The Four Elements
The element is the temperament of a significator — what kind of thing the matter is; you look at which element the querent or the quesited (the thing asked about) is in and read the nature of the matter from it. Just remember: a sign's complete meaning does not come from its element alone but from the whole of its nature — the element is a practical shorthand that summarizes it.
Fire
Hot and dry; Aries, Leo, Sagittarius. Its traditional temperament is choleric (yellow bile): fiery, eager, enthusiastic. If the significator (the person asking, or the thing asked about) is in the fire triplicity, a quick, eager and fiery tendency comes to the fore in the matter.
Earth
Cold and dry; Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn. Its traditional temperament is melancholic (black bile): weighty, cautious, concrete. If the significator is in the earth triplicity, the matter is material and practical, tangible, and slow-moving in structure.
Air
Hot and moist; Gemini, Libra, Aquarius. Its traditional temperament is sanguine (blood): lively, cheerful, sociable. If the significator is in the air triplicity, the matter shows a lively tendency in the field of speech, thought and social relations.
Water
Cold and moist; Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces. Its traditional temperament is phlegmatic (phlegm): quiet, gentle, slow. If the significator is in the water triplicity, the matter shows a quiet and slow-moving tendency centered on emotion and feeling.
Sample question: "Is the person I like genuinely enthusiastic about me, or merely stringing me along?" — if the quesited's significator is in the fire triplicity (the three fire signs), an eager, fiery tendency is suggested; if it is in water, it reads as emotional but perhaps indecisive.
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