In Ba Zi, you’re never truly alone — your chart is teeming with 12 animal spirits, each pulsing with its own type of Qi. Some are allies. Some, secret saboteurs. And the way they interact can either build empires or trigger chaos in your life.

This article is your backstage pass into the inner circle:

Meet the 12 zodiac “creatures” and learn how they really behave.

Discover the elemental alliances (San He) that quietly power you up.

Uncover the Three Killings, the uninvited guests that crash your party when you least expect.

Whether you’re curious about your own chart, your relationships, or just want to see who’s been messing with your energy lately, this is where the real Ba Zi drama begins.

Let’s open the gates.

Zodiac 101: The 12 Creatures That Run Your Life (Whether You Like It or Not)

Long before memes, horoscopes, and personality quizzes, people in ancient China figured out something brilliant: there are 12 full moons in a year, so why not divide time into a cycle of 12 symbolic animals? Thus was born the 12 Animals Cycle, a system first used around 100 A.D. to mark the passing of years, long before anyone started asking, “What’s your sign?”

But let’s be clear: these animals weren’t picked for their cuteness or savagery. They were, in fact, chosen as mnemonic symbols — a shorthand to track complex energetic influences. Contrary to popular belief, your character isn’t defined by being a “Tiger” or “Pig” — but your Destiny Chart might tell another story. 😉

Legend has it that before Buddha passed into Nirvana, he summoned all the animals to say farewell and reward their loyalty. Only 12 showed up (classic). The first to arrive was the cunning Rat, who hitched a ride on the Ox’s back and jumped ahead at the last second. The rest followed: Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Their arrival order became the foundation of the Zodiac cycle, and whether it’s a myth or not, it’s a brilliant story that stuck.

These 12 animals are also called the Earthly Branches. Why? Because they’re not just about time, they also map onto space. The Rat points North, Rabbit faces East, Horse rules the South, and Rooster looks West.

This becomes crystal clear when looking at the Luo Pan, the Feng Shui compass. It shows how these Branches anchor the flow of Qi energy to space, Earth’s magnetic rhythm woven into the calendar itself.

🌍 Earthly Branches: Where Time Meets Direction

These animals are also known as the Earthly Branches — because they don’t only represent time, but also space. Each one is tied to a cardinal direction:

Rat → North
Rabbit → East
Horse → South
Rooster → West

This becomes crystal clear when looking at the Luo Pan, the Feng Shui compass. It shows how these Branches anchor the flow of Qi energy to space, Earth’s magnetic rhythm woven into the calendar itself.

📅 Seasons, Elements, and the 12 Months

The 12 animals are also used to name the 12 solar months. The year is divided into 4 seasons, each with 3 months. Each season embodies the Qi of one of the Five Elements:

Spring → Wood
Summer → Fire
Autumn → Metal
Winter → Water

And now comes the elegant twist: the third month of each season serves as a transition to the next element. That transition always passes through Earth.

Why? Because when an element disappears, it must transform into the next, and that transformation goes through the Earth element.

From Earth we were made, and to Earth we return — only to be reborn again.

That’s not just poetic metaphor; it’s an energetic truth. Each ending carries the seed of a new beginning, and Earth is the womb where it happens.

🔄 Growing, Peaking, Dying: The Qi Cycle Within Each Season

Because Qi is always in motion, each of the 3 months in a season holds a unique stage of the cycle:

🌱 First month → Growing Qi — the beginning, a time of emergence and potential.
🔥 Second month → Cardinal Qi — peak strength, the purest expression of that season’s element.
⚰️ Third month → Graveyard Qi — declining energy, a return to Earth, preparing for the next transformation.

This rhythm — birth, maturity, decline — happens not just across a lifetime, but within each season, over and over.

If you follow this rotation clockwise on the Luo Pan, you’ll see it unfold visually. The Cardinal animals — Rat (North), Rabbit (East), Horse (South), Rooster (West) — always sit on the main geographic axes, anchoring the strongest energetic expressions of each season.

🔍 Curious which animals shape your chart, and whether your Qi is currently rising, peaking, or heading to its metaphorical graveyard?

➡️ Head over to BaZi Advisor and explore your Destiny Chart, check your daily Horoscope, and see your Planning Events mapped by season and Qi flow.

Each Beast Has a Pulse: Understanding the Qi of the Zodiac

In Ba Zi (Four Pillars of Destiny), each month within a season isn’t just a date on the calendar — it represents a stage in the evolution of Qi, the vital energy that animates life and fate. Understanding this three-part rhythm helps us decode how energy grows, peaks, and fades — and how it subtly reshapes our personality, decisions, and even the outcome of a single day.

You may think the Tiger is just the bold boss of Spring, but behind that furry face is a Qi cycle in motion — birthing, blazing, and then heading to compost. (Because even metaphysical forces need to die and rot a little.)

Let’s dive in.

