In the last lesson I introduced the twelve palaces and told you what each one governs. I promise that we're getting very close to reading a chart. However, before we get into technique, we'll briefly introduce some foundational concepts in polar astrology: the Twelve Earthly Branches and the Five Elements. Some texts introduce these from the very beginning, often together with the Heavenly Stems. I intentionally defer them a bit so the entry is gentler for the Western readers. While the Twelve Branches and Five Elements are bones to the system, their meanings also surface indirectly through other layers, star luminosity, for instance, so an impatient reader may skip this chapter for now. But if you want a deeper understanding of later concepts, you're encouraged to at least glance through.
The Twelve Branches
For Polar Astrology, the twelve Earthly Branches are essentially names for the twelve fixed positions in the chart grid. The branches are fixed. The palaces rotate. This is actually another reason I deliberately translate 宫 as “palaces” rather than “houses”, because the twelve branches have the epistemological root more similar to what houses mean in Western astrology. If you come from that background, this probably won't surprise you, since the twelve houses are also largely fixed in their positions in the standard displayed Western natal chart.
The twelve branches are a fascinating concept. They're among the oldest characters in the Chinese writing system, each carrying layers of meaning that predate Polar Astrology by centuries. This won't change how you cast a chart. But it surfaces in the advanced interpretive work, in decade luck readings, in branch interactions, in understanding why certain palaces carry the weight they do. Think of this as learning the grain of the wood before you build with it.
A reader from a Western astrology background might also notice that the branch meanings remind you of the meanings of the twelve houses. I actually believe the branches likely predate the houses, I won't go into the details here since it's not mandatory for understanding Polar Astrology, but for an interested reader, you can check taoistastrology.com for a deeper discussion. Here they are, going counterclockwise around the chart:
卯, Emergence.Where the Life Palace begins. Note that this is placed on the left side of a polar chart, roughly where a Western natal chart would place the 1st house and ascendant. 卯 means “to emerge,” “to sprout”, the Shuowen connects it to a gate being parted open. The classical text itself calls this the station of life.
寅, Reach.Where life extends outward for material wealth and achievement. 寅 means “to extend,” “to reach outward”, directed energy moving purposefully toward acquisition.
丑, Bond.丑 means “knot,” “bond.” A tie that binds. Think of two oxen pulling a plow together, they don't choose each other, they're bound by the same yoke, going the same direction.
子, Root.子 means “child,” “seed,” “point of origin.” This is roughly placed as one of the bottom cells of a polar chart. A reader from Western astrology may recognize that this is roughly where the IC is.
亥, Seed.亥 means “kernel”, the seed inside the fruit. It's phonetically identical to 孩 (hái, child). The character 核 (hé, nucleus) derives from it. This is the most blunt cue that the Twelve Branches system might potentially have historical relationship with the Twelve House systems in Western astrology.
戌, Axe.Where the Service Palace sits. 戌 means “axe,” “to cut down”, the tool of rough labor. The Dog at this position is the stronger connection: loyal, obedient, protective.
酉, Vessel. The Chinese wedding ceremony includes 合卺 (hé jǐn), the ritual sharing of a nuptial cup, documented in the Book of Rites. The bride and groom drink from the same vessel. Two lives reaching ripeness and pouring themselves together.
申, Trial.申 means “to stretch,” “lightning.” It's phonetically identical to 身 (shēn, “body”). The White Tiger (白虎), the spirit of danger, blood, and physical calamity, governs this position in the six-ren tradition, signifying difficulties and challenges.
未, Venture.未 means “not yet”, the state of incompleteness. “Not yet arrived” is elegant for travel: the journey is by definition the state of not yet being where you're going.
午, Zenith.This is one of the top cells of a polar chart. 午 means “noon,” the peak of the day. Noon is when everything is visible, the sun at its highest, public life at maximum exposure.
巳, Fruition.巳 means “already complete.” Blessings as inherent gifts, things already formed before you do anything to earn them.
辰, Awakening.辰 means “awakening before dawn” and is associated with dragons. 辰 in the Shuowen is really about activation and beginnings, and also closely relates to 震, which means thunder.
