You may know the element of your sun sign, but if you analyze your natal chart more closely, you’ll notice that it’s inclusive of signs in many different elements. Air signs are the intellects of the zodiac, fire signs take action, water signs are in step with their emotions, and Earth signs are firmly grounded in the material world. The element that appears most in your chart is referred to as your dominant element—and it can tell you all about what your motivations are and how you express your own energy.

When you understand the inner workings of your dominant element, you can identify the overarching energy (and how it’s expressed) in your day-to-day. If you don’t align with the traits of your sun sign’s element, it might be because you have a totally different dominant energy that takes over.

Take Sagittarius native Taylor Swift, for example. Fire signs are typically lighthearted and don’t harp on the intricacies of their emotions. But when you consider that the chairman of the Tortured Poets Department is dominated by water, an element that tends to be consumed by their feelings, it makes more sense. “It aligns with her reputation for being vulnerable and open in her songwriting, adding depth and authenticity to her music,” explains Ivana Naskova, psychic for the astrology and psychic app, Nebula.

That said, knowing your dominant element is a valuable piece of the astrological puzzle that helps you better understand your energy and how you express it in your life. Not only that, but it can also determine how well you interact (or not) with other people. Keep reading to learn more about your dominant element in astrology—plus, how to use it to find balance.

What is a dominant element in astrology?

In astrology, a dominant element is the element of the different zodiac signs that appears the most in your natal chart. As an astrology refresher, the zodiac signs are clustered by three classifications: quadruplicities (aka modalities), dualities, and triplicities (elements) which reflect how the signs express themselves, approach situations, and direct their energies. The elements (fire, Earth, air, and water) describe shared motivations among the zodiac signs.

The dominant element in your chart is expressed more fluently and has the biggest influence over your drive, motivation, and overall temperament. This can give you a deeper insight into the other elements that are present in your natal chart and in turn, balances out the existing energies you may have. “Understanding your dominant astrological element can provide insight into your natural temperament and the type of energy that resonates best with you,” says Naskova.

“Understanding your dominant astrological element can provide insight into your natural temperament and the type of energy that resonates best with you.”—Ivana Naskova, psychic

With that in mind, it’s important to not only understand the traits of your dominant element, but how they all work together to create your astrological profile. Just like they have their strengths, all elements have their weak points, too. If your dominant element is air, you might align with the cerebral leanings of the element—but by knowing where the other three elements fall in your chart, you can eyeball where your emotional capacity falls short, and ultimately, find the best way to access your emotional side.

Assuming that your sun sign’s element isn’t always your dominant element, you can understand how you engage with others in your relationships. If your sun sign is a fire element—but your dominant energy is concentrated in water—you might get along best with those who are also dominated by water or its compatible element (more on that later), Earth signs.

Moving on, here’s how to find your dominant element.

How to find your dominant element

To calculate your dominant element, you should know your birthday, place of birth, along with your birth time (to accurately count your rising sign). You can run one online using a free astrological generator and plug in this information. From there, add up the different elements of the zodiac signs in your chart (note that some generators will do this for you). Whichever element is most prevalent will in turn be your dominant element.

Why is your dominant element important?

Understand that knowing what your dominant element is does matter because, essentially, the elements are woven into every aspect of astrology. Because of this, knowing your dominant element can help you both understand the zodiac wheel and yourself. Furthermore, the elements can also factor into astrological compatibility, making for combinations that are balanced or…decidedly not.

“When you see how your elements balance out in a chart, and you have a predominant elemental energy, you see where your base mode of operating comes from.” —astrologer Maria Sofia Marmanides

“When you see how your elements balance out in a chart, and you have a predominant elemental energy, you see where your base mode of operating comes from,” says astrologer and tarot reader Maria Sofia Marmanides. “Is it fire, meaning you’re all drive, passion, and excitement? Is it Earth, where you want practicality, reliability, and a steady pace? Are you air-based and seek mental stimulation and room to think through all possibilities? Or are you more water-based and rely on your feelings and intuitions?”

To wit, knowing your dominant element is also critical to understanding your personal strengths and weaknesses. While you’ll ideally have a somewhat balanced chart, if you’re consumed by a certain energy, Marmanides says you can still acknowledge your strengths and your weaknesses without needing to “fix” those weaknesses. And, furthermore, definitely not by yourself.

“It is always my suggestion that it’s best to work with the energy you have. You don’t have to be all things to all people—even yourself,” says Marmanides. “It then becomes okay to say, ‘I have a lot going for me in terms of creative ideation, with all this fire or air energy, but I need someone to help me add structure.’ Then seek out partners, friends, or colleagues who can help you find more firm footing.”

This suggestion to seek elemental balance by surrounding yourself with certain people who can astrologically balance you out helps to explain why I have so many Cancer and Scorpio (water-sign) friends. But if you do go it alone, understanding the qualities of your elemental opposite may help you highlight specific opportunities for personal growth. Again, fire and air signs are coupled up, as are Earth and water. So, you can look to your opposite energy and see what they have that you’d like to emulate.

“If you have a lot of fire, see where you can incorporate more receptivity to other people’s plans or ideas,” says Marmanides. “If you have a lot of water, ask yourself where you can be more assertive about your own wants and ideas. If you have a lot of Earth, see where you can be less rigid and more spontaneous. And if you have a lot of air, see where you can make a concrete plan and pay attention to the details.”

Ultimately, knowing your dominant astrological element is a great way to understand where your temperament may take you, but no worries if your flames need fanning or if your Earth needs some rain.

Dominant elements and compatibility

When it comes to astrological matchmaking, astrologers will look at a number of factors like your Venus, moon, and Mars signs, along with the elements under which the zodiac signs in these planets fall. Because the elements discern the direction you point your energy, it helps that you can relate to—or complement—the energetic qualities of your elements.

For example, dominant Earth signs tend to be practical in love. They might take their time in getting to know someone before moving forward and tend to be motivated by material comforts (see: home life, career, and daily structures). Two Earth sign dominant people will understand that their profession is important and likely not take it personally when things get busy. Water-dominant couples can relate to each other’s emotional depth and understand their intuitive nature.

Each element also has an equally compatible counterpart, too. Earth signs will also vibe with water signs, while fire signs are likely to get along with air signs. That’s because the convergence of these energies plays off the strengths of the other while also providing a balance that one element may lack.

For example, fire signs are passionate, action-forward, and emotionally impulsive. Air signs, on the other hand, are intellectual and logic-based signs that take their time in analyzing situations. With that said, air can “fan the fire” by providing a sense of reasoning to the fire signs’ otherwise rash decision-making. But both can relate to their independence, and carefree attitude, says Naskova.

Note that you don’t have to share the same element (or even a complementary element) with someone for a relationship to thrive! In fact, Naskova says all elements can work together. “For example, people with a dominant water element tend to be emotional, prefer deep conversations about emotions, and can understand each other’s sensitivities. In contrast, individuals with a dominant air element are generally more useful than emotional,” Naskova says. “They may not be as bothered by certain matters that could deeply affect someone with a water-dominant element.”

It should be noted that astrology aside, all relationships will experience challenges at some point. To the point of our air-water dominant sign example, they can surely expose one another to the heart-mind dichotomy, but if the air sign isn’t willing to meet the water sign’s emotional needs, they may find cracks in the foundation. The good news is, that knowing the tendencies and needs of your dominant element provides perspective on how to work together, rather than against each other.