Westernized Chinese Astrology

by Jaime Silvela, ages and ages ago

So you want to know the secrets of your personality and that of those around you? This page describes a blend of Chinese and Western astrology. This is not a new idea. The view in this page is unconventional, but I hope it’s interesting.

The interesting bits

The view in this page

Given the title of this page, it shouldn’t be a surprise that I favor Chinese astrology. It has been noted by many people that there is an equivalence between Chinese and Western signs, based on the Chinese lunar ascendants. I take this one step further, and base the yearly Chinese sign on the motion of Jupiter, which spends about 1 year on each sign, but not always 1 year. This has also been suggested before. For example in Laurene Petit and Shao-Hin’s series on Chinese Astrology.

Chinese animal Equivalent Western sign
Rat Sagittarius
Ox Capricorn
Tiger Aquarius
Rabbit Pisces
Dragon Aries
Snake Taurus
Horse Gemini
Goat Cancer
Monkey Leo
Rooster Virgo
Dog Libra
Pig Scorpio

How to find your sign

You need to find the positions of Jupiter and the Sun at the time of your birth. You can find this on an ephemeris which you can get in Western astrology guides, or also, online.
Here are online ephemerides.
Your main sign is given by the position of Jupiter. The position of the Sun gives the secondary sign, a more subtle influence.

Once you have them, use the conversion table below to find your equivalent signs. One caveat: if you were born in the Southern hemisphere, you should look at your opposite sign (that is, add or subtract 6 signs from your sign). For instance, an Aussie with the Jupiter in Cancer should consider he has Jupiter in Capricorn. Why, I hear you cry? Well, basically because I said so. But if you prefer your old sign, that’s good too. This is just another pointless but fun pursuit.

Western sign Chinese animal
Aries Dragon
Taurus Snake
Gemini Horse
Cancer Goat
Leo Monkey
Virgo Rooster
Libra Dog
Scorpio Pig
Sagittarius Rat
Capricorn Ox
Aquarius Tiger
Pisces Rabbit

Descriptions of the signs

Rat (Jupiter in Sagittarius)

Quality: Mutable
Dynamic, exploratory, elegant
An explorer
Underlying element: Water
Ethereal perception, spiritual pursuits, atypical rhythm
A liberator
Mastery
Ethereal perception

The Rat is extremely ethereal. It is in touch with its abstract thoughts and feelings and can intuit them in others. It seeks calm to develop and communicate its insights.

As it is a mutable sign, the insights come in quick succession, and the Rat is adept at exploring them quickly and communicating them without belaboring the point. It’s an elegant creature, and hard to pin it down.

Its water element gives the Rat a desire for freedom and a horror of drudgery. The world is a beautiful place, why not launch to the unknown?

Famous Rats

  • Actors: Val Kilmer, Harpo Marx, Kate McKinnon, Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Lee Remick, Jean Arthur, Marlon Brando, Robert Redford
  • Film directors: Atom Egoyan, Ava DuVernay, Richard Linklater, John Carpenter, Mike Figgis
  • Artists: Art Spiegelman, Vincent van Gogh, Francisco Goya
  • Musicians: Kris Kristofferson, Richard D. James (Aphex Twin), Johnny Greenwood (Radiohead), Dua Lipa
  • Scientists/philosophers: Alan Turing, W. Edwards Deming, Nicolaus Copernicus
  • Politicians: Silvio Berlusconi
  • Sports: Nikola Jokić, John McEnroe
  • Writers: Michael Lewis, Neal Stephenson
  • Misc: Jim Henson, Dick Cavett
  • Spaniards: José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Mario Conde, Yolanda Díaz, Karlos Arguiñano

Ox (Jupiter in Capricorn)

Quality: Cardinal
Central, coherent, strategic
A strategist
Underlying element: Metal
Ethereal perception, realistic pursuits, quotidian rhythm
A counselor
Mastery
Ethereal perception

The Ox is extremely ethereal. It is in touch with its abstract thoughts and feelings and can intuit them in others. It seeks calm to develop and communicate its insights.

As it is a cardinal sign, the Ox looks at all the insights exhaustively and works tenaciously to bring them to balance. It is adept at communicating them with coherence. It’s a master of strategy, and people count on the Ox as it’s always there.

Its metal element gives the Ox a desire for belonging and protection, and a desire for daily routines. The world is a dangerous place, why not study it steadily every day?

Famous Oxen

  • Actors: Marlene Dietrich, Jack Nicholson, Vivien Leigh, Sigourney Weaver, Tilda Swinton, Gerard Depardieu, Jennifer Garner, Richard Burton
  • Film directors: Charles Chaplin, Robert Bresson, Pedro Almodóvar, Sam Peckinpah
  • Artists: Walt Disney
  • Musicians: Ludwig van Beethoven, Bono, Mark Knopfler, Bruce Springsteen, Paco de Lucía
  • Scientists/philosophers: Karl Marx, Henri Poincaré, Douglas Engelbart
  • Politicians: Bibi Netanyahu,Richard Nixon, Malcolm X, Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Margaret Thatcher
  • Sports: LeBron James, Gregg Popovich, Lewis Hamilton
  • Writers: Oscar Wilde, Haruki Murakami, Emily Brontë, Neil Gaiman, Albert Camus
  • Misc: Mary Tyler Moore, Johnny Carson, Anna Wintour, Mark Zuckerberg
  • Spaniards: Rodrigo Rato, Perico Delgado, Pedro Sánchez, Alberto Núñez Feijoo, Fernando Torres, Almudena Grandes

Tiger (Jupiter in Aquarius)

Quality: Fixed
Bold, episodic, poetic
A seer
Underlying element: Fire
Sensual perception, realistic pursuits, atypical rhythm
A conqueror
Mastery
Atypical rhythm

The Tiger is extremely drastic. It has fast-twitch reaction time and gets on things right this minute. It can be imperious, though when its reflexes are not tingling, it’s gregarious.

