| How to Make a Chinese Hot Pot Posted: 28 Jan 2017 06:00 PM PST Chinese hot pot, also known as Chinese fondue or Chinese steamboat consists of various raw meats, vegetables, noodles, tofu, seafood and dumplings, which are dropped into a shared or individual pot of hot flavored broth using chopsticks in order to cook the items. The items are then fished out with chopsticks or a strainer and enjoyed, often with additional options of broth, rice, or Chinese barbecue sauce (also known as satay or sacha).
Chinese hot pot can include any variety of meats, vegetables or noodles depending on individual tastes. Traditionally, different ingredients were used depending on the region of China the dish was served. For instance, those who lived near the sea used seafood, while those who lived inland were more likely to use pork, lamb or goat. The origins of the Chinese hot pot have been dated back to over 1,000 years. The dish is usually served today to celebrate Chinese New Year, but is also a common wintertime meal. Here are a few steps on how to make a Chinese hot pot. - Prepare a broth in a large pot or wok that will be used to cook the hot pot ingredients. There is no right or wrong way to prepare a broth, so feel free to get creative and customize your own. Examples of broths include: plain pork bone, pork bone with coconut milk, spicy mala (with varying degrees of spiciness), tomato, curry, and miso. You can also consider purchasing pre-made broth from some Chinese restaurants or pre-packaged ingredients of popular hot pot restaurants in Asian grocery stores.
- A simple broth can be made by boiling water with the addition of meat bones or fish heads and a combination of herbs (ginger, goji berries, red dates, bay leaf, cloves, star anise, whole dried red chilies, cinnamon bark, fennel), seasonings (white pepper, sichuan peppercorn), and vegetables (scallions, garlic, napa cabbage, mushrooms). You will want to boil the ingredients until the water has been reduced and becomes infused with the flavor of the ingredients; then, strain the broth.
- Traditional combinations include:
- 1) Plain: Chicken and/or pork bone, ginger, goji berries, red dates, white pepper, scallions, and optional napa cabbage and/or mushrooms;
- 2) Spicy Mala: Beef bone, ginger, garlic, chili oil, whole dried red chilies, bay leaf, star anise, cinnamon stick, cloves, and fried tofu puffs.
- In both recipes you can substitute the meat broth with vegetable broth for vegetarians or vegans.
- Slice a variety of meats and fish thinly to be cooked in the hot pot. Slicing thinly will ensure that the ingredients will cook quickly and fully.
- Choose any proteins (meat, variety of fish, or tofu) that you enjoy. Some common choices for Chinese hot pot include thinly sliced beef, pork, lamb (which you can marinate in red wine), chicken, thin fish fillets, squid, shrimp, scallops, mussels, clams, fish cake, fish balls (sometimes stuffed with meat or fish eggs), shrimp balls, cuttlefish balls, shrimp or fish paste, beef balls, plain tofu, fried tofu, ice tofu, tofu sheets, tofu puffs, and quail eggs. You can make your hot pot using the more traditional method of using the meats and seafood that are local to you.
- Select and prepare some vegetables.
- Wash and prepare some leafy greens. Popular options include: watercress, bok choy, tong ho, spinach, napa cabbage, cabbage, lettuce, snow pea leaves, daikon, taro, lotus root, winter melon, kabocha squash, tomato, and quarter cobs of corn. Mushrooms of all varieties are also common to Chinese hot pot preparations: king oyster mushroom, shiitake, enoki, and shimeji.
- Have enough noodles for all of your guests alongside the hot pot to eat with their selections as a side dish, or simply use the broth to cook the noodles at the end of the meal. The noodles will be infused with the flavors of all of the ingredients that everyone has cooked in it.
- You can use any type of noodle, and there are many options: knife-cut, rice noodles, egg noodles, ramen, udon, and glass noodles. Feel free to offer a variety, but note that several people will be full before you even get to the noodles at the end or want to skip them altogether.
- You can also provide rice to complement the meal, though not everyone may want it.
