Aug 05 2008
What is Chinese Astrology?
Have you ever read through those menus at Chinese restaurants that show your Chinese astrology sign and the animal that is associated with it? If you have (and who hasn’t!) you know that Chinese astrology is very different from Western Astrology.
Chinese astrology is not tied to specific planets and their movements through the heavens. Instead, it is based on a twelve-year cycle. Each year is associated with a specific animal: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and boar. Each animal year is also associated with one of the five Chinese elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water.
All five elements in Chinese Astrology have both Yin and Yang forms. Yin and Yang are understood popularly as female (Yin) and male (Yang), but this is a misunderstanding of the actual Chinese meanings, which refer to subtle aspects of change that may or may not have male or female qualities.
Obviously, Chinese astrology can get a lot more complicated than a paragraph on a paper menu, but to get started, you first need to find your birth year and match it to the animal associated with that year. The animals roughly correspond to signs of the western Zodiac in that each has specific general characteristics. Beyond that similarity, the two traditions are completely different. Curious? You can find your Chinese astrology sign at chineseastrology.com
Mail this post