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What
is Chinese Astrology? The cycles that are encountered over the course of a lifetime are referred to as your "Luck Pillars". They illuminate which cycles are more favourable and which are more difficult, and the prevalent themes of these time periods. With this information, we attain a glimpse as to the likely outcome of a situation and how to negotiate these time periods when they arise. In times of growth, we can proceed more confidently, whilst in challenging times where can proceed with care, caution and discretion. The
influence of each year can also be deduced, 2007 being the Chinese
Year of the Fire Pig. This yearly information is also woven into the
matrix of analysis. The four pillars also has special emphasis to
Feng Shui as a person's favourable elements can be ascertained, this
being important in recommendations and choice of colour, décor
and furnishings. This knowledge can bring harmony as well as strengthen
a person's living environment. Recommendations of an unfavourable
element can create imbalance and disharmony. Because it is elementally
based and considered to be one of the eight limbs of Traditional Chinese
Medicine, one of its strengths is ascertaining health qualities and
trends, and therefore recommendations can be made accordingly. Specific
healing modalities particular to a client's physical and mental blueprint
can also be identified to facilitate the healing process. Four pillars
astrology can also be used in selection of auspicious dates to maximise
success for example, for opening ceremonies, starting a business,
marriage, travelling times, buying homes, and so on. This is a skill
highly regarded by the Chinese and involves reference to the Chinese
Almanac or ''Tong Shu'' for selecting auspicious dates.
Written by Vic Ketis (Chinese Astrologer). The Chinese year of the Rat begins on February 4, 2008. This is the beginning of the Solar year in the Chinese calender. The Lunar new year however falls on a different date every year. The influences of the Rat year have been felt since the month of August 07 and are intensifying in their impact. GLOBAL TRENDS & POLITICS Traditionally the Rat is the first animal of the twelve year cycle of animal of the Chinese Zodiacal system. Therefore it represents birth of the new, or rebirth from the remains of the old. The Year of the Rat is one of two midpoints of the Yin Yang cycle. We have reached the darkest point of the cycle, the place where Yin energy reaches its height the intense concentration of internality. As a global consciousness we have moved through a dark night where we have confronted aspects in the shadow. How they have been dealt with and integrated will form the foundation of the new cycle, which comes at a critical time period, the time of completion reflected by the theme of the Age we are in called the Age of 8. We are now preparing for rebirth into the Yang part of the cycle where after having distilled and incubated deep psychological change we are now ready to take action and project ourselves into the world based on renewed personal authentic values and goals.This is also consistent with the 20 year social theme of the current time period we are in what is called the Age of 8. This is the last trigram in the series of 9 where there is a time of ending and rebirth. The last age of 8 saw the period of the reformation. 2008 is also the Uranus opposition to the Pluto Uranus conjunction of the 1966. 1966 was the middle of the era of the 60's and early seventies that saw tremendous social, psychological and political change across the globe. Are we reflecting on that time era and noticing that there is the urge for change present in the collective and personal psyche. This is reflected by the demands the people are now placing on governments with emphasis on addressing environmental and humanitarian issues such as climate change, reduction of war conservation and sustainable energy to name but a few. Nowhere was this more evident in the change of Government here in Australia. The new Rudd Labor government's platform was the environment and education overriding the old era of the Howard government. We have also had governmental and leadership changes in many countries this year including Japan, Croatia, England, Argentina and France. The pivotal point will be the major upcoming election in 08 in USA, which will see the Democrats led by either Hilary Clinton, Barack Obama or John Edwards, pitted against Rudi Guiliani or one of the numerous other Republican possibles. The theme of the times is the ''new'' and seems that Obama has the edge, especially recently with the backing of Oprah Winfrey. Obama is young AND inexperienced, yet fresh and charismatic having been compered to John F. Kennedy in his approach. Obama, being black, faces similar obstacles to Kennedy who was Catholic, and up until his election, USA had never had a catholic president. He had to overcome this prejudice. Barack Obama is also the representative of the theme of the current and upcoming era. He is young, seen as the rising star of American politics, and whose emphasis is humanitarian. The tide of the times could run in his favor. The current time era runs from 2004 -2024 and is called the Age of 8'' in Feng Shui. Its major themes are the rise of the young men with vision, integrity and spirituality and humanitarian values. It also indicates the end of a major era and the rebirth into the