What is Chinese Polestar Astrology?
The Twelve Characters of Destiny
Character, Inner Nature, and Fate
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 that does not move.
However, the so-called stars in the Chinese Tradition are better understood as poetic 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, Inner Nature, and Fate in our lives.
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 revealed 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. |
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