Fire

You’ll have to bear with me on this one. I don't hate fire energy, I have plenty of it, it's just that I have ample water energy, which is subtle, while fire energy is anything but. Generally, you don't see water energy people coming, but you hear fire energy people when they enter the building because they shout hello to everyone, and then you hear them having loud conversations in the hallway, and by the time they get to you, you've been aware of their presence for 10-15 minutes, and sometimes they (bless them) don't think you know they've arrived. Fire energy is this eternal "I'm HERE" while the other elements are (rolling our eyes) saying "WE KNOW."

Fire also tends to come in hot, and these are the people who consider 15 minutes early to be on time, unless they're the type to want to make an entrance, or...to make a spectacle. They can be ready to go at a moment's notice, and fly around from thing to thing, putting out fires as needed (sometimes literally). They're just anything but subtle.

If we didn't have fire, we would have a world without passion and enthusiasm, and everyone would be depressed and lack the impulse to go out and do anything. No one would be attracted to anyone else, either. A lack of will is bad for us all: we all have Mars somewhere, as well as the sun. Jupiter's the third fire entity and it's somewhat more refined than the other two, but Mars has the reputation for being a thug and the sun is narcissistic, so consider the refined version only a few clicks away on the scale.

The fire signs like to show you stuff, and they also like to see stuff. If you mix fire with fire, it can be a neverending game of show and tell. This is what theaters are made for, as well as stadiums. Fire gravitates toward where the action is, and then they come back and report about it. "You should have seen it." Yeah, okay, buddy. You told me about it 30 times, I feel like I was there at this point. Then they physically reenact it for you.

What are they proud of? They'll show you. What do they want? They'll tell you. What do they believe in? They'll tell you that, too, at increasing volume. All you have to do is pay attention to them. Again: fire is not complicated, but without tending to the fire, it dies out, and then there's sulking. One of the most dangerous things you'll find is a fire sign with injured pride. They have a long memory for who did not pay attention during show and tell.

There's a little problem here: sometimes it does not occur to fire to ask other people about their preferences, their beliefs, and their likes. They can accidentally talk about themselves throughout an entire conversation without stopping to acknowledge anyone else in the room. Yikes. (Occasionally with the rougher fire types I walk away wondering if they've ever had a conversation before.) They tend to assume that everyone else likes the things they like, or (shudder), everyone else *should.*  God help you if you get in between a fiery battle of the "shoulds." This is quite literally how wars start, especially the religious ones. On a less dangerous but still very annoying scale, fire people and their gift giving can be things you should like, things you should wear, knowledge you should have, or things you should believe (usually in book form, but maybe they'll give you the "gift" of a religious retreat).

Fire tends to be generous. Warmth is for everyone, after all, so if you and the fire person are simpatico, there's no problem. But if you have the audacity to not appreciate the generosity, things are not going to go well for you. You feed fire with compliments, which is the real breakfast of champions. Basically, the deal with these people is the sun shines on you and you appreciate the sun.

Sometimes it's a one-way street when the legend in their own mind fails to acknowledge your existence, which, again, I find confusing. You'd think since they love compliments so much that it would occur to them to acknowledge you in return, but some really do seem to think that them being appreciated for existing is the end of the transaction.

How do you stifle fire? Contain it. I'm being literal: you put a lid on it, and keep it confined to a given space. No more spreading for you, fire. (This is an earth solution: structure the fire so it can only operate in certain parameters.) Another obvious option: water. Water people who are unimpressed with the fire can put it out in seconds (I think one of fire's greatest fears is a water person not caring how special the fire person is). Air can either encourage or discourage fire, depending on conditions.

Here's a fun one for non-fire people: take a walk with a fire person, especially one with a certain *presence.* Count how many times you get stopped, and how visible you feel by the end of it as you listen to 40 short, polite conversations about people and things you know nothing about. The fire person is glowing, and you're bored and want to go sit down.

As straightforward as this all is, I think it's important to (stop giving them shit and) point out why you need fire, which is best observed in people without any: they struggle to self motivate, and lacking their own will and initiative, they will use yours. There's no sense of inertia quite as stifling as people without any fire sucking the life out of you. So be grateful for the solar or fiery people in your life, as they are often powering us all.