The 5 Elements Of Personality: What Does Your Birth Year Say About You?

Are you an excitable Fire person, an upstanding Wood element, or a mentally astute Metal? Maybe you're a nurturing Earth archetype or a dreamy and empathic Water. Your birth year element tells an important story.

This five-phase system, called Wuxing, begins anew at each Lunar New Year in January or February. In the Western astrology system, this falls at the Aquarius new moon. (But heads up, Capricorn and Aquarius Sun Signs: Since the Lunar New Year begins at the Aquarius new moon, the "new" ruling element of a year will start sometime during Aquarius season, roughly January 20 to February 19. If you're a Capricorn born in a year that ends in an even number—0, 2, 4, 6, or 8—your element will be that of the year prior.)

When organizing a space by feng shui principles, there's a saying: "A place for everything and everything in its place." The idea is to get energy flowing in the right direction. You want to make sure you're not blocking "chi," or life force energy, with problems like misplaced furniture, sharp corners, leaky faucets, and poor lighting.

But newsflash: Life isn't a perfectly staged Pinterest board. Human beings are involved, and that's where feng shui astrology really comes in.

While designing our new online course Home Reset (check out the free webinar here), we realized that the five elements influence not only the energy of a physical space but also the people that inhabit it. Balancing interpersonal dynamics is as important as properly positioning a bed or desk, for example.

The most divinely appointed home can still turn chaotic depending on the cast of characters that walks through your front door. (Yep, even if you painted it red for good luck!)

Your birth element shapes your personality, the energy you exude, and the way you decorate, dress, and express yourself. How will you resolve conflict? Do you need more privacy to concentrate, or are you an "open-plan" extrovert type who doesn't believe in walls?

Think about being in a coffee shop (pre-pandemic), when you get into the zone and feel the productive energy all around you. Chances are, there are people of all five elements there, and you’re picking up on the collective good-vibes buzz!

There can be "too much of a good thing" when certain elements dominate. And when an element is missing or deficient, things feel askew.

For example, an excess of attention-seeking, competitive Fire energy in a group can be exhausting. Everyone's shouting over each other; nobody's listening. Can we pass the "talking stick," puh-lease?

But on the flip side, a lack of Fire in a group can feel dull and lackluster, devoid of the spark that gets projects and parties started. Your birth element in feng shui astrology can help you find—and embrace—the role you were born to play. Then the next question arises: Do you play well with others?

When we accept that each person has a role to play, we can appreciate who they are, even if we don't necessarily want to share close quarters 24/7. And well, if you do happen to be family or close colleagues, you can design a setup that meets everyone's individual needs. So much creativity becomes available when you understand what makes everyone tick.