The Secret Animals Of The Chinese Zodiac
You’ve heard of the 12-year cycle, but did you know there are also “secret animals” assigned by the hour?
The Chinese Zodiac is a repeating 12-year cycle where the year of your birth falls in line with one of the twelve zodiac animals. Starting with the Rat and ending with the Pig, each animal represents different personality traits, how others may perceive you, and this practice can illuminate how we see ourselves. Like many holistic practices that teach us about ourselves and our purpose, there are many more delicious layers to the Chinese Zodiac.
The Chinese Zodiac is over 2,000 years old. It was a practice originally based in Chinese Astrology, an entirely different system from Western Astrology which was influenced by ancient and Hellenistic Greece. Chinese culture wove astronomy with Chinese philosophy, and the zodiac animals, as a way to understand fate and destiny. Along with philosophy and the 12 mammals, Chinese Astrology incorporates yin + yang and five worldly elements to facilitate readings. Today, BaZi and Zi Wei Dou Shu are two popular Chinese Astrological methods still used in China.
The zodiac navigated its way into the mix as a method to count years, months, days, and hours in the Chinese calendar. As a westerner myself, I had always…
