Tag: astrology

The development of Chinese astrology dates back to at least the Zhou Dynasty ( 1122 BC – 256 BC). Some sources claim it began as far back as 2150 BC. The ancient Chinese astrologers began by using the position of planets, moon and stars to accurately predict the change of seasons, and flow of the tides. These predictions were vital to the success of farming at the time, as they were used to predict the best times to plant and harvest crops.

To help them keep track of passing time, the Ten Heavenly Stems and Twelve Earthly Branches were created. These important signs we used to mark the passing of what we know as hours, days, months, and years. During this time in history, only the elite could read and write, so animals were used to symbolize each of the Twelve Earthly Branches.

Legend has it that during the celebration of New Year Buddha was to decide upon the order of animals to be used for the Twelve Earthly branches. He asked all the animals in the kingdom to join him for a meeting. Only twelve animals answered the call of Buddha and attended the meeting.

Buddha granted each of those twelve animals sovereignty over an Earthly Branch. Each animal was to lead the Branch and have influence over those born during its Branch.

We know the Twelve Earthly Branches as “Years”. In the traditional Chinese calendar, these twelve animal signs repeat themselves in a never-ending circle, to remind us that time is a constant and has flow.

The Twelve Earthly Branches are, in order, the mouse, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.

Some ancient Chinese valued the Earth over the stars. These scientists looked for the reasons behind the natural order of things. They agreed that all things had a basis in one of Five elements. To their understanding, all things were made from Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, or Wood.

They examined how these basic elements worked together and against each other. Wood creates Fire, Fire turns to Earth, Earth creates Metal, Metal creates water, and water creates Wood.

Libra is a relatively young sign. 
Originally, in the Zodiac developed by ancient Babylon, there were only eleven signs.  Scorpio took up a double-sized slice of the sky, and was immediately followed by Virgo. 
The mythology relating to Virgo is very difficult to pin down, because there are so many maidens spread across mythology.  The most common, though, have been Ishtar, Demeter, or Astraea.
At some point, Scorpio’s claws were cut from his constellation and attached to Virgo as her scales.  This made Virgo the blindfolded goddess of Justice we know today.  But that still didn’t work, because now Virgo took up an oversized slice of the sky.
The ancient Romans solved the problem by cutting the scales from both Scorpio and Virgo and making them a constellation–and a Sign of the Zodiac–in their own right.  Libra remains the only sign that is not a person or an animal.
The sign of Pisces, a faint constellation, has always been known as two fish.  The Greek myth most likely to be associated with Pisces is the story of how Aphrodite and her son Heros escaped from the monster Typhon.  The pair turned into fish, and tied their tails together to make sure they weren’t separated.  Even today, many depictions of Pisces show a line or bar connecting the two fish.
One of the oldest signs of the Zodiac, Aquarius is widely associated with the Greek myth of Ganymede, the cup-bearer of the gods, and the first mortal ever to be turned into an immortal.  Zeus had a fondness for him, turned into a bird, and swooped down to carry him off to Mount Olympus as their servant, a sort of mythological cabana boy.  Ganymede is surrounded by water constellations.  Near him are Pisces the fish, Eridanus the river, Delphinus the dolphin, and Cetus the sea monster.
 
 

