Three traditions, one reading
Western astrology, the Chinese zodiac and numerology grew up in different places and use different tools, yet they ask the same question: what was the world like when you arrived? Here is how each one works and why Starlight uses all three.
The full deep dive
Western astrology: the sky at your birth
Western astrology looks at where the Sun, Moon and planets were at the exact moment you were born, seen from the place you were born. It grew from Babylonian sky-watching, was shaped by the Greeks and Egyptians, and has been refined for over two thousand years. Its building blocks are the twelve signs, the planets, the twelve houses and the angles (aspects) between planets.
Because the sky turns quickly, your birth time and place matter. Your Sun sign comes from your birthday alone, but your Moon sign and especially your Rising sign need the time. See Your big three.
The Chinese zodiac: the year you were born into
The Chinese zodiac works in cycles of twelve years, each ruled by an animal, and ten-year cycles of the five elements, which combine into a great cycle of sixty years. Your animal describes your character, and its place on the wheel shows who you get on with easily, who your secret friend is, and who you clash with. The year begins at Lunar New Year, not 1 January. See How your animal is chosen.
Numerology: the numbers in your date and name
Numerology turns your date of birth and your name into a handful of meaningful numbers. Starlight uses the Pythagorean system, the most widely used in the English-speaking world, where each letter has a value from 1 to 9. Your most important number is your Life Path.
Why combine them?
Each tradition notices different things. Astrology is rich in detail about your inner life; the Chinese zodiac is wonderful at describing how you get on with others; numerology is simple, portable and easy to work out by hand. When all three say something similar about you, it is worth paying attention. When they disagree, that is often where the interesting conversations begin.
Where traditions differ
Some astrologers use the sidereal zodiac, which is lined up with the constellations and sits about 24 degrees away from the tropical zodiac used in the West. Starlight uses the tropical zodiac, as most Western astrologers do. In numerology, some systems such as Chaldean numerology give letters different values; Starlight sticks with Pythagorean throughout.
Sources and perspectives
- Derek Walters, The Complete Guide to Chinese Astrology
- Hans Decoz, Numerology: Key to Your Inner Self
- Stephen Arroyo, Astrology, Psychology and the Four Elements