Constellations of the Chinese Zodiac

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

The ancient Chinese astrologers worked with little or no contact with those of the Greek world. This relative isolation means the constellations we know in the western world are unheard of in Chinese astrology. They have a system entirely of their own. The astrologers of ancient China divided their sky into 31 sections or regions. The three sections, which make up the north celestial pole are called the Three Enclosures. The stars in these areas can be seen at all times throughout the year. Each of the Three Enclosures has a name and rules a specific area of the night sky. The first Enclosure is referred to as Purple Forbidden Enclosure. This section governs the northernmost area of the sky. In ancient China, this was the middle of the sky. Next is the Supreme Palace Enclosure, which lies to the east and the north of Purple Forbidden Enclosure. Finally, the Supreme Palace Enclosure dominates the area to the West and South. The remaining twenty eight regions are together, referred to as the Twenty-Eight Mansions. Together, these sections are reflective of the movements of the moon in a lunar month. Each visible star in the sky is assigned to one of 283 asterisms. The name of a star is constructed by taking together the name of the assigned asterism and the number of the star. The Twenty-Eight Mansions are grouped into what is known as the Four Symbols. Each symbol holds an equal number of mansions. These symbols are The Azure Dragon of the East, The Black Tortoise of the North, The White Tiger of the West, and The Vermilion Bird of the South. Each of the Twenty Eight Mansions is named in both Traditional Chinese and Pinyin. While the meaning of the names can be translated into English, the actual names are not. Labels: Astrology, Chinese, Constellations, Zodiac

posted by Tommy @ 04:50   0 comments

Astrology Terms Astrology may or may not be "science", depending on who you ask. But, one similarity it does bear to science is a large collection of terms. Natal charts and horoscopes can be as simple as "your sun sign is Gemini." Or, they can be extremely complex, taking into account exactly where and when the individual was born, where each of the planets, sun, and moon were positioned at that moment, and then measuring how each of those bodies relate to each other. The starting point of any astrology work is the Sun Sign. This is one of the twelve signs of the Zodiac, and is the constellation the Sun was passing through when the person was born. A Horoscope, as far as the public is concerned, is that little nugget of advice printed with their sign in the newspaper. But the full Horoscope as designed by the astrologer is more than that. It's a complete map of the planets with regards to the constellations and to each other. Once the planets have been mapped, their Aspects can be measured. The Aspect is the measure of the angle formed by drawing lines between the planets. The two most important Aspects are the Conjunction (which is a very small measure, less than ten degrees), and the Opposition (a very large measure, nearly 180 degrees). The Houses are equivalent to the signs of the Zodiac, but they're also dedicated to certain aspects of the person's life. One House is devoted to finances, another to health, etc. Each planet orbits the sun at a different speed. Mercury, right next to the sun, races around it in a matter of weeks, while Pluto plods along in an orbit that takes centuries. Occasionally, the Earth will pass a planet, and it will seem to be "moving backwards." Think of riding a fast train while passing a slow moving one - the slower train will appear to be backing up, even though it's moving forward. This optical illusion is called Retrograde, and these periods of backwards motion show up in horoscopes and action. Labels: About Astrology, Astrology, Astrology Terms posted by Tommy @ 04:41   0 comments Enter your search terms Submit search form