An Element chart defines an individual's innate substance.  Each person has five elemental slots that will be filled by one of the five basic Chinese astrological elements — Earth, Water, Fire, Metal and Wood.  The five slots are:

• The Animal of someone's birth
• The Year of someone's birth
• The Lunar month of someone's birth
• The Hour of someone's birth
• The Ming Shu

Princess Diana's Element Chart:

Attribute	Value	Associated Element	Yin/Yang
Princess Diana's birth animal	Ox	Water	Yin
Her year of birth	1961	Metal	Yin
Her Lunar Month of birth	5 (Horse)	Wood	Yang
Her hour of birth	7 pm to 8.59 pm	Metal	Yang
Her Ming Shu	— — —	Wood	Yang

So Princess Diana had the characteristics of a Water Ox in a Metal year, tempered by the characteristics of a Wood Horse.  Her dominant emotion was Metal (Worry), and Wood (Anger).  She lacked the elements of Fire (Joy), and Earth (Sorrow).  And her Yang aspect (positive) was marginally stronger than her Yin aspect.  Wood people can be volatile and unpredictable, whilst Metal people tend to worry too much over small insignificant details.

As an Ox born in a Metal Year (1961) she enjoyed powerful leadership qualities with world vision.  But Metal Ox people often reach their peak quite early in life, and when the oxygen of publicity is exhausted they retreat to more earthy pursuits.  As a Horse Moon, she was a wonderful hostess and an excellent communicator, but she liked to work alone, untrammeled by the constraints imposed by her husband's role.

If you do not know the Hour of birth, the program can fill only three of the five elemental slots — yet even that can provide an indication of the principal emotion which drives that individual.

By examining the distribution of Elements in someone's chart, in the absence of complete balance it is easy to identify the emotion that dominates.  An essential part of compatibility analysis is to find in two people dominant emotions that complement each other, as opposed to emotions that seek to hinder the other party.

Each of the five slots is also filled with either a Yin or a Yang aspect.  The Chinese have always regarded the overall balance of Yin/Yang between two people as being a vital part of compatibility analysis (see the menu item — Element charts and Yin/Yang compatibility), and it also serves to distinguish those of a more passive disposition (Yin) from those of a more positive or active disposition (Yang).  Comments depend upon the balance of Yin and Yang in someone's chart.

The Element Chart program is available to individual or full members of the fixthefuture service.

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