Chinese Astrology Explained in Pith

The Chinese system is very sophisticated and, as you may imagine, obviously, given the number of people born in a birth year, you can safely assume that they would share only very general, perhaps primarily historical/generational, characteristics in common. The sign that characterizes an individual best is said to be reflected by the day in the particular year you were born (discovered by including the hour, day, month, year, longitude of your birthplace -- as in western astrology -- and your sex in the calculation). For example I am an Earth (or brown) Dragon, born in the hour of the Water Boar, in the month of the Metal Tiger, in the year of the Fire Dog in La Porte, Indiana.

For a free calculation of these signs and from that a projection of the rise and fall of your "luck" through the timeline of your life, go to: Chinese Horoscope Online site. This site also gives a decent explanation of Chinese astrology.

Further general comments:*

According to the Paranormality website -- a reasonably comprehensive and credible site on Chinese astrology,

"Chinese star signs are a mixture and connection of geomancy, horoscopes, astronomy and astrology. In short, the sun, moon and stars are thought to have an influence over the moral conduct of people . . . . The Chinese lunar calendar dates from 2637 B.C. and comprises five cycles of twelve years each, with a complete cycle lasting sixty years. Each of the twelve years was assigned an animal, because, as legend has it, only twelve animals came to bid farewell to the Buddha before he departed from the earth. As a reward to these twelve animals, the Buddha named a year after each one in the order that they arrived. During the sixty year cycle each animal is combined with five Chinese elements namely: 


• wood - ruled by Jupiter

• Fire - ruled by Mars

• earth - ruled by Saturn

• metal - ruled by Venus

• water - ruled by Mercury



These five Chinese elements are in turn divided into the positive and negative magnetic poles of the Ying and Yang. The Chinese lunar calendar starts at 11pm and the 24 hours of the day are divided into 12 sections of two hours each. An animal sign rules each one of these 12 sections and has an element, direction and season.

The Paranormality site characterizes Chinese birth signs are as follows:
 Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Boar.



Go to the Theodara Lau site for more on Chinese Astrology, the Daily Om, and the source of Chinese sign poems I quote on my cards. Ms. Lau is the author of the Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes Handbook fo Chinese Horoscopes.

Remember: Don't transfer the Ox's load to the Cow, nor forget your grain of salt.