Chinese Astrology Plain & Simple: The Only Book You'll Ever Need

Chinese Astrology Plain & Simple: The Only Book You'll Ever Need

by Jonathan Dee
Chinese Astrology Plain & Simple: The Only Book You'll Ever Need

Chinese Astrology Plain & Simple: The Only Book You'll Ever Need

by Jonathan Dee

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Overview

Though perhaps less well-known here than its Western counterpart, Chinese astrology is every bit as illuminating and provides an equally valuable shortcut to self-knowledge. Jonathan Dee, the well-respected author of several books on astrology, tarot, and fortune-telling, reveals all the mysteries of the art in this informative volume.

Filled with legends, charts, and history, it contains all of the essentials for working out your Chinese horoscope including the animal signs for each birthday year, month, and hour. Each sign receives a richly detailed and enlightening explanation.

Among the amusing and informative tidbits here:

  • The rat is considered to be the sign of charm and is noted for its shrewdness, enterprise, and wealth. Rats are also prosperous, entrepreneurial, obsessive, anxious, bossy, and mean.
  • The ox is the sign of tenacity and prosperity and a symbol of fertility and muscular strength. People born under the ox are patient, contemplative, eloquent, chauvinistic, petty, and grumpy.
  • The monkey is lively, complex, charming, diplomatic, and agile. Monkeys are also dishonest, sarcastic, lacking respect, and restless.

Chinese Astrology, Plain and Simple is an accessible introduction that enlightens, entertains, and informs.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781571747563
Publisher: Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc.
Publication date: 01/01/2017
Series: Plain & Simple Series
Pages: 160
Sales rank: 705,099
Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Jonathan Dee (deceased 2010) wrote a vast number of books, covering Egyptology, mythology, astrology, tarot, and history. Published internationally, his books have sold over 5 million copies to date.

Read an Excerpt

Chinese Astrology

Plain & Simple


By Jonathan Dee

Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc.

Copyright © 2017 Jonathan Dee
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-61283-368-2



CHAPTER 1

Your Chinese Horoscope


A question that many people ask is "how can Chinese astrology be relevant if one sign lasts a whole year?" The answer, of course, is that there is more to it than that. Like any other form of astrology, Chinese astrology operates on different levels, and the most basic of these is the study of the animal that rules your year of birth. A slightly more complex feature involves the Yang/Yin polarity of the year and the element that rules it. Apart from that, there is the question of which animal governs one's birth moon and the animal that influences one's hour of birth. Professional astrologers in China take into account a great deal more than this, including the day of birth and the lunar cycle that one was born in, but in this book we'll keep things simple.

The good news is that Chinese astrology does not require any complicated calculations. It can provide a shortcut to a greater understanding of yourself, your inner nature, and your destiny.


The Chinese Year

The first thing you will need to do is to look up your sign according to your year of birth. The Chinese use a lunar calendar, so the start of the Chinese year changes from one year to the next. If you were born in January or February, you must pay special attention to the calendar, because you were born around the time when one sign ends and the next begins. If you were born right on the cusp of two signs, read both descriptions, and see which fits you best.

Many Chinese people are so tuned in to the Chinese calendar, that if you say, "I was born under the sign of the Tiger," they would immediately know the year of your birth. They would not remember the actual start date for that year, so they would fall back on a generalized date of February 4, which is sometimes called the "Imperial New Year." Some Chinese astrologers actually prefer using February 4, and that is fine in most instances, but when someone is born around the time of the New Year, they like to know exactly which sign is really theirs, and with the aid of this book, you can do the job properly.

The chart on pages 4–7 gives the start dates of the Chinese years, each year's polarity (Yang or Yin, active or passive), its ruling element and its animal sign.

Look at your year of birth in the table and note down your polarity, element, and animal. For example, someone born in 1977 would be a Yin Fire Snake.


The Animal Moon

The next thing to do is to work out your animal moon, which links to your month of birth. This is even easier because it links with our familiar Western zodiac. Consult the chart on page 8 to find your animal moon.

For example, if you happen to be a Virgo then you were born in the Moon of the Rooster, and if you are a Sagittarius then you were born in the Moon of the Rat.