🔄 The Three Stages of Qi Within a Season

Each season contains three months, and each of those months expresses a different stage of the elemental energy of that season:

🌱 First Month – “Birth” Stage

The energy of the season emerges — fresh, vital, and expanding.
It’s like the first spark of an idea, or the moment the seed breaks the soil.
Example: In Spring, this is when Wood Qi is “born.”

🔥 Second Month – “Cardinal” or “Growth” Stage

The elemental Qi reaches maximum strength — full power, in your face.
This is when the element rules the environment.
Example: In Spring, the Wood energy is dominant, expressive, and alive.

⚰️ Third Month – “Decline” or “Graveyard” Stage

The energy withdraws, preparing for transformation.
Often misunderstood as death, it’s actually storage and transition — the quiet before the next elemental storm.
Example: In Spring, Wood energy is collected back into the roots and transformed into Earth — the womb of change.

🌳 Seasonal Qi in Action: From Growth to the Grave (With Examples)

Let’s walk through the four seasons and see how each element expresses its life cycle — not just poetically, but energetically and structurally.

🌱 Spring – The Element: Wood (Yin Rising)

Month 1 (Birth – Tiger)
Wood Qi begins to awaken.
Like sap rising in trees — pushing, expanding.
👉 Keywords: Initiation, vision, restlessness, green things doing weird stuff.

Month 2 (Cardinal – Rabbit)
Wood Qi is fully alive and dominant.
The environment bursts with growth and chaos.
👉 Keywords: Action, expression, expansion, fertility, madness.

Month 3 (Graveyard – Dragon)
Wood Qi starts to settle and descend.
It doesn’t disappear — it returns to Earth, like roots thickening underground.
👉 Keywords: Closing, storage, transformation, composting for rebirth.

🔥 Summer – The Element: Fire (Yang Rising)

Month 1 (Birth – Snake)
Fire Qi begins to flicker.
Heat emerges subtly, and desires awaken.
👉 Keywords: Attraction, instinct, charm, seduction.

Month 2 (Cardinal – Horse)
Fire Qi explodes — hot, brilliant, unstoppable.
This is the peak of Yang, high noon in every sense.
👉 Keywords: Visibility, glory, drama, performance, burnout.

Month 3 (Graveyard – Goat)
Fire Qi starts to collapse, like embers fading.
The energy is internalized, preparing for the metal cold to come.
👉 Keywords: Conclusion, absorption, reflection, internal alchemy.

🪙 Autumn – The Element: Metal (Yin Descending)

Month 1 (Birth – Monkey)
Metal Qi begins to condense.
A sense of detachment and discipline sets in.
👉 Keywords: Planning, cutting away, refinement, logic.

Month 2 (Cardinal – Rooster)
Metal Qi reaches full form — sharp, precise, controlled.
The world becomes crisp and focused.
👉 Keywords: Structure, order, perfection, judgment.

Month 3 (Graveyard – Dog)
Metal Qi descends and stores.
The focus turns inward, to protect and fortify for winter.
👉 Keywords: Loyalty, guarding, retreat, preparation.

🌊 Winter – The Element: Water (Yin Deepening)

Month 1 (Birth – Pig)
Water Qi begins to move — deep, silent, mysterious.
It nurtures what’s hidden and unformed.
👉 Keywords: Intuition, gestation, mystery, surrender.

Month 2 (Cardinal – Rat)
Water Qi dominates.
This is absolute Yin — still, fertile, potentially terrifying.
👉 Keywords: Intelligence, survival, cold calculation, potential.

Month 3 (Graveyard – Ox)
Water Qi slows and stores before shifting toward Wood.
Earth reclaims the nutrients, prepping for the Tiger’s jump.
👉 Keywords: Grounding, silence, transition, spiritual digestion.

🗂 Summary Table: Qi Cycles Across the Seasons

Season	Element	Month 1 (Birth)	Month 2 (Cardinal)	Month 3 (Graveyard)
Spring	Wood	Tiger	Rabbit	Dragon
Summer	Fire	Snake	Horse	Goat
Autumn	Metal	Monkey	Rooster	Dog
Winter	Water	Pig	Rat	Ox

“Things flourish and then decline. This is the Way of Heaven.”
— Lao Zi, Dao De Jing

So next time someone tells you, "I'm a Fire Horse, what does that mean?", you can gently reply:
"You're a bonfire in full summer. Beautiful, dangerous, and about to burn out."

🧭 Curious what stage your current month is in? Want to see how your personal Qi cycle aligns with the seasonal flow?

👉 Visit BaZi Advisor and explore your Destiny Chart, see your Horoscope, and plan your life events according to the real energy behind time.

Harmony by the Rules: San He and the Secret Elemental Syndicates

He who knows harmony lives long. He who knows danger lives wisely. - Laozi remix

Not all alliances are born of love. Some are forged in elemental strategy, polar opposites dancing in sync, and seasonal conspiracies that would make even the cleverest schemer pause and say: “Now that’s harmony.”

Welcome to the world of San He — the Three Harmonies. Not just a romantic name, but one of the most powerful forces in Ba Zi. When three seemingly innocent animals show up in the same chart or life encounter, they can secretly band together to generate a dominant element — one that may take over the entire scene.

