astrology

Chinese Astrology: Determining Your Month, Day and Hour Animal

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The Chinese Zodiac system provides you with a system of Heavenly Stems (one version refers to the Five Elements another to a more complicated configuration) and Earthly Branches. In this method commonly used by astrologers in the Ba Zi or the Four Pillars of Destiny, the Earthly Branches are the Circle of Animals. Each of the 12 animals has a year, month, day and even hour. Since the year is readily available on the internet and in various books and articles, I will look only at the Earthly Branches for the Month, Day and Hour.
Month Rulers
There are twelve animals called “Inner Animals” that represent each month of the year. Their favorable month is as follows:

• Ox: January
• Tiger: February
• Rabbit: March
• Dragon: April
• Snake: May
• Horse: June
• Sheep: July
• Monkey: August
• Rooster: September
• Dog: October
• Pig: November
• Rat: December

Carefully consider the month of your animal. In this time, s/he becomes the most active. As such, it is a favourable month for you. During this period, your characteristics will become more obvious to others.
Day Animals
Chinese animal signs rule over days of the week, too. The term for them is “True Animals.” If your astrologer wishes to prepare a chart, it is essential he or she knows the animals of your day of birth. Given there are only seven days of the week and 12 animals, there is some repetition or doubling up.
The animals for each day are as follows:

• Monday:Sheep
• Tuesday:Dragon
• Wednesday:Horse
• Thursday: Rat, Pig
• Friday: Rabbit, Snake, Dog
• Saturday: Ox,Tiger, Rooster
• Sunday:Monkey

Hour Animals
In preparing a Chinese astrology chart, you also must include the hour of your birth. The term for these animals is “Secret Animal.” The times provided below refer to Western concepts of time. The Chinese system is very different.

• 11am -1am:Rat
• 1am – 3 am: Ox
• 3am – 5 am: Tiger
• 5am – 7 am: Rabbit
• 7am – 9am: Dragon
• 9am – 11am: Snake
• 11am – 1pm: Horse
• 1pm – 3pm:Goat
• 3pm – 5pm:Monkey
• 5pm – 7pm:Rooster
• 7pm – 9pm:Dog
• 9pm – 11pm: Pig

Putting it all Together
As a result, the initial look at your chart would consist of the four animals. They would be your year animal, month animal, day animal and hour animal. Yet, each animal does not have equal weight in your astrological chart. The year animal has more force than that of the month. The month animal has more weight than that of the day. The day animal is more powerful than that of the hour.
Conclusion
In determining your animal, you need to look beyond that of your year. You must also take into consideration the inner or month animal, the true or day animal and the secret or hour animal. By combining these four animals together, you are better able to reach a basic analysis of your character (purely a Western concept). However, if you wish to complete a Four Pillars astrological chart, you will also need to know about the metals associated with each of these four Earthly Branches. In Chinese Astrology, this Five element system forms a component of the Heavenly Stems.