Scorpio is one of the most complex of all the signs.
Scorpio has been known as the Mystic and the Investigator, and the Eagle and the Phoenix have both been associated with this sign.  Scorpios are driven to learn about people, and have an innate ability to see what others can’t.  They are intuitive, passionate, and exciting.  They hate shallow relationships or being taken advantage of, and they are persistent, determined, and focused.
Scorpio has ego.  He knows himself, insults do not phase him.  Outwardly, he’s calm, focused, serene, but inside, he’s boiling.  It’s very difficult to read a Scorpio’s mood by the look on his face, because he has a natural ability to keep the reactions small.  He has ambition, but it’s impossible to tell his goals because they won’t be obvious.  With the ambition, he has the focus and drive to accomplish anything he wants, and when he succeeds, it will seem like it was natural, meant to be, rather than by his will.
More US Presidents have been Scorpio than any other sign.
Don’t ask a Scorpion for advice unless you really want it.  You won’t get false compliments or empty reassurances, you’ll get the cold hard truth.
Scorpio is intensely loyal, and never forgets a favor.  On the other hand, he never forgets being wronged, either.  Hurting a Scorpio is like planting the seeds for your own destruction, because they won’t be satisfied with simply evening the score–he’ll have to outdo the offender.  This is the weakness of the Scorpio–jealousy, resentment, vindictiveness, and obsessiveness are very easy for him to fall victim to.
Scorpio has always been associated with dark things, which is only natural considering their rule by dark, distant Pluto.  But there is a need for someone to show us what is hidden in dark corners of the world and the soul, and Scorpio is the one to do that.

Fire is both destructive and nourishing. On a cold winter day, there is nothing more calming to the soul than curling up by a roaring fire with a good book or cherished love one. On the other side, there is no other force on earth more destructive than a raging, out of control fire. Fire nourishes the human body by providing us heat to cook our food and light with which to see. And, there is nothing more painful than having a part of your body taken by fire or flame.

Fire signs draw attention to themselves. Those under the influence of Fire have charm and charge on their side. They have an infectious enthusiasm that makes them natural leaders, so people just can’t help but to follow them.

They take the role of leader seriously, and do it well. For fire people, managing others comes naturally. They are decisive, compassionate, understanding yet firm.

Fire people make excellent entrepreneurs. They possess the determination, drive and plain stubbornness needed to make a new endeavor thrive in today’s tough business world.

Fire people have an innate ability to see through all of the confusing distractions right to heart of the matter. And, they possess the strength and determination to successfully navigate themselves and their team through any and all obstacles. What they can not finesse around, they will burn though.

Those born to the fire element tend to be restless. They need excitement and novelty to be happy. While they are leaders, they find relationships difficult because fire often lacks the stability needed to sustain close relationships.

Fire rules the circulatory system and the heart, making these top areas of concern. Fire people should take special care to maintain these systems. Carve out time for exercise and meditation each day and pay attention to diet. Fire people tend to hold their stress and so it is important to engage in recreational activities the person finds relaxing.

Nurturing yet dangerous, vital and deadly, water is a ripe with contradiction. In moderate amounts it is a blessing, in over abundance, a curse. Water is the only element with the ability to put out fire and make things grow and thrive.

Water is vital to our very survival. Without water crops wither and die and there is no food. The human body, and in fact, all life on Earth is dependant upon water. Yet, even for life, water has the potential to be deadly. Too much water in the body leads to water intoxication and even death.

It is, however, a delicate balance. Too little water and all life withers and dies with the effects of the hot sun. Too much water chokes out needed oxygen and drowns.

It is for this very reason the element water is represented by the color black.

Water rules intelligence and wisdom. People born under the element water are uncommonly intelligent and capable. For all their wisdom and reasoning ability, water people tend to have difficulty making and sticking to decisions. They tend to over analyze the situation and roll circumstances around in their mind, examining from all sides. This leads to an inability to make up their mind.

It is said that Water rules the Excretory system and has rule over the kidneys. Those with the water element should exercise caution with all things pertaining to their kidneys.

Diplomatic, and intuitive, water people are flexible. They have a special ability to ‘go with the flow’ and are usually easygoing.

Those with the water element make friends easily and do well in social situations. They are charming, and compassionate

These traits coupled with the natural flair for communication of the water sign means those with this element are good leaders, and make good partners.

The tenth sign in the circle of Chinese astrological chart is the Rooster. Like the reputation of its namesake, people born under this sign are usually pretentious, and conceited.

Roosters are almost always preoccupied with their looks. You will never find a rooster with a hair out place, and they are always perfectly dressed. They are attractive, and they like to dress to impress.

