What is Chinese Polestar Astrology?
The Twelve Characters of Destiny
View—Process and Change
The Chinese Tradition of Polestar (Natal) Astrology characterizes nature, the world, and human beings as a single interconnected, on-going cyclical pattern of self-arising and self-resolving movement. This pattern of movement is called ‘qi’ (pronounced chee), which has no English equivalent. Due to qi's cyclical and repetitive nature (like the changing of day to night / night to day and the alternation of the 4 seasons), it becomes possible to name and characterize. Chinese Astrology developed as a means to describe these on-going patterns of movement (qi) using imagery and mathematics (e.g. 12 animals / 5 elements) in relation to ordinary human life.
It is important to understand the imagery of the 12 zodiac animals and 5 elements are simply a metaphoric language describing the facets and flavors of change itself; the real nature of our experience is a constantly unfolding, non-solidified, un-abiding movement of qi. The profundity of Chinese Astrology is found in the direct experience that everything is compound and in a constant process of change (qi).
Chinese Polestar Astrology looks specifically at the qi pattern of an individual’s Character and Fate at the moment of birth and as a progression through the decades and years. An individual is born into the world with countless other beings and things at a particular moment when qi was patterning in a particular way. This pattern patterns those individuals accordingly. Polestar Astrology looks at a person’s birth time to get a sense of how their patterning is pre-disposed to unfold. (adapted from dayuancircle.org)
Method—Character, Fate, and Freedom
Polestar Astrology, like Indian and Western Astrology, reads an individual's fate through an assessment of the twelve houses of a Natal chart. Unlike Indian and Western Astrology, Polestar Astrology does not interpret the position of the planets but rather an arrangement of 32+ stars, positioned in the twelve houses according to the time of an individual’s birth, in relation to the unfolding Qi of the Chinese Almanac (Tongshu) . The twelve major stars in this arrangement are called the Celestial Court, ruled by the Emperor or Polestar, the only star in the sky which does not move.
However, the so called stars in the Chinese Tradition are better understood as poetical representations of “currents of fate.” Although Polestar Astrology has Astronomy in its distant past, it does not rely on any relative assessment of stars or planets in the night sky. The Chinese observed the night sky for thousands of years and discovered a repeating pattern. This pattern revealed a mathematical formula embedded in the greater cycles of the universe. This formula is used to determine the position of stars in a Natal chart in relation to “the Ten Heavenly Stems and the Twelve Earthly Branches” (yin/yang, the five elements, and the 12 animals of the Zodiac).
Polestar Astrology reads the attributes of these stars in the twelve houses to reveal the Fate (opportunity) of an individual in relation to their Character (capacity). Life, then, is how capacity meets opportunity. Chinese Astrology assumes that our basic nature is freedom, and that our freedom demonstrates itself through our conduct, how we choose to display our Character in relation to our Fate. The method of Chinese Astrology reveals the play of Character, Fate, and Freedom in our life.
Fruition—the Resolution of Fate
What is the goal of Polestar Astrology? Why have a Natal reading? Well, that is up to you. There are many reasons why people consult an Astrologer, and they are all valid. Polestar Astrology can be used to determine our fate in relation to career, marriage, family, education, business, and so on. These so called “worldly” goals are an important part of human life and should not be ignored. In fact, they may be an integral part of our Fate.
The goal of traditional Chinese Astrology, however, is to resolve our Fate so that we can experience our Original Nature and be of benefit to others through our naturalness and generosity. In other words, we are each born with an unchanging Character and a pattern of Fate set to unfold over the course of our lives. Polestar Astrology helps us to understand the patterns of our Fate so they can unfold and resolve naturally. In this resolution, we can experience our natural state of Freedom. With Freedom, we can choose to generate fate, or we can simply rest and relax (called Wu Wei). In this rest our Original Nature is reveled as an ever present naturalness, and we experience ourselves and the world as a phantasm of light (qi).
The Chinese Tradition of Polestar (Natal) Astrology characterizes nature, the world, and human beings as a single interconnected, on-going cyclical pattern of self-arising and self-resolving movement. This pattern of movement is called ‘qi’ (pronounced chee), which has no English equivalent. Due to qi's cyclical and repetitive nature (like the changing of day to night / night to day and the alternation of the 4 seasons), it becomes possible to name and characterize. Chinese Astrology developed as a means to describe these on-going patterns of movement (qi) using imagery and mathematics (e.g. 12 animals / 5 elements) in relation to ordinary human life.
It is important to understand the imagery of the 12 zodiac animals and 5 elements are simply a metaphoric language describing the facets and flavors of change itself; the real nature of our experience is a constantly unfolding, non-solidified, un-abiding movement of qi. The profundity of Chinese Astrology is found in the direct experience that everything is compound and in a constant process of change (qi).
Chinese Polestar Astrology looks specifically at the qi pattern of an individual’s Character and Fate at the moment of birth and as a progression through the decades and years. An individual is born into the world with countless other beings and things at a particular moment when qi was patterning in a particular way. This pattern patterns those individuals accordingly. Polestar Astrology looks at a person’s birth time to get a sense of how their patterning is pre-disposed to unfold. (adapted from dayuancircle.org)
Method—Character, Fate, and Freedom
Polestar Astrology, like Indian and Western Astrology, reads an individual's fate through an assessment of the twelve houses of a Natal chart. Unlike Indian and Western Astrology, Polestar Astrology does not interpret the position of the planets but rather an arrangement of 32+ stars, positioned in the twelve houses according to the time of an individual’s birth, in relation to the unfolding Qi of the Chinese Almanac (Tongshu) . The twelve major stars in this arrangement are called the Celestial Court, ruled by the Emperor or Polestar, the only star in the sky which does not move.
