Astrology

Quoted from p.54 of Winter Court: Kyuden Asako! (c) Alderac Entertainment Group.

Rokugani Astrology
Astrology is another popular method of divination in Rokugan, involving the movements of the sun, moon, stars, and other heavenly bodies. A wealth of knowledge about the past, present, and future can be obtained by observing the location of objects in the night sky.

Besides the many stars that dot the sky -- and Lady Sun and Lord Moon -- there are seven major heavenly bodies which move across the sky throughout the year. Whether these are small moons, planets, comets, or something else entirely is unimportant to the current state of Rokugani science. (The exception is amongst the Dragon, who have so many conflicting theories as to what these bodies may be that getting into the matter in detail would be another chapter in and of itself.) To most Rokugani astrologers, these bright, moving bodies are clearly symbolic of the Fortunes. As such, they have been named after the Seven Fortunes -- Benten (Fortune of Romantic Love), Bishamon (Fortune of Strength), Daikoku (Fortune of Welath), Ebisu (Fortune of Honest Work), Fukurokujin (Fortune of Wisdom), Hotei (Fortune of Contentment), and Jurojin (Fortune of Longevity).

For the purposes of astrology, the sky is divided into twelve sections called "houses." These houses are determined by the position of the moon at that time of the year, and are named after the Rokugani months. A stellar event holds different connotations depending upon its house. A meteor shower in the House of the Rat, for example, could symbolize great wealth because the rat is a symbol of Daikoku. The possible interpretations and symbolic explanations are endless.

The current year is also highly symbolic in astrology. Each year is attached to a specific house according to a twelve-year cycle, and to a particular elemental ring (Water, Air, Fire, Void, and Earth in that order). Each element is associated with two consecutive years, then the next element in order dominates the next two years. With twelve houses and five elements, the cycle repeats ever sixty years, and astrologers keep careful note of the passing of these cycles, as important events are believed to happen when the cycle begins anew. The combination of element and house determines the possible events that occur during the year.

The most common use of astrology is in determining an individual's personal house. The personal house is a combination of two elements - the house occupied by the moon when the person was born and the year in which they were born. These elements combine to tell a great deal about the individual's personality and destiny.

Symbology
Month - Common Name - (Month - Formal Name) personality associations

Spring Hare - (Sun) very emotional, a dreamer Dragon - (Moon) brash, but charismatic Serpent - (Hantei) attentive, but often selfish Summer Horse - (Akodo) curious and versatile, but restive Goat - (Doji) sensitive and compassionate, but moody Monkey - (Shiba) honest and generous, sometimes arrogant Fall Rooster - (Bayushi) charming, but often critical of others Dog - (Shinjo) sincere and friendly, but indecisive Boar - (Hida) tenacious and implacable, but overbearing Winter Rat - (Togashi) spiritual, lucky with money, but sometimes overzealous Ox - (Fu Leng) has high standards, hard working, but unforgiving Tiger - (Tenth Son) clever and inventive, but very secretive

Element Associations
Water - artistic and expressive, but fearful or fickle

Earth - stolid and dependable, conservative and stubborn

Air - strong and self-controlled, but competitive

Fire - cheerful and passionate, but can be very destructive

Void - resourceful and practical, but sometimes impatient and unpredictable

Year Triplicity
404 - Water - Ox 405 - Water - Tiger 406 - Air - Hare 407 - Air - Dragon

408 - Fire - Serpent 409 - Fire - Horse 410 - Void - Goat 411 - Void - Monkey 412 - Earth - Rooster 413 - Earth - Dog 414 - Water - Boar 415 - Water - Rat 416 - Air - Ox 417 - Air - Tiger 418 - Fire - Hare 419 - Fire - Dragon 420 - Void - Serpent 421 - Void - Horse 422 - Earth - Goat 421 - Earth - Monkey

422 - Water - Rooster

423 - Water - Dog

424 - Air - Boar

425 - Air - Rat

426 - Fire - Ox

427 - Fire - Tiger

428 - Void - Hare

429 - Void - Dragon

430 - Earth - Serpent

431 - Earth - Horse

432 - Water - Goat

433 - Water - Monkey

434 - Air - Rooster