SOME THINGS are part of our spiritual destiny and we just can't change them: certain instinctive attitudes and impulsive actions, the inability sometimes to act when we know we should, the way we sometimes allow ourselves to be drawn into situations against our better judgment, and, the biggest thing, our reactions - the urge to fight, to shout, to protect, to hide, to dictate, to shrink back, to control, to run. These urges come naturally to us, they are generated by the energy that flows through us and propels us forward. It is energy that dictates our behavior, and no matter how hard we try to control or change it-and there will be times when we can - there will be those times that it will just take us with it and we will not be able to be anything other than who we are.

You may be aware that all beings are made of pure energy, but until now the effects of that energy have never been defined, never been quite understood. We have never really associated a specific type of energy with the way that we think and behave, with what we can and cannot change. No one has explored how the unique kind of energy that has powered us since birth makes us tick.

When your soul was first conceived, that initial spark, that crucial moment of creation came from a particular and special source of energy. While the spark is individual to each of us, the type of energy comes from one of five sources: Fire, Earth, Air, Water, or Sulphur. These are the elemental energy groups, the energy sources from which all earthbound souls are created. As your soul was born, it was surrounded by and infused with energy that was present from the beginning of time, without which there would be no creation, no new beginnings. That energy determines what your soul looks like and how it works.

Fire, Earth, Air, Water, or Sulphur - the energy group you belong to gives you your power, your personality, and your character traits. It also provides clues about what kinds of friends and lovers you are bound to be attracted to - and how these relationships might work out over time.

Now you may already be familiar with this concept of the elements from astrology or other ancient disciplines and traditions. Astrology, which involves a study of the stars, has been a fascination to many of us, even if some of us do take it all with a pinch of salt. We are still intrigued, we still want to know. What does the horoscope say today? I'm a Taurean, my daughter is an Aries, and it is fun to know what our star signs say about us and our fortunes. But really, it's more than just fun. You know the old saying, "There are more things to heaven and earth than we can know!"

But while there is a relationship between what you will learn here and other disciplines such as astrology, for the time being, the elemental names - Fire, Earth, Air, and Water -- are where the similarities end. For example, my father is astrologically a Pisces, a water sign. His soul sign, however, belongs to the Earth energy group. My mother is an Aquarius, a water sign as well, but her soul sign is imbued with Fire energy. My sister, like my father, is a Pisces, a water sign; her energy group is Air. So even though you may be familiar with astrology signs and their effect on a person's temperament, do not confuse the science of soul signs with astrology. While I believe that all things are connected, and that astrology is just a small area of a vast subject, soul signs tell us so much more about who, why, and what we are.

Fire, Earth, Air, Water, or Sulphur. You are one of these five. I am one of these five. As we go along together, you will see for yourself which one you are, and what that means.

A person born under the influence of Fire is someone who is instinctively driven by passion, by emotion, sometimes to the point where they will not be able to stop those intense moments of uncontrollable passion and heat no matter how hard they try. To expect them to behave differently would be like trying to stem the flow of an erupting volcano. Impossible.

A person born under the influence of Earth is someone who is instinctively driven by a need to plan and to strategize and who will not, indeed cannot, be anything other than solid and immovable once they have made a decision on a course of action. Expecting them to behave differently would be like expecting a mountain to crumble to dust in front of your eyes. It won't happen.

A person born under the influence of Air is someone who is instinctively driven by a more passive and calming energy flow and will not be able to, nor would they want to, sustain authority over others, as they are generally far too easygoing. To expect someone with a soul sign in the Air group to be different would be the same as expecting the wind to obey your commands - a beyond-rare occurrence.

A person born under the influence of Water is someone who is instinctively driven by a need to evaluate and to compromise, who will be for the most part unable to do anything other than flow with the tide. To try to force them to behave differently would be like standing in the middle of a river and attempting to change its course. It won't work.

There is one more energy group, one other force of nature that drives some of us. This force is unlike the other four. The energy of Sulphur is dark and unwelcoming; a person born under the influence of Sulphur is someone who is instinctively driven by evil, a person who will be both unwilling and also unable to be anything other than dark. To desire love or compassion from such a person, born a dark soul, would be like expecting the most foul-smelling and putrid medicine to taste as sweet as nectar. Never.

So we can see that there are some things we simply cannot change, no matter how hard we try. There are some things we absolutely cannot help.

© Rosemary Altea, 2004

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rosemary Altea, whose work as a medium and healer has been featured in Vanity Fair, People, and the New York Times, is founder of the non-profit Rosemary Altea Association of Healers, based in England and Vermont. The best-selling author of The Eagle and the Rose, Proud Spirit, and You Own the Power, she is also the author of the book/audio package Give the Gift of Healing. She lives in Vermont.

Rosemary now uses her intimacy with the human soul as the touchstone for a powerful new way of looking at relationships. In her latest book, Soul Signs: An Elemental Guide to Your Spiritual Destiny, Rosemary reveals basic truths about our souls - how they came to be, where they go when we die, and, most significant for success in our personal and professional lives, how they interact with other souls during our stay on this earthly plane.

With Rosemary's inspiring guidance, Soul Signs enables you to travel on a fascinating journey of self-discovery along the way to divining your own unique spiritual destiny. By figuring out which elemental force - Fire, Earth, Air, Water, or Sulphur - drives you and your loved ones, and by understanding how energy flow determines your specific soul sign, you can use this knowledge to find your ideal soul mate, compatible helpmates, and a more focused, more balanced you.

Soul Signs is available wherever books are sold or directly from the publisher by calling (800) 848-4735 or visit their website at www.rodalestore.com. For more information about Rosemary and her work, please visit www.rosemaryaltea.com, or www.writtenvoices.com.