Chinese and Tibetan Astrology

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Chinese astrology is more than the animal of the year. It is a complex discipline in its own right and intimately linked to Chinese philosophy as a whole, especially to the I Ching. We have gone out searching and can report only a tiny handful of really good books on the subject. Though we all appreciate the external beauty of their ancient culture, China remains a great mystery.

Indicates a book on our Top Ten list. These are in two categories: Serious overviews of Chinese astrology, suitable for students, and the best of the popular Animal of the Year. If you would like to find more good books, click on the star.

	THE IMPERIAL GUIDE TO FENG SHUI & CHINESE ASTROLOGY - Translated & with notes by Thomas F. Aylward, $17.95 Contents: Acknowledgments Foreword Part 1: Translator's introduction: 1. The importance of cosmology, calendars & divination in imperial China 2. Understanding the art of Scheduling and Positioning 3. Comological forces & their rhythms 4. The counting terms of Chinese astrology & Feng Shui 5. Astronomical foundation of Chinese astrology 6. Conclusion Part 2: The imperially authorized treatises on harmonizing times & distinguishing directions Introduction 1. The Roots & the Springs, part 1: The Yellow River chart; The Luo River diagram; The sequential order of the former heaven arrangement of the eight trigrams; The directional positions of the former heaven arrangement of the eight trigrams; The sequential order of the latter heaven arrangement of the eight trigrams; The directional positions of the latter heaven arrangement of the eight trigrams; Depiction of the former heaven arrangement of the trigrams coupled with the Yellow River chart; Depiction of the later heaven arrangement of the trigrams coupled with the Lao River diagram; Numeration of the latter heaven arrangement of the trigrams coupled with the Luo River diagram; The heavenly stem-jia periods; The ten stems, the twelve branches, the twelve pitch pipes & the 28 houses; The four sequences; The six zodiac divisions; The twelve months summon hexagrams; Diagram of the twelve zodiacal signs & the twenty-eight lunar lodges; The twenty-eight lodges paired with the days; The five processes; The governing periods of the five processes; The birth & flourishing of the five processes; The stems, branches & the five processes; The triune harmonies; The six harmonies; The five hidden rats; The five hidden tigers; The five harmonies' transformations of the vital breaths; The received notes; The received notes five processes as they correlate with the former heaven chart; The received notes five processes as they correlate with the latter heaven chart; The diagram depicting the correlation between the three beginnings of the received notes five processes & the musical pipes' shifting eight & mutually giving birth; The received notes, the stems & the branches assume numbers in harmony with the five processes; The five processes & the five musical notes; The received stem-Jia; The columnar chart of the received stem-Jia; The circular chart of the received stem-Jia; The chart of the received stem-Jia receiving the twelve branches. 2. The Roots & the Springs, part 2: The twenty-four directional positions; The standard five processes; The central needle, double mountain five processes; The sewing needle, triune harmonies five processes; The great plan five processes; The buriend dragon & its transformational revolution; The year or month conquers the mountain school; The correlation between the twenty-four directional positions the twenty-four seasonal nodes; The eight trigram's received stem-Jia & triune harmony associations; The lesser roaming year trigram transformations; The heaven-fixed trigrams; The heaven father trigrams; The heaven mother trigrams; The trigram transmutation of trigram-Dui palace; The trigram transmutations of the trigram-Sun palace; The trigram transmutation of trigram-Kan palace; The trigram transmutations of trigram-Gen palace; The trigram transmutations of trigram-Zhen palace; The trigram transmutations of trigram-Li palace; The greater roaming year trigram transformations; The diagram of the transformation of the upper line; The diagram of the transformation of the upper two lines; The diagram of the transformation of the lower line; The diagram of the transformation of the lower two lines; The diagram of the transformation of the uppermost line & the lowest line; The diagram of the transformation of the middle line; The diagram of the transformation of all three lines Notes Glossary Bibliography Index Comment: From the back of the book: In the third century BC, the Chinese state adopted the Art of Scheduling and Positioning as imperial orthodoxy. From then until its collapse in 1911, the court continuously employed professional diviners & sanctioned official texts about their art. The reason was simple: The Chinese believed that the universe communicated its assessment of the Emperor's performance through astral & terrestrial portents - portents that only masters in the Art of Scheduling and Positioning could interpret Today, feng shui (the art of positioning) and Chinese astrology (the science of auspicious scheduling) have captured the popular imagination, but in the process those classical disciplines have been diluted sometimes beyond recognition. Now an accomplished scholar of Chinese language, literature and philosophy restores them in this remarkable volume, the first & only authentic translation of the original Chinese treatise on the Art of Scheduling and Positioning. Intellectually accurate and true to the original work, yet written to be accessible to the general reader as well as the specialist, the Imperial Guide: reveals the organic connection between feng shui & astrology - a link overlooked by most other books on these two arts. illuminates the most complex aspects of feng shui and astrology theory in accessible language & clear lucid imagery. introduces essential concepts of Chinese cosmology: yin & yang, the five processes, the ten heavenly stems, the twelve earthly branches, the twenty-four seasonal nodes, and the sixty-four hexagrams. explains how these symbols relate to the whole of traditional Chinese thought - and what they mean for the modern world. This is an excellent successor to Derek Walter's classic book of 20 years ago (at the moment, out of print), and, like it, is demanding of the reader. Of note, both books were published by Watkins, of London, which makes me think that someone there has a personal interest in the subject. As is hinted in both the table of contents & the blurb on the back, Chinese astrology is primarily mundane, not natal. I have found this to be true, in that I have had both a personal Chinese reading, which was nothing very good, as well as a Chinese view on the current economic mess, which was eye-opening. This, by the way, is typical of all astrologies having to do with kings & emperors. We know who the king is & we know who the next king will be: His eldest. So there is no interest in his natal delineation. There is a great deal of interest in knowing when he should schedule a tax increase, or a war on his neighbor, or when copulation with his favorite concubine is most likely to produce a worthy successor. It is the same with feng shui. You can arrange the objects in your room, but how much more important to arrange the buildings in your capital city. In this regard, Beijing's Forbidden City has been the focal point of the Chinese nation far longer than any comparable piece of land in England or France or Italy or Russia. Much can be learned from the Chinese, one of the oldest civilizations on Earth. Watkins, 319 pages. Read the book? Want to tell the world? How many stars (1-5) would you give this book? Tell us!