next. Therefore with the upcoming presidential election, America and the world is faced for the first time in the history of the modern world with the prospect of a woman or black man as president. A huge shift in consciousness that reflects the revolutionary shifts of the time and this will bring up any issues in the shadow. Similar prejudices may surface, to the one America was confronted with Kennedy. However this will give the opportunity to confront and deal with any issues and in the shadow. Australia it seems has no prejudices with the possibility of a woman Prime minister as the rise of Julia Gillard being almost unnoticed. The 60's also saw huge change in government leadership and policy and changes in the collective psyche. JFK was elected President in 1960 and quickly formed many enemies for his radical approach and innovative policy. His policies were not consistent with the foreign policy of the time such as the Vietnam War and the situation with Cuba. He was assassinated in 1963, and his bother Bobby who was to run for the presidency in 1968 was killed in this year, as was Martin Luther King. Interestingly the pivotal year of the 60's was 1966, the Year of the Horse. The upcoming Year is the astrologically significant 42-year opposition of this year, and being the Rat the themes of the times are very similar. America was confronted with pulling troops out of Vietnam and ending the war there. The theme is the same with the situation in Iraq. The opposition in the 60's was the communists, the current era, the Muslim extremists (or so we are led to believe). The I Ching definition of the age of 8 is that things are bought to completion: "He brings things to perfection in the sign of Keeping Still'' Any completion is followed by rebirth. Interestingly the end of an era is also signalled by the Mayan calender, which indicated 2012 as the critical year. This is almost the midpoint of the age of 8. Politics aside, central to the chances of any candidate from an astrological standpoint is does the person have the potential to be president. Do they have the ''Pillars of a President''? A candidate may appear strong however do they have the astrology. Unfortunately John Kerry in 2004 did not, nor does Al Gore, who has been so successful recently with his film and global campaign highlighting the issue of climate change and Global warming, (also Age of 8 themes!) THE RELATIONSHIP OF ELEMENTS FOR THE YEAR Chinese Astrology, as with all systems of astrology, is based upon the cyclical nature of the change and transition of energy. The basis of the Chinese system of understanding energy is based upon the 5 elements, these being Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Their complete system of philosophy and medicine is based upon the understanding of the dynamics and interactions of these elements. It can also be applied to Astrology. Chinese Astrology literature refers to the characteristics of an animal in looking at the upcoming year and the trends that may ensue. This will become very evident in January where much will be written, much of the information of a superstitious nature. Human characteristics and psychology is of course much more complex. Each moment of time is represented by two characters a Heavenly Stem and an Earthly Branch. Therefor at each moment of time there are 4 combinations of 2 characters, thus it is called the Four Pillars. They represent your year, month, day and hour of birth. These characters are interpreted singly, and in relationship to each other. The interpretation however is much more complex than what is often expressed in most Chinese Astrology literature. As each year is represented by 2 characters which reflect elements. This can give a general idea as to what sort of energetic influences we can expect and how they may manifest an all levels, from the global to the personal. This year is the Year of the Rat and the accompanying Stem is Earth. 2007 was the year of the Pig and was the first element of the water cycle of elements. In the Year of the Rat we reach the Peak of the water cycle before the transitional year of the Earth element Ox and then we move into the wood season. The last year has been dominated by discussion of water, its scarcity, the possibility of rising sea levels, and its conservation. With the year of the Rat we can expect this to continue as many governments are adopting policy changes in this area. The emphasis globally as David Suzuki indicated in his National Press Club Address (Oct 06) is ''water, water, water'' and this is consistent with the year being a water year. However this year being the peak of water season can also bring water problems around the globe such as floods and landslides, torrential rains etc. The consequence of the Earth heating up is that heat creates energy and this then makes for a more dynamic atmosphere and as such we can expect more weather extremes and intense weather such as storms etc. The Stem of the Year being (Yang) Earth. This represents the stability and coherency of the physical earth. As this element is associated with strong water we can expect the earth to be weakened and unstable. Changes a plenty can be expected this year as we experience instability of the earth element. But because it is associated with the strong water of the Rat in 2008, the earth will be weakened and unstable bring many changes, perhaps via crisis and instability. This is especially evident in the second half