It’s important to note that astrology is just a way of looking at personality traits and characteristics, and that people of any sign can exhibit a wide range of traits and behaviors. That being said, there are some general tendencies that may be associated with people of a certain sign. So how do the traits of Chinese astrogy fit in with Western astrology?
There are many other factors in astrology further influencing people, but at a high level: where Chinese astrology is strongly associated the year you were born (within a 12 year cycle) Western astrology is heavily influenced by your sun sign which roughly related to the month. So how does this affect personality traits?
Here are some potential differences between people of the same signs that are born in different Chinese zodiac years:
• Those born in the Year of the Rat: These individuals may be ambitious, intelligent, and resourceful. They may be good at planning and organizing, and may have a strong sense of determination.
• Those born in the Year of the Tiger: These individuals may be confident, courageous, and independent. They may be ambitious and may have a strong sense of leadership.
• Those born in the Year of the Ox: These individuals may be reliable, patient, and hardworking. They may have a strong sense of responsibility and may be good at managing resources.
• Those born in the Year of the Rabbit: These individuals may be gentle, compassionate, and kind. They may be diplomatic and may have a strong sense of balance and harmony.
• Those born in the Year of the Dragon: These individuals may be energetic, confident, and charismatic. They may be ambitious and may have a strong sense of leadership.
• Those born in the Year of the Snake: These individuals may be intelligent, wise, and perceptive. They may be analytical and may have a strong sense of intuition.
• Those born in the Year of the Horse: These individuals may be intelligent, talkative, and energetic. They may be independent and strong-willed, and may be a bit impulsive at times.
• Those born in the Year of the Goat: These individuals may be gentle, compassionate, and kind. They may be artistic and may have a strong sense of creativity.
• Those born in the Year of the Monkey: These individuals may be intelligent, curious, and energetic. They may be quick-witted and may have a strong sense of humor.
• Those born in the Year of the Rooster: These individuals may be confident, hardworking, and responsible. They may be organized and may have a strong sense of punctuality.
• Those born in the Year of the Dog: These individuals may be loyal, honest, and reliable. They may be conscientious and may have a strong sense of justice.
• Those born in the Year of the Pig: These individuals may be sincere, honest, and kind. They may be intelligent and talented, and may have a strong sense of responsibility.
Aries (March 21 – April 19): This year will bring new opportunities for growth and success, but be prepared for some challenges along the way. Keep a positive attitude and stay focused on your goals.
Taurus (April 20 – May 20): This will be a year of hard work and determination for you, Taurus. Stay focused on your career and don’t let any setbacks discourage you. Your persistence will pay off in the end.
Gemini (May 21 – June 20): It’s time for you to spread your wings and try new things, Gemini. This year will bring exciting opportunities for adventure and personal growth. Embrace change and don’t be afraid to take risks.
Cancer (June 21 – July 22): This year will bring new challenges and responsibilities, Cancer. It’s important to stay organized and manage your time effectively. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
Leo (July 23 – August 22): This will be a year of self-discovery and personal growth for you, Leo. Take some time to reflect on your goals and priorities. It’s a great time to make positive changes in your life.
Virgo (August 23 – September 22): This year will be a busy one for you, Virgo. Stay focused on your goals and be prepared to put in some extra effort to achieve success. Remember to take breaks and take care of yourself along the way.
Libra (September 23 – October 22): This will be a year of change and new beginnings for you, Libra. Embrace the unknown and be open to trying new things. It’s a great time to take risks and follow your passions.
Scorpio (October 23 – November 21): This year will bring new opportunities for growth and success, Scorpio. Don’t be afraid to take charge and make things happen. It’s a great time to focus on your career and set some long-term goals.
Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21): This will be a year of adventure and exploration for you, Sagittarius. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and try new things. It’s a great time to travel and broaden your horizons.
Capricorn (December 22 – January 19): This year will bring new challenges and responsibilities, Capricorn. It’s important to stay focused and organized in order to achieve success. Remember to take breaks and take care of yourself along the way.
Aquarius (January 20 – February 18): This will be a year of personal growth and self-discovery for you, Aquarius. Take some time to reflect on your goals and priorities. It’s a great time to make positive changes in your life.
Pisces (February 19 – March 20): This year will bring new opportunities for growth and success, Pisces. Don’t be afraid to take risks and follow your passions. It’s a great time to focus on your career and set some long-term goals.
Once you have some idea how what a birth chart looks like and what the elements mean, the next step is to figure out how to put it all together to make sence of it and read it so it has some value. Here is an example of a birth chart reading to get you started.
A true reading of a birth chart should start with a discussion with the individual as our lives are shaped by many things, and our perceptions about the world are remarkably individualistic. In this example birth chart, we can see some major themes in the 11 house, which is the House of Friendships. Hopes and Wishes and the 5th house, House of Pleasure. In reading this chart, these would be the main areas of the chart to focus on and a discussion should start here, but we should not ignore other aspects of the chart.