	THE HANDBOOK OF CHINESE HOROSCOPES - Theodora Lau, $18.95 Contents: Introduction: The animal that hides in your heart. Tables & charts: Lunar signs, 1900-2007, The exact lunar years, 1900-2007; Interaction of the five elements; Animal signs & their fixed elements, seasons & stems; Ascendants: 12 animal signs & their hours; Months of the lunar signs & their matching solar astrological signs; Long & short lunar years & the influence of the Li Chuan; Understanding the five elements; Influence of the moon's four phases Chapters 1-12: Each of the 12 animals, in turn: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Boar. For each, introductory notes, personality, children, the five different varieties (one for each element), compatibility & conflicts with the other animals, the various ascendants, how the animal fares in the lunar cycle, when moon signs meet sun signs, seasons of the animal, famous persons born in each of the years. 13. Choosing wedding dates by the lunar almanac 14. The 144 marriage combinations Index. Comment: Not the usual animal of the year nonsense. This is probably the most accessible of all books on Chinese Astrology. Each of the animals is qualified by one of the five elements (air, earth, water, fire, metal), so the entire cycle is 60 years, not twelve. Some tigers are metallic, some are wooden, some rats are of the earth, while others are full of fire. We know a water dragon, however strange it may sound. Each of the animals rules an hour of the day, so we can talk of an air monkey with an ox rising. So from a simple 12 possible types, we already have 720 (12 animals times 5 elements times 12 hours). Then, wouldn't you like to know how any given animal does in another animal's year? 1996 was the year of the Rat. Was that good or bad for a wooden sheep? Lau gives compatibility of the various animals & also her own (& possibly unique) view of how the animal of the year relates to your sun sign. As a friend of ours pointed out, the Chinese managed to do all this just with the moon. February, 2009: Sixth edition, with tables from 1912 to 2014. By that time there should be a 7th edition. The section entitled, How the _______ (animal) fares in the Lunar Cycle, ie, annual forcasts for each of the twelve animals, now runs from 2007 to 2010, inclusive. Collins, 421 pages.

