Past Articles

AR 55 Circular Logic

AR 54 Jupiter in Scorpio

AR 53 The Lion in Winter

AR 52 As Above, So Below

AR 51 The Ancient Quest

AR 50 Astrology and Alchemy

AR 49 Star of Wonder

AR 48 Jupiter in Libra

AR 47 Once in a Blue Moon

AR 46 Sedna Enters the Arena

AR 45 Royal Stars of Persia

AR 44 Ancient Formulas for Immortality

AR 43 Twelve Gates of Heaven

AR 42 Jupiter in Virgo

AR 41 Geometry of the Spheres

AR 40 Saturn in Cancer, June, 2003 to July, 2005

AR 39 The Poles of the Zodiac

AR 38
Uranus In
Pisces
2003-2011

AR 37
Twelfth Planet, Plutinos or
Planet X

AR 36
Eclipses – Promise or Peril?

AR35
Solar Fire

AR34
The Lunar Mansions of Vedic Astrology

AR 33
Children of the Gods

AR 32
Wheels Within Wheels

AR 31
Horoscopes of Destiny

AR 30
Zodicac of Dendera

AR 29
A Star Is Born

AR 28
Age of Aquarius

AR 27
Persia's Royal Stars of Ancients

AR 23
The Lore of a Shaman

Dragons, Tigers and Boars
Will the Chinese Year of the Dog bring good fortune?

“It is better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness.”
Confucius

Anyone who’s ever eaten in a Chinese restaurant has probably encountered a superficial introduction to the Chinese Zodiac by way of a place mat. Generally printed in dragon red the paper rectangle gives a brief outline of the twelve animals of the Chinese wheel and their characteristics. But like sun sign astrology forecasts, or personality descriptions which appear in newspapers and tabloids, it’s premature to judge a complex discipline of thought from humorous stereotypes.

The Chinese lunar calendar is actually a chronological device which dates back to 2637 BCE when the Chinese Emperor Huang Ti introduced the first cycle of the zodiac. The Chinese calendar is the longest chronological record that we know of and is composed of the Ten Heavenly Stems and the Twelve Earthly Branches which were created as a means of keeping time. The ten stems each had an archetypal quality, perhaps like the numbers, and the branches took on more mundane characteristics. Twelve signs and ten planets are the archetypes which also combine in astrology and Qabalah. In the Chinese calendar this can be seen as two turning wheels, which engage like gears as they turn, similar to the wheel of days and numbers in the Mayan Calendar. Since most people were illiterate the Twelve Branches were also named after animals which would be easy to remember.

Unlike the Western perspective of time, which tends to see the passage of years as linear, the Chinese calendar is cyclical. It’s easier to imagine a circular calendar if we think of a clock with twelve numbered hours. Every time the hour hand goes around, or the digital numbers cycle through, we come back to the same place on the clock.

Although the Chinese adopted the western calendar in 1911 for official and business reasons the lunar calendar still defines important festivals such as the major celebration of Chinese New Year. One complete cycle of the Chinese lunar calendar takes sixty years and is made up of five cycles of twelve years each. Although the animals repeat every twelve years, the combination of “stem” and “branch” only happens once in the cycle. Since its inception seventy-seven cycles have completed. The current round began in February of 1984 and will end in February of 2044.

Chinese New Year begins at the second New Moon after the Winter Solstice and is seen as the onset of spring rather than spring equinox. The date of the beginning of the New Year changes each year as the lunar calendar does not move in synch with the solar calendar. This year January 29, 2006 heralds the year of the Dog, and from a western astrological perspective, this is the New Moon of Aquarius.

Twelve Animals

Each year in a twelve-year cycle of the Lunar Calendar is named after an animal. One legend tells the story that when Lord Buddha was ready to depart the Earth he summoned all the animals. Only twelve came to say goodbye. As reward for their faithfulness he named a year after each of them in the order in which they arrived to say their farewells: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Boar. Each of the animals gets a turn to head the year in successive twelve-year intervals.

Some versions of the story include elements of betrayal and trickery and involve subplots explaining why certain animals were omitted from the twelve. In one version the gods were asked to decide who would go first in the cycle of years so they devised a contest and twelve candidates were summoned to the bank of a river. Whoever reached the other side first would lead the years. Unknown to the swift swimming Ox the Rat had jumped on its back. As the Ox was about to climb out of the water, thereby winning the place of honor, the Rat leaped ashore. Boar, according to this version of the story, was reputed to be slow moving and somewhat lazy, so he climbed out last. And so the order was decreed even though some might think the Rat cheated. This view seems to hold more philosophical realism for the slings and arrows of fortune.