There are some strong planets in Sagittarius in a powerful house (7th House of Partnerships) and Jupiter with a background of Leo in their 3rd House of Communication.
All this suggests broadly that the person’s outward appearance and how they conduct themselves in life may belie their deep inner conflicts and rich inner life.
Your initial discussion with this person may give you the impression that the person is quite philosophical about the whole thing. But it is worth digging deeper to see how they might be able to improve their lives.
Chiron, Black Moon Lilith, and Saturn in the 11th house and mostly Pisces, which is a sensitive and spiritual sign. These are in opposition to the Moon, Pluto, Uranus, and Mars in Virgo and in the 5th house. The Moon and Mars are powerful together and play big parts. These are strong, ever-present themes in this person’s life.
Basic Interpretation
It may be tempting to assume there may be some deep childhood wounds that are causing difficulty for this person the ability to let oneself go to be free, both in social situations and to pursue their passions be carefree with child-like wonder for the world. But we don’t see anything in the fourth house, which is the house of Home and Family. It doesn’t mean that this is not a reasonable thing to assume, only that there are no influences here.
They may aspire toward the idealism of responsibility and maturity, perhaps attend to their families and fulfill obligations at work. Yet at times may feel very alone with their commitments, and struggle with relaxing around others, and battle resentment because they not only have a strong desire, particularly with Mars edging on Libra, but a strong need to follow their passions and pleasures.
At times this person may just go off the rails in love, pursue their passion, whether it be a partner, their children, or even their outside interests, but these pursuits may be hampered by the ability to trust or empathize. At times they may become intolerant, and wish to be alone, and yet they have a strong desire and need to connect.
They may find themselves with a rich inner life and may be prone to mood swings at times that at times are hidden by a calm exterior.
With their Sun in Sagittarius, they may be philosophical about these conflicts and outwardly appear wise, calm, and self-possessed. Yet when they open up, people are surprised by the thoughts and desires they express. With Venus in Sagittarius, this may play out in some of their relationships. Inwardly with their moon in Virgo, and Mars in Libra, cannot quite express their love for their partners as deeply as they feel. Moreover, they may feel they love too much and too hard and therefore must always hold back.
But all is not conflict. With Jupiter in Leo, they have a great deal of wisdom and strength and can call on these qualities to keep balanced. Neptune and Mercury show calmness, wisdom in their communication in Scorpio at work and in the community.
Driven by internal conflicts, they keep these conflicts in check with wise and philosophical intellect that can provide strong coping strategies. They may find working acts more of a break from their inner world.
They may even find that people are drawn to their leadership, as they may be driven to solve problems, rather than rule people and may do it with all the grace and enthusiasm of Jupiter in Leo, and a smirk and desire for mischief as a Sun in Sagittarius tends to be.
Pluto may act as a modifier toward becoming reconciled with these two opposing drives in life, and change and transformation in this area are possible.
Neptune and Mercury in Scorpio in the 6th house (House of health) may balance their conflicts. It might be suggested this person might benefit greatly by taking up some kind of sport as a way to manage stress and act out conflict in a safe arena if they are not doing so already.
True North Node with a background in Taurus, stands relatively alone and is in the twelfth house, the House of Undoing.
Interestingly, this person’s spouse, who they greatly admired and learned many lessons in life from was a Taurus and died relatively early in life.
The death causes significant upheaval in many areas of their lives for years to follow. Interestingly there are only positive aspects in connection. The person may be asked to reflect more deeply on the lessons learned from their spouse. Perhaps they need to reconnect with the truly important things of life.
It is here that they will learn to see be aware of their inner darkness, and that their destiny is to bring harmony from the chaps by learning to connect with life and depend on this connection to the world on a more sensuous and earthly level.
Their midheaven points to Aquarius, suggesting that their main and highest contributions to the world in their lives may in as an idealist and a reformer for the good of others, perhaps having learned from their personal experiences and conflicts.
True Interpretations and the Value of a Reading
Only through discussion can there be any value. You may see things in the chart that doesn’t ring any bells for the person this chart belong to. Sometimes it’s because you may touch on something they are defensive about and are not ready to address.
In these cases, no manner of pushing will get them to see it. They will stay blind until they the Universe decides they are ready. There is simply nothing that can be done. At best you can suggest events in their lives may change and to be open to addressing later.
Other cases, it’s you the reader who is not understanding the connections how not interpreting them in the right way. What you may think is love attachments with people, may be a passion love for a vocation or an ideal.
When you go forward with a person be gentle, be open yourself to the possibilities.
Finally it’s a mistake to assume all conflicts need to be addressed. People with conflicts in their start charts have dealt with who they are all their lives. It shapes the very way they see the world, and will, like all of us, believe this is how we all are. As an interpreter, you too are blinded by your own assumptions.
The trick is to stay open. The value of a reading is to open up hidden paths inward that may have been inaccessible before. Trust in the Universe to let them know the direction they should be going, trust in the person whose chart you are reading. They have the deepest intimate connection with themselves.