- Add other ingredients if desired. For more variety, consider incorporating dumplings, rice cakes, and tangyuan (sweet dumplings - with various fillings such as taro, sweet or salty egg, red bean, or no filling).
- Place a variety of condiments on the table where you are dining and encourage your guests to create their own sauce to dip their ingredients. Typical condiments to prepare a sauce include satay sauce, hot mustard, soy sauce, black vinegar, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, chili oil, and sweet chili sauce. You can also include chopped garlic, scallions, and raw egg. Give each guest a separate small dish to mix their sauce.
- A common sacha sauce recipe includes: Chinese BBQ sauce, soy sauce, black vinegar, chopped garlic, chopped scallions, and a raw egg on top. Some people will even separate the yolk from the egg white, adding only the yolk to the sauce and simply spreading the extra egg white across some raw meat to be cooked together.
- Transfer your broth, omitting any solids, into a wok, clay pot or any pot that is wide and shallow so that everyone will be able to easily dip their ingredients into it. Place an electric heating plate on the table where you will be eating and place the broth on top of it to keep it hot.
- You can also use a gas cooktop as an additional option.
- Try to arrange the seating so that everyone is sitting in a circle and has easy access to everything on the table. Eating a Chinese hot pot is a very communal experience. People gather around the pot, dipping their food, waiting for it to cook, mixing their own sauces and enjoying each other's company. Chinese hot pot meals commonly last a couple of hours because you are cooking and eating in small portions at the same time.
- Multiple hot pots can also be used, or individual hot pots. At home, a single hot pot would work well up to 4-8 people depending on the size of the pot.
- Enjoy!
- Experiment with different ingredients in your hot pot - from broth, to meat, to veggies, to sauce.
- Notify your guests of cooking meats all the way through. Do not eat fish or shrimp that is still transparent. Make sure all meats are properly cooked before removing them from the hot pot.
EditThings You'll Need - Wok, clay pot or a Shabu Shabu pot
- Broth
- Meats, thinly sliced
- Small pieces of seafood like shrimp, scallops or sliced fresh fish
- Side dishes like leafy green vegetables, noodles, mushrooms, tofu and dumplings
- Dipping sauce ingredients like sesame oil, hoisin sauce, soy sauce and sweet chili sauce
- Chopsticks or small strainers
- Electric heat plate
- Small dishes for sauce
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| How to Get Over an Embarrassing Moment Posted: 28 Jan 2017 12:00 PM PST When you're in the heat of an embarrassing moment, you might feel like you're the only person on Earth. And yet, embarrassment is one of the most universal emotions. It's exhibited by humans all around the world, and even by other species.[1] Many might consider embarrassment as an entirely negative emotion, but it actually serves an important social function when it comes time to figuring out who to trust and build relationships with.[2] Nevertheless, it's not good to let feelings of embarrassment take control and ruin experiences. To get over an embarrassing moment, learn to respond externally in a lighthearted way and minimize the incident internally. If you can't get past your embarrassment, consider if another underlying issue might be the cause. And beyond all else, keep in mind: rather than distancing you from everyone else around you, the capacity to experience embarrassment is actually one of the aspects of yourself that connects you to others the most. EditResponding to the Incident - Laugh at yourself. Recent research suggests laughing and humor are both key components of health in general. [3] The easiest way to get over the anxiety produced from an embarrassing moment is thus to simply laugh at yourself and the situation that just occurred. This way, it's easier for others to laugh with you than at you.
- The fact that you even get embarrassed is a great way to connect you to other people, as it's something almost everyone has likely experienced at some point in their life.[4] If you are willing to laugh at yourself, an embarrassing moment can serve as a great jumping off point to sparking interesting conversations or making new friends.
- You can also try making the situation funny. If you approach the situation with good humor, it will become less embarrassing and more like a light joke. For example, if you fall off your chair, say something like, "I do all my own stunts!"
