Chinese Astrology

Lesson 1: Introduction To Chinese Astrology - The Basics

Lesson 2: The Concept Of Fate: Four Pillars Analysis
- Stems and Branches in Chinese Astrology
- The Basic Four Pillars Chart
- Analysis of an Example 4 Pillars Charts - Princess Diana and Saddam Hussein
- Bibliography

Lesson 3: Forecasting The Future Using The Four Pillars Analysis

Lesson 4: An Introduction to Nine-Star Ki

Lesson 5: An Introduction To Zi Wei Dou Shu Astrological Analysis

Lesson 6: Putting it All Together for a Complete Analysis

Lesson 7: A Comparison Between Chinese and Western Astrology

Lesson 8: Astrology and Feng Shui

Lesson 2: The Concept Of Fate: Four Pillars Analysis

The Basic Four Pillars Chart

The Four Pillars method can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), and is still much used in Feng Shui astrology and general analysis today. The Four Pillars or Columns chart is called such as the Chinese writing causes it to fall into columns. Each pillar or column contains a stem and a branch - and each column relates to the year, month, day and hour of birth. The first column refers to the year animal and element, the second to the month animal and element, the third to the day animal and element, and the last to the hour animal and element. Now that you have your Four Pillars chart - the first thing to do is look at the element and year of your birth. Is the element of the year compatible with the natural element of the birth animal? If not, look at where it is in the destructive cycle, and look to the other signs and elements in the Four Pillars chart - remembering that an element in between the two destructive elements can have a positive effect.

Next, look to the yearly animal sign for indications of personality. It is analogous to the Western astrology Sun Sign, and is the biggest influencer of personality and individual type. Now, look for special combinations of animal signs in the 4 Pillars as described on pages 2-3 of the Charts book of your Chinese Astrology Kit. These special combinations are the Four Triangles:

Rat, Dragon and Monkey: This is the triangle of creativity and is often found in the charts of writers, musicians and artists. It bestows great creativity on its natives.
Rabbit, Goat (or Sheep) and Pig: This is the triangle of Home and Family, and it indicates a happy and comfortable home life
Tiger, Horse and Dog: This is the triangle of ambition, and it portends solid business success or success in any chosen field.
Ox, Snake and Rooster: This is the triangle of trade and commerce, and it portends success in marketing, sales, and trade.

All the triangle combinations are considered extremely favorable in one's 4 Pillars chart. The next configurations, the three crosses, are only lucky if you have all four signs. If you are missing one, you will have a lack of that animal element affecting your luck as described on page 3 of the Charts book.:

Rat, Rabbit, Horse, and Rooster: This is the Flowers of Love and indicates power and fame.
Ox, Dragon, Goat(Sheep) and Dog: This is the Literary Cross, and indicates literary and artistic talent and potential.
Tiger, Snake, Monkey and Pig: This is the Four Coaching Posts and indicates continuous travel and luck with travel.

Now, look to see if Yin and Yang and the elements are well balanced in the chart. If not, this individual will have an over abundance of the heaviest weightings. A good way to analyze this is to use this site http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/ch... to calculate the weightings of each element. The element with the least weight is said to be the "lucky" element, or the one that the individual needs to bring into his or her life. Look also to the compatibilities between the animal signs and elements overall.

Look more carefully at the month animal and element - these are said to represent the person's parents, siblings and childhood influences. The day Pillar represents one's marriage and adult life, and the hour Pillar represents one's children and living conditions in later life. Many Chinese astrologers consider the month pillar to be the most important one in determining the circumstances of one's life as adult life is the longest life period.

Now, turn to page 17 of the Interpretations book of your Chinese Astrology Kit and look at the creative element cycle again. This analysis is known as the Attribute Cycle. Using your element cards, place your self element(day stem) at the top of the chart. This element also stands for your friends and competition. For example, let's say this element is Fire. Then, the next element over to the right will be Earth, and this stands for your output or expression. The very next one controls your wealth, and the next your power. The last one before we return to the beginning controls your resources and indicates where necessary resource will come from.

Look again to the Day Stem element and see what supports this element (is immediately preceding it in the constructive cycle). Is this element present in this person's chart? If so, then this is an indicator of a happy life. If not - this person is advised to bring this element into his or her life. We pay special attention to the Day Heavenly (the stems are sometimes called Heavenly Stems) Stem in relation to the Month element and sign - if the Month Stem and Branch are compatible and supportive of the Day Stem and so is the season of birth, then the person is said to be "strong" in his or her Day element. This means times ruled by this element are lucky times for this person. It can be weak by not having other compatible stems and branches in the chart, the person being born in the wrong season, or too much of the preceding element in the creative cycle "draining" it. If it is weak, then the lucky element will be the one preceding it in the creative cycle as it needs creating in this person's life.

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