But there is more to it than elements. I present to you, the breakdown of spirits as I currently understand it. This is an incomplete picture, which I am working on improving daily (not that the post will be edited to reflect this; I'll make other posts in the future).
Of primary interest to modern humans, we have the "Young Spirits." Distinct from "The Young Folk," who are an entirely different matter. Young spirits, or new spirits, are called this because they haven't been around the proverbial block very much. Before their recent incarnation or manifestation, they were subconscious eddies in a very big world. Perhaps they are born from unthinking fragments of many spirits that have been destroyed and scattered. This I cannot confirm. Today, you will primarily see these as Humans (not all humans), as some Animals, and in the creations of more unorthodox spiritualists. Egregores, for example.
Beyond the Young Spirits, we have the newest of the "Old Souls." These are reincarnated, having been humans, animals, or something like an Egregore in the distant past (according to the current, human understanding of time). Having lived a few times, they tend to take up positions of guardianship or mentorship, helping out the younger "generations." They are also driven to malice quite easily, as their memory of growing old multiple times (or being killed too early) wears on their patience for naïve, ignorant folk.
Occurring at about the same time chronologically, we have the youngest strain of minor Elementals, Tricksters, and Hungry Ghosts. Each of these terms will get a better explanation down the line, but know that this strain of them are not as ancient as the ones before, and generally not as powerful. Still quite dangerous if so driven.
Beyond all of these, we have the middle generations of ancient spirits. They walked the earth at a time when the human race was young, hardly established in any civilized way, and often saw them as tiny, insignificant animals. I distinguish between these as Hard Lights, Tricksters, and Accusers. The bulk of them were what I call Tricksters, spirits as old as the "Gods" you think of today, like the Greek and Norse pantheons. Many of them have stories predating any surviving written record. I call them Tricksters because their interactions with each other and with "lesser" beings were often in the context of a sick game. Always manipulating and putting up false fronts to create a reality the others had to live by. In a way that makes human machinations look simple, by comparison. In fact, many Tricksters would later be called "gods" by humans in some capacity, and described in all manner of ways that varied widely in accuracy.
The ones I call Hard Lights, I have no proper name for. The Christians and Kabbalists among you would likely think of them as Angels, or as the hand of God himself. The Zoroastrians referred to them as Amesha Spentas or Yazatas. I am certain of only this, because they are not prone to teach. What I have seen them doing is bluntly overpowering a well-meaning soul without warning, often causing great damage, to use that vessel as a way to help directly. I have also encountered one or two in passing, and been mildly harmed by the encounter, even though we were just walking by each other. And yes, I mean physically harmed. I have only seen two kinds of creature that can do that, aside from physical animals. Do not worship the Hard Lights, do not call on the Hard Lights, do not challenge or insult the Hard Lights. Steer clear of them at all costs. If you learn nothing else from me, learn that.
The ones I call Consumers, Hungry Ghosts, or Accusers may not even be a class of spirit in their own right. I characterize them by hunger for the good reason that it is all that remains. They are shadows, infinitely dark and void of substance or purpose. They act not with physicality, sensuality, mentality, or vitality, but with a hollow and sorrowful concavity that bends the light of reality itself. All essences respond to the presence and actions of a Hungry Ghost, but not because the Hungry Ghosts are controlling any of them. You have to be alive to do that, and I don't think these consumers are. They lost all vitality through some deep misfortune or wickedness, and all that remains is the desire to feed themselves, likely in hopes of regaining what they have lost. Ask me sometime about them. I have many stories.