	CHINESE POWER ANIMALS, Archetypes of transformation - Pamela Leigh Powers, $16.95 Contents: Preface; A chinese power animals fairy tale; Part 1: Introduction to your power animals: Chinese power animals: archetypes of transformation; Chinese power animals & the meridians; Fundamentals of the meridians; Part 2: More about your personal Chinese power animals: Wood element: Rat & Ox; Metal element: Tiger & Cat; Earth element: Dragon & Snake; Fire element: Horse & Sheep; Water element: Monkey & Rooster; Fire element: Dog & Boar; Part 3: Relationships with power animals: Primal relationships, Mom, Dad, You and your shadow (your mate), Your children, Minor characters, Case history: Michaela, Advanced techniques; Part 4: Celebrities as contemporary gods and goddesses: Celebrity archetypes, Bill and Hillary Clinton, O.J. and Nichole Simpson, Prince Charles and Diana, Richard and Pat Nixon, The United States of America Part 5: Chinese power animals & health: Chinese power animals & illness, Case history: Michael J. Fox Part 6: Healing therapies for the power animals: Chinese power animals & Bach flower remedies, by Pamela Galadrial; Chinese power animals & essential oils; Tarot cards of the Chinese power animals; Colors of the power animals; Healing herbs & the Chinese power animals, by Caroline Patrick; Postures of the meridians; Numerology & the Chinese power animals, by Joe Ivory Appendices: A. The power animals and the sun signs; B. The years of the Chinese power animals; C. The minutes of the Chinese power animals. Bibliography; Index. Comment: The author was a western astrologer for 20 years & then, starting in 1990, sort of stumbled into Chinese astrology. She matches sun-signs to animals (Aries = Rat, Taurus = Ox, all the others follow in sequence), which she does not attempt to justify. She has the usual two-hour daily table, and her own 10 minute table, which she does not source, nor explain if we should use straight clock time (ie, daylight in summer), or standard time year 'round, or LMT, or based on sunrise/sunset. The example on pg. 54 is ambiguous, as she seems unaware the time given was War Time. Animals get slogans: Rats are adored, Ox are independent, Tigers are recognized, Cats are sacred, etc. Her explanation of ascendants is puzzling: From 11 am to 1 pm, Cats have Horses as sons (?). Born from 1 - 3 pm, professor Cats have Sheep for students (?). Next, she takes the strength of the twelve meridians through the day & relates them to the animals of the 12 ascendants. She then draws psychological interpretations from the relationship of animals to meridians. This series of "logical" deductions starts on pg. 53 & runs for most of the rest of the book. I confess that I could not make them work for me. Weiser, 322 pages, paper.

	THE NEW ASTROLOGY: A Unique Synthesis of the World's Two Great Astrological Systems: Chinese & Western - Suzanne White, $18.95 Contents: Introduction: The western astological reference chart; The Chinese horoscope historical reference chart The western astrological signs, Aries through Pisces The Chinese animal signs The New Astrology: Each western sun-sign is paired with each of the 12 Chinese animals. Ie, Aries/rat, Aries/ox, Aries/Tiger, Aries/cat, etc. Comment: The unique feature of this book is that it pairs the animal of the year with the sun-sign of the month. So, for example, 2000 was the year of the Dragon. Starting in February, 2000, you have Aquarius/Dragon, Pisces/Dragon, Aries/Dragon, Taurus/Dragon, etc. At the start of each of the 144 combinations (12 signs times 12 animals), she gives her fundamental keywords. For Virgo/Dragon: I analyze, Earth, Mercury, Mutable, and, I preside, positive wood yang. From this she derives her delineations, which include introduction, love, home & family, and profession. Surprisingly, the author has a good sense of what she is combining. She reminds me of Linda Goodman, whom I regard highly. In the back of the book is a listing of animals of the year from 1516 to 1899. In the front of the book are the years 1900-1999. As the sequence of animals follow a regular pattern, finding the proper animal for years since 1999 is easily done. Dear Ludwig was a Sagittarius Tiger (December 16, 1770). She nails him. One of the best overviews of Beethoven's temperament I have read. St. Martin's Press, 690 pages, paper.

