Earth is also one of the five elements of Chinese astrology—earth, water, fire,
wood, and metal. In this system, the elements are not permanently associated with
each of the signs of the zodiac. Rather, each one of the 12 signs of the East Asian zodi-
ac can be a different element. For example, an individual born as an Ox in 1949 is an
earth Ox; an Ox born in 1937 is a fire Ox; an Ox born in 1973 is a water Ox; etc. The
connotations of earth in Chinese astrology are similar to the connotations of earth in
Western astrology.Sources:
Hand, Robert. Horoscope Symbols.Rockport, MA: Para Research, 1981.
Sakoian, Frances, and Louis S. Acker. The Astrologer’s Handbook.New York: Harper & Row,
1989.EARTHQUAKES
From the very beginning of astrology, astrologers have been concerned with the corre-
lations between celestial events and terrestrial traumas. The Mesopotamians, as well
as other ancient peoples, viewed earthquakes, plagues, droughts, and the like as being
tied to such unusual heavenly occurrences as eclipses and comets. For their part, con-
temporary astrologers have viewed everything from the heliocentric nodes of the
planets to the interaction of Uranus with specific planetary configurations as influenc-
ing earthquakes. The problem with all current methods is that, afteran upheaval has
occurred, it is easy enough to look back at a chart for the given day and point out the
various factors that appear to be correlated with the event. Prediction, however, is
another matter. Although many have claimed to have found the key to earthquake
prediction, no factor yet discovered dependably predicts such upheavals.
The closest thing to a reliable “earthquake factor” is a syzygy (an alignment of
three celestial bodies in a straight line) involving Earth, the Sun, and the Moon. Syzy-
gies occur every new and full moon; exact syzygies occur during eclipses (a partial veri-
fication of ancient astrology). Researchers who have observed this correlation specu-
late that it is the larger gravitational force—generated by the combined gravity of the
Sun and the Moon pulling together (or apart) along the same axis—that disturbs the
crust of the Earth and sets the stage for an earthquake, which may occur immediately
or within a week of the syzygy.
In addition to the exactness of the alignment, people involved in earthquake
prediction, such as Jim Berkland, author and publisher of Syzygy: An Earthquake
Newsletter,also pay attention to the distance of the Moon from Earth (and, to a lesser
extent, the distance of the Sun from Earth). The Moon’s orbit is elliptical rather than
circular. The point farthest away from Earth is the Moon’s apogee; the closest point is
the Moon’s perigee. The distance between Earth and the Moon varies 14 percent
every 15 days. Clearly, the gravitational force exerted by the Moon on Earth is great-
est during a perigee, making the potential for earthquakes greater when syzygies occur
during perigees (e.g., the Santa Cruz, California, earthquake of October 1989 took
place a few days after a perigean full moon). The combination of an eclipse with a
lunar perigee is almost certain to lead to a terrestrial upheaval somewhere on our plan-Earthquakes
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