However, the so called stars in the Chinese Tradition are better understood as poetical representations of “currents of fate.” Although Polestar Astrology has Astronomy in its distant past, it does not rely on any relative assessment of stars or planets in the night sky. The Chinese observed the night sky for thousands of years and discovered a repeating pattern. This pattern revealed a mathematical formula embedded in the greater cycles of the universe. This formula is used to determine the position of stars in a Natal chart in relation to “the Ten Heavenly Stems and the Twelve Earthly Branches” (yin/yang, the five elements, and the 12 animals of the Zodiac).
Polestar Astrology reads the attributes of these stars in the twelve houses to reveal the Fate (opportunity) of an individual in relation to their Character (capacity). Life, then, is how capacity meets opportunity. Chinese Astrology assumes that our basic nature is freedom, and that our freedom demonstrates itself through our conduct, how we choose to display our Character in relation to our Fate. The method of Chinese Astrology reveals the play of Character, Fate, and Freedom in our life.
Fruition—the Resolution of Fate
What is the goal of Polestar Astrology? Why have a Natal reading? Well, that is up to you. There are many reasons why people consult an Astrologer, and they are all valid. Polestar Astrology can be used to determine our fate in relation to career, marriage, family, education, business, and so on. These so called “worldly” goals are an important part of human life and should not be ignored. In fact, they may be an integral part of our Fate.
The goal of traditional Chinese Astrology, however, is to resolve our Fate so that we can experience our Original Nature and be of benefit to others through our naturalness and generosity. In other words, we are each born with an unchanging Character and a pattern of Fate set to unfold over the course of our lives. Polestar Astrology helps us to understand the patterns of our Fate so they can unfold and resolve naturally. In this resolution, we can experience our natural state of Freedom. With Freedom, we can choose to generate fate, or we can simply rest and relax (called Wu Wei). In this rest our Original Nature is reveled as an ever present naturalness, and we experience ourselves and the world as a phantasm of light (qi).
Polestar Astrology Is Not Fortunetelling
Polestar Astrology, and all forms of Astrology for that matter, are not fortunetelling, although they are often used for this purpose. In the Traditional Chinese view, fortunetelling is an abuse of Astrology, and all Orthodox Daoist priests take an oath against it. What is fortunetelling and what is the difference between fortunetelling and Astrology? Fortunetelling is when someone else pontificates at you about your own experience, telling you what has happened to you and what will happen to you.
Astrology, on the other hand, is a dialogue between the Astrologer, the Client, and the Chart. The goal of Astrology is not to tell a person about themselves but rather to use the imagery of Character and Fate to help a person relate to their own experience and through the dialogue draw out a resolution of the client’s Fate through interpretation, discussion, and relatedness. In this sense, the client is an active participant in the reading.
Astrology, on the other hand, is a dialogue between the Astrologer, the Client, and the Chart. The goal of Astrology is not to tell a person about themselves but rather to use the imagery of Character and Fate to help a person relate to their own experience and through the dialogue draw out a resolution of the client’s Fate through interpretation, discussion, and relatedness. In this sense, the client is an active participant in the reading.
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About Me
My name is Gregory David Done. I was born in the Metal Dragon hour during the eight lunar month on the twentieth lunar day of a Fire Tiger year. To a student of Chinese Astrology, this is everything you need to know. I have been an avid student and practitioner of Asian wisdom traditions from an early age, having been introduced to the practice of meditation through the tradition of Ch'an Buddhism at the age of thirteen. I have had the good fortune to study Buddhism (Ch'an, Theravada, and Indo-Tibetan lineages), Orthodox Daoism (Wuweidao, Zhengyidao), Yungdrung Bön, and Tantric Shaivism (Trika/Krama) under many phenomenal teachers, and I find my path among all these traditions. I also hold a BA in English Education from San Francisco State and an MA in Buddhist Studies from Naropa University, and a Doctorate in Classical Chinese Medicine from the National University of Natural Medicine. I am a third generation Astrologer in my family. My Father, Grandfather, and Great Uncle were Western Astrologers, and I have been fascinated by all forms of Astrology my entire life. After much dabbling, and after the good fortune of discovering the Chinese Tradition through Liu Ming, I have decided to use my understanding of Astrology to help others in the resolution of their fate. |
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Lineage
According to Chinese and Asian Tradition, one must always explain the lineage and history of the teachings in order to dispel doubts. The Astrology that I practice was received from the late Daoist teacher Liu Ming. Liu Ming was a Euro-American who studied Asian culture, history, and religion for nearly half a century. During that time he had the great good fortune to meet, study, and practice with several accomplished Tibetan and Chinese adepts from whom he learned Tantric Buddhist and Daoist meditation, ritual, yoga, astrology, and neigong. I completed a two year correspondence course in Polestar and Tong Shu (almanac) astrology with Liu Ming and am happy to carry on his tradition. I also study Tantric Jyotish (Indian) Astrology and am training to be a Tantrik Acarya with my primary spiritual mentor Acarya Dharma Bodhi, a Euro-American who received lineages of Non-Dual Shaiva Tantra and Yungdrung Bön. I do not officially practice Indian Astrology, but I do study it, and Jyotish informs and refines my practice of Chinese Astrology. |
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