Astrology in Eastern cultures is different than it is in Western cultures. There are two main types of astrology that most people use, Hindu or Vedic astrology and Chinese astrology. Both are valid systems of astrology that have similarities to Western astrology and yet are unique to their cultures. The main difference you may know is the Zodiac Signs of Eastern Astrology include the rat, dragon, rooster, etc. whereas Western does not.
Vedic astrology is perhaps the most similar to Western astrology. It uses the same signs and similar dates. The largest difference is that Western astrology uses a shifting or moving zodiac that has adjusted with the slight but constant tilting of the earth’s axis. Vedic astrology claims that this has made the Western zodiac become ‘off’ by 23 degrees which is almost one entire sign.
Vedic astrology also has a belief in predestination, the idea that things are going to happen to you no matter what you do because they are destined to occur in your life. You are linked to everything else in the world and this is what created your cosmic destiny. Dasha’s, or Vedic astrologer’s, believe that this gives them ability to read more deeply into your natal chart and give far more personal and definitive readings than Western astrologers are able to provide. Because they can read your destiny based on the natal chart, they are able to determine a far better when and what will happen in your life.
Chinese Astrology – The Eastern Horoscope Counterpart to the Western Zodiac System
Chinese astrology is the other form of Eastern Astrology that is commonly practiced. It’s not specific to China, in fact it’s practiced in a number of Asian countries such as Vietnam, Burma, Korea, Japan, the Philippines, and Thailand. It is based on a twelve-year zodiac, similar to the Western twelve-month zodiac and each year relates to an animal.
Where the Western zodiac and astrology stops at determining your sign on the basis on your birth date, Chinese astrology does not only year, but month, day and hour. In fact, it is entirely possible to have a different animal for each part. The year covers the natal animal in Chinese astrology, while the month is the inner animal, the day the true animal, and the hour the secret animal.
Chinese astrology is very complex and begins with determining your animal and element by year. Each element is broken down into a yin or yang element, for example those born in 1984 are Rats with a Yang Wood element. Then they determine the month animal, this is considered to be the most important animal in an adults life. The month animals begin on the 4th of February with the Tiger and they roughly coincide with the Western astrological calendar.
Eastern Astrological Signs: The Animals
The days are very simply laid out, Monday is the Goat, Tuesday the Dragon, Wednesday the Horse, Thursday and Rat, Friday the Rabbit, Snake and Dog, Saturday the Ox, Tiger and Rooster, and Sunday is the Monkey.
The last aspect or pillar of Chinese astrology is the hours. To figure out what animal you are in your hour pillar, you must divide the day up into two hour segments beginning at 23:00 or 11pm. The first hour begins with the Rat from 23:00 – 00:59, then the Ox from 1:00-2:59, then the Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig in two hour spans.
Eastern astrology is similar to Western and yet very different. Spend some time learning about the different types of astrology and enjoy the ways in which they are the same, and yet different.
