Chinese Astrology

Chinese astrology is based on traditional Chinese astronomy and the Chinese calendar. Chinese astrology flourished during the Han dynasty (2nd century BC to 2nd century AD).

Chinese astrology has a close relation with Chinese philosophy (theory of the three harmonies: heaven, earth, and human), and uses the principles of yin and yang, '' wuxing'' (five phases), the ten Heavenly Stems, the twelve Earthly Branches, the lunisolar calendar (moon calendar and sun calendar), and the time calculation after year, month, day, and '' shichen'' (, double hour). These concepts are not readily found or familiar in Western astrology or culture.

History and background

Chinese astrology was elaborated during the Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BC) and flourished during the Han dynasty (2nd century BC to 2nd century AD). During the Han period, the familiar elements of traditional Chinese culture—the yin-yang philosophy, the theory and technology of the five elements ( Wuxing), the concepts of heaven and earth, and Taoist, Buddhist and Confucian morality—were brought together to formalize the philosophical principles of Chinese medicine and divination, astrology and alchemy.

The five classical planets are associated with the '' wuxing'':
* Mars—Fire (Vermilion Bird) (may be associated with the phoenix which was also an imperial symbol along with the Dragon)
* Mercury—Water ( Black Tortoise)
* Jupiter—Wood (Azure Dragon)
* Venus—Metal or Gold ( White Tiger)
* Saturn—Earth or Soil ( Yellow Dragon)

According to Chinese astrology, a person's fate can be determined by the position of the major planets at the person's birth along with the positions of the Sun, Moon, comets, the person's time of birth, and zodiac sign. The system of the twelve-year cycle of animal signs was built from observations of the orbit of Jupiter (the Year Star; ). Following the orbit of Jupiter around the Sun, Chinese astronomers divided the celestial circle into 12 sections, and rounded it to 12 years (from 11.86). Jupiter is associated with the constellation ''Sheti'' (- Boötes) and is sometimes called Sheti.

A system of computing one's predestined fate is based on birthday, birth season, and birth hour, known as '' zi wei dou shu'' (), or Purple Star Astrology, is still used regularly in modern-day Chinese astrology to divine one's fortune. The 28 Chinese constellations, ''Xiu'' (), are quite different from Western constellations. For example, the Big Bear (Ursa Major) is known as ''Dou'' (); the belt of Orion is known as ''Shen'' (), or the "Happiness, Fortune, Longevity" trio of demigods. The seven northern constellations are referred to as ''Xuan Wu'' (). Xuan Wu is also known as the spirit of the northern sky or the spirit of water in Taoist belief.

In addition to astrological readings of the heavenly bodies, the stars in the sky form the basis of many fairy tales. For example, the Summer Triangle is the trio of the cowherd (Altair), the weaving maiden fairy ( Vega), and the "tai bai" fairy ( Deneb). The two forbidden lovers were separated by the silvery river (the Milky Way). Each year on the seventh day of the seventh month in the Chinese calendar, the birds form a bridge across the Milky Way. The cowherd carries their two sons (the two stars on each side of Altair) across the bridge to reunite with their fairy mother. The tai bai fairy acts as the chaperone of these two immortal lovers.

Chinese zodiac

Chinese astrology has a close relation with Chinese philosophy. The core values and concepts of Chinese philosophy originate from Taoism.

Table of the sixty-year calendar

The following table shows the 60-year cycle matched up to the Western calendar for the years 1924–2043 (see sexagenary cycle article for years 1924–1983). This is only applied to Chinese Lunar calendar. The sexagenary cycle begins at lichun. Each of the Chinese lunar years are associated with a combination of the ten Heavenly Stems () and the twelve Earthly Branches () which make up the 60 Stem-Branches () in a sexagenary cycle.

''Wuxing''

Although it is usually translated as 'element', the Chinese word ''xing'' literally means something like 'changing states of being', 'permutations' or 'metamorphoses of being'. In fact, Sinologists cannot agree on one single translation. The Chinese notion of 'element' is therefore quite different from the Western one. In the west, India Vedic, and Japanese Go dai elements were seen as the basic building blocks of matter and static or stationary. The Chinese 'elements', by contrast, were seen as ever changing, and the transliteration of ''xing'' is simply 'the five changes' and in traditional Chinese medicine are commonly referred to as phrases. Things seen as associated to each ''xing'' are listed below.

Fire ()

* The South ()
* Summer ()
* Vermilion Bird/Vermilion Phoenix ()
* Chidi ()/ Shennong ()
* The Planet Mars ()
* The Color Red ()
* Circulatory system, Heart () and Small intestine ()

Water ()

* The North ()
* Winter ()
* Black Tortoise ()
* Xuandi ()/ Zhuanxu ()
* The Planet Mercury ()
* The Color Black/Blue ()
* Skeleton system (), Urinary bladder and Kidney ()

Wood ()

* The East ()
* Springtime ()
* Azure Dragon ()
* Cangdi ()/ Taihao ()
* The Planet Jupiter ()
* The Color Green ()
* Hepatic system, Liver () and Gall bladder ()

Metal ()

* The West ()
* Autumn ()
* White Tiger ()
* White Emperor ()/ Shaohao ()
* The Planet Venus ()
* The Color White ()
* Respiratory system, Lung () and Large intestine ()

Earth ()

* Center ()
* Change of seasons (the last month of the season)
* The Yellow Dragon ()
* Yellow Emperor ()/Xuanyuan ()
* The Planet Saturn ()
* The Color Yellow ()
* Digestive system, Spleen () and Stomach ()

''Wuxing'' generative cycle ( sheng)

(Generative, Inter-promoting, begetting, engendering, mothering or enhancing cycle): Wood fuels Fire to burn; Fire creates Earth (ash); Earth produces minerals and structure represented by the Metal element; Metal creates Water from condensation and provides nutrients; Water nourishes Wood to grow.

''Wuxing'' destructive cycle ( kè)

The destructive cycle is important to create restraints in the whole system. For example, if Fire was allowed to burn out of control, it would be devastating and destructive as we see in nature in the form of bush fires or internally as high fevers, (Destructive, overcoming or inter-restraining or weakening cycle):
Wood draws water from the Earth to create stability for building; Earth gives Water direction, like the banks of a river; Water controls Fire by cooling its heat; Fire makes Metal flexible; Metal adds the minerals to Wood for there to be strong upward growth.

See also

* Chinese calendar correspondence table
* Chinese spiritual world concepts
* Chinese fortune telling
* Chinese zodiac
* Da Liu Ren
* Dunhuang Star Chart
* Feng shui
* Four Pillars of Destiny
* Qimen Dunjia
* Symbolic stars
* Synoptical astrology
* Tai Sui
* Tai Yi Shen Shu
* Traditional Chinese star names
* Wufang Shangdi

Notes

References

Further reading

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Taoist divination
Astrology
Astrology by tradition
Divination
astrology
astrology