This is nothing new, or unique to Western Pagan thought. The diagram at right shows such a division that was used in some Chinese schools of thought. There are many similarities between European and Asian religious systems. This is no accident, as ideas have been shared in both directions for centuries.
Whether one is male or female there are always elements of both the Goddess and the God within. There are also other ways of understanding and assessing qualities that fit within this Pagan framework, and were reflected in the symbolism of the five pointed star.
The points of the star indicate five qualities: Spirit, Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Each element has a correspondence to a season, and a humour or factor within ourselves. Spirit is what binds this all together and cannot properly be defined. The correspondence is:
Earth
This is associated with: sensation, the cold quality, the season of Winter, the Tarot suite of Pentacles, the humour of being melancholic, and The Goddess.Sensation tells us what is, what exists, it is how we experience the world. The earth has long been a feminine symbol and represented the fertile goddess such as Demeter or Cybele, as plants live and grow in it. The Pentacle (or five pointed star enclosed in a circle) represents the earth.
Air
This is associated with: thinking, the dry quality, the season of Spring, the Tarot suite of Swords, the humour of being sanguine, and The God.If sensation tells us that something exists, thinking tells us what it is. If earth is associated with the Goddess, then sky is associated with The God, such as Zeus. The sword is also a symbol of The God, being both a phallic symbol, and that of authority and division, both functions of The God.
Water
This is associated with: feelings; a moist quality, the season of Autumn, the Tarot suite of Cups, the humour of being phlegmatic, and The Goddess.Thinking might determine what something is, but feeling tells us whether it's good or not. The ocean, like the land is a feminine symbol because it maintains life and is a source of food. The cup or chalice is also a feminine symbol, representing a vaginal/womb-like cavity, and is used in Tarot to represent the emotions, which like the tides, ebb and flow.
Fire
This is associated with: intuition, the hot quality, the season of Summer, the Tarot suite of Wands, the humour of being choleric, and The God.Lastly, intuition tells us where something comes from, or where it is going, and is not dependent upon "rational" processes (as thinking is). Fire is a potent pagan symbol representing virility and energy, as it is bright, intense, but impermanent. Fires are traditionally lit on Beltaine. The wand on the tarot card is another phallic (and hence masculine) symbol, and one representing spring and things in full bloom.
Directions
You'll notice I don't include cardinal points (North, South, East, West) in the above correlations. This is because I believe that such associations must be dependent upon geographical location, and thus will vary from point to point. Europe had the Atlantic ocean to the west of it, and hence the traditional association in the Northern Hemisphere was West = Water. The equator was south and so South = Fire. But other locations have other associations.Where I currently live, the Pacific ocean and Lakes are to the East, a mountain range lies to the West, and Sydney lies to the South. Hence my current association is: East = Water; South = Air; West = Earth; and North = Fire.