What is Chinese Astrology

What is Chinese Astrology

Tiger/Yin 寅  Rabbit/Mao  卯   Dragon/Chen 辰  = Spring*

Snake/Si 巳  Horse/Wu 午   Goat/Wei 未  = Summer

Monkey/Shen 申  Rooster/You 酉   Dog/Xu 戌  = Autumn

Pig/Hai 亥   Rat/Zi 子  Ox/Chou 丑  = Winter

*The Chinese New Year starts on Feb 4-5 according to the solar calendar. Each season starts about 90 days later. To be exact, Spring starts when the Sun is at 15 tropical Aquarius, Summer starts when it is at 15 Taurus, Autumn starts when it is at 15 Leo and Winter starts when it is at 15 Scorpio.

Each of the elements rules a season:

• Wood rules Spring
• Fire rules Summer
• Metal rules Autumn
• Water rules Winter
• Earth rules the last month of each of the seasons 

Each of the 12 branches has an intrinsic nature*

• The Tiger and Rabbit are Wood
• The Snake and the Horse are Fire
• The Monkey and the Rooster are Metal
• The Pig and the Rat are Water
• The Dragon, Goat, Dog and Ox are Earth

*There are 3 types of combinations between the branches: Three Harmony, Seasonal and Six Harmony. The Three Harmony Combination can change the intrinsic nature of the branches.

Each of the 12 branches contains what are called Hidden Heavenly Stems. They are crucial in interpretation.

The 10 Heavenly Stems represent Heaven, the 12 Earthly Branches represent Earth, and the Hidden Heavenly Stems represent Man. I will touch on the enormous importance of Heaven, Man, and Earth later on.

The Production, Controlling, and Weakening cycles between the five elements

There are three major cycles between the five phases/elements: Productive, Controlling, and Weakening:

Wood produces Fire, Fire produces Earth, Earth produces Metal, Metal produces Water.

Wood controls Earth, Earth controls Water, Water controls Fire, Fire controls Metal, Metal controls Wood.

Fire weakens Wood, Earth weakens Fire, Metal weakens Earth, Water weakens Metal, Wood weakens Water.

Each of the five elements rules an emotion, viscera, five sense organ, a tissue, a season, environmental factor, sound, colour, taste, direction.

The Eight Trigrams

The other major element is called the Eight Trigrams. They are used in Chinese Metaphysics as well. The 8 trigrams are:

• Qian/Heaven – element is Yang Metal
  
• Kun/Earth – element is Yin Earth
  
• Zhen/Thunder – element is Yang Wood
  
• Xun/Wind – element is Yin Wood
  
• Kan/Water – element is Water
  
• Li/Fire – element is Fire
  
• Gen/Mountain – element is Yang Earth
  
• Dui/Lake – element is Yin Metal
  

Here is how they are represented, keeping in mind that a complete line is Yang/male, while an interrupted line is Yin/female:

Chinese Astrology does not use the fixed stars aka astronomical bodies, but instead relies on symbolic/fictional stars. Some are similar to the Lots aka Sahams. They too are very powerful and indispensable in delineation.

Differences and similarities between Chinese and Western Astrology

At first glance, Chinese Astrology seems to have nothing to do with Ancient or even Indian Astrology. This is because, unlike the familiar planets and stars in the sky used in Ancient and Indian, Chinese Astrology does not actually use astronomically visible bodies. Nevertheless, the each of the 5 planets is associated with a given element:

• Jupiter rules Wood
  
• Saturn rules Earth
• Mars rules Fire
• Venus rules Metal
• Mercury rules Water

Also, just as there are 12 zodiacal signs/images/zoidia in the West and in India, so it is with Chinese Astrology.

Just as each of the 5 planets rule 2 signs, namely Saturn rules Aquarius and Capricorn, Jupiter rules Sagittarius and Pisces, Mars rules Scorpio and Aries, Venus rules Taurus and Libra and Mercury rules Virgo and Gemini, the situation is the same in Chinese Astrology. I mean 5 elements X 2 = 10.

When one adds the Sun ruling Leo and the Moon ruling Cancer, which equals the Horse + the Goat = the Sun and Moon combination, the end result is the same: 5 X 2 = 10 +1 +1 =12.

Some arrogant or ignorant astrologers criticize the validity of Chinese Astrology

Due to not knowing the above, some arrogant and/or ignorant astrologers with Babylonian, traditional or Indian Astrology, who believe that Astrology is a physical science and its power comes from the visibility of celestial bodies, claim that Chinese Astrology is not Astrology. That it is not very accurate, that it only measures the energy of the organs and the like.

Such astrologers often have fanatical views: that their Astrology is the most original, that it was used by the ancient priests, that it is the truest, that the Zodiac they use is the only true one, and so on. Such views show a gross ignorance of the subtle worlds from which the physical originates. There are many paths/systems/languages ​​leading to the Truth. The language of the physical planets and stars, although the leading one, is one of them.

