Astrology is an integral part of Chinese philosophy and culture. From the numbers used for their home addresses, to when they marry and have children, many Chinese adhere to what they believe is written-in-the-stars. In this article, we’ll explore the ancient art of Chinese astrology and how it is integrated into everyday life.
Chinese astrology is the divination of the future from the Chinese calendar. This basic cycle has been constructed from two cycles: the 10 heavenly stems (the five elements in their yin and yang forms) and the 12 earthly branches, or the 12-year cycle of animals referred to as the Chinese zodiac. The Chinese animal zodiac also operates on a cycle of months or ‘moons’ and of hours of the day. The animal signs assigned by year represent how others will perceive you as being, or how you present yourself.
It is a common misconception that the animals assigned by year are the only signs, and many western descriptions of the Chinese version draw solely on this system. In fact, there are also animal signs assigned by month (called inner animals) and hours of the day (called secret animals). While a person might appear to be a dragon because they were born in the year of the dragon, they might also be a snake internally and an ox secretively. In total, this makes for 8,640 possible combinations that a person might be.
An individual’s monthly animal sign is called their inner animal and is concerned with what motivates a person. Since this sign dictates the person’s love life and inner persona, it is critical to a proper understanding of the individual’s compatibility with other signs. These are all critical for the proper use of this Asian astrology.
In Chinese astrology, each sign is linked to a month of the solar year and is thereby also linked to a season. The elements are believed to impart some of its characteristics to the sign concerned. The fixed element of each sign applies also to the year and hour, and not just the monthly signs. It is important to note that the fixed element is separate from the cycle of elements which interact with the signs in the 60 year cycle.
The Chinese zodiac is also used to label times of day, with each sign corresponding to a “large-hour,” which is a two-hour period (24 divided by 12 animals). It is therefore important to know the exact time of birth to determine it. The secret animal is thought to be a person’s truest representation, since this animal is determined by the smallest denominator: a person’s birth hour. It is a person’s own true sign, upon which their personality is based.
We are all familiar with the Chinese new year celebrations that are rich with traditional foods, colorful lion dances and boldly displayed symbols from Chinese astrology. While in most societies practitioners are tantamount to a subculture, in Chinese culture everyone is practically expected to observe astrology. Businessmen won’t make deals on some days, couples try to have babies in a certain zodiac year and particular addresses are believed to be good luck. This is an example of how the astrology beliefs of this culture shapes the way people live.
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