What has a clock, the elements and animals got to do with one another? The answer is compatibility.

In Chinese Astrology, the year in which we were born is represented by one of the 12 animals in the zodiac and one of the 5 elements in the universe i.e. wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Each of the animal symbolism is associated with an element which has a polarity of Yin and Yang. For example, a person can be born in the year of the Rat with the element of Yin Wood. This is based on the Chinese system of counting the years known as the 60 year cycle. In this cycle, the years are formed by the interaction of 10 celestial stems and 12 terrestrial branches. These stems and branches are also called heavenly stems and earthly branches, simply because our luck is governed partly by heaven’s decree and partly by human action. The 60 year cycle is an important feature in Chinese Astrology known as the Four Pillars of Destiny which takes into consideration the year, month, day and hour of birth. For want of simplicity, we can take just the year pillar to determine the compatibility between animal signs.

Most people are familiar with the 12 animal signs in the zodiac namely Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.

But do you know that by looking at the positions of these animals relative to one another on the face of a clock, we can find out their compatibility?

For instance, if you belonged to the animal sign of Rat, you are most compatible with the Dragon and the Monkey. How? Well, a clock has 12 divisions based on the hour hand. By positioning the Rat at 12 o’clock, you can see that the Dragon and the Monkey, being 5th and 9th in the order by which they take their place in the Zodiac, are 4 and 8 positions apart respectively from the Rat and therefore, takes up positions at 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock on the face of the clock. In other words, they are also 4 hourly apart from one another. On the face of the clock, they formed a “triangle of compatibility” also known as 3 harmonies based on the Four Pillars of Destiny. Hence, these animals get along well with one another. By extension, all animal signs that are 4 numbers apart in the zodiac are considered most compatible with one another

The combinations of animal signs and their intrinsic elements that form the triangles of compatibility are listed below:-

Pig (Yin Water) - Rabbit (Yin Wood) - Goat (Yin Earth)

Tiger (Yang Wood) - Horse (Yang Fire) - Dog (Yang Earth)

Snake (Yin Fire) - Rooster (Yin Metal) - Ox (Yin Earth)

Monkey (Yang Metal) - Rat (Yang Water) - Dragon (Yang Earth)

If you were to observe closely, in each of the above 3 animal combinations, they are all 4 numbers apart in the zodiac and correspondingly, 4 hourly apart on the face of the clock.

On the contrary, if these animal signs are 6 numbers apart from one another in the zodiac or directly opposite each other on the face of the clock, they are considered to be most incompatible. For example, the Rat and the Horse, being 1st and 7th in the zodiac, takes 1 o’clock and 7 o’clock respectively on the face of the clock and hence, formed one of the most incompatible twosomes in Chinese Astrology. In other words, they clash with one another.

The following are the 6 clashes between the animal signs in the zodiac:-

Rat – Horse

Ox – Goat

Tiger – Monkey

Rabbit – Rooster

Dragon – Dog

Snake – Pig

As you can see, the animal signs we are born with and their relative positions in the zodiac or on the face of the clock will determine whether we get along with one another or clashes. A case of exhibiting animal magnetism or law of the jungle so to speak!