of the year as we move into strong metal and water months. Earth represents houses and buildings in general and the collapse of the subprime mortgage market tips America into a recession and it seems this may very much be the case as the earth element is unstable. The Federal Reserve Governor Ben Bernanke also has a huge challenge in his chart so his year will not be stable and he will be challenged to keep America's economy on an even keel. If America does in fact head into a recession then this of course will filter down to all levels. George Bush in his last year in office, and having a horse in his Four Pillars so it is expected that his year also will be unstable. It doesn’t seem that the incoming President will have an easy task and most challenging issue will be the health of the economy. A country's fortune and destiny always follows the astrology of the Prime Minister or President. The Destiny of Australia seems smooth for 2008 with Kevin Rudd at the helm. However he comes into change and instability in 2009 and especially 2011. We can expect the stability and growth bought by the Howard years to change markedly in the coming years. John Howard has a very stable and coherent chart. Kevin Rudds chart is much more challenging and we will wait to see how he manages the country coming into its challenging years. During a water year, the earth element can be weakened as the fire upon which it depends for support is under clash. Therefore proper diet and looking after the digestive organs of the stomach and spleen become important. It is very important always to eat well and follow a good diet, but it is particularly emphasised this year. Less heavy food which can place burdens on the digestive system are best avoided. Food of an Asian style quality, lighter cooking and plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits are recommended. RELATIONSHIP TO THE STEMS AND BRANCHES Clash
with Horse Penalty
with Rabbit Relationship
to other Animals Rat
stimulates the Travelling Star of the Tiger The Lunar New Year falls on February 7 this Year. The Chinese Lunar New Year is the date of the New Moon closest to February 4. This is the time when the Chinese celebrate the New Year. The Chinese Lunar New Year date is the very first date on every page of the 10,000 Chinese calender. February the 4th is the start of the Solar Year which is the halfway point between the solstice and the equinox. ''In the western system of Astrology this midway point is known in ancient times as cross quarter day- an extra potent time for prayers and ceremony. It is also in the time of when the sun is moving through the sign of Aquarius, a time of when daylight grows in the Northern Hemisphere, associating this sign and the time of year with hope and progress. Aquarius is the third air sign in the Zodiac, concerned with ideals and innovations affecting the collective'' Most ChinEse Astrology books indicate the dates the Year begins. However if you are born in late January or in February before the 4th, the year is still the previous Chinese Year. The energy changes on Feb 4th every year when the sun goes into the constellation of the Tiger. Interestingly this Year the new moon also coincides with an eclipse. Eclipses bring change, insight, sometimes something sudden happening that awakens you to a new journey or something that need to be addressed. Eclipses can also trigger separation & change from something that you have got stuck in, something can be let go, if something has happened you can begin to let it go. Having a strong Lunar component they involve letting go of something that is no longer an appropriate aspect in life. Often there is a significant global event or the loss of a prominent person around the time of an eclipse. During the last eclipse series in late August and September 07, Luciano Pavarotti died, Steve Fossett went missing, and numerous global leaders either resigned or were ousted including the Prime Minister of Japan and Russia. If an eclipse falls on a planet or angle in your Western Astrology birth chart or close to your birthday, you can expect change, loss awakening in the area of life that it falls in the chart or movement into a new direction.
The following people could be in the news for various reasons or experience difficulty as they have a Horse inside their Four Pillars, or the Rat manifests in a challenging way Muhammed Ali Also
the element is unfavorable/ challenging for David Hicks, Elle Mc Pherson,
Natasha Ryan & Britney Spears As the year is the combination of the elements of strong water, the area that will be illuminated this year is the heart and the Kidneys. The heart seems particularly susceptible as it fire element is under attack from the water element.However each chart must be considered on its own merits and configuration of energy to see how it will affected. The influence of the Luck pillar must also be considered. At the time of writing numerous people in the public eye have reported heart problems or died from this.The fire element is under clash and may manifest in health concerns in the following ways: • Fire- Heart, eye, Nervous
system including the brain Food that strengthens the fire element is recommended such as corn, polenta, and bitter food. Cooked foods are also recommended as they are easier for the body to digest and also are warm which helps to balance an energetically cold year. •
Fire opens into the tongue, therefore important in governing speech.