We have the language of non-physical stars in one of the types of Chinese Astrology. We have the language of the energy of nature in its other two types, which I will examine shortly. Apart from that, we have the language of numbers (Numerology). Some astrologers insist that the vibration of numbers is inextricably linked to that of the planets, which is true, but this is not true of Chinese Numerology.

So when one looks at Chinese Astrology, especially coming from another civilization, from another language, it is paramount to be open-minded. The second key thing is not to look for differences and which Astrology/system is “better”, but to look for similarities. Only when one does this and reads enough books and materials will he/she realize that Chinese Astrology is an incredibly powerful system of knowledge.

In China, Astrology could not be studied without the permission of the emperor

Here is some information from Benson Bobrick’s book – Astrology the Fated Sky:

When Marco Polo returned from the Far East in the late 13th and early 14th centuries and wrote The Voyages of Marco Polo, he recounted how there were 5,000 astrologers at the court of Kublai Khan.

In China, the imperial astrologer occupied a dangerous niche. Knowledge of the heavens was privileged, and every ruler had a monopoly interest in what an astrologer would say. In 1583, when Matteo Ricci, the famous Jesuit astronomer traveled from Beijing, he was told that without the emperor’s permission a capital crime to study mathematics used in astrological calculations.

In other words, the importance of Astrology in China was at least as great as in ancient Greece, Rome, Persia, the Arab world, Europe and so on. It is a known fact that not only in China, but also in neighboring countries there was a Bureau of Astronomy/Astrology, as well as a Palace of Divination and Rites.

The Chinese horoscope is calculated and read differently depending on gender

Gender is key in reading the horoscope in Chinese Astrology. Men’s horoscopes/Yang are read differently from women’s/Yin. In Ancient Astrology, this distinction is also made, but to a much lesser extent, and concerns mainly the topic of marriage.

Differences in philosophy and the level of predetermination

I want to note that in Chinese Astrology, like the ancient one, there is no psychology. There are descriptions of the character that are objective, that is, one can quickly know whether they are true or false. The destiny of the person is examined and how he/she can get the most out of it by learning it. This type of Astrology determines when a person will reach the top and when he/she will meet failures. Thanks to this knowledge, the client knows when to take risks and earn a lot and when to lay low and patiently wait. Thus we have a destiny of static/fixed, as well as timing/periods in life, when different parts and topics of the chart are activated with different intensity.

However, I must also say that the concept of karma is firmly entrenched in many practitioners of Chinese Metaphysics, including such practitioners of various types of Astrology, Feng Shui, Qigong, Yi Jing, Physiognomy and others. This is also due to the transfer of philosophical and spiritual currents from India to China.

Another difference with Ancient Astrology is that Chinese Astrology does not work with such a level of accuracy and predestination. Accordingly, its concepts of destiny are different. Apart from the primacy of the horoscope and how it unfolds through the cycles of destiny, the importance of the environment (Feng Shui), upbringing and knowledge (Human Luck), filial piety (Confucius) and doing good deeds and charity are also emphasized.

The three major types of Chinese Astrology

There are three main types of Chinese Astrology. I must also say that there are other types, but the Four Pillars of Destiny, Emperor Astrology and Yi Jing Astrology are the most important. Below is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Chinese Astrology chart with all three types.

I want to point out that this is Astrology, that is, a science that studies human character and destiny through a horoscope calculated according to gender, date, time and place of birth. We are not talking about divination methods to answer a specific question, such as Da Liu Ren, Qi Men Dun Jia, Mei Hua Yi Shu, Liu Yao/Wen Wang Gua.

BaZi/Four Pillars of Destiny

I have already written a lot about this method, a very detailed practical article on BaZi chart reading. This is how Arnold Schwarzenegger’s BaZi chart looks like. He was born on 30 July 1947 at 3.09 am local mean time.

Emperor Astrology is more complex than BaZi and gives more detail and greater accuracy.

Here is how Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Chinese Astrology horoscope looks like:

The format of the Zi Wei Dou Shu chart is the same as that of Astrology in South India. What we call places/houses in the West, the Chinese call palaces/domains. Of course, in Ancient, Indian, and Chinese Astrology it is about the whole sign houses system aka sign as house – the original house system.

Some astrologers practicing Zi Wei Dou Shu like to belittle BaZi. The truth is that the horoscope in Emperor Astrology cannot be calculated without the Four Pillars of Destiny. Astrologers practicing the Four Pillars of Destiny method, on the other hand, belittle Emperor Astrology because it uses only the lunar calendar, which they believe is inaccurate and random. These conflicts are insignificant against the background of the huge problems facing those who want to dedicate themselves to this type of Chinese Astrology.

