Introduction to Chinese Astrology

THE CHINESE INFLUENCE

It is a mistaken belief that, we as modern educated individuals, introducing finer and subtler instruments of technical proficiency- are far more advanced than the poor natives of deep, dark Africa, when it comes to knowing what the future holds for us! All around the city one can notice these Baba's, Tantriks, Devi's and Readers-in higher societies, Mediums and many such fortune tellers. Either advertisements are put-up on the walls or they are pasted on the local transport vehicles. This is the Age of Aquarius, the Age of Instant-Prophecy, the New Age. To feed the ever growing inquisitiveness of our readers, we have in store a whole series of articles on 'The Art Of Fortune Telling'. To begin with, we shall introduce you to Chinese Astrology.

History

There is a belief in Chinese mythology which says that when Lord Buddha was to depart from the earth, he called all the animals to bid farewell. Only twelve animals came and thus to felicitate those who had turned up, he named a year after each one in the order that it arrived. Thus, we have first, the Rat, then the Ox, the Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and lastly the Boar. It is believed that the animal ruling the year in which you were born exercises a profound influence on your life.

Elemental Influence

The longest chronological record in history is that of the Chinese Lunar calendar. There is a sixty year cycle that each animal has to go through. This cycle is made up of five simple cycles of twelve years each. During this sixty-year cycle each of the animal sign is combined with the five main elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. These elements too have their individual effects on a person's life.

These five elements exercise their effects according to the inter relationship between them. This is a unique feature of Oriental philosophy. Divided into Controlling and Conducive their relationships are neither based on power struggles, nor is any element called the strongest or weakest. They are forever dependent on one another and thus, are equal. Each one has his own place and it's own function. They are inevitably interdependent on each other and each one is controlled by another. Hence we find that the element of Metal is controlled by Fire. Fire is controlled by Water. Water is controlled by Earth. Earth is controlled by Wood. Wood is controlled by Metal.

The art of Chinese Astrology demands that one study the animal of the year in which he/she was born, the lunar sign that ruled the hour of birth, the moon sign that corresponds to the sun sign, the element of the year of birth and the fixed element of his/her animal sign. One also needs to know that there are positive and negative forces which exert their individual influences.

Positive and Negative Influences

The Chinese have since ages attributed the movement of all matter and the life force to the constant balancing of the negative and positive side of energy, which is called Yin and Yang. Tai-Chi symbolises this in the form of a circle. Yang represents the day and Yin the night. The circle symbolises the origin of life. Also called as the "Ultimate Principle of all matter" the Tai Chi balance each other perfectly. When there is a disharmony in the balance,chaosreigns. A Yin will attract a Yang but repel another Yin. A balance in these two elements guarantees harmony in life and health.

The Yin i.e. the negative should not be taken in the literal sense. It does not refer to anything bad or evil, etc,...nor does Yang good or auspicious!! It just suggests a suitable temperament of the person. A person born under a Yang will find that an active approach is more beneficial for him. Whereas a Yin person will benefit more if he / she takes non-aggressive stances. Yang's are doers, innovators and more spontaneous. The Yin is more of the reflective, negotiator and an intuitive personality .

Every month in the English calendar, has it's Chinese counterpart. The month of December is dominated by the Rat, linked to the Sagittarius personality. The Ox in January has solid Capricorn as his other self, while the felicitous Tiger in February has many similar traits with Aquarius. The Rabbit and Pisces cohabitate the month of March just as the Dragon and Aries are linked in April. Taurus in May coincides with the Snake, and Gemini in June could well speak for the Horse. After that, we find Cancer and the Sheep having much more in common than just sharing the month of July. Leo and the Monkey take control of August, and Virgo couldn't be better classed than with the Rooster of September. Libra definitely strikes a balance with his friend, the Dog, and lastly, the deeply devoted signs of Scorpio and the Boar are joined in the month of November.

The Chinese Lunar calendar has it's day begin at 11 p.m. The twenty-four hours are divided into twelve sections of two hours each. Animal signs rule each section and that particular sign which rules the time of birth is the ascendant and shapes the personality of that individual too!. Its influence can be very marked.

Here is the list of sections of time ruled by the animals:

11 p.m. to 1 a.m. Hours----Rat
1 a.m. to 3 a.m. Hours ----Ox
3 a.m. to 5 a.m. Hours ----Tiger
5 a.m. to 7 a.m. Hours ----Rabbit
7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Hours ----Dragon
9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Hours ----Snake
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Hours ----Horse
1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Hours ----Sheep
3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Hours ----Monkey
5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Hours ----Rooster
7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Hours ----Dog
9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Hours----Boar

In the next article we shall go into the details of the animals that rule human temperaments and fate and list the years, which they rule.

By:Chin Chin Choo