Lesson 1: Introduction To Chinese Astrology - The Basics
Putting it All Together - The Natural Correspondences of the Animals to Element and Polarity
Now that we have more of the basics under our belts, here is a list of the natural correspondences of each animal sign with respect to element and polarity:
- The Rat - Yang Water
- The Ox - Yin Earth
- The Tiger - Yang Wood
- The Rabbit - Yin Wood
- The Dragon - Yang Earth
- The Snake - Yin Fire
- The Horse - Yang Fire
- The Goat (called Sheep in your text)- Yin Earth
- The Monkey - Yang Metal
- The Rooster- Yin Metal
- The Dog- Yang Earth
- The Pig - Yin Water
First of all, the yang signs are more assertive and aggressive than the others. You can expect that a Rat, Tiger, Dragon, Horse, Monkey or Dog will stand up for their beliefs and fight more readily than will the Ox, Rabbit, Snake, Goat, Rooster or Pig! Secondly, as Fire is more aggressive, the Snake is more likely than the other yin signs to be expressive and assertive. Next in line is the yin metal sign - the Rooster, which is known for expressiveness. You may think it is counterintuitive that the Rooster is a yin sign - but look at how the Rooster communicates. The Rooster always has a special finesse about him - which makes him yin.
Now, if we look at the animals that have the same element- we will see that they are yin and yang manifestations of that element. For instance, the Rat is yang water and the Pig is yin water. Both are communicative, but the Rat is more assertive and aggressive while the Pig is more serving and supportive.
The natural element of each animal is called its Branch element - this is never changing and is also taken into consideration when analyzing a 4 Pillars chart as we will see in the next lesson.
Yet another way of looking at the animal signs is by natural house, as described on page 14 of your Chinese Astrology kit. The six houses are Creativity, Development, Spirituality, Sexuality, Career, and Home Life. A summary of these houses and animal signs within is as follows:
- Creativity: Yang - Rat, Yin-Ox. The Rat is the starter, and the Ox, the finisher
- Development: Yang - Tiger, Yin - Rabbit. The Tiger conquers by force, and the Rabbit through negotiation and diplomacy
- Spirituality: Yang - Dragon, Yin - Snake. The Dragon is the magician and the Snake, the mystic
- Sexuality: Yang - Horse, Yin - Goat. The Horse represents the masculine principle, and the Goat the feminine
- Career: Yang - Monkey, Yin - Rooster. The Monkey has dexterity and the Rooster, flair and expressiveness
- Home Life: Yang - Dog, Yin - Pig. The Dog builds and protects, the Pig furnishes and makes the home comfortable.