- Admit you were embarrassed. When an embarrassing moment happens, it's best to accept it. You can't go back in time, so what's the point of being in total denial? Admit to yourself – and others if appropriate – that you had an embarrassing moment. This can be a great way to start conversations with others, as they will likely have embarrassing moments to share with you as well. [5]
- Explain why the moment occurred. There may be circumstances that cause your embarrassing moment which are understandable and explainable. For example, you may have called someone by the wrong name all day. But when you reflect on the incident, you realize that you've been thinking about another person quite a bit. [6]
- For example, you could say, "I'm sorry I've been calling you Shawn. I have been thinking about a good friend of mine who is going through a rough time, and I'm a little distracted."
- Ask others to help you. Perhaps you spilled coffee all over some important papers at a meeting, or you tripped and dropped a stack of books on your principal's foot. Ask the other person to help you pick up your things. This will redirect the situation away from your embarrassment to the task at hand.[7]
EditMinimizing the Incident - Take deep breaths. After an embarrassing moment has happened anxiety will tend to spike in most people. Blood rushes to the face, heart rate and blood pressure increase, shortness of breath occurs, and higher levels of perspiration starts to collect throughout much of the body.[8] To calm yourself down, take some deep breaths and reassess the situation. This will help with the physiological response that you experience (blushing, for example). It will also help you avoid saying or doing anything else that could add to the embarrassment factor. Take a minute to calm down, and then proceed.
- Don't make a spectacle of yourself. The worst thing to do when an embarrassing moment happens is to make a huge scene about it. When an embarrassing moment happens, try to avoid screaming, shouting, running away on the brink of tears, or flat-out crying in public. The bigger a scene you make out of the moment, the more the moment will be engraved into people's minds. Keep in mind that it is just another moment that will quickly pass. If your reaction is mild, people are more likely to forget that anything ever happened.
- Tell yourself that this moment wasn't very embarrassing. You have to face the fact that something bad has just happened to you. But, remember, it's only embarrassing if you tell yourself it is. If you get over it and tell yourself it isn't, you won't feel embarrassed.
- It's likely the case that you are much more critical of yourself than anyone else. Psychologists have found that in cases of anxiety or embarrassment, people tend to become overly preoccupied with themselves to the extent that they greatly overestimate how much everyone else is actually paying attention to them. [9]
- With this in mind, if an embarrassing moment happened to you, it's probably the case that anyone who was around you was paying more attention to themselves than to you.
- Do something to distract yourself. After the embarrassing moment, do something to get your mind off of it. Try reading, playing your favorite sport, watching TV, listening to music, etc. Turning your attention to an activity prevents you from focusing on your embarrassing moment.
- Take a lesson from the embarrassing moment. Okay, so you've been embarrassed, but take it as a lesson and learn from it. Did you trip and fall in front of your crush? Avoid wearing high heels. Did you pass out while giving a speech? Research how to calm your nerves before giving a presentation.
EditAddressing an Underlying Issue - Reflect on your emotions that stem from this moment. Keep in mind that you can learn about yourself by what you get embarrassed by. Think about the situation you were in. Ask yourself, "What was it about that situation that made me embarrassed?" It might not always simply be about the people you were actually around.[10]
- For example, if you get overly embarrassed after failing at something you are typically very good at, you might be setting overly high expectations for yourself. In each moment of embarrassment, reflect on what your emotion can tell you about your expectations of yourself and others in general.
- Consider whether or not you might have an anxiety disorder. While the title of this article is how to get over an embarrassing moment, certain people tend to have embarrassing moments quite a lot. It might even happen every day. If embarrassing moments seem to come up for you continuously, without your control, it could be the case that you have a social phobia. This is actually a type of anxiety disorder that has been shown to be highly correlated with persistent emotions of embarrassment. This makes it very difficult for you to simply get over embarrassing moments when they occur.[11]
- If you can't seem to simply shake off embarrassing emotions when they arise, and they seem to be coming up for you a lot, consider taking steps towards treating yourself for anxiety.
