When thinking about Chinese astrology most people think about the animals of the zodiac or a daily horoscope. Although this is part of it, there is much more to astrology than twelve animals. Here are some of the basic principles of Chinese astrology and their significance.

The Luni-Solar Elements

The first thing to look at is the five elements of metal, water, wood, fire, and earth. Each of these has both a yin form and a yang form, making up the ten heavenly stems. As such, if a year ends in “0″ it is a yin metal, a year ending in “1″ is a yang metal, a year ending in “2″ is a yin water, and so forth. However, it is also worthy of remembering that since the Chinese calendar is based on lunar and solar cycles it is slightly different from the Gregorian calendar, so a cycle may not reset itself exactly on January 1st. The Chinese New Year will take place anywhere between early January and early February.

The Zodiac Calendar

Most people are aware of the 12 animals that make up the zodiac: a rat, an ox, a tiger, a rabbit, a dragon, a snake, a horse, a ram, a monkey a rooster, a dog, and a pig. Like the elements and the yin and yang, each animal is also assigned a year. It takes sixty years to get through all combinations of yin, yang, elements, and zodiac animals, which completes one full cycle. Yang wood rat starts the cycle and yin water boar finishes it each time. This is used to determine how a person will turn out as far as personality or character. Days, months, and hours are also given animals, though, so many different things come into play than simply years.

Celestial Bodies

The alignment and position of the heavenly bodies is also seen as very fundamental. Each planet, excluding Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, is assigned to a different element. Venus is given metal, Mercury is given water, Jupiter is given wood, Mars is given fire, and Saturn is given earth. The stars make up twenty eight constellations tied to Chinese mythology, much like the eighty eight constellations of the Western world. The positioning of the planets and constellations at the time of someone’s birth is said to be able to determine one’s fortune.

Chinese astrology is very complex a subject, and deals with much more than the simple zodiac animals many people know of. This system is still believed by some today both in the Eastern and Western world.