Alchemy & philosophy · The Language of Alchemy, part 3 of 8 · 29 September 2026 · Charlotte Himsworth
The Four Elemental Triangles
Four simple triangles that carry the whole classical theory of the elements.
The alchemists drew the four classical elements as triangles. Their logic is beautifully simple: what rises points up, what descends points down, and a bar across the triangle marks the gentler, mixed element.
Fire and air
Fire is an upward triangle, like a flame. Air is the same triangle crossed by a bar: it rises too, but more softly. Both are active, outgoing elements.
Water and earth
Water is a downward triangle, flowing to the lowest place. Earth is the downward triangle crossed by a bar: it descends, then rests and holds. Both are receptive, gathering elements.
The star of all four
Lay the upward and downward triangles over each other and you form a six-pointed star, a figure later used for conjunction, the union of opposites. In one image, the four elements are held together in balance.
In daily life
Our article on the elemental self explores these four as qualities of experience: will, thought, feeling and body. The triangles make a lovely visual reminder of all four.
A practice
Draw the four triangles in your journal. Beside each, write one word for how that element feels in you today.