- See a mental health counselor. If you feel there may be underlying issues that cause your embarrassment to be more severe than normal, it can help to talk with a counselor. This person can help you figure out your emotions and understand why you feel this way. He can also give you strategies for how to reduce the level of embarrassment that you feel.
- Practice mindfulness meditation. If you can't stop thinking about the embarrassing moment, try meditating. Remember, the embarrassing moment is in the past. Try to keep yourself in the present. Mindfulness meditation is a technique that helps you be aware and nonjudgmental about your thoughts and emotions. It can be helpful to keep your thoughts about the embarrassing moment from taking over.[12], [13]
- Sit quietly for 10-15 minutes, breathing deeply. Focus on your breath.
- Acknowledge each thought as it enters your mind. Identify the emotion that you're feeling. Say to yourself, "I feel embarrassment."
- Accept the emotions that you're feeling, tell yourself, "I can accept my embarrassment."
- Acknowledge that this is a temporary feeling. Say to yourself, "I know this feeling is temporary. It will subside. What do I need for myself right now?" Give yourself space and validation for your feelings, but recognize that your thoughts and responses may distort the reality of the situation.
- Bring your attention and awareness back to your breath. As further thoughts pass through your mind, repeat the process to acknowledge them and let them go.
- You can also search online for guided mindfulness meditation exercises.
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| How to Read Your Chinese Horoscope Posted: 28 Jan 2017 06:00 AM PST The Chinese Zodiac consists of 12 animals that represent certain years. The year of your birth is represented by one of these animals, and according to the Chinese Zodiac, you will have particular personality traits that resemble your assigned animal.[1] But did you know it goes much, much deeper than that? The Four Pillars of Destiny get down to the hour your were born. See Step 1 to start a blueprint of your fate! EditUnderstanding the Zodiac Signs - Find your birth animal. Consult the chart below to find the year of your birth and the corresponding animal. (Chinese astrology determines your animal sign based on your birthday in the Chinese astrology year, which begins on or around February 4 every year.[2] Year of your birth and your matching Zodiac animal:
 - 1900, 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008 — RAT (鼠)
- 1901, 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009— OX(牛)
- 1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010— TIGER(虎)
- 1903, 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011— RABBIT(兔)
- 1904, 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012— DRAGON(龍)
- 1905, 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013— SNAKE(蛇)
- 1906, 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014 — HORSE(馬)
- 1907, 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 — GOAT(羊)
- 1908, 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016 — MONKEY(猴)
- 1909, 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017 — ROOSTER(雞)
- 1910, 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018 — DOG(狗)
- 1911, 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019 — PIG(豬)
- These years are in accordance with the lunar (not solar) calendar. As a rule of thumb, the new year is usually around February 4th. If you're born before the new year, you're technically born in the prior year. The New Year changes every year, so do more research to be certain.
- Some refer to the goat as the sheep or ram.
- Read about your zodiac animal traits. Just like in Western astrology, each sign is commonly associated with a number of traits. Here are a few details on what each sign is like[3]
 - Rat: This sign has spirit, wit, alertness, delicacy, flexibility and vitality. These people are bright, sociable and ambitious, generally making them wealthy and successful. However, they are also timid, lack concentration and stability, and don't fit most leadership positions.
- Ox: This sign is intelligent, self-confident, and a naturally-born leader. They are honest, industrious, patient, and above all else, do things steadily. No matter what, they always maintain a strong devotion to their work. However, they are also prudish, obstinate and poor at communication.
- Tiger: These individuals are tolerant, valiant, considerate, intelligent and respected. They like challenges and are quite good at expressing themselves. They are also short-tempered and not easily interested in much.
- Rabbit: This sign is gentle, sensitive, compassionate, amiable, modest. They are humorous and add spice to life -- mainly because they can't stand things being dull. However, they tend to throw away money and are stubborn yet undetermined.
