History of Chinese Zodiac Signs

Regarded as one of the oldest civilizations, Chinese civilization has flourished not only because of its rich heritage but also because of its tradition and beliefs. Today, things related to Chinese culture are regarded as the ultimate accessory for a healthy lifestyle. Effect of the dragon on global socio-economic scenario can be estimated from the fact that Reiki, Tai-Chi and Kung-Fu are the best known practices for a healthy body and soul. While the popularity of Chinese food has already taken the world by storm, the reputation of Chinese astrology is also second to none. In this article, we will have a brief study of the history behind Chinese astrology and learn about Chinese zodiac signs in detail.

Astrology began around 3000 years ago in ancient Egypt and Babylonia but travelled far and wide to finally reach the different corners of the world. Being accepted and used for centuries, many civilisations started cultivating their own forms of astrology which resulted in the creation of different streams of astrology. Chinese astrology and Chinese zodiac symbols were initially used by Chinese astrologists to foresee future of kings and merchants but were soon accepted by people of other classes also. If you have been familiar with Chinese astrology, you may have noticed the use of twelve animals in Chinese zodiac. An ancient story of the jade king and twelve animals tells the reason behind the twelve animals used in Chinese zodiac.

Chinese Zodiac – The story

Once, when the jade king was thinking about earth, he suddenly realised that there were no representatives of the animal kingdom in his court. Deciding that it is necessary for earths’ animals to be represented by their own kind, the jade king wrote some invitations for 12 specific animals and sent them to earth. While every animal got his invitation, the rat was given two invitations, the first for himself and the other for the cat. Being a tricky and smart character, the rat never gave the invitation to the cat. Even though it is said that it was this incident that started the rivalry between the cat and the rat, the story of the twelve zodiac signs does not end here.

After receiving the invitation, all the other 11 animals gave an appearance at the king’s court but the twelfth animal was nowhere to be found. After finding that an animal was missing, a messenger was sent to the earth to for finding another animal to take cats’ place. Pig was the last animal to be given the invitation. At last, the court of jade king consisted of twelve animals namely, rat, ox, tiger, dragon, dog, pig, ram, goat, rabbit, snake, horse and the monkey. The Chinese zodiac depicts all these animals in a sequential manner.

Each Chinese zodiac sign represents a certain year and works along with a twelve year cyclic rotation. In China and Chinese astrology, the animal that belongs to a year is considered to be of utmost importance. Zodiac signs are used by many people on a daily basis to foresee how their day will go. Providing suggestions on financial decisions and even relationships, Chinese zodiac signs have been known to be astonishingly close in predicting the future of a human being.

Celtic Zodiac Signs

Consisting of symbols and patterns that form a unique language, Celtic art is capable of imparting its users with information that can unlock the doors to the ancient astrological secrets. Even though it may seem to be a little bit difficult to understand at first, once you get a hang of it, deciphering Celtic art can become a really useful talent. For people who do not know much about Celtic signs, these signs are more appropriately regarded as a written language that incorporates zodiac signs along with astrological symbols to foretell a future. Unique as well as fascinating, Celtic zodiac signs are often used by users around the world as tattoo designs.

According to the Druid astrological system, a year is divided into thirteen months and each month is represented by a magical tree with secret qualities. According to them, the universe was a tree with its roots dug deep inside the solar system and whose branches stretched towards the heaven. The Druidical astrology worked with the thinking that the whole human race has descended from the thirteen trees that represent each month. The mysteries of astrology are encoded in the form of an Ogham alphabet by druids. Ogham is a name derived from Ogma – the Celtic god of expression.

The Druid zodiac system believes that trees possess extraordinary powers. According to them, trees are the amalgamation of both natural as well as supernatural energies of the world and have life just like any other creature of the world. The intelligence and limitless knowledge that is known to be possessed by trees represents the cycle of life i.e. life, death and ultimately the renewal.

As already specified, druids believed that the mankind has descended from thirteen trees and each individual on this planet has a tree associated with him/her. Given below are the various details of the thirteen trees of Celtic zodiac:

• The Birch Tree is the first tree and represents people born between 24 December and 20 January. Being the first tree, the birch tree represents regeneration, origin, tolerance, sturdiness and flexibility.
• The Rowan Tree rules people who are born between 21st January and 17th February. Considered as a tree that guards the gateway to the spirit world, it provides optimistic behaviour and compassionate approach to a person.
• If you are born between 18 February and 17 March, you are rules by the third tree i.e. the Ash Tree.
• People born between 18th march and 14th April belong to the Alder Tree and are considered brave, lively and independent.
• Represented by the Willow Tree; if you were born from 15th April and 12th May, you would be governed by the Moon which gives perception and thoughtfulness.
• Hawthorn Tree is the sixth tree of Celtic zodiac. People born between 13th May and 9th June are the people that belong to this tree.
• Governing people born between 10th June and 7th July, the Oak Tree provides admiration for culture and heritage.
• Holly Tree governs people who are born between 8th of July and 4th of August.
• People belonging to the ninth tree i.e. the Hazel Tree are born between 5th august and 1st September.
• People born from 2nd September to 29th September are governed by Vine tree and follow a royal lifestyle.
• Ivy tree rules to the people born between 20 September and 27th October.
• If you are born between 28th October and 24 November, you are governed by the Reed Tree that provides a complex, courageous yet proud and independent nature.
• People born between 25th November and 23 December, are governed by Elder Tree and are often taken as a recluse in spite of being one of the most enjoyable characters of the zodiac.