As it is a fixed sign, the Tiger is receptive to signs from the ether, and seeks a vision of what to do with its life. Once the vision arrives, the Tiger becomes illuminated and goes in pursuit, reciting its new mantra.

Its fire element gives the Tiger a desire for belonging and protection, and passion and vividness. The world is a dangerous place, why not ride to the sound of the guns?

Famous Tigers

  • Actors: Groucho Marx, Meryl Streep, Olivia Colman, Marylin Monroe, Romy Schneider, Jim Carrey, Bill Murray, George Clooney, Christian Bale, Anthony Hopkins
  • Film directors: William Wyler, Max Ophüls, Terry Zwigoff
  • Artists:
  • Musicians:
  • Scientists/philosophers: Albert Einstein, James Clerk Maxwell, Immanuel Kant, Donald Knuth
  • Politicians: Queen Elizabeth 2nd, Charles de Gaulle, Stalin, Barak Obama
  • Sports: Mark Spitz, Carl Lewis
  • Writers: Aaron Sorkin, George Eliot, Agatha Christie, Walt Whitman
  • Misc: Evel Knievel, Lady Di, Sam Altman, Nijinski, Nureyev, Alan Greenspan
  • Spaniards: Juan Carlos I, Javier Clemente, Candela Peña, Ada Colau

Rabbit (Jupiter in Pisces)

Quality: Mutable
Dynamic, exploratory, elegant
An explorer
Underlying element: Wood
Sensual perception, spiritual pursuits, quotidian rhythm
An instigator
Mastery
Spiritual pursuits

Also known as Cat or Hare.

The Rabbit is extremely spiritual. It believes the world is a beautiful and benign place full of possibilities. It wants to find inspiration and avoid empty labor, and inspire others to be free.

As it is a mutable sign, the Rabbit’s musings about possibilities come in quick succession, and the Rabbit is adept at exploring them quickly and taking quick action without overstaying its welcome. It’s an elegant creature, and hard to pin down.

Its wood element gives the Rabbit a desire for warmth and comfort and steadiness. The world is a beautiful place, why not enjoy the open possibilities every day?

Famous Rabbits

  • Actors: Cary Grant, David Mitchell (comedian), Ralph Fiennes, Ingrid Bergman, Tom Cruise, Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Tony Leung
  • Film directors: Yasujiro Ozu, David Fincher, Francis Ford Coppola, Orson Welles, Quentin Tarantino, Vincente Minelli
  • Artists: Leonardo da Vinci
  • Musicians: Lady Gaga, Frank Sinatra, Tina Turner, Edith Piaf, Juliette Gréco, Billie Holiday, Geir Jenssen (Biosphere)
  • Scientists/philosophers: Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Nietzsche, Johannes Kepler
  • Politicians: Abraham Lincoln
  • Sports: Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Tadej Pogačar, Kylian Mbappé, Rafa Nadal
  • Writers: J.R.R. Tolkien, Goethe, George Orwell, Miguel Cervantes
  • Misc: Steve Wozniak, Erwin Rommel, Jordan Peterson
  • Spaniards: Penélope Cruz, Vicente del Bosque, Isabel Preysler, José Antonio Primo de Rivera, Jordi Évole, Ferrán Adriá, Carles Puigdemont

Dragon (Jupiter in Aries)

Quality: Cardinal
Central, coherent, strategic
A strategist
Underlying element: Water
Ethereal perception, spiritual pursuits, atypical rhythm
A liberator
Mastery
Spiritual pursuits

The Dragon is extremely spiritual. It believes the world is a beautiful and benign place full of possibilities. It wants to find inspiration and avoid empty labor, and inspire others to be free.

As it is a cardinal sign, the Dragon looks at all the insights exhaustively and works tenaciously to bring them to balance. It is adept at communicating them with coherence. It’s a master of strategy, and people count on the Dragon as it’s always there.

Its water element gives the Dragon a desire for calm and understanding and a horror of drudgery and routine. The world is a beautiful place, why not launch to the unknown to understand it?