Putting the Chinese year and animal moon together: someone who was born on June 2, 1982 was born in the year of the Yang-Water-Dog in the Moon of the Horse. A person born on November 25th in 2001 is born in the year of the Yin-Metal-Snake in the Moon of the Rat.


The Animal Hours

Just as the animal signs relate to particular years and months, they also correlate to the hours of the day. More precisely, each of the twelve animal signs equates to a two-hour period during the course of twenty-four hours, as shown in the chart on page Simply use the time at your place of your birth. There is one small proviso: a birth during Daylight Savings Time or British Summer Time needs to have one hour subtracted. Thus 1:30 am becomes 12:30 am — or the hour of the Rat.

CHAPTER 2

Yang and Yin


By now you should know what yearly animal sign you were born under, as well as the element for that year, and whether that element is Yang or Yin. Your Western birth sign should tell you what animal moon you were born under and thus reveal your emotional nature. The hour of your birth (if known) will then show your general temperament and possibly the "face" that you show to the outside world.

To understand what all these pieces of information mean, we will have to start with the basics beginning with the fundamental concepts of Yang and Yin.


Positive or Negative

Chinese philosophy is based on the idea of balance between two forces. These are known as Yang and Yin. Yang is thought of as masculine, positive, light and energetic. Its opposite, Yin is considered feminine, negative, dark and passive.

A common error that many people make is to think of Yang as "good" and Yin as "bad." Nothing could be further from the truth. It is better to think of Yang and Yin as an interplay of forces, each of which is nothing without reference to its opposite. These opposites express themselves as day and night, summer and winter, hot and cold, light and dark and so on, including every pair of conceivable opposites that exist. People too, are basically Yang or Yin by nature. This, according to Chinese astrology is dictated by polarity of the year in which one was born. If there were no Yang type people in the world there would be no progress, enthusiasm, sport, exploration, activity or indeed any change at all. Without Yin people there would be no routine, no tasks completed, farms and business would be neglected, children would not be cared for and tradition and continuation would cease.

Each of the animal signs is considered to be either Yang or Yin in nature. As one might expect, people born under Yang signs are assertive, active, extrovert and courageous. They may also be inclined to impulse, foolhardiness and be apt to "throw their weight around." People who are born under Yin signs are more receptive, patient, subtle and adaptable. They have the ability to endure but they may also be prone to negative thoughts and fall prey to depression when times are tough.

CHAPTER 3

The Elements


The elements are at the heart of Chinese astrology and unfortunately are the most confusing aspect of it. There are five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water, and they are always listed in that order.

While each of the twelve animals rules one year, the elements preside overtwo consecutive years. For example, 1994 was the year of the Yang-Wood-Dog and 1995 was the year of the Yin-Wood-Pig. The elements are considered neutral and thus able to change their Yang/Yin polarity.

The animal signs repeat every twelve years but they are modified by the change of element in each sequence. To illustrate this point, let us look at the Rooster:

1957 The year of the Fire Rooster
1969 The year of the Earth Rooster
1981 The year of the Metal Rooster
1993 The year of the Water Rooster
2005 The year of the Wood Rooster


The entire sequence of animal signs and element combinations is only complete when sixty years have passed so it will not be the Year of the Fire Rooster again until 2017. During each sixty-year cycle, each animal will have been linked with all five of the elements.

In the Western world we tend to put the main emphasis on the animals of the Chinese zodiac; however, for the Chinese, the five elements are equally important. Traditional Chinese thought holds that the element governing a particular year provides a sort of shorthand to the nature of that year. So a year governed by Metal will be thought to be difficult with more than its fair share of challenges, while a year of the Water element will be good for commerce, the economy, and business in general. So ignoring the animal signs for a moment, someone can be described as a Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, or Water person.


Elements and the Planets

Chinese astrology is not primarily concerned with the heavenly bodies in the same way that western astrology is, so the following information is just for interest's sake:

Jupiter is called the Wood Planet
Mars is called the Fire Planet
Saturn is called the Earth Planet
Venus is called the Metal Planet
Mercury is called the Water Planet


The sun and the moon are called the "Great Yang" and the Great Yin" respectively. The outer planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are invisible to the naked eye so they do not appear in the traditional Chinese system.

