Chinese Zodiac and Chinese Astrology

Knowing your zodiac sign relating to Chinese customs and traditions can explain a lot about your individual personality. Everybody is represented by one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac like the rooster. These animals correspond to the rotating 12-year cycle that is essential to the Chinese zodiac. You have likely heard reference to a specific year being the “year of the rooster.” Legend says that these were the animals that appeared before Buddha (or the Jade Emperor, depending on which story you are talking about) in response to an invitation. The Chinese zodiac animals represent the order of each animal's arrival. The legends and stories portraying each animal's expedition are slightly different, but the order that prevails is as follows: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

Chinese astrology goes back thousands of years to ancient Chinese astronomy. The predictions of Chinese astrology signs rely on the Chinese calendar built by Chinese astronomers of ancient times. After some time, Chinese astrologists built an intricate group of beliefs about the effect celestial bodies have on people's day to day lives.  The zodiac animals and the Chinese zodiac calendar arise from Ancient Chinese astrology.

The Chinese calendar doesn't only deal with the 12 animals of the zodiac, but also has additional relationships that are more elaborate and complex. Along with the animals, the Chinese Zodiac also involves 5 elements: metal, water, wood, fire and Earth. These elements are connected with the 5 core planets: Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, and Saturn. The associations that are presented by the elements and the 12 animals actually come together to generate the 60-year chart of the Chinese calendar. This rotation, as well as directions, Yin and Yang, the moon and sun positioning, and a person's date and time of birth are all used to help understand a person's future in more elaborate detail than merely using the zodiac animal as a guide. While the Chinese zodiac calendar is significant, the manner in which the Chinese zodiac elements connect really have to be used to build a full understanding of anyone. To totally and completely understand the Chinese Zodiac, it is important to understand the relationship between all the elements, something most people do not get from an everyday Chinese Zodiac overview.

The understanding that most have of the Chinese zodiac doesn't go far beyond what they see on the place mats covering the tables of their favorite Chinese restaurants. But really, there's a great deal more to understand and know about this ancient doctrine that dates back more than two millennium. The Chinese zodiac is considered a guide to figure out the most ideal and very best matches between people in love and business. Each of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac has specific other animals of the zodiac with which it is thought to be most compatible. Chinese zodiac compatibility is used to make a determination about an individual's best romantic match. It is also necessary to remember there are other features of Chinese astrology beyond which animal you are, that are additionally thought to be imperative in determining those who are most compatible.