Famous Dragons

  • Actors: Al Pacino, Jean Smart, Ian McKellen, Mike Myers, Juliette Binoche, Brad Pitt, Kate Winslet, John Cleese, Gregory Peck,
  • Film directors: Agnès Varda, Kathryn Bigelow,
  • Artists: Salvador Dalí, W. A. Dwiggins,
  • Musicians: Lauryn Hill, Serge Gainsbourg, Kendrick Lamar, Bela Bartok, Rihanna, Chopin, Julianna Barwick
  • Scientists/philosophers: Georg Cantor, René Descartes, Élie Cartan, Hermann Grassman, Alexander Grothendieck
  • Politicians: Francisco Franco, Viktor Orbán, Nigel Farage, Tito (Josip Broz Tito),
  • Sports: Luka Dončić, Novak Djokovic, Tiger Woods, Garry Kasparov,
  • Writers: Ayn Rand, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Walter Tevis
  • Misc: Jeff Bezos, Maureen Dowd, Robert McNamara,
  • Spaniards: Arturo Pérez Reverte, Camilo José Cela, Jaime Mayor Oreja, Emilio Butragueño, Ana Belén, Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez (MAR)

Snake (Jupiter in Taurus)

Quality: Fixed
Bold, episodic, poetic
A seer
Underlying element: Metal
Ethereal perception, realistic pursuits, quotidian rhythm
A counselor
Mastery
Quotidian rhythm

The Snake is extremely steady. It has the capacity to detect subtle changes spread in time, and reacts to them steadily and subtly. It does not do things right this minute, nor does it expect that from others.

As it is a fixed sign, the Snake is receptive to signs from the ether, and seeks a vision of what to do with its life. Once the vision arrives, the Snake becomes illuminated and goes in pursuit, reciting its new mantra.

Its metal element gives the Ox a desire for belonging and protection, and for calm and understanding. The world is a dangerous place, why not study it steadily every day?

Famous Snakes

  • Actors: Audrey Hepburn, Keanu Reeves, Edward G. Robinson, Robert Downey Jr., Henry Fonda, Jeff Goldblum, Isabelle Huppert, Maggie Cheung
  • Film directors: John Ford, Stanley Kubrick, Hayao Miyazaki, Jim Jarmusch
  • Artists: Pablo Picasso
  • Musicians: John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Frank Zappa
  • Scientists/philosophers: Paul Krugman, Max Planck,
  • Politicians: Lenin, Julius Caesar, Vladimir Putin, Giorgia Meloni, Martin Luther King, Mao Zedong, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Henry VIII, Tony Blair
  • Sports: Bruce Lee, Miguel Induráin
  • Writers: Jean Paul Sartre, Robert Pirsing, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf
  • Misc: Richard Stallman, Stephen Colbert, Noam Chomsky
  • Spaniards: José María Aznar, Joaquin Leguina, Miguel Primo de Rivera, Alfonso Guerra, Victor Erice, Plácido Domingo, Santiago Abascal, Andreu Buenafuente

Horse (Jupiter in Gemini)

Quality: Mutable
Dynamic, exploratory, elegant
An explorer
Underlying element: Fire
Sensual perception, realistic pursuits, atypical rhythm
A conqueror
Mastery
Sensual perception

The Horse is the most watchful of signs. It observes and quickly captures situations in detail. It has great reflexes and dexterity. It communicates vividly. Given its taste for variety, the Horse is destined for popularity and adventure. Horses are worldly, burning with desire to succeed in their careers and relationships. They are benign protectors of their loved ones and will go on many adventures. When trouble strikes, Horses are quick and decisive, and they expect gratitude and adoration. Yes, Horses are stars, just so multi-talented and cool.

Famous Horses

  • Actors: Jackie Chan, Steve McQueen, Dennis Quaid, Alicia Silverstone, Myrna Loy, Robert Mitchum, Grace Kelly
  • Film directors: Clint Eastwood, Billy Wilder, John Cassavettes, Michael Haneke, Josef von Sternberg
  • Artists:
  • Musicians: Aretha Franklin, Kanye West, Igor Stravinski
  • Scientists/philosophers: Richard Feynman, Thomas Edison,
  • Politicians: Bernie Sanders, Theodore Roosevelt, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Xi Jinping, Slobodan Milosevic, Yasser Arafat
  • Sports: Muhammad Ali, Babe Ruth
  • Writers: Marquis de Sade, Jane Austen, Lord Byron, J.K. Rowling, Aldous Huxley
  • Misc: Oprah Winfrey, Thomas Friedmann, Martha Stewart, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Howard Stern
  • Spaniards: Felipe González, Jordi Pujol, Álex de la Iglesia, María Teresa Campos, Rosa María Sardá, Ana Botella, Santiago Segura, Pablo Motos

Goat (Jupiter in Cancer)

Quality: Cardinal
Central, coherent, strategic
A strategist
Underlying element: Wood
Sensual perception, spiritual pursuits, quotidian rhythm
An instigator
Mastery
Sensual perception

The Goat is, like the Horse, a most watchful sign. It is steadily observant and captures the reality of situations in detail. It is spontaneous and goes with the flow. The Goat is often highly skilled thanks to its observation capabilities coupled with its deliberative quality. It tends to become a pervasive presence in its social circles.

The Goat is genuine and not that interested in social convention. It is not so focused on worldly goals, though money is appreciated as a buyer of autonomy and beautiful things. The Goat can be very tolerant and thoughtful. It appreciates persons individually and hates “strings attached” and labels.