Incidentally, the more complex forms of Chinese astrology do involve the study of the planets, stars, the Milky Way, the moon and its phases and eclipses and much else that is familiar to western astrologers and astronomers. However, the information became increasingly confined to a small band of specialists within the Emperor's court and it was kept away from the masses lest they become too knowledgeable. As each regime came and went, some encouraged the use of astrology in court circles and some outlawed it. The result is that true astrology and astronomy became absorbed into the strangely idiosyncratic form that we know today.


The Creation Cycle

The elements are more correctly called "Agents of Change." They each express a state of being at a particular moment in an everchanging universe. The ancient Chinese gave them their names because each one reminded them of a particular stage of "change" or, as we would call it "evolution."

• We begin with Wood, which provides fuel for the next element, Fire.

• In turn the remnants of Fire, namely ash, goes back to the Earth.

• In the depths of the Earth, Metal is born.

• Metal when molten flows like Water. Equally when Metal is in solid form condensation is likely to form on it and Water is encountered again.

• Water of course is taken in through the roots of plants to form Wood.


However this is not the only way in which the elements can interact. Another sequence has more sinister overtones. Wood can drain Earth, Earth can befoul Water, Water can douse Fire, Fire can melt Metal and Metal can chop Wood. This is known as the "Destruction Cycle."


The Destruction Cycle

• Wood exhausts Earth

• Earth pollutes Water

• Water douses Fire

• Fire melts Metal

• Metal chops Wood


These relationships between the elements have a relevance to a person's fortunes. For instance if one were born in a year governed by the Wood element, then a Metal year would not be very lucky because Metal chops Wood. Equally a Water person would not be too happy in a year governed by Earth, because Earth muddies Water. On the other hand, years that belong to one's own element are said to be lucky.

Of course in the traditions of Chinese astrology some signs are considered to be compatible while other signs are considered enemies. So the prospect of adding an elemental bias also adds another complication. For instance those born under the Rooster are considered to be compatible with those born under the signs of the Ox and the Snake. However if the Rooster in question happens to be of the Fire element he will find that an Ox or Snake who is of the Wood element will tend to encourage him, and this elemental mix will enhance the relationship. This is because Wood fuels Fire in the Creation Cycle. On the other hand, our Fire Rooster is likely to experience a few problems with an Ox who is of the Water element because this Ox will tend to dampen the Rooster's enthusiasm. The reason for this is because the combination of Fire and Water form part of the Destruction Cycle.

The same principle applies to individual years, so an Earth ruled person will not have such good fortune in a Wood year (Wood exhausts Earth). This is an important point to remember because even if the animal year is compatible to your own sign; its element may not be, and this will moderate the fortunes that you can expect during that year.

On a more positive note, the opposite is also the case. If you find yourself in an animal year that is incompatible with your own sign, then your bad luck may be lessened by that year's favorable element.

• Wood element people will be happy during Wood years because they will be good for them, as indeed will years governed by Water or Fire. However Earth and Metal years are likely to be difficult.

• Fire element people will find fortune in Fire years and also in Wood and Earth years while years governed by Metal and Water will present problems.

• Earth element people will find that Earth, Fire and Metal years are more fortunate than Water and Wood years.

• Metal element people will find that Metal, Earth and Water years suit them while Wood and Fire years do not.

• Water element people will be luckier in Water, Metal and Wood years but not quite so happy in years governed by Fire and Earth.


The Natural Elements of the Animals

The ancient Chinese considered each of the animal characters of their zodiac to have a natural inclination toward either Yang or Yin, and to also have a natural preference for a particular element. This is despite the fact that each of the signs will, during a sixty-year cycle, experience both polarities and be influenced by each of the five Elements.

This study of the natural elements of the animals takes us beyond the "plain and simple" scope of this book, but for those who wish to pursue further study, an overview of the correspondences is added here. The following is a list of the "preferences" of each animal.