It governs the ability to speak from the heart and to experience love
and unity. The fire element rules the ability to be compassionate,
the willingness to open up to another person, the ability to love
and be vulnerable. Healthy fire relates to a balanced spirit and the
ability to express love and joy, to experience the feeling of wellbeing
and connectedness. The nature of a Fire element person is they like
to feel connected, a sense of fusion
Written by Vic Ketis (Chinese Astrology lecturer). At each moment in time, the energies that are affecting the planet can be listed and their qualities and dynamics interpreted. Events can also be interpreted such as September 11, the sinking of the Titanic, stock market crashes and the Tsunami disaster. The Four Pillars on Boxing Day 2004 @ 7.59am Banda Aceh Indonesia was: Hour
Day Month Year At each moment of time there are Four Pillars of information. This is represented by eight characters ie four combinations of Stems and Branches. From the Four Pillars on this day, a number of things can be deduced that reflect the events: 1. The three strongest Pillars, the Year, the Month and the Day are all in elemental clash between the stem and the branch indicating a day of disharmony and instability 2. The strongest element in the chart is the Rat, because it is the element of the season. It is strengthened by the yearly metal branch of the Monkey. This indicates that water is very strong in its influence and it comes from underneath 3. The water influence is stronger still as the Dragon also combines with the Rat and the Monkey as part of the water combination of elements 4. The Rat and the Rabbit side by side in this configuration are also a clash or penalty situation reflecting disharmony 5. The Earth element (representing the earth) is very weak as it is under attack from the strong Wood element and weakened by the strong Water element. It has no support from its elemental foundation of Fire. In this situation, the Earth is weak, active and unstable. Unstable earth is frequently seen on days of earthquakes and is particularly prevalent on this day 6. Two Earth elements in the stems indicate more than one land mass is affected In conclusion we can see an imbalance of Water element, unstable Earth and huge clashing elements in the chart triggering an earthquake as the Earth element is weak and unstable. The instability comes from beneath and rises up. The dominating Water indicates the tidal wave. For those interested in the western astrology interpretation, Mars which represents accidents, was in a conflict aspect with Uranus (representing sudden unexpected shocking events like earthquakes), on a day of the full moon when the logical mind is in deficit. Much has been said of the lack of warning even though the signals were there. Chiron (the planet of wounding and healing) is in tight aspect to Pluto (destruction) and Saturn (rebuilding) at this time as well. This event is also consistent with the age we are in. Chinese Astrologers also look at cycles of time according to twenty year periods. This is used predominantly in Feng Shui and the current time period which started in 2004 is represented by the Earth element. This means a greater increase in earth quakes and shifts to the land mass as whenever there is an increase in Earth, there is a disaster possible. The current era also relates to children and the theme of children has been prevalent around this disaster. As has the issue of spirituality, which the disaster has raised. People are asking how can God allow something like this to happen, how can God allow so much suffering. Whether these questions can be answered is a deeply theological one but that the question has been asked is what’s important. It may not be a question that can be answered, but the questioning and engagement into the theme can guide us into the mystery, take us into a deeper experience of the spiritual realms. Here there are not so much answers but deeper illuminations, insights and perhaps further questions into the realm of human destiny and experience. It is interesting to ponder that the word ''disaster'' means ''against the stars''.Also the disaster has galvanised governments and people to come and work together in aid, medical service and relief, which is very much a spiritual theme. It is difficult to say why and what triggers the events on this day as there can be many days like this that have similar qualities, some perhaps even worse. What is the trigger for this day in particular? This is one of the mysteries as predictive astrology, which can indicate trends, but we never know exactly when or how the energy will manifest itself. It
is interesting to ponder the work of David Suzuki. He has spoken of
the relationship between energy in a molecule. If the path of an electron
is artificially altered then another electron in the same molecule
will alter its path to compensate. I believe this translates to all
levels of energetic life. For example if there is a bomb dropped somewhere
on the globe then there will be an adjustment somewhere else to compensate
such as an environmental or human tragedy. The world can be viewed
as a living connected energetic unit. The natural state of the universe
is unfoldment, evolution, and balance and the universe will seek to
restore balance.
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Chinese Astrology provides an insight into a person’s
life showing how they view the world, their relationships, creativity,
status, resources, money, career and health as well as their strengths
and weaknesses. It is also used as a tool for forecasting events and
for predicting a person’s major life transitions.
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