Famous Goats

  • Actors: Jessie Buckley, Barbara Stanwyck, Teresa Wright, Bruce Willis, Sean Connery, Harrison Ford, John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn, Bill Hader, Laurence Olivier, Eric Idle, Michael Palin
  • Film directors: Michael Mann, Martin Scorsese, Jean-Luc Godard, Ingmar Bergman, Werner Herzog, Jean Renoir
  • Artists: Velázquez
  • Musicians: Taylor Swift, Carl Orff, George Harrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Billie Eilish, Carlos Kleiber, Paul McCartney
  • Scientists/philosophers: Carl Friedrich Gauss, Ken Thompson, Gottfried Leibniz, Évariste Galois
  • Politicians: Augustus, Emmanuel Macron, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Joe Biden, Angela Merkel, Mikhail Gorbachev, Benito Mussolini, Harry S. Truman
  • Sports: Mike Tyson, Bobby Fischer, Kobe Bryant
  • Writers: Franz Kafka, Marcel Proust, J.D. Salinger, Mark Twain, Alice Munro
  • Misc: Steve Jobs, Harold Bloom, Warren Buffett
  • Spaniards: Maruja Torres, Mariano Rajoy, Javier Solana, Iñaki Gabilondo, Antonio Gala, Ana Pastor, Antonio García Ferreras, Eduardo Mendoza

Monkey (Jupiter in Leo)

Quality: Fixed
Bold, episodic, poetic
A seer
Underlying element: Water
Ethereal perception, spiritual pursuits, atypical rhythm
A liberator
Mastery
Atypical rhythm

The Tiger is the most drastic sign, together with the Monkey. It switches from passiveness to activity in a split second, and will throw all its energy in the pursuit. Or it may stop or switch direction at any point. Its fixed quality gives it a love for the poetic vision, the single simple purpose. The Tiger seizes a vision with fervor and becomes almost innocent and childlike in its clarity. It’s spectacular to watch. Given the underlying Fire element for the Tiger, it’s tremendously popular and joyful. It’s fireworks.

At their worst, though, Tigers are simplistic, incurious, loud, and after cheap thrills. When they don’t have a vision, they’re shiftless.

The Monkey is the most drastic sign, together with the Tiger. It switches from passiveness to activity in a split second, and will throw all its energy in the pursuit. Or it may come to a spectacular stop. Given the underlying Water element for the Monkey, in times of passiveness it can be positively contemplative and blissful like a sage. But when the Monkey is on the offensive, it’s no holds barred. The Monkey tends to take big swings, putting all of its eggs in one basket. Thanks to its analytical mind and its unconventionality, it may get spectacular wins, but at times it will fail thunderously. It makes for a captivating spectacle.

Famous Monkeys

  • Actors: Robert de Niro, Elizabeth Taylor, Will Ferrell, James Stewart, Willem Dafoe, Debbie Reynolds, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ashley Judd, Patricia Arquette, Peter O’Toole, Ian Holm, Catherine Deneuve, Setsuko Hara, Austin Butler
  • Film directors: Howard Hawks, Terrence Malick, Federico Fellini, Eric Rohmer, David Lean, Lars von Trier, Andrei Tarkovsky, Jaques Tati
  • Artists: Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Crumb
  • Musicians: Richard Wagner, Herbert von Karajan, Sinéad O’Connor, Joni Mitchell, John Williams, Mick Jagger, Jim Morrison
  • Scientists/philosophers: Leonhard Euler,Blaise Pascal, Søren Kierkegaard
  • Politicians: John Kerry, Gerhard Schröder
  • Sports: Magnus Carlsen, Björn Borg, Kawhi Leonard
  • Writers: William Shakespeare, Ian Fleming, Umberto Eco, Sally Rooney
  • Misc: Pope Leo 14th, Pope John Paul 2nd, Bill Gates, Peter Thiel, Rudy Giuliani, Joe Rogan, Greta Thunberg, Anthony Bourdain,
  • Spaniards: Carlos Alcaraz, Julio Iglesias, Pablo Iglesias, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, Macarena Olona, Rocío Jurado, Ramón Trecet, Baltasar Garzón, Manuela Carmena, Francisco Umbral

Rooster (Jupiter in Virgo)

Quality: Mutable
Dynamic, exploratory, elegant
An explorer
Underlying element: Metal
Ethereal perception, realistic pursuits, quotidian rhythm
A counselor
Mastery
Realistic pursuits

The Rooster is the most worldly sign. It is focused on career and relationships, burns for success and wants to be a protector of loved ones and guarantor of material security. Given its taste for variety and its analytical capabilities, it will become a valued member of various communities, where it will love to dispense advice and get involved. It gets pretty bossy, and at times crudely frank. Despite its analytical criticism, it is traditional at heart, and places great importance in manners and respect. The Chinese call the Rooster the small Dragon, and legend says that it is capable of digging food out of the ground by force of its perseverance.

