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60 Year Cycle

Rat North Yang Water	Yang Water Rat 1972 1912 1852	Yang Wood Rat 1984 1924 1864	Yang Fire Rat 1996 1936 1876	Yang Earth Rat 2008 1948 1888	Yang Metal Rat 2020 1960 1900
Ox North by Northeast Yin Water	Yin Water Ox 1973 1913 1853	Yin Wood Ox 1985 1925 1865	Yin Fire Ox 1997 1937 1877	Yin Earth Ox 2009 1949 1889	Yin Metal Ox 2021 1961 1901
Tiger East by Northeast Yang Wood	Yang Water Tiger 2022 1962 1902	Yang Wood Tiger 1974 1914 1854	Yang Fire Tiger 1986 1926 1866	Yang Earth Tiger 1998 1938 1878	Yang Metal Tiger 2010 1950 1890
Rabbit East Yin Wood	Yin Water Rabbit 2023 1963 1903	Yin Wood Rabbit 1975 1915 1855	Yin Fire Rabbit 1987 1927 1867	Yin Earth Rabbit 1999 1939 1879	Yin Metal Rabbit 2011 1951 1891
Dragon East by Southeast Yang Wood	Yang Water Dragon 2012 1952 1892	Yang Wood Dragon 2024 1964 1904	Yang Fire Dragon 1976 1916 1856	Yang Earth Dragon 1988 1928 1868	Yang Metal Dragon 2000 1940 1880
Snake South by Southeast Yin Fire	Yin Water Snake 2013 1953 1893	Yin Wood Snake 1965 1905 1845	Yin Fire Snake 1977 1917 1857	Yin Earth Snake 1989 1929 1869	Yin Metal Snake 2001 1941 1881
Horse South Yang Fire	Yang Water Horse 2002 1942 1882	Yang Wood Horse 2014 1954 1894	Yang Fire Horse 1966 1906 1846	Yang Earth Horse 1978 1918 1858	Yang Metal Horse 1990 1960 1870
Sheep South by Southwest Yin Fire	Yin Water Sheep 2003 1943 1883	Yin Wood Sheep 2015 1955 1895	Yin Fire Sheep 1967 1907 1847	Yin Earth Sheep 1979 1919 1859	Yin Metal Sheep 1991 1931 1871
Monkey West by Southwest Yang Metal	Yang Water Monkey 1992 1932 1872	Yang Wood Monkey 2004 1944 1884	Yang Fire Monkey 2016 1956 1896	Yang Earth Monkey 1968 1908 1848	Yang Metal Monkey 1980 1920 1860
Rooster West Yin Metal	Yin Water Rooster 1993 1933 1873	Yin Wood Rooster 2005 1945 1885	Yin Fire Rooster 2017 1957 1897	Yin Earth Rooster 1969 1909 1849	Yin Metal Rooster 1981 1921 1861
Dog West by Northwest Yang Metal	Yang Water Dog 1982 1922 1862	Yang Wood Dog 1994 1934 1874	Yang Fire Dog 2006 1946 1886	Yang Earth Dog 2018 1958 1898	Yang Metal Dog 1970 1910 1850
Boar North by Northwest Yin Water	Yin Water Boar 1983 1923 1863	Yin Wood Boar 1995 1935 1875	Yin Fire Boar 2007 1947 1887	Yin Earth Boar 2019 1959 1899	Yin Metal Boar 1971 1911 1851

Activity

Use colored pencils to color the element relationships.

Water = black
Wood =green
Fire = red
Earth = yellow
Metal = gray, white, or silver

1. EACH ANIMAL HAS AN INHERENT ELEMENT

In the first column, outline the boxes with the inherent element color of the animal. For example, since the rat is governed by water, outline this box in black. The next box down is the tiger, whose inherent element is wood, so outline this box in green. Continue until each box in the first column has been outlined in the correct element color.

When you have finished the entire first column, return to the top of the chart. Beginning with the rat, put a dot of color about the size of a thumb tack in each box of ‘rat years’ in the ‘rat row’. The colored dots in the ‘rat row’ will all be black. The colored dots in the ‘tiger row’ will all be green, etc. The first column which you outlined in the animal’s color is the correct color to use for each row. Do all 12 animals.

2. RELATIONSHIP AMONG THE ANIMALS’ INHERENT ELEMENTS AND THE ELEMENT OF THE YEAR

Return to these year boxes and encircle the animal’s color dot that you just made with the element color of the year. For example, since the rat in inherently water and water is its first year box, it is black and black, and so looks like a larger black circle of color. The next ‘rat year box’ is wood, so the black dot of color is encircled with the green of wood. The next rat year box is fire, so the black dot of color is encircled by red, and so on. What you are showing with these colors is the relationship between the inherent element of the animal and the element of the time. When you have finished the rat, go on and do the rest of the animals.

Go back now and look at the color relationships you have created. As you look at them, consider whether they are governed by the creative or destructive cycle. For example, the wood rat is water + wood, which is creative. The fire rat is water + fire, which is destructive. Put an "x" in the box that shows the destructive cycle and an "o" in the boxes where the destructive cycle is governing. For now we will not go into the many differences even these simple relationships produce, e.g., among the water rat in a wood time vs. a wood rat in a water time. For now it is enough to realize creative and destructive cycles operate viz. a viz. the animals’ inherent elements and the time itself.

3. 60 YEAR CYCLE

In the Chinese calendar-clock there are 12 animals and 5 elements. Thus (12x5=60) the animal cycle requires 60 years to make ‘a unit of one’. Where the western clock uses 60 seconds to make a unit of one minute, and 60 minutes to make a unit of one hour, the Chinese take a longer view, and use 60 years to make a unit of one cycle. If you wish to see the next cycle, just add 60 years to the most recent year in each box, e.g., the yang water rat box pf 1972+60=2032.