: (TAURUS, April 20-May 20, VIRGO, August 23-September 22, CAPRICORN December 22-January 19)

Ever work with your bare hands in a vegetable garden? Or maybe you know first hand what it feels like to have the earth move beneath your feet? When soil is rattled or disturbed its natural inclination is to deal with tension by burrying or obscuring the problem. Our friends of the Earth generally prefer to keep discourse covered or hidden. The element of earth, possessing the quality of retention and self-protectiveness thrives in environments where there is support and encouragement. As it will with a fresh seed planted in a garden, the earth element will envelop a problem, rather than talk about it. This may leave friends and others feeling snubbed or ignored.

At its best, the earth element is nature’s nurturer. A primary function of fresh terrain or soil is to nurture the seed, and as such our earth friends offer perspectives that encourage more significant growth than all the other signs.

"Give others freedom to be themselves. Appreciate the differences between their ways and yours." - Unknown