Four Pillars of Destiny

Four Pillars of Destiny is a Chinese conceptual term that describes the four components creating a person's destiny or fate. The four components within the moment of birth are year, month, day, and time (hour). The four pillars is a component used alongside fortune telling practices such as Zi wei dou shu within the realm of Chinese Astrology.

Terminology

The four pillars is an English translation of the Chinese dynastic phrase "Shi Chen Ba Zi". The Chinese term (時辰八字 , Shi Chen Ba Zi) literally translates to "Hour of the Eight Characters". It is also under the Chinese term (四柱命理學, sei cyu ming lei hok) which literally translates to "The Four Pillars Life-ology".

Commonly referred to by the shortened names of "Four Pillars" or "Ba Zi", one of the most frequently used alternate phrase is "Four Pillars of your birthday".

Year

The years are calculated by the 12 zodiac animals with the sexagenary cycle of 60 years. Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig

Months

The months are presented by the inner animals.

Days

The days are represented by the animals in a 60 day span.

Hours

The hours are represented by the animals within a 24 hour time span. Rat 11pm - 1am, Ox 1am - 3am, Tiger 3am - 5am Rabbit 5am - 7am, Dragon 7am - 9am Snake 9am - 11 am Horase 11am - 1pm, Sheep 1pm - 3pm, Monkey 3pm - 5pm, Rooster 5pm - 7pm, Dog 7pm - 9pm Pig 9pm - 11pm

The Two Schools

The schools are the Scholarly School (學院派) and the Professional School (江湖派).

The Scholarly School began with Xu Ziping (徐子平) at the beginning of Song Dynasty. Xu founded the pure theoretical basis of the system. Ever since then, scholars continued to do research work on the system and published their work for further development. Representatives of this school and their publications include

Song Dynasty (宋)

Xu Sheng (Also known as Xu Ziping) 宋徐升

Yuan Hai Zi Ping by Xu Sheng 淵海子平

Ming Dynasty (明)

Wan Yu Wu 明萬育吾

San Ming Tong Hui 三命通會

Liu Ji 明劉基

Di Tian Sui 滴天髓

Qing Dynasty (清)

Chen Su An 清陳素庵

Meng Li Yue Yan 命理約言

The Professional School (江湖派) had the original Chinese name "Jiang Hu Pai" which has a negative implication. It refers to people who take Life Reading and Fortune Telling as a profession and is usually regarded as a business. The problem is that these professionals may not know the theory very well. Also, they may just memorize some formulas and also collect a lot of statistical results from their practices which gives a superficial and possibly not as accurate a result as something more in-depth.

(source:wikipedia)

Astrological sign

The symbols used in Western astrology to represent the astrological signs,.

Astrological signs represent twelve equal segments or divisions of the zodiac. According to astrology, celestial phenomena reflect or govern human activity on the principle of "as above, so below", so that the twelve signs are held to represent twelve basic personality types or characteristic modes of expression. There are sun signs and moon signs, which both depend on your date of birth.

In Indian astrology, the twelve signs are associated with constellations, while in Chinese astrology and Western Astrology there is no connection with constellations, as it is simply the line of the equator that is divided into twelve equal segments.

In Western and Asian astrology, the emphasis is on space, and the movement of the Sun, Moon and planets in the sky through each of the zodiac signs. In Chinese astrology, by contrast, the emphasis is on time, with the zodiac operating on cycles of years, months, and hours of the day. A common feature of all three traditions however, is the significance of the ascendant or rising sign, namely the zodiac sign that is rising (due to the rotation of the earth) on the eastern horizon at the moment of a person's birth.

From the viewpoint of earth (geocentric), the Sun appears to move along a circular orbit across the celestial sphere, this circular orbit is called the ecliptic. The zodiac refers to the thin band along the ecliptic composed of the zodiac signs and constellations. The zodiac is divided into twelve different signs each of which is 30 degrees long and begins at Aries. In Tropical Astrology Aries begins at the vernal equinox. The order of the zodiac signs is Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. It is believed that the concept of the zodiac had evolved from Babylonian astronomy, and was later influenced by Hellenistic astronomy.

During ancient times, people monitored the passage of the sun because it was useful in predicting the change of seasons. Over time, however, people have begun to associate the zodiac sign, or Sun’s position in the zodiac, with birth dates and characteristics.

Western zodiac signs

Zodiac symbolism

 Astrological symbols

The symbols used in Western astrology to represent the astrological signs

This table shows the zodiac names in Latin with their English translation. It also shows the element and quality associated with each sign.

Symbol Sign names English name Element Quality

Aries The Ram Fire Cardinal

Taurus The Bull Earth Fixed

Gemini The Twins Air Mutable

Cancer The Crab Water Cardinal

Leo The Lion Fire Fixed

Virgo The Virgin Earth Mutable

Libra The Scales Air Cardinal

Scorpio The Scorpion Water Fixed

Sagittarius The Archer/Centaur Fire Mutable

Capricorn The Sea-goat Earth Cardinal

Aquarius The Water Carrier Air Fixed

Pisces The Two Fish Water Mutable

The four elements

Triplicity

Empedocles, a fifth century BCE Greek philosopher, originated the terms Fire, Earth, Air, and Water. He explained the nature of the universe as an interaction of two opposing principles called love and strife manipulating the four elements. He stated that these four elements were all equal, of the same age, that each rules its own province, and each possesses its own individual character. Different mixtures of these elements produced the different natures of things. Empedocles said that those who have near equal proportions of the four elements are more intelligent and have the most exact perceptions.