Famous Roosters

  • Actors: Daniel Day-Lewis, Tom Hanks, Carrie Fisher, Carole Lombard, Michael Caine, Jean Paul Belmondo, Gene Tierney, Jaqueline Bisset, Danny DeVito, Frances McDormand, Michael Douglas, Will Smith, Gillian Anderson
  • Film directors: Frank Capra, Roman Polanski, Wes Anderson,
  • Artists: Albrecht Dürer
  • Musicians: Thom Yorke (Radiohead)
  • Scientists/philosophers:
  • Politicians: Alexander the Great, Jaques Chirac, Thomas Jefferson
  • Sports: Larry Bird, Paolo Maldini, Pat Riley, Severiano Ballesteros, Steffi Graf, Eddy Merckx, Martina Navratilova
  • Writers: Victor Hugo, Sylvia Plath, William Faulkner
  • Misc: Harry Houdini, Tucker Carlson, Kim Kardashian, Carol Burnett, John Glenn
  • Spaniards: Ana Rosa Quintana, Felipe VI, Pau Gasol, Pío Baroja, Antonio Muñoz Molina, Isabel Pantoja, Adolfo Suárez, Silvia Intxaurrondo, Montserrat Caballé

Dog (Jupiter in Libra)

Quality: Cardinal
Central, coherent, strategic
A strategist
Underlying element: Fire
Sensual perception, realistic pursuits, atypical rhythm
A conqueror
Mastery
Realistic pursuits

The Dog is extremely groupal. It is focused in getting ahead in the material world, succeeding in its career and its relationships. Its drastic quality may make the Dog competitive about its successes. Given its deliberative mind, the Dog will be aware of how everyone else is doing and may want to keep up with the Joneses. But it is also loyal, and a central presence for its loved ones, who will count on the Dog to defend then from the brutal and scary world. When not worrying about the world, the Dog can be fun loving and wonderfully gregarious, but at times it may want to hog the center spot, and may become aggressive if it feels challenged in its control.

Famous Dogs

  • Actors: Ryan Gosling, Owen Wilson, Jodie Comer, Jennifer Lopez, Lucy Liu, Shirley Maclaine, Sylvester Stallone, Edward Norton, Carrie Coon
  • Film directors: David Lynch, Wong Kar-Wai
  • Artists:
  • Musicians: Michael Jackson, Prince, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Sebastian Bach, Beyoncé Knowles, Cher, Madonna
  • Scientists/philosophers: Cicero
  • Politicians: Donald Trump, Winston Churchill, Martin Luther, Joan of Arc, George Washington, Otto von Bismark, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George Patton
  • Sports: Serena Williams, Michael Schumacher, Phil Jackson, Hristo Stoichkov, Zlatan Ibrahimovic
  • Writers:
  • Misc: Larry King, Dolly Parton
  • Spaniards: Iker Casillas, Carmen Maura, Nacho Duato, Marisa Paredes, Eusebio Poncela, Carlos Alsina, Javier Bardem, Máximo Pradera, Willy Toledo

Pig (Jupiter in Scorpion)

Quality: Fixed
Bold, episodic, poetic
A seer
Underlying element: Wood
Sensual perception, spiritual pursuits, quotidian rhythm
An instigator
Mastery
Quotidian rhythm

Also known as Boar.

The Pig is extremely steady. It has the capacity to detect subtle changes spread in time, and reacts to them steadily and subtly. It does not do things right this minute, nor does it expect that from others.

As it is a fixed sign, the Pig is receptive to signs from the ether, and seeks a vision of what to do with its life. Once the vision arrives, the Pig becomes illuminated and goes in pursuit, reciting its new mantra.

Famous Pigs

  • Actors: Ava Gardner, Humphrey Bogart, Sharon Stone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ethan Hawke, Hugh Laurie, Glenn Close, Gary Oldman, Rupert Everett, Donald Sutherland
  • Film directors: Steven Spielberg, Alfred Hitchcock, Julio Medem, Rob Reiner
  • Artists:
  • Musicians: Hoagy Carmichael, Britney Spears, Elvis Presley, David Bowie, Marianne Faithful, Jerry Lee Lewis
  • Scientists/philosophers: Santiago Ramón y Cajal, Alain de Botton
  • Politicians: Napoleon Bonaparte, T.E. Lawrence, Ronald Reagan
  • Sports: Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Andre Agassi, Johan Cruyff, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Marco Pantani
  • Writers: Leo Tolstoy, Jonathan Franzen, Jack London, Ernest Hemingway, Stephen King
  • Misc: Linus Torvalds, Al Capone, David Letterman, Chuck Yeager, Marshall McLuhan
  • Spaniards: Javier Gurruchaga, Lola Flores, Iván Espinosa de los Monteros, Gabriel Rufián, Alberto Ruiz Gallardón, Manuel Fraga Iribarne, Jose Borrell, Julia Otero, Victoria Abril, Massiel, Nancho Novo, Maribel Verdú

The Philosophy of the Signs. Qualities and Elements

I like the Chinese signs better than the Western signs, but Chinese astrology gets at times excessively convoluted and esoteric (wink, smiley face). The Western zodiac is better organized even if it’s less inspired. What follows is a synthesis, keeping a Chinese view of the signs and elements, but systematized in a Western way.

I pick and choose the bits I like, like a magpie. While there are books and pages that attempt to reconcile the Western and Chinese view, and I have borrowed liberally from them, I think that my view is largely original.

Roles: the Qualities

If you put the 12 signs on a circle, and make a set taking every third sign, you get the three Qualities. The qualities express a sign’s role. Each Quality applies to four signs, which make a square if you draw them in the circle of the zodiac.

