The theory is that the elementa forces that make up the world go in a circle... Looks kinda like this...
<-- Simple Version || Symbols Version -->You can lie at any SINGLE POINT on the circle, like minutes on a clock... mine's at about the 13 or 14 minute mark, making me mostly Ice with a little Wind. Please keep this in mind when choosing. You must lie at only one SINGLE POINT , but that point can be anywhere. People who know themselves very well often have a very clear idea of this, but if you are more indecisive as a person, or find that you are sometimes influenced by those around you, you may have trouble determining your elementa point, and should probably ask a close friend or two to help.
At the top, we get the element of "Radiance" -(this should really be white, but...). This element is the power of the celestial beings, stars, sun, moon, meteors, comets, etc,... all being things that give light. This element is therefore also sometimes referred to, a bit incorrectly, as "Light", "Heaven" or "Celestial". Don't call it "Holy" or "Virtue" please, cause it ain't.
People in whom this element dominate tend to have the positive personality traits of being very outgoing and social. They are usually very happy and do not usually like to deal with somber or melancholy emotions. They have the tendency to hide their own negative feelings from others in order to avoid having to deal with them, and often try to get other people to 'cheer up' often so they don't have to deal with other people's negative emotions either. They are prone to giving gifts, usually of the material form, and are usually insecure about being disliked by others for any reason. Sometimes they will go to the point of compromising themselves in order to avoid being disliked.
In negative situations their defensive nature can also go a little too far and cause them to become judgemental, especially if they don't know both sides of the story. They will generally tend to defend whoever seems to be getting hurt the most without always finding out why, which may cause them to look quite ridiculous once they learn the truth. They also sometimes seem to believe that nearly everyone really likes them, because they 'really' like nearly everyone...
Abilities: Inspiration, rejuvenation of spirit.
Extraordinary abilities: Become extremely energetic on very bright days(high temperatures may counter this).
Preferences: Crispy crunchy foods with light tastes. Usually not much seasonings, but like vegetables and lighter fruit. Basically, anything 'refreshing'.
Going down on one side of the circle, we encounter the ions and electricity that sparkle in the upper atmosphere, the power of "Lightning" or "Thunder".
People in whom this element dominate are, on the positive note, very charismatic and able to draw people to them, as well as articulate their ideas well, but not so much their feelings. Their actions are generally unpredictable and sporadic. That is, they usually know what they are planning to do, but no one else will tend to understand. They manage their own time relatively well by their own standards, but other people usually find them unreliable when it comes to scheduling IF their idea of 'schedule' is different.
On the negative side, they tend to be somewhat self-absorbed and egoistic, and display this in much of what they do. Their insecurity shows most often when they are in a situation where they are arguing a point alone against a group, since their sporadic nature makes them more capable of countering others' ideas than they are in putting forward their own. Usually these people are logicists and mathematical styled thinkers.
Abilities: Style and charisma with the ability to pull it off well, ability to 'stun' others with their wit, when they have a receptive audience.
Extraordinary abilities: Ability to endure voltage, survive thundershocks, affect electrical equipment if emotionally disturbed, or mess with streetlights!
Preferences: Heavier foods, but mostly lighter meats.
Below "Lightning", on the same side, we have heat in the air and in the ground, the power of "Fire" This can also combine with "Lightning" but it can also combine with what comes below it.
People in whom this element dominate are, on the positive note, er... unstoppable. Nothing fazes them and they tend to have both the willpower and the skill to go directly through any problem, facing it head on, and using their abilities to remove any obstacles in their way. Usually these people like to develop powerful builds, especially upper body strength. They are usually found as the leaders of many large groups, and like to take the direct approach to nearly any problem.
In its negative form, dominant fire tends to lead to stubborn, quick to anger or, in extreme cases, violent people, who aren't usually very understanding of other people's points of view or 'weaknesses', and will often argue in order to try to change their minds. They may also lose their temper quickly if confronted by a problem that their direct approach cannot solve.
Abilities: Great direct power, ability to overcome most anything they take on directly.
Extraordinary abilities: Ability to endure extreme heat or sometimes actual flame, or to warm a room slightly merely by presence. Science has recorded a few cases of pyrokinesis!
Preferences: Carbohydrate! Also soda drinks... anything containing lots of energy sugars.
The power of "Earth". The ground itself has power. Plates move within the earth, rocks shift and move toward stability.
People in whom this element dominate are, on the positive note, a great defence. Few people can argue them down or make them back off, although unlike Fire elementa they sometimes prefer to let their opponents wear themselves out trying to break through their defenses, and so, in an argument, for example, they are less interested in convincing the other person than they are in maintaining their opinion. They tend to be large framed and very solidly built in the physical aspect if their body type allows for it.
Negatively speaking, Earth elementa can be extremely stubborn and blind to their own faults. The fact that you cannot argue them down even extends to when they know they are wrong, usually, but do not want to concede or lose the argument. They tend to be easy people to invoke prejudices in.
Abilities: Great defensive power, ability to survive most anything that tries to take them on directly.
Extraordinary abilities: Ability to endure extreme physical damage. Sometimes capable of feeling the approach of things through the ground itself. Tend to be good with the planting aspect of gardening especially.
Preferences: Ground provisions and heavy meals and meats.
The force of "Compression" also sometimes known, again, slightly incorrectly as the power of "Gravity", and has sometimes been associated with "Shade". The ultimate compression force, that of a black hole, traps even light. But this elementa is directly opposite to "Radiance". Don't call this "Darkness" or "Bane" because it isn't, and it tends to give Compression elementa people a bad rep.