Each sign is associated one of the classical elements (water, fire, earth and air.)  Fire and Air signs are considered positive or extrovert, masculine signs; while Water and Earth signs are considered negative, introvert, feminine signs.

Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius—fire elements: The Fire signs exhibit righteousness. These people conform to the standard of moral law. They do what is right and are known for their sense of fair play. They are truthful, straight-forward, just, upright and virtuous in their dealings with other people. They demonstrate courage, fortitude, zeal and pugnacity. They have the mental and moral strength that enables them to venture into unknown waters and to persevere and withstand danger. They are confident in their actions. They have mettle, resolution, and tenacity. They will fight for their principles and have a stubborn persistence that is unwilling to recognize defeat. They are willing to keep fighting under all odds. They are aggressive and thrive on challenge. The Fire signs are of a spiritual nature. Their essential characteristic qualities are liveliness, energy, ardor, enthusiasm, courage and action. They have a firm, courageous and assertive disposition which is their most characteristic quality. The emotional nature of the Fire sign is goal oriented. These people like to win or be the best in anything they pursue. Their aggressive nature makes them just one big ego. There is nothing more stimulating to them than to win, and there is nothing more depressing to their ego than to lose. They strive to be the center of attention and are at home when showing off. They are straight-forward and have no reservations about hurting the feelings of others by their forthrightness. The main virtue of this sign is being just and right.

Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn—earth elements: The Earth signs show propriety. They are conventional, proper and fitting. They follow what is socially acceptable in conduct, behavior and speech. They have excellent manners and are very polite. They are prudent and have a deep regard for conventional rules of behavior. The Earth signs by nature are merchants. They are the storekeepers, barterers and traders. They are at their best when buying or selling material or tangible commodities. Most are very business oriented. The Earth signs have a physical nature. They have a characteristic love for the material, tangible things. They derive pleasure from sensory stimulation such as taste, smell and feel. They surround themselves with tangible and material items such as fine furniture, art and jewelry; most have a nice home that is meticulous and expertly decorated. They have good taste in clothing and most are connoisseurs of food and drink. The Earth signs' emotions are aroused by sensory stimulation. Each of the five senses can produce an emotional response. Sight, sound, touch, smell and taste brings both joy or depression. Nice peaceful surroundings, lively music, quality crafted materials, pleasant smelling tasty foods as well as financial security are all conditions required for an emotionally happy stable Earth sign. Earth signs are normally not prone to physical violence, however, as in any situation.

Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius—air elements: The Air signs possess the virtue of knowledge. This does not mean they are more intelligent than anyone else but are generally well-rounded and informed. They are good communicators. Most have a good grasp of the language and generally know a little something about everything - they can communicate well on any subject under discussion because they are so well-read and learned. They have good personalities and are easy to get to know. The Air signs are what the philosophers called seers or priests. These are mentally inclined people. They actively acquire knowledge through experience, education and association. The Air signs are curious, original, well-disciplined, quick thinking, and possess initiative. They are rational in their methods, rather than depending upon emotional or physical factors. They enjoy any type of entertainment where they can use their intellectual capacity, and their ability to think quickly and accurately often gives them the upper hand. The emotional nature of the Air signs is directed toward self appraisal. Air signs have a tendency to judge themselves harshly. They set standards for themselves when its comes to their hygiene, fashion, education, job performance, and family. At their worst, they can be mean. They carry a grudge, and are quick to express their opinion. Libra is not as violent as Aquarius or Gemini. Aquarius is known to change their temper like a change in wind direction. The Air signs will not hesitate one moment to express their anger verbally, but physical violence is not a first choice during that anger.

Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces—water elements: Torrents of passion well within water signs and they feel things deeply. However, water signs are always emotionally reserved, no matter what impression they might give on the surface. Still water, it has been said, runs deep, and the mystery about water pertains to this group (especially Scorpio). A water sign will always become quiet or withdrawn when they are trying to sort things out. It will take some time to get to know them well, for they reveal themselves slowly. They realize their intense emotions hold tremendous power, and they tend to handle their feelings carefully. When they fall in love, water signs love with their whole hearts and all their devotion. Their sensitivity makes them highly aggressive, even low-self esteemed as the Pisces. Often psychic, water signs read your true intentions simply by reading your gestures and body language and will trust actions more than words (Pisces, particularly, has elevated this talent to a high art). This is a highly imaginative group and very creative. Their observations on the human condition often inspire masterpieces of painting, music, photography, literature, or dance. Working in studios or small self-employed businesses (usually connected to the creative arts) appeals to water signs. Their right-on-target intuition makes them succeed in financial areas too.

The Three Qualities

The Qualities assign the Signs into Quadruplicities, three groups of four. They are occasionally referred to as crosses because each quality forms a cross when drawn across the zodiac. Christian astrology relates the three qualities to the three aspects of God in the trinity.

Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) are associated with initiation, creativity and leadership.

Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius) are associated with stabilization, determination, depth and persistence.

Mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces) are associated with adaptability, service-providing and expansion.

Additional classifications

While knowing the element and quality of a sign is sufficient to define it, several other groupings can be used for those interested in better understanding their symbolism. The most common is a sequential cycle detailed below. Although most commonly used to define planets, it is valid for signs as well. This cycle has been used as a metaphorical descriptor of the process of birth, development, and death, of humans, societies, or even humanity.

Personal Signs - Aries, Taurus, Gemini, and Cancer - are principally aware of and concerned with individual concerns.

Interpersonal Signs - Leo, Virgo, Libra, and Scorpio - are principally aware of and concerned with social and societal concerns.

Transpersonal Signs - Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces - are principally aware of and concerned with humanitarian and existential concerns.

Planetary rulerships

The symbols used in Western astrology to represent the astrological planets

In traditional Western astrology, each sign is ruled by one and only one of the seven visible planets (note that in astrology, the Sun and Moon are termed The Lights by astrologers, while the other bodies are called planets, which literally means wanderers, i.e. wandering stars as opposed to the fixed stars). The traditional rulerships are as follows: Aries (Mars), Taurus (Venus), Gemini (Mercury), Cancer (Moon), Leo (Sun), Virgo (Mercury), Libra (Venus), Scorpio (Mars), Sagittarius (Jupiter), Capricorn (Saturn), Aquarius (Saturn), Pisces (Jupiter & Neptune). Psychologically-oriented astrologers believe that Uranus is the ruler or co-ruler of Aquarius instead of Saturn, Neptune is the ruler or co-ruler of Pisces instead of Jupiter, and that Pluto is the ruler or co-ruler of Scorpio instead of Mars (with other modern astrologers claiming that Pluto rules Aries and not Mars). Some other astrologers believe that the planetoid Chiron may be the ruler of Virgo, while other group of modern astrologers acclaim that Ceres is the ruler of Taurus instead. Traditional astrology adheres to the rulerships system listed in the paragraph above, and the debate continues between those who consider the newly discovered planets as rulers or co-rulers of certain signs and those that do not.

Alternatively, some[who?] astrologers use the former planets Pallas, Vesta, Juno and Hygiea in their delineations and rulerships, for example Vesta to Taurus and Pallas to Virgo.

Some astrologers do not even use the astrological signs at all (mostly Cosmobiologists and Uranian Astrologers/Hamburg School); therefore they do not take into account planetary rulerships and the essential dignities when interpreting an astrological chart.

Note that, if one starts from Leo and Cancer, the planetary rulers are arrayed in the same order from the sun as they occur in the natural solar system. Sun rules Leo, Moon rules Cancer, then Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo, Venus rules Taurus and Libra, Mars rules Aries and Scorpio, Jupiter rules Pisces and Sagittarius, and Saturn rules Aquarius and Capricorn.

Dignity and detriment, exaltation and fall

A traditional belief of astrology, known as essential dignity, is the idea that the Sun, Moon and planets are more powerful and effective in some signs than others, because the basic nature of both is held to be in harmony. By contrast, the Sun, Moon and planets are held to find some signs to be weak or difficult to operate in because their natures are thought to be in conflict . The most important of these categories are Dignity, Detriment, Exaltation and Fall.

Dignity and Detriment : A planet is strengthened or dignified if it falls within the sign that it rules. In other words it is said to exercise Rulership of the sign. For example, the Moon in Cancer is considered "strong" (well-dignified). Seventeenth century astrologer William Lilly compared rulership to a king on his throne, with considerable dignity. If a planet is in the sign opposite that which it rules (or is dignified), it is said to be weakened or in Detriment, for example the Moon in Capricorn.

In traditional astrology, other levels of Dignity are recognised in addition to Rulership. These are known as Exaltation (see below), Triplicity, Terms or bounds, and Face or Decan, which together are known as describing a planet's Essential dignity, the quality or ability to give of one's true nature. Contemporary traditional astrologers like John Frawley or J Lee Lehman explain further on the concept of Essential Dignity.

Exaltation and Fall : In addition, a planet is also strengthened when it is in its sign of Exaltation. In traditional horary astrology, Exaltation denotes a level of dignity somewhat exaggerated compared to rulership. Exaltation was considered to give the planet (or what it signified in a horary chart) dignity, with the metaphor of an honoured guest - who is the centre of attention but the extent of their ability to act is limited. Examples of planets in their Exaltation are: Saturn (Libra), Sun (Aries), Venus (Pisces), Moon (Taurus), Mercury (Virgo, although some disagree to this classification), Mars (Capricorn), Jupiter (Cancer). A planet in the opposite sign of its Exaltation is said to be in its Fall (e.g. Moon in Scorpio), and thus weakened, perhaps seemingly more so than Detriment. The Planet in fall is passively rejected or ignored by the sign that it's in. It can be likened to a mayor of a rival city trying to make suggestions to the hosting mayor for how he should run his city: The host mayor finds it difficult to trust him and can't see how his input could have relevancy to his city. The people of the city feel the same as their ruler. The result is impasse and failure on behalf of both mayors and the city.

In addition to Essential dignity, the traditional astrologer considers Accidental dignity of planets. This is placement by house in the chart under examination. Accidental dignity describes the planet's "ability to act". So we might have, for example, Moon in Cancer, dignified by rulership, is placed in the 12th house it would have little scope to express its good nature. The 12th is a cadent house as are the 3rd, 6th and 9th and planets in these houses are considered weak or afflicted. On the other hand, Moon in the 1st, 4th, 7th or 10th would be more able to act as these are Angular houses. Planets in Succedent houses of the chart (2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th) are generally considered to be of medium ability to act. Besides Accidental Dignity, there are a range of Accidental Debilities, such as retrogradation, Under the Sun's Beams, Combust, and so forth.

Jyotish or Indian zodiac signs

In Indian astrology, there are five elements. (1)fire (2)earth (3)air (4)water (5)space. The master of fire is Mars,while Mercury is of earth, Saturn of air, Venus of water and Jupiter of space. ("grahbhedadhyāy",Brihadjataka by varāhmihira) It is wellknown system in India making "janmākśar" i.e. horoscope.the rāśi's elements is explained as "hansak".agni(fire),bhumi(earth),vayu(air) and vari(water).so the Tava (elements 5) and hansak (4).Here the same numbers 5 as in Chinese 5! Jyotish astrology recognises twelve zodiac signs, or Rashis:

Number Sanskrit Name Western/Greek Name Tattva (Element) Quality Ruling Planet

1 Meṣa (मेष) "ram" Aries (Κριός "ram") Tejas (Fire) Cara (Movable) Mars

2 Vṛṣabha (वृषभ) "bull" Taurus (Ταῦρος "bull") Prithivi (Earth) Sthira (Fixed) Venus

3 Mithuna (मिथुन) "twins" Gemini (Δίδυμοι "twins") Vayu (Air) Dvisvabhava (Dual) Mercury

4 Karkaṭa (कर्कट) "crab" Cancer (Καρκίνος "crab") Jala (Water) Cara (Movable) Moon

5 Siṃha (सिंह) "lion" Leo (Λέων "lion") Tejas (Fire) Sthira (Fixed) Sun

6 Kanyā (कन्या) "girl" Virgo (Παρθένος "virgin") Prithivi (Earth) Dvisvabhava (Dual) Mercury

7 Tulā (तुला) "balance" Libra (Ζυγός "balance") Vayu (Air) Cara (Movable) Venus

8 Vṛścika (वृश्चिक) "scorpion" Scorpio (Σκoρπιός "scorpion") Jala (Water) Sthira (Fixed) Mars

9 Dhanus (धनुष) "bow" Sagittarius (Τοξότης "archer") Tejas (Fire) Dvisvabhava (Dual) Jupiter

10 Makara (मकर) "sea-monster" Capricorn (Αἰγόκερως "goat-horned") Prithivi (Earth) Cara (Movable) Saturn

11 Kumbha (कुम्भ) "pitcher" Aquarius (Ὑδροχόος "water-pourer") Vayu (Air) Sthira (Fixed) Saturn

12 Mīna (मीन) "fish" Pisces (Ἰχθεῖς "fish") Jala (Water) Dvisvabhava (Dual) Jupiter

Nakshatras

A nakshatra (Devanagari: नक्षत्र, Sanskrit nakshatra, from naksha- 'approach', and tra- 'guard') or lunar mansion is one of the 27 divisions of the sky, identified by the prominent star(s) in them, as used in Hindu astronomy and astrology (Jyotisha).

Chinese zodiac signs

Main article: Chinese zodiac

Unlike the Western or Indian zodiacs, the Chinese zodiac signs are not derived from constellations, and are not assigned to sections of the ecliptic. Instead, Chinese astrological signs operate on cycles of years, lunar months, and two-hour periods of the day (also known as shichen). A particular feature of the Chinese zodiac is its operation in a sixty year cycle in combination with the Five elements of Chinese astrology (Wood, Fire, Metal, and Water). (earth) Nevertheless some researches says that there is obvious relationship between Chinese 12-year cycle and zodiac constellations: each year of the cycle corresponds to the certain disposal of Jupiter. For example, in the year of Snake Jupiter is in the Sign of Gemini, in the year of Horse Jupiter is in the Sign of Cancer and so on. So Chinese 12-year calendar is solar-lunar-jupiteriar calendar.

Zodiac symbolism

The following table shows the twelve signs and their attributes.

Sign Yin/Yang Direction Season Fixed Element Trine

Rat Yang North Winter Water 1st

Ox Yin North Winter Water 2nd

Tiger Yang East Spring Wood 3rd

Rabbit Yin East Spring Wood 4th

Dragon Yang East Spring Wood 1st

Snake Yin South Summer Fire 2nd

Horse Yang South Summer Fire 3rd

Goat Yin South Summer Fire 4th

Monkey Yang West Autumn Metal 1st

Rooster Yin West Autumn Metal 2nd

Dog Yang West Autumn Metal 3rd

Pig Yin North Winter Water 4th

The twelve signs

Chart showing the 24 cardinal directions and the symbols of
 the sign associated with them,.

In Chinese astrology the zodiac of twelve animal sign represents twelve different types of personality. The zodiac traditionally begins with the sign of the Rat, and there are many stories about the Origins of the Chinese Zodiac which explain why this is so. When the twelve zodiac signs are part of the sixty year calendar in combination with the four elements, they are traditionally called the twelve earthly branches. The following are the twelve zodiac signs in order.

子 Rat (Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Water): Rat years include 1900, 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008. The month of the Rat is Dec 7 - Jan 5, and the hours of the Rat are 11pm - 1am.

丑 Ox (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Water): Ox years include 1901, 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009. The month of the Ox is Jan 6 - Feb 3, and the hours of the Ox are 1am - 3am.

寅 Tiger (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Wood): Tiger years include 1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010. The month of the Tiger is Feb 4 - Mar 5, and the hours of the Tiger are 3am - 5am.

卯 Rabbit (Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Wood): Rabbit Years include 1903, 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011. The month of the Rabbit is Mar 6 - Apr 4, and the hours of the Rabbit are 5am - 7am.

辰 Dragon (Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Fire): Dragon years include 1904, 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012. The month of the Dragon is Apr 5 - May 4, and the hours of the Dragon are 7am - 9am.

巳 Snake (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Fire): Snake years include 1905, 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013. The month of the Snake is May 5 - Jun 5, and the hours of the Snake are 9am - 11am.

午 Horse (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Fire): Horse years include 1906, 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014. The month of the Horse is Jun 6 - Jul 6, and the hours of the Horse are 11am - 1pm.

未 Goat (Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Fire): Goat years include 1907, 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015. The month of the Goat is Jul 7 - Aug 7, and the hours of the Goat are 1pm - 3pm.

申 Monkey (Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Metal): Monkey years include 1908, 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016. The month of the Monkey is Aug 8 - Sep 7, and the hours of the Monkey are 3pm - 5pm.

酉 Rooster (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Metal): Rooster years include 1909, 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017. The month of the Rooster is Sep 8 - Oct 7 and the hours of the Rooster are 5pm - 7pm.

戌 Dog (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Metal): Dog years include 1910, 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018. The month of the Dog is Oct 8 - Nov 7, and the hours of the Dog are 7pm - 9pm.

亥 Pig (Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Water): Pig years include 1911, 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019. The month of the Pig is Nov 8 - Dec 6, and the hours of the Pig are 9pm - 11pm.

The five elements

The elements differ in Chinese astrology from their Western counterparts: Air is not one of the elements as defined by the Chinese. Instead, Wood and Metal are elements alongside Fire and Water. In addition, the elements also govern various aspects of one's personality, and are assigned to various other things such as directions (North, South, East and West), colours, seasons and planets. The characteristics of the four elements are as follows:

Metal: The metal person is rigid and resolute in expression and intense, with strong feelings. The direction associated with Metal is West, and the season is autumn, which makes it the fixed element for the animal signs Monkey, Rooster and Dog.

Water: The water person is a good communicator and persuader, intuitive and sympathetic to others and good at conveying feelings and emotions. The direction associated with Water is North, and the season is winter, which makes it the fixed element for the animal signs Pig, Rat and Ox.

Wood: The wood person has high morals, is self confident, expansive and co-operative, with wide and varied interests. The direction associated with Wood is East, and the season is spring, which makes it the fixed element for the animal signs Tiger, Rabbit and Dragon.

Fire: The fire person has leadership qualities, and is decisive, self confident, positive and assertive. The direction associated with Fire is South, and the season is summer, which makes it the fixed element for the animal signs Snake, Horse and Sheep.

Earth: The five elements operate together with the twelve animal signs in a sixty year calendar. The four elements appear in the calendar in both their yin and yang forms and are known as the eight heavenly stems. When trying to calculate the relevant year of the cycle in relation to the Western calendar, an easy rule to follow is that years that end in an even number are yang, those that end with an odd number are yin.

(source:wikipedia)

Zodiac

Wheel of the zodiac: This 6th century mosaic pavement in a synagogue
incorporates Greek-Byzantine elements, Beit Alpha, Israel,.

In astronomy, the zodiac (Greek: ζῳδιακός, zōdiakos) is the ring of constellations that lines the ecliptic, which is the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. The paths of the Moon and planets also lie roughly within the ecliptic, and so are also within the constellations of the zodiac. In astrology, the zodiac denotes those signs that divide the ecliptic into twelve equal zones of celestial longitude. As such, the zodiac is a celestial coordinate system, or more specifically an ecliptic coordinate system, taking the ecliptic as the origin of latitude, and the position of the sun at vernal equinox as the origin of longitude.

It is known to have been in use by the Roman era, based on concepts inherited by Hellenistic astronomy from Babylonian astronomy of the Chaldean period (mid-1st millennium BC), which, in turn, derived from an earlier system of lists of stars along the ecliptic. The construction of the zodiac is described in Ptolemy's Almagest (2nd century AD).

The term zodiac may also refer to the region of the celestial sphere encompassing the paths of the planets corresponding to the band of about eight arc degrees above and below the ecliptic. The zodiac of a given planet is the band that contains the path of that particular body; e.g., the "zodiac of the Moon" is the band of five degrees above and below the ecliptic. By extension, the "zodiac of the comets" may refer to the band encompassing most short-period comets. 

The term zodiac derives from Latin zōdiacus, which in its turn comes from the Greek ζῳδιακὸς κύκλος (zōdiakos kuklos), meaning "circle of animals", derived from ζώδιον (zōdion), the diminutive of ζῶον (zōon) "animal". The name is motivated by the fact that half of the signs of the classical Greek zodiac are represented as animals (besides two mythological hybrids).

Although the zodiac remains the basis of the ecliptic coordinate system in use in astronomy besides the equatorial one, the term and the names of the twelve signs are today mostly associated with horoscopic astrology.

History

Early history

Main article: Babylonian zodiac

 MUL.APIN

The division of the ecliptic into the zodiacal signs originates in Babylonian ("Chaldean") astronomy during the first half of the 1st millennium BC, likely during Median/"Neo-Babylonian" times (7th century BC), The classical zodiac is a modification of the MUL.APIN catalogue, which was compiled around 1000 BC. Some of the constellations can be traced even further back, to Bronze Age (Old Babylonian) sources, including Gemini "The Twins", from MAŠ.TAB.BA.GAL.GAL "The Great Twins", and Cancer "The Crab", from AL.LUL "The Crayfish", among others.

The twelve signs

Main article: Astrological sign

The symbols used in Western astrology to represent the astrological signs,.

What follows is a list of the twelve signs of the modern zodiac (with the ecliptic longitudes of their first points), where 0° Aries is understood as the vernal equinox, with their Latin, Greek, Sanskrit, and Babylonian names (but note that the Sanskrit and the Babylonian name equivalents denote the constellations only, not the tropical zodiac signs). Also, the "English translation" is not usually used by English speakers. The Latin names are standard English usage.

№	Symbol	Long.	Latin name	English translation	Greek name	Sanskrit name	Sumero-Babylonian name
1	♈	0°	Aries	The Ram	Κριός	Meṣa(मेष)	MUL LUḪUN.GA "The Agrarian Worker", Dumuzi
2	♉	30°	Taurus	The Bull	Ταῦρος	Vṛṣabha(वृषभ)	MULGU4.AN.NA "The Steer of Heaven"
3	♊	60°	Gemini	The Twins	Δίδυμοι	Mithuna(मिथुन)	MULMAŠ.TAB.BA.GAL.GAL"The Great Twins" (Lugalgirra and Meslamta-ea)
4	♋	90°	Cancer	The Crab	Καρκῖνος	Karkaṭa(कर्कट)	MULAL.LUL "The Crayfish"
5	♌	120°	Leo	The Lion	Λέων	Siṃha(सिंह)	MULUR.GU.LA "The Lion"
6	♍	150°	Virgo	The Maiden	Παρθένος	Kanyā(कन्या)	MULAB.SIN "The Furrow"; "The Furrow, the goddessShala's ear of corn"
7	♎	180°	Libra	The Scales	Ζυγός	Tula(तुला)	zibanitum "The Scales"
8	♏	210°	Scorpio	The Scorpion	Σκoρπιός	Vṛścika(वृश्चिक)	MULGIR.TAB "The Scorpion"
9	♐	240°	Sagittarius	Centaur The Archer	Τοξότης	Dhanus(धनुष)	MULPA.BIL.SAG, Nedu"soldier"
10	♑	270°	Capricornus	"Goat-horned" (The Sea-Goat)	Αἰγόκερως	Makara(मकर)	MULSUḪUR.MAŠ "The Goat-Fish"
11	♒	300°	Aquarius	The Water Bearer	Ὑδροχόος	Kumbha(कुम्भ)	MULGU.LA "The Great One", later qâ "pitcher"
12	♓	330°	Pisces	Fish	Ἰχθεῖς	Mīna(मीन)	MULSIM.MAḪ "The Tail of the Swallow", later DU.NU.NU "fish-cord"

The zodiacal symbols are Early Modern simplifications of conventional pictorial representations of the signs, attested since Hellenistic times. The symbols are encoded in Unicode at positions U+2648 to U+2653.

Babylonian astronomers at some point during the early 1st millennium BC divided the ecliptic into twelve equal zones of celestial longitude to create the first known celestial coordinate system: a coordinate system that boasts some advantages over modern systems (such as equatorial coordinate system or ecliptic coordinate system). The Babylonian calendar as it stood in the 7th century BC assigns each month a constellation, beginning with the position of the Sun at vernal equinox, which, at the time, was the Aries constellation ("Age of Aries"), for which reason the first astrological sign is still called "Aries" even after the vernal equinox has moved away from the Aries constellation due to the slow precession of the Earth's orbit around the Sun.

Knowledge of the Babylonian zodiac is also reflected in the Hebrew Bible. E. W. Bullinger interpreted the creatures appearing in the books of Ezekiel and Revelation as the middle signs of the four quarters of the Zodiac, with the Lion as Leo, the Bull is Taurus, the Man representing Aquarius and the Eagle standing in Some authors have linked the twelve tribes of Israel with the twelve signs. Martin and others have argued that the arrangement of the tribes around the Tabernacle (reported in the Book of Numbers) corresponded to the order of the Zodiac, with Judah, Reuben, Ephraim and Dan representing the middle signs of Leo, Aquarius, Taurus and Scorpio, respectively. Such connections were taken up by Thomas Mann, who in his novel Joseph and His Brothers, attributes characteristics of a sign of the zodiac to each tribe in his rendition of the Blessing of Jacob.

Hellenistic and Roman era

The 1st century BC Denderah Zodiac (19th-century engraving),.

The Babylonian star catalogues entered Greek astronomy in the 4th century BC, via Eudoxus of Cnidus and others. Babylonia or Chaldea in the Hellenistic world came to be so identified with astrology that "Chaldean wisdom" became among Greeks and Romans the synonym of divination through the planets and stars. Hellenistic astrology syncretically originated from Babylonian and Egyptian astrology. Horoscopic astrology first appeared in Ptolemaic Egypt. The Dendera zodiac, a relief dating to ca. 50 BC, is the first known depiction of the classical zodiac of twelve signs.

The Hindu zodiac is a direct loan of the Greek system, adopted during the period of intense Indo-Greek cultural contact during the Seleucid period (2nd to 1st centuries BC). The transmission of the zodiac system to Hindu astrology predated widespread awareness of the precession of the equinoxes, and the Hindu system ended up using a sidereal coordinate system (as opposed to the Tropical System followed by the Greeks), which resulted in the European and the Hindu zodiacs, even though sharing the same origin in Hellenistic astrology, gradually moving apart over two millennia that have passed since. The Sanskrit names of the signs are direct translations of the Greek names (dhanus meaning "bow" rather than "archer", and kumbha meaning "water-pitcher" rather than "water-carrier").

Particularly important in the development of Western horoscopic astrology was the astrologer and astronomer Ptolemy, whose work Tetrabiblos laid the basis of the Western astrological tradition. Under the Greeks, and Ptolemy in particular, the planets, Houses, and signs of the zodiac were rationalized and their function set down in a way that has changed little to the present day. Ptolemy lived in the 2nd century AD, three centuries after the discovery of the precession of the equinoxes by Hipparchus around 130 BC, but he ignored the problem, by dropping the concept of a fixed celestial sphere and adopting what is referred to as a tropical coordinate system instead.

]Middle Ages and Early Modern period

The zodiac signs as shown in a 16th-century woodcut

A 17th-century fresco from the Cathedral of Living Pillar in Georgia depicting Christ within the Zodiac circle

The High Middle Ages saw a revival of Greco-Roman magic, first in Kabbalism and later continued in Renaissance magic. This included magical uses of the zodiac, as found, e.g., in the Sefer Raziel HaMalakh.

Zodiacal constellations

It is important to distinguish the zodiacal signs from the constellations associated with them, not only because of their drifting apart due to the precession of equinoxes but also because the physical constellations by nature of their varying shapes and forms take up varying widths of the ecliptic. Thus, Virgo takes up fully five times as much ecliptic longitude as Scorpius. The zodiacal signs, on the other hand, are an abstraction from the physical constellations designed to represent exactly one twelfth of the full circle each, or the longitude traversed by the Sun in about 30.4 days.

There have always been a number of "parazodiacal" constellations that are also touched by the paths of the planets. The MUL.APIN lists Orion, Perseus, Auriga and Andromeda. Furthermore, there are a number of constellations mythologically associated with the zodiacal ones: Piscis Austrinus, The Southern Fish, is attached to Aquarius. In classical maps, it swallows the stream poured out of Aquarius' pitcher, but perhaps it formerly just swam in it. Aquila, The Eagle, was possibly associated with the zodiac by virtue of its main star, Altair. Hydra in the Early Bronze Age marked the celestial equator and was associated with Leo, which is shown standing on the serpent on the Dendera zodiac. Corvus is the Crow or Raven mysteriously perched on the tail of Hydra. The MUL.APIN glosses Hydra as "the Snake Ningizzida, lord of the Netherworld". Ningizzida together with Dumuzi (Aries) and Pabilsag (Sagittarius) governed the household of the queen of the underworld.

Taking the current constellation boundaries as defined in 1930 by the International Astronomical Union, the ecliptic itself passes through an additional thirteenth constellation, Ophiuchus, situated between Scorpius and Sagittarius. This was identified in Ptolemy's Almagest, but is not generally recognised as part of the Zodiac. Ophiuchus was formerly referred to as Serpentarius, the former originating in Greek and the latter in Latin, both meaning "serpent-holder".

Table of dates

The following table compares the Gregorian dates on which the Sun enters

a sign in the Ptolemaic tropical zodiac

a sign in the Hindu sidereal system

the astronomical constellation of the same name as the sign, with constellation boundaries as defined in 1930 by the International Astronomical Union.

The theoretical beginning of Aries is the moment of vernal equinox, and all other dates shift accordingly. The precise Gregorian times and dates vary slightly from year to year as the Gregorian calendar shifts relative to the tropical year.These variations remain within less than two days' difference in the recent past and the near-future, vernal equinox in UTC always falling either on 20 or 21 of March in the period of 1797 to 2043, falling on 19 March in 1796 the last time and in 2044 the next. In the long term, if the Gregorian calendar isn't reformed, the equinox will move to earlier dates: it will fall on 18 March for the first time in AD 4092.