Qualities don’t exist as such in Chinese astrology, though there are analogues (see the comparison section below). In Chinese astrology, seasons begin with the equivalent of the Fixed signs, and the equivalents of the Cardinal signs conclude seasons. I like this sequencing of Qualities better than the Western one, where Cardinals initiate seasons.

Different signs of the same Quality have conflicting relationships. On one hand they play a similar role and take inspiration from each other; on the other hand there is a fundamental discrepancy in their temperaments, and that can lead to friction.

Some people will tell you that this friction is a good thing for long term relationships, to keep the spark alive.

Western Quality Signs
Fixed Tiger, Snake, Monkey, Pig
Mutable Horse, Rooster, Rat, Rabbit
Cardinal Dog, Ox, Dragon, Goat

Fixed

Signs
Tiger, Snake, Monkey, Pig
Characteristics
Bold, poetic, episodic
A seer

These signs listen to a sign from the ether to give them a clear single purpose. When have a clear purpose, they are bold in single pursuit, and appear in relief, illuminated. They can drop startling nuggets of simple truth.

These are the hedgehogs, not the foxes. They put their eggs in one basket, and win big or lose big. This makes them spectacular to watch. When they are in passive mode, waiting for a vision, these signs live in the here and the now, and are almost malleable by others.

At their best, these signs are poetic, distilling all into a simple mantra and manifesting it boldly. At points they appear childlike and transparent.

At their worst, they’re bold without the poetry, and they engage in empty sensationalism. They can be simplistic, even puerile. If they lack the vision they can become erratic, or can leave everything behind as if it was a previous life.

Mutable

Signs
Horse, Rooster, Rat, Rabbit
Characteristics
Dynamic, elegant, exploratory
An explorer

These signs see a multiplicity of paths ahead of them that they want to explore quickly. They are mercurial and hard to pin down. The mutables are the explorers. Variety is the spice of life. They are spunky and quick to start. They have quick reaction times and are the most dynamic.

When things are going well, the mutables are full of variety and elegance and richness. They see so much that they like, and they adopt it. They see a green light telling them Go, and are perpetually curious.

At their best, they develop an ability for the quick touch, settling issues in the blink of an eye. They don’t belabor the point and are elegant in their variety and speed.

At their worst, they have the dynamism without the elegance, so they don’t know when to stop, can be hotheaded and inconsistent, or may engage in games of equivocation to trick others. Or they have the elegance without the dynamism and you get dandyism.

Cardinal

Signs
Dog, Ox, Dragon, Goat
Characteristics
Central, coherent, strategic
A strategist

These signs occupy a central spot. They’re there, they don’t hide, people know where to find them, people count on their presence. “The buck stops here.” might be a motto. They like to feel indispensable.

The cardinals take a panoramic view from their central spot. They take it all in, and work tenaciously to make everything cohere, getting rid of inconsistencies. The cardinals can be solid team members content to run the show discreetly. But they can also crave the recognition, in which case they can become controlling, attention seeking, even tyranical.

At their best they are a solid substrate for others, have ability to strategize and study issues deeply, bring coherence and harmony, and can be resolutive without excessive wheel turning.

At their worst they have the centrality without the strategy, and you get someone who overstays their welcome and has empty discourse or is taciturn. Or they have the coherence without the centrality, and you get someone who overcomplicates things and is anxious, plodding, too timid to get started.

Complementaries

Something I like about the Chinese way is the emphasis on complementary qualities, in the form of Yin / Yang, instead of opposite qualities.

Not that I have figured out a good way to tell which is Yin and which is Yang, so I won’t use Yin / Yang in my synthesis. What I do take to heart is that there are always two complementary sides to the coin, not opposites. To prepare for the introduction of the Elements, here are some pairings of complementaries-not-opposites which have a Myers-Briggs feel to them, but are better than Myers-Briggs, or at least that’s what I wish to tell you.

Perception and expression

Sensual
Sensual people see the world through their body and their senses. They perceive the world as it presents itself. They seek and provide warmth and comfort.
Sensual people can become too attached to their senses, rendering them too prosaic and turbulent, and unable to just let perceptions percolate and clarify.
Sensual are less in touch with their inner disembodied thoughts. They hate insipidness and discomfort, and may become epicurean and indulgent.
At their best, sensual people are warm, gallant, spontaneous, compassionate.
At their worst, they can be incurious, indulgent, unruly, turbulent.
Ethereal
Ethereal people are more meditative, and see the world from their disembodied self. While a Sensual person might concentrate on pain or joy, an Ethereal person might concentrate on ennui or overall harmony. Ethereal people need calm to see clearly. Constant stimuli may wear them down.
Ethereal people can become too attached to their abstractions and lose sight of the sensual and vivid, rendering them cold and joyless
At their best, they are curious, calm, insightful, foresighted.
At their worst they can be coldly analytical, speculative, unsympathetic, joyless.