The huge obstacles for those that want to study Emperor Astrology

The most serious obstacle to the study of Ze Wei Dou Shu is that although it can provide great depth and detail, it does not provide the logic of the interpretations. In other words, the student has to memorize the configurations without knowing where their meanings come from. This is a crushing blow for people who want to make sense, clarify, explicate and internalize things the more they progress with the method. This gigantic obstacle may not prevent some Asians, who are accustomed to accepting what they are told without knowing the reason for it, but it is unacceptable to European and Western man. The reasons for this are many and not just cultural. Keeping it within the topic in question, this is not how Ancient Astrology is structured in the West. When students learn it, they don’t have to memorize the configurations as they understand how their meanings are derived.

The easiest way to illustrate is with a BaZi example.

A sample BaZi horoscope

The above BaZi chart is of a male, as the letter M shows. Since his structure is of a rival horoscope/ strong self, with Rob Wealth and Indirect Wealth in the Heavenly Stems, this means that this person will experience giant ups and downs in his finances. He will bet or speculate and win a lot, but he will lose an awful lot. He can even get ruined, more than once.

Anyone with a sufficiently advanced level in the Four Pillars of Destiny method will not only immediately notice this configuration, but will know why it means this and where its meaning comes from. They will also see that the configuration is “in season” and will know that this has a specific meaning. The BaZi astrologer will see that the Controlling element is under Rob Wealth, which has another specific meaning, and so on. This is impossible with Emperor Astrology.

There is very little material on Zi Wei Dou Shu in English compared to BaZi

Moreover, it also means that the level that a person with Emperor Astrology can reach is limited by the number of sources to which they have access. This is because it is only from them one can memorize the meanings of the combinations of stars in the palaces. Although Emperor Astrology is about 1,000 years old, as it was used almost exclusively by the imperial court and was inaccessible to the masses, the rest of the world learned about this method only thanks to astrologers who left China after World War II.

In contrast, there are many times more surviving classical sources on Four Pillars of Destiny, as well as books translated from classical Chinese into English. In this way, students of BaZi can get a far more complete picture of this method than of Emperor Astrology. Keep in mind that for the last 30 years in the West, there have been few published books on Zi Wei Dou Shu. If one does not speak Chinese, the depth to which one can reach is very limited. I recall the saying: “You don’t know what you don’t know.”

Emperor Astrology was deliberately watered down and divided

Going back to the latter, another very disturbing fact is that the Emperor Astrology was deliberately watered down and divided into different types/schools historically in order to scatter knowledge and not give it to the masses. The impact of this consequence on astrologers of the following centuries can hardly be measured.

While there are many courses on Four Pillars of Destiny, those on Zi Wei Dou Shu are many times less. Moreover, from what I have seen and read, most of the authors of these courses greatly water down the material! Accordingly, if the student does not know Chinese, does not have such friends, or does not bother to read much, he/she will hardly understand that he has paid 2-3 or more thousand euros and has received an complete and simplified version of the method.

The last thing I want to point out about Emperor Astrology is that the information given by this system cannot but be quite similar to that provided by Ancient Astrology. After all, we use the 12 houses, albeit with slightly different meanings. Ancient Astrology is the first and most detailed form of Astrology in the world. However, the BaZi horoscope is an excellent addition to it, which is the reason why I am so impressed by it. This is something I cannot say about Zi Wei Dou Shu, precisely because of the above considerations.

Yi Jing/I Ching Astrology/He Luo Li Shu/HLLS

Yijing Astrology, also called He Luo Li Shu by the Chinese, is the youngest of the three types of Chinese Astrology. This type of Astrology is the least known in the world. Even in China and neighboring countries, many astrologers do not know about it. I am one of the few astrologers outside of China who seriously do Yi Jing Astrology and am now ready to offer to the public the knowledge it reveals, in plain English.

Like almost all methods in Chinese Metaphysics, Yi Jing Astrology derives directly or indirectly from the Book of Changes. Although Yi Jing/ Book of Changes is over 3,000 years old or more, it is used for the Divination branch in Chinese Metaphysics. That is, the text in Yijing, in addition to understanding the laws of Nature, is used for divination in answering various specific questions.

The He Luo Li Shu method did not acquire its finished form until the Ming Dynasty (14th century +), i.e it is about 600 years old. It takes the Four Pillars of Destiny chart and turns it into numbers corresponding to the trigrams and hexagrams of the Book of Changes. That is why He Luo Li Shu is known as I Ching Astrology. This type of Chinese Astrology, although using the 64 hexagrams of the Yi Jing book, relies on a different ancient manuscript composed of text with different interpretations that are used only for horoscopes and not for divination.

Here is the Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Four Pillars of Destiny chart transformed into He Luo Li Shu: