Chinese Astrology Explained

Are you confused about the meanings of Chinese astrology?? Would you like to know more about this 5000 year old art?

Chinese astrology is based on the lunar calendar.? As with astrology from other cultures, a horoscope is created using the position of the stars and planets for each of the twelve signs of the zodiac based on the year of birth.

The Twelve Chinese Signs

Rat

Rats are charming and attractive to the opposite sex.? But despite outside appearances, they are restless and this sometimes comes across as aggressiveness.? Rats are great with money, and love to pounce on an opportunity.? They are also very generous to their friends.? They love people and large gatherings and always have others around.? They also run in many intimate circles and like to be involved in everything they can, leading them to sometimes attempt to do too much.? They are good writers and speakers, and success comes easily to them.

Ox

Oxen are calm on the surface, but have hidden tempers.? They are hard workers and are determined to the point of stubbornness.? However, this makes them one of the most dependable signs.? They are trustworthy, and easily move up at the office.? If they don't watch out, they may not have much of a social life.? They are not very adept at mind games, and can sometimes be led astray in romance.? But once they find someone, they are steadfast and loyal.

Tiger

Tigers are energetic and unpredictable.? Their wild side leads them to be the center of attention.? They speak their mind and are always looking for the new party or next great idea.? They are also very involved in giving their time and money to the causes they are passionate about.? They are generous and honest.? However, they are also rebels.? They seek ideals and will rebel against a society they perceive as being in the wrong.? They are emotional and impulsive, prone to romance as well as jealousy.

Rabbit

Rabbits are gracious and gentle.? They adore quiet and peacefulness, and prefer a good book to a night on the town.? Their sensitivity can lead to moodiness, but normally rabbits are great at keeping the peace.? While they are quiet on the surface, rabbits are good at finding deals.? They are sweet and can talk people into being on their side of an issue without argument.? While they are cautious, they can also be friendly and inviting once they feel safe.

Dragon

Dragons have fire.? They are full of life, and want to live life to the fullest.? They are perfectionists and are extremely demanding of both themselves and others.? They intimidate those who disagree with them, although they are very loyal to their friends.? They can be stubborn, but they will let you know how they feel.? They believe themselves to be B and loveable, and they strive to motivate everyone to live up to their standards.

Snake

Snakes are mysterious, often charming the opposite sex.? They are graceful, and tend towards all things grand and cultural.? They are private tend to look inward for their self-esteem, and are superstitious about everything.? They are not penny-pinchers, but always have money on hand.? Snakes are jealous when they find a lover, and will turn cold almost on a whim.

Horse

Horses are generally friendly.? They love being the center of attention, and will keep others enthralled by their quick wit.? However, they have malleable alliances, and will have many short-lived romances and friendships.? They enjoy the change, and lead lives full of adventure.? They don't like being tied down, and love working out and spending time outdoors.? They don't like sticking to a plan, and will often take on too much.? They can be impatient with others whom they perceive as moving too slowly.

Sheep

Sheep are peaceful people.? They empathize with others' pain, and are easy to talk to.? They don't like to rush, and will break if pressured.? They do not like harsh words, and love to be led gently.? While they are passive, they are also patient, and generally they eventually get their way.? They always remember their friends and families and give thoughtful gifts.? They often worry about what others think, and tend too spend too much.

Monkey

Monkeys are intuitive and clever.? They are hands-on problem solvers, and a great deal of self-confidence.? They enjoy succeeding at difficult tasks, and don't need to be talked into attempting one.? The source of their success is their great memory.? They are hard workers, and don't care what others think of them.? They don't usually have many friends, although their success does attract people to them.

Rooster

Roosters are romantics.? They are perfectionists and dreamers at the same time.? Quick to see detail, they always love a challenge, especially if at first glance it looks impossible.? They take great pride in knowing all the details of a subject that interests them, and are thus great debaters.? However, they will never admit to being wrong.? They also tend to step in and try to solve others' problems, whether or not they have been invited to do so.? They like to always stay busy, and will work for whatever they have their eye on.

Dog

Dogs are friendly and are always up front about their feelings.? They are very family-oriented and are extremely loyal to their friends.? They will fight for a cause they feel is just.? They are not comfortable around extravagant wealth, and prefer a loving home regardless of social status.? Once you befriend a dog, they will be by your side for life.? They are monogamous, and tend to choose their lovers wisely.? They work hard and play hard, and know when it is appropriate to be doing one or the other.? They are good providers to those they love.

Pig

Pigs love a social life.? They have many friends, and tend to stay out of heated discussions and all kinds of debates.? It's not that they don't have an opinion; they simply love to party and don't want to risk ruining the fun.? They are good listeners, but are sometimes gullible and can be taken advantage of easily.? This can sometimes hurt them in relationships.? They are trustworthy and dependable, and stick by their friends.?? They are generous to those they care about.

The Five Elements

There is another layer to Chinese astrology that is less well known than the Chinese signs.? Chinese astrologers use a 60 year cycle, made up of five sets of the twelve signs.? The five repetitions of the signs each correspond to a different element, adding more intricacy to the animal.

The five elements are Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, and Earth.

In Chinese astrology, the elements are part of a cycle; one is not higher or better than another.? In fact, they have a cyclical relationship, both in positive and negative ways, so that:

Water makes Wood
Wood makes Fire
Fire makes Earth
Earth makes Metal
Metal makes Water

and:

Water destroys Fire
Fire destroys Metal
Metal destroys Wood
Wood destroys Earth
Earth destroys Water

In addition, they can be openly aggressive and hostile:

Water resists Fire
Fire resists Metal
Metal resists Wood
Wood resists Earth
Earth resists Water

So now you know the basics of Chinese Astrology.? Enjoy exploring your Chinese sign!

Michelle Andersen is an astrologer providing valuable tips and advice on understanding Chinese astrology, pet horoscopes, and zodiac compatibility. http://www.horoscopes-and-astrology.net

The difference between synastry and composite astrology relationship reports

In astrology there is more than one way to analyze a relationship. Two of the major methods are synastry and composite relationship reports. These reports are distinct from each other and are complimentary.

A synastry report analyzes each chart separately and compares them to each otherto determine areas of ease, area of conflict, and general compatiblity between the individuals as well as the relationship potential of each person involved in the relationship. This kind of chart considers each person individually and as they related to each other.

A composite report does not take into consideration the individuals involved but rather analyzes the relationship itself. This report averages the information from each of the charts and creates a new andseparate entity that is the chart of the relationship itself. In a composite chart the idea is that the relationship is greater than (or at least not the same as) the sum of its parts. Individuals who have a "perfect" synastry comparison may not have an easy composite chart andthe reverse is true as well.

Astrology reports are a wonderful tool. With synastry, composite or any kind of relationship analysis astrology reports it is especially important to remember that no astrology report can tell an individual whether a relationship will or will not work. What a synastry or relationship analysis report CAN tell an individual about their relationship with another person is how much effort the relationship will take - what aspects of the relationship come easily, which take some effort, the strengths and the weaknesses of the relationship. With the awareness and insights provided by an astrological compatibility astrology report, partners can have a better understanding of themselves, each other, and their relationship.

Relationship compatibility / synastry reports are not limited to romantic relationships, but provide useful information for friends and business associates as well.

Professional astrology reports may be purchased from http://astrology.opaltreasures-rainbowdreams.com
Choose a free mini report with the purchase of a regular report.

The Truth About Astrology

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The Truth About Astrology

I've been a student of astrology for about 36 years now and the most amazing thing to me is all the untruths or half-truths that are constantly circulated about it. If your level of understanding of astrology has been what the newspapers put out ( on the comic pages, usually...), this article should be mind-boggling. If you've read a few magazine articles, you'll find a few things you may not have considered. But if you're a person who's read a number of books about astrology, this article may say nothing new to you OR it may seem like it's not actually about astrology--depends on the books you've been reading.

The first truth about astrology I want to share is that no one has only one Sign. Let's say you were born on April 15th. You'd be expected to say, "I'm an Aries." Well, that's true as far as it goes but it just doesn't go far enough. In fact, if you think that what's said about Aries in the books, magazines or newspapers is "exactly" what you are and only what you are, you really need to look a little deeper into yourself--you're missing a lot!

The fact that you're "an Aries" or "a Capricorn" or "Whatever" is saying that, when you were born, the Sun was in that Sign of the Zodiac. And, it is very important where your Sun was when you were born because the Sun in astrology refers to your Central Life Purpose--can't get much more important than that!

However...

How do you actually go about "doing" that central purpose? The first place to look for an answer to that question is where the Moon was when you were born. And, since there are twelve places (the Signs) the Moon could have been, there are twelve different ways someone with any particular Sun-Sign can Do their central purpose. So, if someone says to me, "I'm a ______{fill in the Sign}.", I want to say (but may not due to tact), "Which of the twelve kinds of ______ are you?"

So, the truth is you have a Sun-Sign, a Moon-Sign, and eight other important Signs because everyone has eight other planets in their full chart. Some of these planets may be in the same Sign (happens often) so most people end up with about four or five of the twelve Signs very prominent in their lives. It's like a chord of notes being sounded--like the truth of psychology that everyone has many sides to their whole self.

An even deeper truth about astrology is that we all have all twelve Signs in our personalities. It's just that certain ones are stronger depending on where the planets are. Still, if someone says to me, "I just can't stand ______{fill in the Sign}!", I really have to wonder why they've met so many screwed-up people with their Sun in _______ OR I have to wonder why they don't like the _______part of themselves. Since everyone has all twelve Signs and they all have a place in our lives, if someone can say they don't like one of the Signs, aren't they also saying they don't like a certain part of themselves? Think about it...

So, we all have all twelve of the energies represented by the Signs of astrology and most of us have four or five of them very prominent in our personalities. One thing this truth shoots down is the common practice of saying that certain Signs get along well or poorly with other Signs. Because most people think your "Sign" (and that we have only one) is all there is to astrology, they can be very surprised when a person with one of the "Signs" they're supposed to get along with turns out to be someone they wish they'd never met! That's why it's so important to know more than just a Sun-Sign if you're going to use astrology to help you with relationships.

And, that leads us to another important truth about astrology. This may be real hard for some folks to understand but here it is: Astrology does not, will not, and never has predicted events. What?! Yes. It's the absolute truth, no matter if some astrologer has "predicted" something for you. What astrology does "predict" or reveal is Meaning. And, if an astrologer tells you something is going to happen, don't you think that if it does there may just be a bit of self-fulfillment in that? O.K. What if an astrologer says some event happened in your past and that, in fact, it did happen? Believe it or not, what happened is that the astrologer saw a meaning in the chart and made a very good guess at the exact event. And, here's some proof of that:

Many years ago, I had the opportunity to talk to two men, born of different mothers but at the same time at the same hospital. Since they had the same chart you'd think they would have had the same events happening in their lives, right? Well, all it takes is one contrary occurrence of something to disprove a theory and here it is:

There was a strong indicator in their charts at a certain time and I asked the first man what happened. He said his father had died. I asked the other man with the same chart what happened and he said he'd been on his first nude beach...

Obviously, the same chart had shown two very different events! Then, I asked the first man (and, by the way, I interviewed these men separately), "What did it mean when your father died?" He said that he'd felt like he'd had shackles removed (his father had been rather authoritarian). I asked the other man, "What did it mean to be on your first nude beach?" He said that he had dropped his shackles... They used exactly the same, and not so common, word to describe what two very different events meant.

So, we all have all twelve Signs and astrology doesn't predict events. Whew!

There are other truths about astrology that most people have no knowledge about but those two should help open a few minds, eh?

It's been 36 years since I was like a lot of people--believing whatever I'd been told about astrology. Now, I know the truth. Fact is, I've finally written a book about what I've learned. It's called, "Astrological Repair Manual", because I want to help repair various perceptions about it that can be pretty harmful if folks think they're true. The book is featured on my web site-- http://www.lulu.com/amzolt

I'll end this article with this piece of advice:

Question most of what you've read or heard about astrology!

Also, I'd love to hear from you with any comments or criticisms you may have about this article. Everything can be improved, right ?

Write to me at:

amzolt@gmail.com

Is Astrology A Real Science?

Astrology is a type of prophetic look into the future using the solar system and bodies in the sky. There are various types out there and by far most of the astrology that you'll find done is anything but real. Yet, true astrology is very perplexing because it can be very real. The celestial bodies can do many things like provide you with the ability to understand, to organize the knowledge, and to interpret the world around you. Often, it is said that the location of various bodies means something.

Traditionally, astrology is based on the relative positions and the movements of the celestial bodies (both real and non existent.) One of the main things that astrology claims to provide is an understanding of personality traits. It is believed that the positions of the celestial bodies in the sky influences many things such as your personality traits, your physical characteristics and even important things that will happen within your life. Some astrologers believe that each person has a predestined life and that that life can be reflected and told from the sky above.

Where did astrology come from? It is believed that the Western form of astrology originated in ancient Babylon and then spread to other nations and to other lands. It was found to be in Greece in the middle of the fourth century BC and then hit Rome before the Christian era began. From there, it spread throughout the world with the Roman Empire.

But, is it real? That is the question that many people want to know. While it is a controversial subject, there can be something to it. For example, for many people, by instilling in them a sense that something is going to happen almost makes it happen. And, for others allowing them to believe today will be a good day that it will be just that. But, often, even without any scientific proof, we can find that astrology is right on the money. While it is likely that astrology will not be able to prove that is works in a controlled study, those that have had astrology work for them believe none the less.

This article was written by T.Potter. You can visit Genuine Astrology for further information and astrology resources.