Fifth Element

Western Astrology has twelve Sun Signs divided into four elements: fire, earth, air and water. Chinese astrology contains a fifth element to combine with the twelve lunar signs. The five elements of Chinese astrology are wood, fire, earth, metal and water. As the sixty-year cycle of five elements and twelve signs rotates the animal signs combine with the five elements. The quality of the New Moon half way between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox therefore is colored by the influence of each branch and stem in turn, adding a unique aspect to the year ‘s character.

The elements are further divided into two qualitative aspects, Conducive and Controlling. Understanding the interrelationships of these elements can provide a deeper understanding of Oriental philosophy. The Conducive quality shows how one element flows from another and how they are interrelated. For example, Water is said to come from Metal. Metal can form a container to hold Water and Metal is the only other element that changes into a liquid. The Controlling influence is a bit like the childhood game of Scissors, Paper, Rock. In this sense Wood is said to be controlled by Metal as the tallest tree can be chopped down by a metal ax. The idea is that each element is part of the whole and they are interrelated and linked in a cyclical pattern of life.

What’s your sign?

The astrological or interpretive aspect of the calendar developed later. At first the combined influences described an overall quality to the year cast in the light of the second New Moon after the Winter Solstice. Later the lighthearted and often humorous qualities ascribed to everyone born in the year were layered onto the calendar.

In polite Chinese society knowing the animal of someone’s birth year is also a nonintrusive way to discern their their age without asking. Knowing the animal of the year of their birth, and the place that animal falls in the cycle of years, simple arithmetic reveals their age. This also provides a common ground to open a conversation.

What follows are a few descriptions of the twelve animals and is a bit like a menu in a Chinese restaurant. It’s meant to be entertaining, like a Fortune Cookie, which incidentally was an American invention. The next time you’re in a Chinese restaurant you can toss out the opening conversational volley. Remember that the Chinese New Year will always begin some time after January 21.

Rat - Born in 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 2008, Ambitious, honest, generous with a tendency to be hot tempered and perhaps power hungry.

Ox - Born in 1913, 1925, 1937,. 1949, 1973, 1985, 2009 Patient, powerful, inspiring to others, easy going but can be stubborn.

Tiger - Born in 1914, 1926. 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 2010 Unpredictable, charming and sensitive. Can be secretly aggressive.

Rabbit - Born in 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975 ,1987, 1999, 2011 Affectionate, pleasant, desires security and tranquility; dislikes risk.

Dragon - 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012 Passionate and fiery, enthusiastic, artistic and dramatic; softhearted but can be bossy.

Snake - Born in 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 Wise and clever, often beautiful and romantic. Can be too intense and sometimes vain.

Horse - Born in 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014 Hardworking, cheerful, outgoing and full of adventure; tendency to feel superior.

Sheep - Born in 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 Creative, artistic, honest and warmhearted. Can be disorganized and worry too much.

Monkey - Born in 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 190, 1992, 2004 Clever and entertaining, magnetic personality but apt to become discouraged. Opportunistic at times.

Rooster - Born in 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005 Pioneering and thirsty for knowledge, devoted to work and good with details. Can be eccentric and selfish.

Dog - 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006 Honest, loyal and faithful. Sharp tongue (or bark), is hurtful to others.

Boar (Pig) - 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959 ,1971, 1983, 1995, 2007 Reliable and self-sacrificing. Noble spirit and chivalrous. Shy and sincere. Tendency to be naive brings pain in relationships.

Year of the Dog

If the character of a certain lunar year can be seen to take on the quality of the animal then 2006 might be seen to emphasize issues of loyalty and team work. The positive and negative traits of the dog as a symbol might give us a hint of the year ahead or the areas to pay attention to. We might consider emulating the positive qualities of our canine friends such as loyalty and group consciousness. In a humorous vein, should we therefore be careful not to bark up the wrong tree? Perhaps we’ll be lucky and someone will “throw us a bone?”

On a more serious note, it is said that the Chinese believe that the animal which rules the year of birth has profound influence on your life remarking, “This is the animal that hides in your heart.” A much deeper understanding of these principles would be required to reflect on that. I can report, however, that 2006 will be once-in-sixty-year combination called Bing Xu, bringing together the Third Heavenly Stem, Bing, and the Eleventh Earthly Branch, Xu, Dog. I really can’t speculate what profound significance this might have without a great deal more study, but I am able to wish you, “Gung Hay Fat Choy!” Happy New Year!