Those born to the rooster will be the first to notice when you wear a new outfit. And, when they say you look stunning, they mean it. On the other hand, they are just as likely to notice and comment when you’re not looking your best.

For all this preoccupation with looks, the rooster is equally hard on himself. “You’re your own worst critic” describes the rooster perfectly.

Roosters love to be in the middle of everything. They truly shine when all attention is on them. Throwing a dinner party for fifty of their closest friends is fun and relaxing for them. Don’t forget to bring along a friend or two, as well. Roosters love meeting and impressing new people. They thrive on the unexpected.

Attention to detail is their strong point. Roosters revel in the opportunity to show off their skills with small details. Those with the rooster sign make wonderful lawyers and doctors.

Roosters are typically traight-forward in their dealings with other people. You can always count on them to give an honest opinion. Sometimes to a fault. Their lack of tact can leave others feeling hurt and offended, athough that is not usually the rooster’s intention.

On the other side, rooster people are wise, and compassionate. They are confident in their opinions and judgments. Brave and willing to help, roosters are good people to have on your side during a row of bad luck.

The sixth house of the Chinese Zodiac is the Snake. Snakes are traditionally considered the wisest and most mysterious of all the signs. They are a bundle of contradictions.

Snake people are natural communicators and enjoy stimulating and varied conversations. They easily become bored by every day discussions. To keep the attention of a snake, you must find interesting, new or cutting edge things to talk about. Once you lose their attention, there is no getting it back.

Those born under the sign of snake are gifted at evaluating a situation. They can easily see the underlying nuances of any situation and they use their innate wisdom to evaluate and make judgments.

This makes them wonderfully suited to work in the financial realm. A snake would thrive on Wall Street. They also find happiness studying religion, philosophy, or psychology. They do not do well in repetitive or boring jobs.

Snake people are problem solvers and while they will listen with empathy and openness to the ideas and opinions of others, they are not influenced by those opinions. Snake people make up their own minds and stick to their guns.

Sometimes, however, this strong sense of confidence gets the snake into trouble. They are not good at taking advice, even when they know they need it. This causes the snake to make mistakes they could have avoided simply by hearing the experiences of those they trust.

Ever watchful for the new and unusual, the Snake will be the first person to embrace a new idea or technology. They love the finer things in life, a good book, superb meal, extraordinary music. However, snakes have no patience for activities the view as foolish or frivolous.

Snake people are good friends and good citizens. They believe in helping where they are needed and are patient teachers.

In the Fourth position of the Chinese Zodiac is the Rabbit.

Rabbits are one of the more emotional and sensitive signs. Emotionally delicate, rabbit people dislike busy or aggressive situations. They will shy away from competition and opt instead for spending their energy arranging their private space in the world.

Those born under the sign of Rabbit have a natural ability when it comes to decorating and entertaining. They have an eye for color and interior design, and are wonderfully adept when it comes to planning the minute details of a beautiful event. They always know the perfect place to put that couch, and the perfect thing to say.

Rabbits are the care-takers of the Chinese Zodiac. Rabbit people enjoy caring for those around them. They make great listeners and are usually the confidant of many.

Thoughtful and personable, Rabbits are ideally suited to serve as politicians, ambassadors or diplomats.

Rabbits fit in well in the world of culture and high society. They are well mannered and enjoy the finer things in life.

Because of their sensitive nature, Rabbits get along well with many people, however, in the depths of their hearts, they are reserved and usually prefer to spend their time quietly engrossed in intellectual pursuits.

The gentle nature of those born under the Rabbit make them timid and anxious. They are not risk takers. A rabbit much prefers the routine and known to the unknown.

Sometimes this will lead the Rabbit to miss or pass up new experiences or a good opportunity. They will almost always choose the safe route.

To the Rabbit, there is nothing more important than calm and security. Although, when they are passionate about something, a rabbit will step out of her den and show the strong, confident and unwavering side of her nature. Rabbit people are patient and slow to anger.