	THE CHINESE HOROSCOPES GUIDE TO RELATIONSHIPS: Love & Marriage, Friendship & Business - Theodora Lau, $13.95 Contents: The twelve earth branches in the relationship tree; Introduction: The twelve earth branches, Ascendants, Triangles of affinity, Circle of conflict, Relationships, How to use this book Each of the 12 chapters below also include Triangle of Affinity, Circle of Conflict, Relationships with the [____] (rat, ox, tiger, etc.): Within the family, As a teacher, AS a lover & spouse, As a business partner, As a boss, As a friend & colleague, As an opponent, As teh mediator, Relations with other branches: 1. The Zi Branch - The Rat: The initiator's song, Years of the first branch, The first earth branch: The sign of the rat, see list above for the rest. 2. The Chou Branch - The Ox: The Enforcer's song, Years of the second branch, The second earth branch: The sign of the ox, see list above. 3. The Yin Branch - The Tiger: The idealist's song, Years of the third branch, The third earth branch: The sign of the Tiger, see list above. 4. The Mao Branch - The Rabbit: The conformist's song, Years of the fourth branch, The fourth earth branch: The sign of the rabbit, see list above. 5. The Chen Branch - The Dragon: The visionary's song, Years of the fifth branch, The fifth earth branch: The sign of the dragon, see list above. 6. The Si Branch - The Snake: The strategist's song, Years of the sixth branch, The sixth earth branch: The sign of the snake, see list above. 7. The Wu Branch - The Horse: The adventurer's song, Years of the seventh branch, The seventh earth branch: The sign of the horse, see list above. 8. The Wei Branch - The Sheep: The peacemaker's song, Years of the eighth branch, The eighth earth branch: The sign of the sheep, see list above. 9. The Shen Branch - The Monkey: The innovator's song, Years of the ninth branch, The ninth earth branch: The sign of the monkey, see list above. 10. The You Branch - The Rooster: The administrator's song, Years of the 10th branch, The tenth earth branch: The sign of the rooster, see list above. 11. The Xu Branch - The Dog: The guardian's dog, Years of the 11th branch, The eleventh earth branch: The sign of the dog, see list above. 12. The Hai Branch - The Boar: The Unifier's song, Years of the 12th branch, The twelfth earth branch: The sign of the Boar, see list above. Comment: For each of the twelve animals, after an extensive introductory section, there are paragraphs comparing the animal to each of the others. If I've not mentioned it elsewhere, a Chinese astrologer in Thousand Oaks, CA, once mentioned that he was unsure if the date of the Chinese New Year, from which the animal of the year is derived, should not be a month earlier than it is. So that some late Capricorns, and most Aquarians, might be the animal of the previous year. In my case, this theory shifted me from a Dragon to a Rabbit, and though I'd like to think of myself as a Dragon, I'm much more comfortable as a Rabbit. If this applies to you, you might consider. Doubleday, 299 pages, paper.

	TAOIST ASTROLOGY, A HANDBOOK OF THE AUTHENTIC CHINESE TRADITION - Susan Levitt, with Jean Tang, $14.95 Contents: Acknowledgements Part 1: Taoist Astrology: The way of the Tao, The twelve earthly branches, Your rising sign, Five elements & ten heavenly stems, Taoist alchemy, Harmonies & conflicts. Part 2: The Twelve Earthly Branches: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Hare, Dragon, Serpent, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Phoenix, Dog, Boar. The lunar calendar from 1900 to 2020. Comment: From the back cover: In Taoist astrology the year in which you were born determines your character. The years form a cycle of sixty unique signs, each with distinct strengths and weaknesses. In this book, the five elements are further qualified by color. Fire is red & purple, Earth is yellow & gold, Metal is white & silver, Water is black & gray, Wood is green & blue. For each of the twelve chapters on the animals, there is a list of lunar years for the animal, an overview of the mythology & tendencies of that animal's year as a whole, the animal's personality, the animal with the other animals (relationships), the animal as child & parent, the animal in the 12 branch cycle (ie, how the animal fares in each of the 12 years), and delineations of the animal through the five colors, aka elements. Destiny Books, 216 pages, paper.

	PRACTICAL FENG-SHUI ASTROLOGY: Using the Nine Ki System to Make Important Decisions in Your Life - Simon Brown, $14.95 Contents: What is Feng Shui astrology?; 1. Principles of Feng Shui astrology: Ki energy, Yin & yang, The five elements, The eight directions, The magic square. 2. Your code of nine Ki numbers: Your nine Ki year number, Your nine Ki month number, Your nine Ki axis number, Quick reference chart, Interpreting your numbers. 3. Feng Shui astrology birth charts: Reading your birth chart; Nine Ki birth chart one, Nine Ki birth chart two, Nine Ki birth chart three, Nine Ki birth chart four, Nine Ki birth chart five, Nine Ki birth chart six, Nine Ki birth chart seven, Nine Ki birth chart eight, Nine Ki birth chart nine. 4. The nine different energies: What are energies?, Nine Ki energy one, Nine Ki energy 2, Nine Ki energy 3, Nine Ki energy 4, Nine Ki energy 5, Nine Ki energy 6, Nine Ki energy 7, Nine Ki energy 8, Nine Ki energy 9. 5. Applying Feng Shui astrology: Relationships, Timing events, Moves. Index, acknowledgements. Comment: Nine Ki is the Japanese term for the Chinese Feng Shui. Ki is life energy, also known as Vril, or Prana. From the table on pgs. 20-24, you find your Ki number for the year of birth, month of birth, and axis. With these, you read the delineations. Instructions for calculating the Feng Shui astrological chart, which is based on the initial three numbers & plus six additional, were fragmentary, perhaps incomplete, and confusing. Ward Lock/Sterling, 128 pages, paper, color illustrations throughout.

