Friday, November 18, 2011

Chinese Astrology Signs - How Your Three Animal Signs Are Calculated

By Gilbert Karlis


I get asked much about Chinese astrology - not least mainly because I've often intended to include it within my web site but haven't yet done so. There is a excellent reason for this and it is the simple fact that Chinese astrology is complex even though world-wide-web pages need to be effortless and very easily assimilated. 1 internet site for Chinese astrology swiftly turns into several pages of fine details. It is also incredibly different to Western astrology, utilizing several items of reference each astronomical and cultural. Most of us will be able to say "I'm a Dragon/Tiger/Rat etc" and have a broad notion on the really general characteristics of that sign but few of us will have a clear understanding of their Chinese star signature and how it is determined. The following then, as we started out the Year of the Rabbit (Metal, Yin), 78th Cycle (or 79th depending on which calendar version you ascribe to) is a potted summary...

Western astrology is based on a easy twelve months repeating cycle - the Zodiac. Chinese astrology includes a zodiac of 12 signs - the Earthly branches - but is in accordance with a sixty year cycle. The mechanics of this are effortless enough: Chinese astrology created in tandem with astronomy which originally recognised five major planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Astrology ascribed key issues to these planets - water (Mercury), metal (Venus), fire (Mars), wood (Jupiter), earth (Saturn). Each in the twelve signs spans a year - this was derived inside orbit of Jupiter (11.86 years) - and each sign comes in five elemental types (eg Water Rat, Metal Rat, Fire Rat, Wood Rat, Earth Rat). 5 x 12 = 60. Simples? To a degree, yes. But the sixty year cycle can also be derived from two separate but interacting cycles - the Earthly branches, asmentioned around -the twelve zodiac signs rat, ox, tiger, rabbit (aka cat), dragon, snake, horse, sheep (aka ram or goat), monkey, rooster, dog, and pig (aka boar)- and in that order; and the ten heavenly stems - they are the 5 points mentioned earlier, each in their ying and yang forms - 5x2=10. As the 12 earthly branches, which give us the animal signs, is divisible by two, every with the animal signs is either a Yin year or a Yang year and this can be named the sign's polarity. Yin many years end in odd numbers, Yang years in even numbers. Whilst every animal sign is either Yin or Yang (Rats are often Yang, Oxes are always Yin for example), that is tempered by the heavenly stem which adds the element. From 0 to 9, the ordering is metal, metal; water, water; wood, wood; fire, fire; earth, earth. And Yang and Yin, in that order:

0 Metal Yang

1 Metal Yin

2 Water Yang

3 Water Yin

4 Wood Yang

5 Wood Yin

6 Fire Yang

7 Fire Yin

8 Earth Yang

9 Earth Yin

Thus, years ending in 0 are Metal, Yang years, many years ending in A single are Metal Yin many years - 2010 was a Yang Metal Tiger year, even though 2011 is a Yin Metal Rabbit. It won't be a Tiger year once again until 2022 once it will be a Yang Water Tiger. Tiger is often Yang. Rabbit is often Yin as well as the following Rabbit year will likely be a Water Rabbit in 2023. It won't be a Metal Tiger year once more until 2060.

In their real order, the cycle really begins with Metal Rat (Yang) and ends with Earth Pig (Yin). We are these days 28 years into the modern day 60 year cycle (the 78th, or 79th cycle depending on which calendar is used). Chinese astrology uses a lunisolar calendar which begins with lichun - literally the begin of spring, around 4th February, this becoming what we call the Chinese New Year. It's required to bear in mind that an individual born, for example, in January of 2011 is, to your purposes of Chinese astrology, born in a year that ends using a 0 - ie Metal Tiger and not Metal Rabbit. This applies, of course, to each year.

The 5 items are of crucial value in Chinese astrology, at least equal in importance for the animal sign, and also the emphasis added by the Yin or Yang point shows the significance of trinity in Chinese astrology- earth, water and the heavens. Those familiar from the I Ching will not be surprised to learn that the things in Chinese astrology are seen as getting transformative agents of adjust or transformative energies, not as opposed to the I Ching's 'moving lines' thought but extremely as opposed to Western astrology's elements which are noticed as building blocks.

Just as you realise the value of how several a Metal Tiger could possibly be to a Wood Tiger or a Water Tiger, a extra degree of complexity comes to the picture. Placing someone in the Chinese astrological program requires a calculation involving the birth day, the birth season/month and the birth hour. As well as the birth year, this means that a person's star signature in Chinese astrology is created up of four signs. Three of they may be the key issues for any person: -

1. The year of birth relates to a person's family members background and position in society, strongly linked with family members ancestry, the grandparents that may be a cultural emphasis additional marked in Chinese society. As of today (Feb 4 2011) its a (Metal) Rabbit year - remember, the order in the signs, as given above, is rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, pig. Next February then brings The Year from the Dragon.

2. The birth month or season (note that months are numerous under the Chinese calendar) determines the 'inner animal' - this implies childhood upbringing, a transformative influence on character and behaviour manifested in adult life.

Spring sees

The Tiger from February 4 to March 5, The Rabbit March 6 to April 4, as well as the Dragon from April Five to May 4.

Summer sees

The Snake from May perhaps 5 to June 5, The Horse June 6 to July 6, as well as the Sheep from July 7 to August 6.

Autumn brings

The Monkey from August 7 to September 7, The Rooster 8 September to October 7, The Dog 8 October to 7 November.

Winter sees

The Pig from November 7 until 6 December, The Rat 7 December to January 5th and also the Ox from January 6th to February 3rd.

3. The hour of birth determines a person's 'secret animal' - the genuine individual within usually only revealed under stress:

11 p.m. - 1 a.m Rat,

1 a.m. - 3 a.m. Ox,

3 a.m. - Five a.m. Tiger,

5 a.m. - 7 a.m. Rabbit,

7 a.m. - 9 a.m. Dragon,

9 a.m. - 11 a.m. Snake,

11 a.m. - One p.m. Horse,

1 p.m. - 3 p.m. Sheep,

3 p.m. - Five p.m. Monkey,

5 p.m. - 7 p.m. Rooster,

7 p.m. - 9 p.m. Dog,

9 p.m. - 11 p.m. Pig

The day of birth also has some bearing - each animal sign rules one day but that works on the 5 things x 12 signs basis, every elementary sort of animal, and this makes a 60 days basis and elements do get complicated... that is more a feature of day to day horoscopic forecasting than birth-charting and it goes beyond the scope of this article.

Intriguingly though, just as the 2 astrologies look being at their most diverse, important similarities turn into apparent. Western subjects often focus over a Sun sign with out considering the importance, significance and contribution on the Moon sign and also the Ascendant inside birth chart. Great western astrology also breaks each sun sign down into four 'sub signs' and can be additional focused for fine detail by searching at the real day itself.

Chinese astrology focuses on temperament and character and the interplays and stresses among these two facets, the very first being that of predisposition, inclination and tendency even though the second being that of real behaviour, habits and learned (current) disposition. It attempts to identify the natural, innate individual rather than the personality which has been mutated and transformed by life experience, to discover nature previous to nurture and to assist us realize our lives by searching at them backwards, as Kierkegaard suggested, whilst living them forwards.




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