Sign				Constellation
Name	Symbol	Tropical zodiac (2011, UTC)	Sidereal zodiac (Jyotisha) (2011,UTC)	Name	IAU constellation boundaries (2011)	Solar stay	Brightest star
Aries		20 March – 20 April	14 April – 1 May	Aries	19 April – 14 May	25.5 days	Hamal
Taurus		20 April – 21 May	14 May – 1 June	Taurus	14 May – 21 June	38.2 days	Aldebaran
Gemini		21 May – 21 June	14 June – 31 July	Gemini	21 June – 21 July	29.3 days	Pollux
Cancer		21 June – 23 July	14 July – 1 August	Cancer	21 July – 11 August	21.1 days	Al Tarf
Leo		23 July – 23 August	14 August – 31 September	Leo	11 August – 17 September	36.9 days	Regulus
Virgo		23 August – 23 September	13 September – 30 October	Virgo	17 September – 31 October	44.5 days	Spica
Libra		23 September – 23 October	14 October – 31 November	Libra	31 October – 21 November	21.1 days	Zubeneschamali
Scorpio		23 October – 22 November	13 November – 30 December	Scorpius	21 November – 30 November	8.4 days	Antares
Ophiuchus		n/a		Ophiuchus	30 November – 18 December	18.4 days	Rasalhague/ Alpha Ophiuchi
Sagittarius		22 November – 22 December	14 December – 2 January	Sagittarius	18 December – 21 January	33.6 days	Kaus Australis
Capricorn		22 December – 20 January	13 January – 1 February	Capricornus	21 January – 17 February	27.4 days	Deneb Algedi
Aquarius		20 January – 19 February	12 February – 2 March	Aquarius	17 February – 12 March	23.9 days	Sadalsuud
Pisces		19 February – 20 March	14 March – 1 April	Pisces	12 March – 19 April	37.7 days	Eta Piscium

Precession of the equinoxes

 Precession of the equinoxes, Epoch (astronomy), Sidereal astrology, Tropical astrology, Astrological age, and Ayanamsa

Path taken by the point of vernal equinox along the ecliptic over the past 6000 years

The zodiac system was developed in Babylonia, some 2,500 years ago, during the "Age of Aries". At the time, the precession of the equinoxes was unknown, and the system made no allowance for it. Contemporary use of the coordinate system is presented with the choice of interpreting the system either as sidereal, with the signs fixed to the stellar background, or as tropical, with the signs fixed to the point of vernal equinox.

Western astrology takes the tropical approach, whereas Hindu astrology takes the sidereal one. This results in the originally unified zodiacal coordinate system drifting apart gradually, with an angular velocity of about 1.4 degrees per century.

For the tropical zodiac used in Western astronomy and astrology, this means that the tropical sign of Aries currently lies somewhere within the constellation Pisces ("Age of Pisces"). The choice of origin for the sidereal coordinate system is known as the ayanamsa, a Sanskrit word.

It is not entirely clear how the Hellenistic astronomers responded to this phenomenon of precession once it had been discovered by Hipparchus around 130 BC. Today, some read Ptolemy as dropping the concept of a fixed celestial sphere and adopting what is referred to as a tropical coordinate system instead: in other words, one fixed to the Earth's seasonal cycle rather than the distant stars.

Some modern Western astrologers, such as Cyril Fagan, have advocated abandoning the tropical system in favour of a sidereal one.

In modern astronomy

 Epoch (astronomy)

The zodiac is a spherical celestial coordinate system. It designates the ecliptic as its fundamental plane and the position of the Sun at Vernal equinox as its prime meridian.

In astronomy, the zodiacal constellations are a convenient way of marking the ecliptic (the Sun's path across the sky) and the path of the moon and planets along the ecliptic. Modern astronomy still uses tropical coordinates for predicting the positions the Sun, Moon, and planets, except longitude in the ecliptic coordinate system is numbered from 0° to 360°, not 0° to 30° within each sign. Longitude within individual signs was still being used as late as 1740 by Jacques Cassini in his Tables astronomiques.

Zodiac is also used to refer to the zodiacal cloud of dust grains that move among the planets and the zodiacal light that originates from their scattering of sunlight.

Unlike the zodiac signs in astrology, which are all thirty degrees in length, the astronomical constellations vary widely in size. The boundaries of all the constellations in the sky were set by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1930. This was, in essence, a mapping exercise to make the work of astronomers more efficient, and the boundaries of the constellations are not therefore in any meaningful sense an 'equivalent' to the zodiac signs. Along with the twelve original constellations, the boundaries of a thirteenth constellation, Ophiuchus (the serpent bearer), were set by astronomers within the bounds of the zodiac.

Mnemonics for the zodiac

A traditional mnemonic:

The Ram, the Bull, the Heavenly Twins,

And next the Crab, the Lion shines,

The Virgin and the Scales.

The Scorpion, Archer, and the Goat,

The Man who holds the Watering Pot,

And Fish with glittering scales.

A less poetic, but succinct and perhaps more memorable, mnemonic is the following:

The Ramble Twins Crab Liverish;

Scaly Scorpions Are Good Water Fish.

(Ram-Ble = Ram, Bull; Twins = Twins; Crab = Crab; Li-Ver(ish) = Lion, Virgin; Scaly = Scale; Scorpion = Scorpio; Are = Archer; Good = Goat; Water = Water Bearer; Fish = Fish)

Another easy mnemonic:

All The Great Constellations Live Very Long Since Stars Can't Alter Physics.

(Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces)

One more easy mnemonic:

As The Great Cook Likes Very Little Salt, She Compensates Adding Pepper.

(Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces)

Remembering the translations/shapes of constellations with a fun mnemonic:

Really Boring Teachers Can Live Very Sadly Since Apples Give Worthless Feelings.

(Ram, Bull, Twins, Crab, Lion, Virgin, Scales, Scorpion, Archer, Goat, Water Bearer, Fish)

All That Gold Can Load Very Lazy Students Since Children Are at Play

(Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces)

Source:wikipedia0