- Dragon: This sign is bright, self-assured and romantic. They are also lively, intellectual, energetic and excitable. They make good leaders, always aiming for perfection. However, they can be arrogant and impatient, and sometimes overconfident.
- Snake: This sign is charming and is skilled at communicating effectively through saying little. They are very moral and full of wisdom. For most, money isn't a problem. However, they can be jealous and suspicious and often tend to overdo things.
- Horse: This sign is cheerful, quick-witted, kind to others, and like to have adventures. They are also perceptive and talented, making good entertainers. However, they can be impatient, lack substance, and come across as superficial.
- Goat: These people are tender, polite, clever, gentle, and kind-hearted. They appreciate art and beauty and have a soft spot for quiet living. However, they can be shy, pessimistic, moody, and worry too much.
- Monkey: This sign is incredibly clever. They are lively, flexible, quick-witted, and are very talented problem solvers. And they're very giving to boot! Weaknesses? They can be rather jealous, conniving, and selfish.
- Rooster: These people are deep thinkers, often thought of as honest, bright, communicative, and warm-hearted. They have high self-worth and tend to be independent. However, they also have difficulty relating with others and tend to assume they are always right.
- Dog: These people are loyal, courageous, warm, responsible, smart and realistic. They can easily inspire confidence in others. However, they lack stability, can have a biting tongue, and easily find fault.
- Pig: This sign is diligent, courageous, honest, chivalrous and gallant. They are tolerant, calm, and optimistic. They hate conflict and don't lie easily. However, they can be naive, impulsive, and don't know when to draw the line.
- Know your sign's details. We'll cover three topics: your lucky numbers, lucky colors, and whether you're a "yin" or "yang" sign. We'll describe yin and yang in more detail in the next section; for now, know that every person has both sides in them, but one side is typically more apparent (depending on the sign).[3]
- Rat:
- Yang sign
- Lucky numbers: 2, 3
- Lucky colors: blue, golden, green
- Ox:
- Yang sign
- Lucky numbers: 9, 1
- Lucky colors: blue, red, purple
- Tiger:
- Yang sign
- Lucky numbers: 1, 3, 4
- Lucky colors: blue, grey, white, orange
- Rabbit:
- Yin sign
- Lucky numbers: 1, 4, 9
- Lucky colors: red, pink, purple, blue
- Dragon:
- Yang sign
- Lucky numbers: 1, 7, 6
- Lucky colors: golden, silver, hoary
- Snake:
- Yin sign
- Lucky numbers: 2, 8, 9
- Lucky colors: red, light yellow, black
- Horse:
- Yang sign
- Lucky numbers: 2, 3, 7
- Lucky colors: brown, yellow, purple
- Goat:
- Yin sign
- Lucky numbers: 3, 9, 4
- Lucky colors: green, red, purple
- Monkey:
- Yang sign
- Lucky numbers: 1, 8, 7
- Lucky colors: white, golden, blue
- Rooster
- Yin sign
- Lucky numbers: 7, 5, 8
- Lucky colors: golden, brown, brownish yellow, yellow
- Dog:
- Yang sign
- Lucky numbers: 3, 4, 9
- Lucky colors: green, red, purple
- Pig:
- Yin sign
- Lucky numbers: 2, 5, 8
- Lucky colors: yellow, grey, brown, golden
- Know your most compatible matches. It is believed that each sign romantically lines up (or really, really doesn't line up) with other signs. Here's what is believed makes for the easiest (and most difficult) relationships:
- Rat: most compatible with dragon, monkey, and ox; least with sheep, horse, and rabbit
- Ox: most compatible with rat, snake, rooster; least with horse, dog, sheep
- Tiger: most compatible with horse, dog; least compatible with snake, monkey
- Rabbit: most compatible with sheep, pig, dog; least with rat, dragon
- Dragon: most compatible with rat, monkey, rooster; least with ox, rabbit, dog
- Snake: most compatible with ox, rooster; least with tiger, pig
- Horse: most compatible with tiger, sheep, dog; least with rat, ox, rabbit
- Goat: most compatible with rabbit, horse, pig; least with ox, dog
- Monkey: most compatible with rat, dragon, snake; least with tiger, pig
- Rooster: most compatible with ox, dragon, snake; least with rat, rabbit, dog
- Dog: most compatible with tiger, rabbit, horse; least compatible with ox, dragon, sheep, rooster
- Pig: most compatible with sheep, rabbit; least with snake, monkey, pig
EditUnderstanding the Four Pillars of Destiny - Don't just stop at your Zodiac sign! There is far, far more to Chinese astrology than just the twelve signs of the Zodiac. There's also the Four Pillars of Destiny -- which does use the Zodiac, but goes much, much further. It uses the year you were born and the month, day, and time of your birth, as well. It's similar to the birth chart used in Western astrology. It is believed to be a lot more accurate, telling more about your personal life instead of your sign as a whole.