The Five Elements
The Five Elements, or Five Phases (五行, wǔxíng), are the second foundational concept you need before we start charting. They also embody the energy of the five classical planets, namely Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Moreover, the five elements, together with Yin and Yang, also form the Heavenly Stems, which embody the essence of the sun.
In polar astrology, the Five Elements are then encoded to Five Element Bureau, which then translate the elementary and planetary meanings to other interpretive layers of the chart. Hence strictly speaking, you don't need to fully understand the rest of the chapter. While we think the reader would benefit from at least a basic understanding of the Five Elements, one can also skip to the next lesson.
The five elements are: Wood (木), Fire (火), Earth (土), Metal (金), and Water (水). They also correspond to Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus and Mercury, respectively.
Wood (木), Growth. Expansion. Spring. The energy that pushes upward and outward, like a tree branching toward sunlight. Associated with the east, the color green, and the virtue of benevolence (仁). In a chart, Wood energy is generative, creative, sometimes restless.
Fire (火), Radiance. Expression. Summer. The energy is in full bloom, visible and hot. Associated with the south, the color red, and the virtue of propriety (礼). Fire illuminates but also consumes.
Earth (土), Stability. Center. The transitional phase between seasons. Associated with the center, the color yellow, and the virtue of faithfulness (信). Earth grounds and mediates. It sits between the other four elements as the stabilizing pivot.
Metal (金), Contraction. Precision. Autumn. The energy that condenses and sharpens, like ore compressed into a blade. Associated with the west, the color white, and the virtue of righteousness (义). Metal cuts, refines, and separates.
Water (水), Stillness. Depth. Winter. The energy that sinks, pools, and waits. Associated with the north, the color black, and the virtue of wisdom (智). Water is the most adaptable element, it fills any container, but also the most dangerous when uncontained.
The Generating Cycle (相生)
The elements produce each other in a fixed sequence:
Wood → Fire → Earth → Metal → Water → Wood
Wood feeds Fire (wood burns). Fire produces Earth (ash becomes soil). Earth yields Metal (ore is mined from the ground). Metal collects Water (metal surfaces condense moisture, or metal contains water). Water nourishes Wood (water feeds the tree). The cycle is continuous, each element gives birth to the next.
The Controlling Cycle (相克)
The elements also restrain each other in a separate sequence:
Wood → Earth → Water → Fire → Metal → Wood
Wood penetrates Earth (roots break soil). Earth dams Water (levees and dikes). Water extinguishes Fire. Fire melts Metal. Metal cuts Wood (the axe fells the tree). Each element controls the one two steps ahead in the generating cycle.
The controlling cycle describes tension. Not necessarily destruction, sometimes restraint is exactly what's needed. An overly strong Fire element benefits from Water's control. An unchecked Wood element needs Metal's pruning. The controlling cycle is a check on excess, and in chart reading, it often explains why certain star-palace combinations produce difficulty: the palace's element is controlling the star's element, or vice versa.
What to Take from This
The branches and elements won't come up explicitly every time you read a chart. But they're always there underneath. The branches give each grid position its character. The elements give every star-palace interaction its texture, support, friction, or neutrality.
Now we're ready to actually build a chart.
- Etymological glosses for the twelve Earthly Branches follow Xu Shen (许慎), Shuowen Jiezi (说文解字), compiled c. 100 CE. Modern critical edition: Shuowen Jiezi Zhu (说文解字注), annotated by Duan Yucai (段玉裁), Qing dynasty.
- The connection between 卯 and the Life Palace is drawn from the Shenfeng Tongkao (神峰通考), compiled by Zhang Nan (张楠), Ming dynasty.
- The six-ren spirit generals and their branch assignments are documented in the Liuren Daquan (六壬大全) and the Liuren Jingwei (六壬精纬).
- The 合卺 nuptial wine ritual is documented in the Liji(礼记), “Hunyi” (昏义) chapter, and the Yili(仪礼), “Shihunli” (士昏礼) chapter.
- The Five Elements framework and generating/controlling cycles are documented across classical texts. The Shangshu(尚书), “Hongfan” (洪范) chapter, provides the earliest systematic description. The generating and controlling cycle relationships are elaborated in the Huainanzi (淮南子), compiled c. 139 BCE.