Motivation and action

Realistic
Realistic people see the world as a dangerous place full of conflict and constraint. They become protective of their loved ones and provide a sense of belonging, and in turn they look for the same things back.
Realistic people can become hardened and cynical, unable to listen to the truth, and devoid of inspiration.
Realistic people fear abandonment and strife and idleness, and to avoid those things they may at times indulge in conformity and drudgery.
At their best they are firm, protective, provide a sense of belonging, are aware of the dangers in the world, are well informed.
At their worst they can be authoritarian, overprotective, cynical, conventional, uninspired.
Spiritual
Spiritual people see the world as a benign place full of possibilities and wonder. They seek freedom and inspiration, and they want to provide the same for their loved ones.
Spiritual people can be fragile, withdrawing in the face of conflict or taking the easy way out.
Spiritual people dislike captivity and conformity and uninspired labor, and to avoid those things they may become withdrawn or rebellious or distracted.
At their best, they are free, truthful, tolerant, inspired, open to the wonders ahead.
At their worst the can be distant, secretive, willful, eccentric, neglectful, unrealistic.

Direction and rhythm

Angular
Focus on having grand missions and grand periods of leisure, so that days are clearly different.
At their best, people with grand missions drastic people act quickly with the necessary force, settle issues in the moment and let bygones be bygones.
At their worst, they can be imperious, can become bored and leave things unfinished.
Steady
Focus on having quotidian adventures and quotidian periods of leisure, where days look like each other.
At their best, steady people act subtly, settle issues in a phased way, and don’t expect peope do what they say right this minute.
At their worst, they can be weak, and string others along without clarity. They can become stuck in a rut, and be rancorous.

Harmonies: the Elements

If you put the 12 signs on a circle, and make sets taking every fourth sign, you get the four Elements. The Elements express the temperament of a sign. Signs with the same underlying element are harmonic. Each element underlies three signs.

Underlying element Signs
Fire Horse, Dog, Tiger
Metal Rooster, Ox, Snake
Water Rat, Dragon, Monkey
Wood Rabbit, Goat, Pig

Fire

Signs it underlies
Horse, Dog, Tiger
Season
summer
Characteristics
Sensual perception, realistic pursuits, atypical adventures
A conqueror

Fire people are physical. They are in touch with their body and seek pleasure. They are warm and vivid.

Fire people are realistic. They are ready for the dangers of the world, are firm, provide a sense of belonging for their loved ones.

Fire people are drastic. They don’t like half measures, and will go headlong in pursuit of goals, or will suddenly stop or change direction.

At their best, Fire people are warm, friendly, popular, happy, protective of their loved ones, and meet conflict with courage. They live for moments where their courage is needed.

At their worst, they are imperious, boisterous, bossy, sycophantic, thin skinned, incurious.

Metal

Signs it underlies
Rooster, Ox, Snake
Season
autumn
Characteristics
Ethereal perception, realistic pursuits, quotidian adventures
An advisor

Metal people are ethereal. They are in touch with their thoughs and seek calm and insight.

Metal people are realistic. They are ready for the dangers of the world, are firm, provide a sense of belonging for their loved ones.

Metal people are steady. They don’t like abrupt changes, and prefer to pursue goals incrementally and sustainably.

At their best, Metal people are insightful of the troubles of reality, they are steady and can enact routines for their loved ones to succeed. They live for a steady and quotidian sense of protecting and understanding their loved ones.

At their worst, they are nagging, coldly manipulative and cynical, conventional, joyless.

Water

Signs it underlies
Rat, Dragon, Monkey
Season
winter
Characteristics
Ethereal perception, spiritual pursuits, atypical rhythm
A liberator

Water people are ethereal. They are in touch with their thoughs and seek calm and insight.

Water people are spiritual. They are truthful and kind, seek inspiration, and need freedom.

Water people are drastic. They don’t like half measures, and will go headlong in pursuit of goals, or will suddenly stop or change direction.

At their best, water people are honest and understanding, of themselves and others. They are curious about the spiritual, about science and knowledge. They live for moments where their open mindedness and insight are called for.

At their worst, they are imperious, unpredictable, withdrawn, cold, hurtful.

Wood

Signs it underlies
Rabbit, Goat, Pig
Season
spring
Characteristics
Sensual perception, spiritual pursuits, quotidian adventures
An instigator

Wood people are sensual. They are in touch with their body and seek pleasure. They are warm and vivid.

Wood people are spiritual. They are truthful and kind, seek inspiration, and need freedom.

Wood people are steady. They don’t like abrupt changes, and prefer to pursue goals incrementally and sustainably.

At their best, Wood people can find vividness and joy in daily life, are warm and, genuine and tolerant. They live for a steady and quotidian sense of cultivating their loved ones.

At their worst, they are nagging, needy, incurious, hurtful, indulgent, distant.

Seasons and specialties

The organization of the elements into signs by harmonic elements is my nod to Western astrology. In Chinese astrology, though the grouping into Elements is based on seasons, the harmonies follow the same pattern as the Western Elements. By this I mean that if in Western astrology, say, the Air signs of Gemini, Libra and Aquarius are harmonic, in Chinese astrology the corresponding signs of Horse, Dog, and Tiger, are harmonic though they are considered to have different Elements.

In a nod to the Chinese way, let’s consider grouping the signs according to their season.

Season Seasonal element Signs
Summer Fire Goat, Monkey, Rooster
Autumn Metal Dog, Pig, Rat
Winter Water Ox, Tiger, Rabbit
Spring Wood Dragon, Snake, Horse

Each sign has an underlying element and a seasonal element which combine accentuating some aspects and moderating others. Each sign gets one aspect accentuated.

