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Differences Between Astrology, Horoscopes, and the Four Pillars of Destiny

Astrology and the Four Pillars of Destiny (Bazi) are both fields that study personality and fate, but they use different methods for their analysis

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Important Note: Both astrology and the Four Pillars of Destiny are based on ancient observations and studies of celestial bodies. At the time, it was believed that all celestial bodies revolved around Earth, so descriptions may conflict with modern science.

What is a Horoscope?

A horoscope is a small part of astrology. Astrology is complex and involves many concepts. Horoscopes are simplified predictions based on zodiac signs for daily or short-term guidance. Examples include “Today, Pisces has good luck” or “This month, Leo has a strong financial fortune.”

What is Astrology?

Astrology uses a person’s birth date and place to create a natal chart, to determine personality and traits based on the twelve houses of the zodiac, the twelve zodiac signs, and ten planets positions.

Natal Chart

The natal chart is an essential tool in astrology, with nearly all information marked on it. The chart is circular and represents the plane of the ecliptic against the backdrop of the stars. The ecliptic is the path the Sun traces around the Earth, forming an elliptical shape, and this plane is the basis of the natal chart. On the chart, you can see the positions of the twelve zodiac signs and the ten planets as they were on your date of birth.

Natal Chart

The twelve houses of the zodiac (twelve houses)

Using the birth date and place to locate the sunrise point, the first house is marked, and each house is 30° counterclockwise, totaling 360° for the twelve houses.

The twelve zodiac signs

There are 88 known constellations, but only twelve are along the Sun’s path(on the ecliptic). These are marked starting from the vernal equinox, including Aries, Pisces, Leo, etc. Each zodiac period varies between 29 to 32 days. (When we say the Sun passes through a zodiac sign, it doesn’t mean that the Sun actually moves through the physical location of that constellation; rather, it means the Sun reaches the direction of that zodiac sign on the plane of the natal chart.)

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The vernal equinox is the point where day and night are equal ( each 12h ), marking the start of spring and Aries. Though it changes yearly, this was not considered when the zodiac system was created.

Although the thirteenth constellation, Ophiuchus, was later discovered on the ecliptic, making the total number of zodiac signs technically thirteen, we will not discuss it here

The twelve zodiac signs are thought to be connected to natural elements, which led to the development of the attributes of 'Air, Fire, Water, and Earth,' with each element grouping three signs. For example, the Water signs include Pisces, Cancer, and Scorpio. People with Water signs are considered more intuitive and emotionally sensitive than other signs.

Although the twelve houses of the zodiac and the twelve zodiac signs share similar names, they are not the same thing. Two people who are both Pisces, for instance, may not necessarily fall under the Pisces house. This is also why a person’s sun sign and rising sign are often different.

The ten planets

The eight recognized planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Including the Sun and Moon, they are called the ten planets in astrology.

Astrology interprets a person’s character based on their zodiac sign, ascendant (rising sign), and the positions of the ten planets.

What is the Four Pillars of Destiny?

The Four Pillars of Destiny is often referred to in English as 'Bazi' or 'Chinese Astrology.' China has a history spanning over 5,000 years, so to study birth dates, one must first understand how birthdays were recorded in ancient China before the invention of today’s solar calendar.

The Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches

Through long-term observation of the positions of the ten major celestial bodies, ancient Chinese people discovered that the cycle in which these planets return to the same position on the same side of the Sun is 60 years. In other words, 60 is the least common multiple of the orbital periods of these planets. This led to the invention of a 60-year cyclical calendar system using the Ten Heavenly Stems (which can be represented as A, B… J) and the Twelve Earthly Branches (represented as 1, 2, 3… 12). The Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches are paired sequentially (A1, B2, C3… A11, B12, C1, D2…), forming a complete cycle that returns to A1 every 60 years.

For more theory on the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, see here:

Over years of meticulous record-keeping, people documented the positions of the planets each year, the phases of the moon, the ebb and flow of tides, and climate changes. As a result, in the Chinese lunar calendar, the exact date of the spring equinox can be determined each year, and in every 60-year cycle, the seasonal changes and lunar phases align consistently

The Five Elements

Just like the zodiac signs, ancient Chinese assigned natural attributes to the Ten Heavenly Stems and Twelve Earthly Branches, known as the Five Elements (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth). Among them, Metal, Wood, Water, and Fire each correspond to four stems and branches, while Earth corresponds to six, as Earth represents the planet and has the greatest influence on people.

In addition to the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, all objects in nature are also associated with one of the Five Elements. For example, metal tools have the attribute of Metal, plants are associated with Wood, liquids with Water, cooking with Fire, and ceramics and stones with Earth. The Five Elements form the foundation of ancient Chinese Feng Shui, known by many.

The Four Pillars of Destiny

The Four Pillars of Destiny (Bazi) maps a person’s birth date and time (YYYY-MM-DD hh, also called the Four Pillars) to the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, resulting in eight attributes based on the Five Elements. For example, a person born on May 15, 1986, at 7 a.m. would have the attributes of 4 Fire, 2 Wood, 1 Earth, and 1 Metal. This person has a strong Fire element but lacks Water, so they may benefit from more interaction with things associated with the Water element.

The Four Pillars of Destiny (Bazi) is a system derived from many years of recorded observations of celestial phenomena, climate, and environmental patterns. It is used to interpret the influence of the positions of the Earth relative to the Sun, the Moon, and other major planets on the environment and, consequently, on a person’s fate.

The Four Pillars of Destiny

Differences Between Astrology and the Four Pillars of Destiny

Theory

Similar: Both study celestial phenomena and use birth date to analyze fate.

Different: Astrology studies planetary directions and angles, while the Four Pillars of Destiny focuses on positions and distances.

Time and Space

Similar: Both require an accurate birth date.

Different: Astrology requires the birthplace, while the Four Pillars of Destiny (Bazi) does not.

The Four Pillars of Destiny assumes that, at the same time, the gravitational influence of celestial bodies on Earth is uniform, and any differences in gravitational effect based on location on Earth are minimal.

Cycle

Different: Astrology cycles every year, while the Four Pillars follow a 60-year cycle.

In astrology, the rising sign (ascendant) is introduced to account for its influence on a person, as some celestial bodies take a long time to orbit the Sun. This means that even if two people are born on May 13, the rising point each year may differ, resulting in different rising signs and, consequently, variations in personality among people with the same sun sign.

Application

Similar: Both study personality, wealth, love, career, etc.

Different:

Astrology focuses on personality analysis, self-exploration, emotional relationships, and developmental trends. It typically provides insights for the present or near future. For example, 'Mercury is in retrograde this month, which may affect your fortune.’
The Four Pillars of Destiny (Bazi) is commonly used to predict fate, wealth, marriage, and health over a broader and longer-term scope. For instance, it might assess a person's fortune for the period from 2025 to 2030.

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