• Rat naturally prefers Yang and the Water element

• Ox naturally prefers Yin and the Earth element

• Tiger naturally prefers Yang and the Wood element

• Hare naturally prefers Yin and the Wood element

• Dragon naturally prefers Yang and the Earth element

• Snake naturally prefers Yin and the Fire element

• Horse naturally prefers Yang and the Fire element

• Goat naturally prefers Yin and the Earth element

• Monkey naturally prefers Yang and the Metal element

• Rooster naturally prefers Yin and the Metal element

• Dog naturally prefers Yang and the Earth element

• Pig naturally prefers Yin and the Water element


Meanings of the Elements

At the start of each element, you will find the "correspondences." Once you know your element, you can include the colors, shapes, compass directions and other factors into your home or place of business to make it suit your Chinese element nature and bring you luck. You can even plant the right kind of tree in your garden if you are fanatical enough about such things!


Wood People

When Yang
Oak
When Yin
Willow
Field when Yang
Intellect
Field when Yin
Knowledge
Seeks
Wisdom
Comportment
Achiever
Body Shape (Yang) Raw-boned
Body-Shape (Yin)
Slender
Aided by
Water
Hindered by
Metal
Lucky Day
Thursday
Lucky Season
Spring
Lucky Planet
Jupiter (Wood Planet)
Lucky Color
Green
Lucky Direction
East
Lucky Shape
Rectangle


Those born in periods influenced by the Wood element tend to be intellectual — philosophers, teachers, students, lawyers, and doctors. Education is very important to Wood people; these people are usually inclined to careers in computing, electronics, science, and communications. Many Wood people are deeply interested in philosophy, and are inclined to religion and spirituality. Wood tends to give a clear value system and high standards. This element also implies an influential position and ethical practices. The Wood element will add compassion and caring to whatever characteristics the year's animal sign might bring.


First Wood Year — Yang: Known as "Oak"

People born in a Yang Wood year are very clever and astute. Indeed there is very little point in attempting to fool them because the motives of others are generally clear to them. An Oak type person is hard working, responsible, self-motivated and possesses sound judgment. They will thrive anywhere that an organized mind and quick thinking are required. However, they do need to be left to their own devices and to do things their own unique way without interference. In personal terms, it is important to be honest with an Oak because they will not forgive deceit or emotional blackmail.


Second Wood Year — Yin- Known as "Willow"

As the name implies the Willow type of person tends to bend in the wind. These people are extremely impressionable and possess great empathy. It is very likely that a Willow person will consistently put other people's needs before their own. This trait can cause them to lose out in the long run simply because they didn't pay enough attention to their own interests. Willow people are often shy or modest, rarely asking for recognition. In romance they can be too trusting and often find themselves in a position of vulnerability. In China it is believed that Willows are very highly placed in terms of spiritual merit.


Fire People

When Yang
Blaze
When Yin
Flame
Field when Yang
Activity
Field when Yin
Enterprise
Seeks
Fame
Comportment
Showman
Body Shape (Yang) Powerful
Body-Shape (Yin)
Wiry
Aided by
Wood
Hindered by
Water
Lucky Day
Tuesday
Lucky Season
Summer
Lucky Planet
Mars (Fire Planet)
Lucky Color
Red
Lucky Direction
South
Lucky Shape
Triangle


The element of Fire was associated with the warriors of ancient China. Fiery types are courageous, and are likely to be found in the public eye in movies, television or on the stage, or in the military, fire or police services. Fire people are often crusaders, having made a particular cause their own. Often they will publicly identify themselves with their personal cause because this element has an association with uniforms, badges and insignia. Being born in a Fire year adds strength, assertion energy and passion to the character. However, recklessness and impatience are also likely.


(Continues...)

Excerpted from Chinese Astrology by Jonathan Dee. Copyright © 2017 Jonathan Dee. Excerpted by permission of Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Table of Contents

An Introduction to the 12 Animals iv

1 Your Chinese Horoscope 1

2 Yang and Yin 11

3 The Elements 15

4 The Rat 35

5 The Ox 45

6 The Tiger 55

7 The Hare 65

8 The Dragon 75

9 The Snake 85

10 The Horse 95

11 The Goat 105

12 The Monkey 115

13 The Rooster 125

14 The Dog 135

15 The Pig 145

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