	TIBETAN ELEMENTAL ASTROLOGY - Tsering Dolma Drungtso, $10.00 Contents: Author's preface Dedication Acknowledgements Foreword 1. History & origins of Tibetan astro science 2. What is elemental astrology 3. Introduction to the five elements 4. Recognition of bone element (Rus khams) 5. Elemental relationships 6. The twelve animal signs: 1. Characteristics, ii. How to find your animal sign (lo rtags), iii. Suppose one knows one's sign but not his age; iv If one knows his age but not his animal sign; v. The sixty year cycle & its interpretation; vi. Changeable animal sign (lok men) 7. How to find your life force (srog) Body (lus), Power (dbang thang), Fortune (klung rta) & Life-soul (bla) 8. Calculations of animal sign of year (lo), month (daba), day (zhag) and hour (dus); Combining with the five elements 9. Know your good & bad day 10. The nine sMeba (magic square numbers): i. Calculation of the birth sMeba; ii. Calculation of the changeable sMeba 11. Secrets of determining your birth sMeba 12. How to read your past & future lives 13. The eight Parkhas (I-Ching): i. Determining your personal Parkha; ii. Changeable Parkha; iii. Interpretation of the Parkhas 14. The planets (gZa): i. Significance of weekdays 15. Do you want to know your birth weekday (skyes gza)? 16. Constellations & its interpretation Glossary of technical terms Bibliography Tara Tibetan astrological service Excerpts from letters send to the author Comment: Tibetan astrology has the same five elements as Chinese astrology, along with the same twelve animals. Tibetan astrology uses the left hand as a mnemonic, combining both the elements & the animals. With this, you can do numerous secondary calculations "on your fingers", which is quite nifty. In addition, Tibetan astrology makes use of Indian Kalchakra elements. If you will take the time to learn to use your fingers, this is good introduction to Tibetan astrology. Drungtso Publications, 232 pages.

	TIBETAN-ENGLISH DICTIONARY OF TIBETAN MEDICINE & ASTROLOGY - Dr. Tsering Thakchoe Drungtso & Tsering Dolma Drungtso, $25.00 Contents: Transliteration (ie, Tibetan characters rendered into English) Dedication Foreword Acknowledgements Introduction The dictionary Comment: The Dedication, Foreword, Acknowledgements & Introduction are given in both English & Tibetan. For the hard-core among you. Entries are given in the Tibetan language, in Tibetan script. For each entry, transliteration into English characters, a pronounciation guide, and a definition, in English. There are many more medical terms than astrological. Opening at random, to page 258, there is an entry for what transliterates into spyang.dug, which is pronounced chang dook. The entry reads, "Wolf's bane (Aconitum heterophyllum)". The next entry translates as Thistle. Drungtso Publications, 556 pages.