- The four pillars are those four factors, in that order. They are also combined with yin and yang and the 5 elements (metal, wood, water, fire, earth). It is all believed to determine your luck, affluence, longevity, happiness, and wealth year by year.
- Chinese astrology works in 60 year cycles. If you're a math fiend with nothing better to do, you could break down the patterns of all these ideas into a sexagesimal cycle.
- Know your "inner" animal. Let's go further than the animal of your birth year. Your "inner" animal is determined by the month you were born in. It is believed to determine your later years in life or information about your parents. Here's how it correlates to the Western calendar:
- February 4th - March 5th: Tiger
- March 6th - April 4th: Rabbit
- April 5th - May 4th: Dragon
- May 5th - June 5th: Snake
- June 6th - July 6th: Horse
- July 7th - August 6th: Goat
- August 7th - September 7th: Monkey
- September 8th - October 7th: Rooster
- October 8th - November 6th: Dog
- November 7th - December 6th: Pig
- December 7th - January 5th: Rat
- January 6th - February 3rd: Ox
- Know how your day pillar works. This is the third pillar, believed to determine information about your adult or married life in the day-to-day. A pretty important one! Again, it is a sexagesimal cycle that starts when the sun reaches the celestial longitude of 315° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 330°. Therefore, each year is just a teeny bit different.
- Because it'd be ridiculous to list the entire 60-day cycle here, it's advisable to visit an online calculator to find out your element and Zodiac sign for your day. If you're really bored, map out the entire cycle!
- Know your secret animal. In the Four Pillars of Destiny, the hour you were born represents the final and most personal pillar -- it also determines your "secret animal". This is thought to be the truest representation of yourself, the self that has been covered by layers and layers of nurture and environment. It is also used to represent information about your kids or your senior years. Here's how it lines up:
- 1:00 - 03:00 AM: Ox
- 3:00 - 5:00 AM: Tiger
- 5:00 - 7:00 AM: Rabbit
- 7:00 - 9:00 AM: Dragon
- 9:00 - 11:00 AM: Snake
- 11:00 - 1:00 PM: Horse
- 1:00 - 3:00 PM: Ram
- 3:00 - 5:00 PM: Monkey
- 5:00 - 7:00 PM: Rooster
- 7:00 - 9:00 PM: Dog
- 9:00 - 11:00 PM: Pig
- 11:00 - 1:00 AM: Rat
- Know if you're yin or yang. There's a few things to consider here:
- Every year is either yin or yang. Odd years are yang and even years are yin. Whatever the current year is, it's that side of the spectrum that tends to get emphasized.
- Every sign is yin or yang as well. This is the side of your personality that naturally has more power -- though anything can change in alignment with the stars.
- Yin is associate with passivity, cold, femininity, submissive, dark energy. Yang represents activity, heat, masculinity, aggressiveness, and light energy. Before you go assuming the worst, know that everyone has both -- it's just a cycle. You start with yin, say, until it blooms and turns into yang. And take into account the year's yin or yang, too!
