Astrology - with a pinch of salt ;)

With the 2018 approaching I feel surrounded by all kinds of horoscopes, health/ wealth/ relationship/ work predictions, suggestions and tips “tailored especially for me”.

This made me think about the world of astrology and horoscopes.
What does this world has to offer?

Since always people feel the need to understand not only general but also specific human nature and behaviour. Some turn to the sky,

seeking the influence of planets and other celestial objects as a help, a kind of a “road map”.

Astrology is not an easy subject to discuss in public. There are people who reject it at all levels. Others, turn to it because it gives them comfort, reassurance and at times even faith they are looking for.
There are several systems developed throughout human history. I will only mention 3 of them.

Western civilisation has its 12 zodiac signs.

Each year is divided in 12 periods, 1 sign lasts approximately 1 month:

Aquarius (Jan 20 – Feb 18) - Pisces (Feb 18 – Mar 20) - Aries (Mar 20 – Apr 20) -
Taurus (Apr 20 – May 21) - Gemini (May 21 – Jun 21) - Cancer (Jun 21 – Jul 23) -
Leo (Jul 23 – Aug 23) - Virgo (Aug 23 – Sep 23) - Libra (Sep 23 – Oct 23) –
Scorpio (Oct 23 – Nov 22) - Sagittarius (Nov 22 – Dec 22) - Capricorn (Dec 23 – Jan 20)

There are so many internet pages that provide detailed description of each sign, its strengths, weaknesses, lucky numbers or stones ;) so I will only encourage you to give it a try and look for the information about your sign. You do not lose anything, well, your time maybe if, in the end, you feel disappointed with your findings ;)

Chinese have an interesting alternative.

The system consists of 12 signs as well, but each sign lasts not 1 month but 1 year. It means that they believe all people born in the same year share the most significant characteristics.
Personally, I would feel a bit reluctant to that idea… And I’m not alone, Chinese themselves take many other things into consideration like palmistry, face characteristics, one’s gender or hour of birth to name just a few.

To make a relatively correct Chinese fortune prediction, people take many methods into consideration, such as face characteristics, palmistry, and more involved Chinese astrology including birth month, day, and hour, gender, etc. Therefore Chinese see bare sign’s horoscopes as a general reference.
Source

Chinese signs are as follows:
Rooster: year 2017 (previously: 2005, 1993, 1981, 1969 etc.)
Dog: 2018 (previously: 2006, 1994, 1982, 1970 etc.)
Pig: 2019 (previously: 2007, 1995, 1983, 1971 etc.)
Rat: 2020 (previously: 2008, 1996, 1984, 1972 etc.)
Ox: 2021 (previously: 2009, 1997, 1985, 1973 etc.)
Tiger: 2022 (previously: 2010, 1998, 1986, 1974 etc.)
Rabbit: 2023 (previously: 2011, 1999, 1987, 1975 etc.)
Dragon: 2024 (previously: 2012, 2000, 1988, 1976 etc.)
Snake: 2025 (previously: 2013, 2001, 1989, 1977 etc.)
Horse: 2026 (previously: 2014, 2002, 1990, 1978 etc.)
Goat: 2027 (previously: 2015, 2003, 1991, 1979 etc.)
Monkey: 2028 (previously: 2016, 2004, 1992, 1980 etc.)

Fun fact: Those twelve animals were chosen deliberately. Some (horse, goat, ox, rooster, pig, and dog) are associated with ancient Chinese people’s daily lives. The second group (dragon, rat, rabbit, tiger, snake, and monkey) have lucky meanings and/or are simply loved by them. Source

4 elements: Fire, Water, Air and Earth

In order to explain the complexity of the surrounding world, the Ancients proposed the use of 4 basic substances, “elements” – Fire, Water, Air and Earth. This is a really interesting subject as this division is present in many ancient cultures, like in Greece, Egypt, Babylonia, Japan or India.

In astrology each of 12 zodiac signs has its governed element.

4 el vs zodiac.jpg
source

To simplify a little bit: air is essential to keep the fire burning; water is essential to keep the earth fertile etc. This can help to understand differences among people, and why some people are more compatible than others. Thus, it is said that Air signs will go along with Fire signs, Earth signs with Water signs and so on.
Here is a very brief characteristic of each Element (I’m focusing only on the strengths ;) :

the Fire signs:

are constantly forward-looking and open to new impulses or ideas; are intuitive, natural born leaders, passionate, charismatic

the Air signs:

communicate, connects and work well alongside others; are creative, independent, flexible, charming

the Water signs:

are great observers with a well-developed emotional intuition; are emotional, trusting, forgiving, flexible

the Earth signs:

are not interested in unrealistic dreams, instead they set achievable goals and work hard; are practical, grounded, logical, nurturing.

So what do I think?

I have nothing against horoscopes or people who use them to seek help or comfort. I just don’t read them and that's also fine. But I must admit one thing – somehow the idea of 4 elements works in my life. I take it with a pinch of salt and humour, but… whether I think about my best friends or new people with whom it clicked immediately, somehow their sign is always from the “supporting element”. ;)

I hope you enjoy this post! :)
Cheers,
Kasia