	TIBETAN ASTROLOGY - Philippe Cornu, translated from the French by Hamish Gregor, $26.95 Contents: Translator's note, Preface Part 1: General considerations: 1. The Tibetan setting: The Tibetan area, A little history, The Tibetans, The Tibetans & the natural environment, The astrologer in Tibetan society. 2. The sources of Tibetan astrology: The Bon religion, Chinese origins, Indian astrology, The Kalacakra, The birth of astrology according to the Padma Thangyik 3. The foundations of Tibetan astrology: The two realities, Samsara & Nirvana, The place & role of astrology, The wheel of life & the laws of casualty, the 12 links of causation Part 2: Practical Astrology: Introduction: The calendar & practical astrology, The importance of the lunar cycle 4. The main components of chronology & the calendar: The five elements, The twelve animals, The twelve-year cycle, The sixty-year cycle 5. Individual energies & elements: Animals, elements & individual forces, Yearly calculation of the five forces, Rituals concerning the five personal forces, The wind horse 6. Mewas & Parkhas: The 9 Mewas, The annual Mewas, The 8 Parkhas, Astrological interpretation of the Mewas, The Papme, Geomantic interpretation of the Parkas 7. Kartsi astrology: The zodiac, The two zodiacs, The 27 lunar mansions, The planets 8. Lunar time & the Tibetan year & month: The Tibetan year, The Tibetan month, The elements of the months 9. The Tibetan day or "everyday astrology": Days of the week & month, Daily astrological cycles, The hours 10. Casting & interpreting a horoscope: The chart data, Interpretation Appendices: 1. Tibetan cosmology: Planetary spirits & local deities, Protective diagrams & talismans, The universe, The cosmic man 2. Calendar of special days & religious festivals: Great annual ceremonies, Important days of the week 3. The written sources & their authors: Tibetan transliterations, Bibliography. Comment: The opening chapters on the history & culture of Tibet are good. Chapter 4, Chronology & the Calendar, is an intensive look at the 5 elements & 12 animals, borrowed from the Chinese. Chapter 5 applies the five elements to the five human energy factors, which is unique to Tibet. The five energies are La "soul", "spirit", the Sok is vitality or life force (prana), the Lu is the energy of bodily health, Wang Thang is personal power, Lung ta is "wind horse". The availability of these five energies, to any individual, varies according to their animal & element, and also varies year by year, through the 60 year cycle. Chapter 6, Mewas & Parkhas. Mewas, "the nine moles" - or islands - are arranged in a magic square with a base of three (think tic-tac-toe). They relate to color, element & direction, they change daily, monthly & annually. The sequential order is said to resemble the Seal of Solomon. The 8 Parkhas are similar to the 8 trigrams of the I-Ching. The Papme is a Mewa that changes as a function of the native's age. The Papme is derived from the Natal Mewa in accordance with a particular mode of movement. This movement depends in effect on the masculine or feminine character of the natal year, not on the gender of the native. (pg. 118) Chapter 7 is on Kartsi Astrology, which is based on Indian astrology. There are 12 khyim, or signs, and 27 gyukar, or nakshatras, which are subdivided into quarters, or Gyukangs, which can be further subdivided into 15ths. Tibetans also have navamsa, but here the author gives the wrong Tibetan name for it (pg. 132). Chapter 8 outlines the Tibetan month & year & tells how to transpose from western to Tibetan. Tibetan months have animals & elements. Chapter 9, on the Tibetan day & week, continues the examination of the Tibetan calendar. Surprisingly, Tibetans have the same 7 day week as the rest of the world, and the same planetary rulers for each of the days (Sun = Sunday, Moon = Monday, etc.) The Tibetan daily horoscope is based on the angular relationship of transiting moon to transiting sun, which is only a tad less refined than western newspaper horoscopes. Table 28 gives animal signs for each day of the month, based on the final digit of the year (2006 = 6). There are 60 possibilities (12 animals times 5 elements), so the entire cycle takes two 30-day months to complete. Once the animal/element combination for the day has been determined, it is then compared to the individual's animal/element combination for the year. The daily Mewa is a 90 day cycle, so repeats 4 times each 360 day year. There are also daily Parkas. In Kartsi astrology, there is the daily Guykar (nakshatra), which is compared to the ruling planet of the day. There are also 15 considerations & 27 combinations (yogas). Combinations are the Sun & Moon positions added together, plus 93 degrees 20 minutes. You then look the number up on a table of 27 combinations, which starts at 120 degrees. There are natal & daily combinations. Finally, Tibetan hours are two hours long, so there are six by day, and six by night. Each is associated with one of the 12 animals, which repeats day by day. Sunrise is always the hour of the hare, regardless of the day of the week. The element of the hour, however, is the son of the element of the day. Chapter 10 is on casting & interpreting the horoscope, which includes conversion from western to Tibetan calendar, the Mewas, the Parkhas, the Kartsi. Calculation of the Kartsi is not given, but is essentially similar to that of a Vedic rasi chart. There is a section on elections. Appendix 1, on Tibetan Cosmology, usefully compares the many Tibetan deities to the many western nature spirits, such as elves, gnomes, goblins, trolls, fairies & the like. Gives the main classes of Tibetan deities & their characteristics. There is also the Tibetan universe & its formation. Appendix 2 is a list of annual holidays & religious festivals. Appendix 3 is a list of early Tibetan astrological treatises & their authors. There follows a list of Tibetan transliterations, and a bibliography. Translated from the French by Hamish Gregor. A book that will repay study, especially for those with a background in Chinese or Vedic astrology. Shamballa, 294 pages.

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