- Know your element. Almost done! Now we're getting to your element. On the outside, it's quite simple. Just take the last number in the year of your birth![4]
- 0 or 1: Metal
- 2 or 3: Water
- 4 or 5: Wood
- 6 or 7: Fire
- 8 or 9: Earth
- What does this mean? Again, it's a cycle, this part emphasizing movement and change. Whatever element you are will naturally be emphasized, but how does it mix with the element of the current year? It is believed that the element of the year is the dominant one -- some years will work with your element, while others will work against, creating harmony and disharmony.[5]
- There are believed to be two cycles: the creative cycle and the destructive cycle.
- For example, water destroys fire but produces wood and so forth. Each element affects others in different ways, ideally creating a perfect balance.
- It is believed that the elements line up with the 4 seasons. Wood is the strongest in spring, fire in summer, Earth during the season transitions, and so on.[6]
- Each element is dominant for 2 years in a row. The cycle repeats every 10 years (there being 5 elements and all).
- Know the Ten Heavenly Stems and Twelve Earthly Branches. You have your own complicated sign, but the years have more detail to them too; each one has a stem paired with a branch. For example, the year 2002 has a Yang Water Stem on the Horse Branch. The horse branch has not only Yin Fire behind it, but Yin Earth too. It's how your pillars fit into every year that determines your cyclical fate.
- The Ten Heavenly stems are a combination of yin and yang and the Five Elements. Therefore, your options are Yang Wood, Yin Wood, Yang Fire, Yin Fire , Yang Earth, Yin Earth, Yang Metal, Yin Metal, Yang Water, Yin Water.
- These go in a 60-year cycle as discussed above. Year 1 was Rat Yang Wood; year 61 will be the same, cycling through with no repetitions before that.
- The Twelve Earthly Branches are the Zodiac animals discussed in the first section. You know, the ones you find on Chinese take-out menus.
- Work with your cycles. Remember that this is a blueprint or map. It cannot be changed. That is nothing to fret about! The Chinese believe that this is knowledge to make you powerful -- you will be better able to overcome obstacles and grasp opportunities when need be. In other words, you can always do the right thing at the right time.[7]
- Remember that good luck and all positive things don't just happen. This chart is telling you that at certain times, they have potential. You have to go out and get it! By knowing this chart, you'll know when those times are and when you should make your move in alignment with the stars.
- Talk to an astrologist or Feng Shui master. To know what seasons (parts of the cycle, not "winter") or years will be for the better or worse, talk to a master of Chinese astrology. They'll be able to pinpoint your when you're lucky and, quite frankly, when you're not. Certain seasons (days, even) will be better than others (especially to take action) and they can outline that cycle for you.
- Carry a lucky symbol with you. Let's say you're a goat and it's a bad year for you, but it's a great year for the Ox. Carry a little trinket of an Ox around you to circumvent the negative airs around you.
- Use an online calculator if you'd like to figure out your sign the easy way. Remember to account for Chinese time -- if you input the timezone of your birth, some calculators can do that for you. And don't forget the new year!
- Put yourself in the right frame of mind. This emphasizes Buddhist principles, which say that you should accept your fate happily. It'll all come out in the wash!
- There are daily Chinese horoscopes available online, but they won't be nearly as accurate as outlining your "birth chart."
- Always compare your birth date to the Chinese lunar calendar that indicates the Chinese start of spring. This date is about 6 weeks before the Vernal Equinox (mid-March) and can range from the end of January through the first week of February. So your horoscope animal is always based on the lunar calendar. For example, 1985 is the year of the ox, and the start of spring in 1985 was February 4. So if you were born on February 3, 1985, your zodiac animal would be the rat; if you were born one day later, on February 4, 1985, your zodiac animal would be the ox.[8]
- Just like Western Astrology, a much fuller horoscope can be obtained if one knows the exact time of birth. The Four Pillars of Destiny Chinese astrology charts give in-depth readings for the year, month, day and hour you were born.[9]
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