Jonathan Dee - Chinese Astrology Plain Simple: The Only Book Youll Ever Need

Copyright 2006, 2017

by Jonathan Dee

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Hampton Roads Publishing, Inc. Reviewers may quote brief passages. Previously published in 2006 as Simply Chinese Astrology by Zambezi Publishing Limited, Devon, UK.

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ISBN: 978-1-57174-756-3

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016953227

Printed in Canada

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C hinese Astrology is a tradition that stretches back in time over several thousand years. It developed into an extremely complex set of systems, some of which are so difficult that our moderns minds can no longer cope with the complexity. Even the Chinese themselves had problems dealing with it in the past, so they developed a simplified version around the 2nd century AD. This is the system of the twelve animal signs with which we in the Western hemisphere have become familiar.

The word zodiac is derived from the Greek zidiakos, literally meaning circle of figures. In the Western world, our version of the zodiac includes several human figures such as Gemini, Virgo, and Aquarius as well as animals. In Chinese terms, each of the 12 signs is represented by an animal. The signs begin with the Rat who is followed by the Ox, the Tiger, the Hare, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Goat, the Monkey, the Rooster, the Dog, and finally the Pig.

There is a charming legend to account for why these particular animals were chosen in this precise order. It seems that long ago, the ruler of the universe (some say Buddha or Lao Tzu, others say the August Personage of Jade) decided that all the animals that were of service to man should run a race to establish the signs of the zodiac. The Rat received his invitation to attend and told the other animals; however the Cat was worried that he might oversleep, so he made the Rat promise to wake him in plenty of time. This was a task that the Rat neglected to do, so the Cat never made it to the starting line, and is the reason why cats loathe rodents to this day. On the morning of the race, the Rat and ten other animals lined up ready to begin, knowing that the first one to reach the feet of the Supreme Being would have the honor of becoming the first sign. The Supreme Being noticed that one animal was absent, so he sent his advisor down to earth to find an extra contestant. The very first animal the advisor encountered was a small, fat pig. Without further ado, he seized the animal and brought it to the starting line.

Finally, all was ready, set, and go. At first the swifter beasts such as the Dragon, Horse, and Tiger kept a fast lead, but they soon became tired and fell behind. The tenacity of the Ox proved to be a winning trait as he shouldered the Tiger aside; it looked as though the Ox was going to be the victor. But just as the Ox was about to reach the winning line, the cunning Ratwho had concealed himself in Ox's tailran over the Ox's back and jumped off the end of his nose. The Supreme Being was very impressed by the Rat's ingenuity but was still not sure that he had won the race fairly. To clinch the matter, the Rat produced a flute and began to play and dance, which amused the Almighty and persuaded him to award the honor to the shrewd Rat. By the time the Rat had finished his antics, the fat little Pig finally waddled up in last position. And that is how the order of the zodiac signs was established.

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 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 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 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 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.