For example, the Rat has underlying Water and seasonal Metal. Metal and Water both are ethereal, so that aspect gets accentuated. Metal is groupal and Water is individual, so that aspect is moderated. Metal is steady while Water is drastic, so that aspect is moderated.
The Ox has underlying Metal and seasonal Water, and the Metal and Water combination accentuates the same aspects and moderates the same aspects as in the case of the Rat.

Area of Mastery

Ethereal perception
Rat (underlying Water, seasonal Metal)
Ox (underlying Metal, seasonal Water)
Atypical rhythm
Tiger (underlying Fire, seasonal Water)
Monkey (underlying Water, seasonal Fire)
Spiritual pursuits
Rabbit (underlying Wood, seasonal Water)
Dragon (underlying Water, seasonal Wood)
Quotidian rhythm
Snake (underlying Metal, seasonal Wood)
Pig (underlying Wood, seasonal Metal)
Sensual perception
Horse (underlying Fire, seasonal Wood)
Goat (underlying Wood, seasonal Fire)
Realistic pursuits
Rooster (underlying Metal, seasonal Fire)
Dog (underlying Fire, seasonal Metal)

Chinese astrology also has harmonies and qualities

The information in this section about Hidden Elements and seasonal characteristics is not widely written about in Chinese astrology books and pages.

I got the information from Classical Five Element Chinese Astrology Made Easy by David Twicken, published by Writers Club Press, 2000. I don’t follow it fully, but this is a book I found really helpful to reconcile Western and Chinese astrologies.

Harmonies: Hidden Elements

Here is the table of seasons from the Seasons section:

Seasonal element Signs
Fire Goat, Monkey, Rooster
Metal Dog, Pig, Rat
Water Ox, Tiger, Rabbit
Wood Dragon, Snake, Horse

The seasons here are at odds with Chinese astrology books, since in Chinese astrology the seasons are assigned differently. Spring is considered to begin in February and end in April. Summer is considered to star in May.
This is how it looks:

Chinese seasonal element Signs
Fire Snake, Horse, Goat
Metal Monkey, Rooster, Dog
Water Pig, Rat, Ox
Wood Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon

Harmonic trios in Chinese astrology are handled with “Hidden Elements”, with the signs at the middle of Chinese seasons, i.e. the Rat, Rabbit, Horse, and Rooster, having no Hidden Element, being considered pure manifestations of the Element.
For example, the Horse is considered the paradigm of Fire, and the harmonic signs of Dog and Tiger are said to have Hidden Element Fire.

Element Embodied in Hidden in
Fire Horse Dog, Tiger
Metal Rooster Ox, Snake
Water Rat Dragon, Monkey
Wood Rabbit Goat, Pig

This matches the table of underlying elements from the Elements section:

Underlying element Signs
Fire Horse, Dog, Tiger
Metal Rooster, Ox, Snake
Water Rat, Dragon, Monkey
Wood Rabbit, Goat, Pig

Qualities: Earth and Yin/Yang

In Chinese astrology there is a fifth Element: Earth. It is considered to represent a combination of the other Elements, and it doesn’t really have a season. Its “season” is the end of each of the other seasons. Since in Chinese astrology, spring is considered to end in April (Dragon), summer in July (Goat), autumn in October (Dog), and winter in January (Ox), it means those animals are considered to be native Earths. Which means that in Chinese astrology, the Earth Element corresponds to the Western Cardinal quality.

We saw previously that the signs of Horse, Rooster, Rat, and Rabbit are considered pure manifestations of their underlying element. These correspond to the Western Mutable Quality.

Lastly, in Chinese astrology, spring is considered to begin in February (Tiger), summer in May (Snake), autumn in August (Monkey), and winter in November (Pig). These signs are considered to have Yang energy, as they are the initiators of seasons. Compared to the pure signs, they have some more stability, expressed by a Hidden Element Earth (Yang). These signs correspond to the Fixed Quality in Western astrology.

Speaking of Yin and Yang, the pure signs of Horse, Rooster, Rat and Rabbit are considered Yin. And of the Earth signs, half are Yang (Dragon and Dog), half are Yin (Ox and Goat).

Essence Yin / Yang Hidden elements Signs
Yang Yang Underlying element, Yang Earth Tiger, Snake, Monkey, Pig
Element Yin - Horse, Rooster, Rat, Rabbit
Earth Yin / Yang Underlying element Dog, Dragon (Yang Earth) Ox, Goat (Yin Earth)

For example, the essence of the Horse is the Fire element. The essence of the Tiger is that it’s Yang, and has hidden Fire and hidden Earth (adding stability). The essence of the Dog is Earth (Yang), and hidden Fire.

The table above strongly resembles the table in the Qualities section:

Western Quality Signs
Fixed Tiger, Snake, Monkey, Pig
Mutable Horse, Rooster, Rat, Rabbit
Cardinal Dog, Ox, Dragon, Goat

We got to this point in the Qualities section with a lot less trouble. Not to mention that if Earth and Hidden Elements seem obscure, the Yin and Yang is read differently from different perspectives. In this section we’ve said, for example, that the Horse is Yin. However, the Horse is often also regarded as Yang, and strongly so.

Ah well.