This means that if the masculine fire is in the south, then the masculine air MUST be in the north. If the feminine water is in the west, then the feminine earth MUST be in the east. If any adjacent pair were switched, the generator would stop dead. This makes logical sense. When we look at the horizon of the earth, we see a horizontal line.
Water also seeks a horizontal plane.
Feminine elements, considered 'passive', have a natural tendency to 'lay down'. Fire, on the other hand, alway assumes an erect or vertical position. Air, too, can rise upward, as earth and water cannot. Masculine elements, being 'active', have a natural tendency to 'stand up'. In modern Witchcraft, there are four principal altar tools, the same four tools shown on the Tarot card, the Magician.