People in whom this element dominate are, on the positive note, very willing to accept, and in some cases, perpetuate obscurities. They are sometimes difficult to understand, and sometimes take great pride in this fact. They are not really any more or less openminded than other elementa, but they are usually more tolerant, more due to a disinterest in the affairs of others than anything else. They have the tendency to be quite sarcastic, but do not seem to have any interest in whether or not the 'victim' of that sarcasm understands the meaning.
Since most religion is built mostly on the principles of "Heaven" elementa, "Shade" elementa tend to be ostracized and hurt often in religious communities, and are usually forced to band together away from the mainstream in religious matters.
Negatively speaking, Compression elementa tend to be overly moody and also hate to admit when they are wrong since it throws off their balance, the basis of Gravity's power. When a "Shade" elementa negative has decided they don't like you... look out. They also tend to confuse simple matters through the way they express themselves and view others.
Abilities: Good at remaining in the shadows of obscurity and still greatly affecting the outcomes of things. Since the Radiance elementa blot them out, they are not usually recorded in history.
Extraordinary abilities: Ability to achieve nearly perfect physical balance and remain so. Can usually lift heavy things even if they seem physically incapable, and in extreme cases show some ability to sense in the dark without their sight.
Preferences: More sour foods most others don't like. Extreme tastes such as salt or greasy food. Fruit with strong tastes.
The power of "Fluid" or "Water" as it is more commonly known can also be connected to "Compression". This is the opposite of "Lightning". The water covers the planet's surface moreso even than the earth, and is held there by gravity, but this means it can be evaporated, and if it rises into the air when it evaporates, and gets high enough into the clouds, it is affected by the next force in the circle.
People in whom this element dominate are, on the positive note, good at expressing their emotions, but not often their ideas. They like anything with a smooth harmony or resonance, and tend to be good at music because of it. They also tend to be extremely picky about having things clean.
Negatively they are way too clean, perfectionists and nit-pickers who hate to be wrong also, but their hatred of being wrong comes in judgement of people and not so much intellect. Most people get along with even the negative water elementa, though they will usually complain that the person takes things too seriously or has no sense of humor.
Abilities: Good at harmonizing groups of people and moving fluidly such as in music or dance. Usually hate practicing due to the rigidity of schedules that they don't make themselves, though.
Extraordinary abilities: There has been at least one recorded case of aquakinesis (saw it on Unsolved Mysteries). The guy could control the humidity in a room. Impressive. Most Water elementa extremists can do that, but of course no one notices. Can sometimes 'disable' battery powered electrical equipment if the batteries are low. Also good with the nurturing aspect of gardening.
Preferences: Food preferences unknown, but generally peas, beans and soup seem popular. Maybe protein that's non-dairy? They also tend to have a strange love-hate relationship with salt.
The power of "Ice" or "Cold", the opposite of "Fire". The ice that forms the clouds in the upper atmosphere is made up of water that has been affected by its rise and by the power of the element that comes above it.
People in whom this element dominate are, on the positive note, very efficient and good at schedules. They tend to be good assistants since they are usually shy and don't like to take on things directly. They are usually very precise and hate being misinterpreted, as well as very efficient. They don't tend to talk much until you start shifting up to the next elementa, though. In colder countries like England, they dominate, causing the society to be reserved and 'uptight'. In warmer countries they hide, so in Latin America, etc, the fire elementa take over with their passion for life.
Negatively, Ice elementa are patronizing and intolerant of other people's inefficiencies, and often snidely insulting of anyone who bothers them. Non-communicative about their feelings and generally back down from confrontations. It is easy to take what they want from them because they will usually surrender and retreat, especially since they tend to be lightly built physically.
Abilities: Extremely loyal and faithful in most cases, almost to the point of blind servitude sometimes, very good at being doctors and surgeons since they seem to have more physical healing ability than any other element, and a love of precision and getting things done as quickly and efficiently as possible. Great in the OR.
Extraordinary abilities: Extreme physical healing ability, both regarding themselves, and in the most extreme of cases, other people also. Ability to endure extreme cold for longer periods of time than most, and may cool a room simply by presence... physically their fingers, etc tend to be very cold, especially when they are working. For some reason they also have resistance to venom and stings... possibly due to their 'quick heal'.
Preferences: Dairy products, very cold ice cream in large quantities, protein based food, chocolate and pasta. Also love mint and strangely, seem to like pepper if their element doesn't contain too much water.
The power of "Wind", the opposite of "Earth". This is another power found high in the atmosphere, and is also close, and can be linked back to, the power of "Radiance".
People in whom this element dominate are, on the positive note, very cheerful and quite willing to talk to just about anyone in lighthearted banter. They flit from idea to idea and job to job, and can easily finish many small tasks in one day.
On the negative side, all this is very exaggerated, giving us what we usually refer to as an 'airhead'. They cannot focus or make decisions, and are nearly incapable of completing complex tasks due to their short attention spans. They babble and refuse to get the hint even if the other person stops talking.
Abilities: Very fast and unpredictable. Here one minute, gone the next. It's hard to throw them off since they'll just 'circle' you even in an argument, and will just as easily walk away from that argument leaving you off guard, only to return later and casually remark that they were still right.
Extraordinary abilities: Control over wind, of course. But since everyone assumes that wind is too unpredictable to be controlled, this is generally unprovable. However, if you are a wind elementa and find that the air acts strangely around you... it's no coincidence...
Preferences: Possibly curried/peppered foods, also like mint.