Think of San He as a syndicate of harmony. Secret societies of Qi, operating behind the scenes, pulling strings with elegance and precision. They're stronger than the usual "couples" (Liu He), and more enduring too.

🧬 What is San He, Really?

The phrase San He (三合) means “Three that combine in harmony.” It refers to four special triads made up of Earthly Branches (Zhi), and when these three show up together in your Ba Zi chart, or in the energy between you and someone else, they form an elemental superpower.

Here are the four elemental syndicates:

Elemental Syndicate	Earthly Branches	Element Generated
The Water Clique	Shen (Monkey), Zi (Rat), Chen (Dragon)	Water
The Wood Circle	Hai (Pig), Mao (Rabbit), Wei (Goat)	Wood
The Fire Pact	Yin (Tiger), Wu (Horse), Xu (Dog)	Fire
The Metal Order	Si (Snake), You (Rooster), Chou (Ox)	Metal

These aren’t random animals sharing drinks at the bar. They’re carefully chosen combinations based on cosmic logic: the cycle of seasons, Yin-Yang polarity, the Sheng cycle of element generation, and the directions of space.

🌏 Why These Three? The Cosmic Politics Behind the San He

🧭 1. They Match the Seasons and the Compass

Each San He group has a season and a direction that match its elemental vibe:

San He Group	Season	Direction	Qi Quality
Water (Shen–Zi–Chen)	Winter	North	Contractive, quiet, deep
Wood (Hai–Mao–Wei)	Spring	East	Growing, pushing upward
Fire (Yin–Wu–Xu)	Summer	South	Explosive, bright, active
Metal (Si–You–Chou)	Autumn	West	Crisp, clear, sharp

Each trio isn’t just a pattern — it’s a cosmic alignment. They echo the cycles of nature: sprouting in spring, blazing in summer, contracting in fall, retreating in winter. That’s why their combination is so natural — and so potent.

🔄 2. They Feed Each Other (Literally)

The Sheng cycle — the cycle of generation — is alive and well in every San He group. These animals weren’t picked by popularity, but by how their internal elements support each other.

Take the Fire Group:

Yin (Tiger) carries Wood, which feeds Fire.
Wu (Horse) is pure Fire — the main star.
Xu (Dog) has Earth, which receives Fire and stabilizes it.

Together, they form a self-sustaining ecosystem: Wood → Fire → Earth.

That’s why San He isn’t just "three friends getting along" — it’s an elemental alliance built on mutual nourishment.

☯️ 3. Yin and Yang in Balance

Each group also balances Yin and Yang. No group is too passive, nor too aggressive. The polarity is crafted to create flow and stability, not chaos. It’s energetic architecture at its finest — structure meeting spontaneity.

🔍 How San He Works in Real Life

📅 In a Ba Zi Chart

Let’s say your chart has Zi (Rat) in the Hour, Shen (Monkey) in the Day, and Chen (Dragon) in the Year.

Individually? They might not stand out.

But together? Boom — they activate Water so strongly that it becomes a dominant theme in your personality, fate, and luck cycles. It might influence your health, your relationships, and even the kinds of environments that support you.

❤️ In Compatibility

Maybe you’re a Horse (Wu), and your partner is a Dog (Xu). On vacation, you travel to a region that’s full of Tiger energy (Yin) — and suddenly your relationship catches fire. Literally.

You’ve just formed the Fire San He.

This isn’t magic — it’s resonance. Together, you activate something that wasn’t present alone. Sometimes it's passion. Sometimes it's a conflict. But it's never neutral.

⚙️ Rules and Conditions: San He Doesn’t Work on Demand

Just like any secret society, San He only assembles when the time is right.

Here’s what it takes:

All three branches must be present. Two might hint at a bond, but without the third, the combination stays asleep.
Seasonal support boosts activation. Fire combos work best in summer. Water thrives in winter. Use the calendar to your advantage.
Clashes can block the magic. If another branch directly clashes (Chong) with one of the three, the harmony may collapse.

So, yes — you can try to force the Fire Syndicate in the middle of a rainy, clashing winter day. But don’t be surprised if they ghost your call.

🪞San He as a Mirror of Nature

San He teaches us that true harmony isn’t about similarity — it’s about synergy.

Three different forces — each with their own quirks and roles — come together to build something greater. Just like in life, it’s not always the obvious match that sustains you. Sometimes, it’s the strange, elemental trio that shapes your destiny.

✨ Want to know if you're carrying a hidden San He in your chart?

At BaZiAdvisor.com, you can reveal the secret alliances in your Ba Zi — the syndicates that empower you, and the elemental forces you unknowingly activate in others.

Because sometimes, the strongest support system isn’t visible until you know where to look.

When the Sky Gets Angry: The Three Killings That Crash the Party

A wise man steps aside when the Qi turns sour

Imagine you’re about to make a big move. You light your incense, open your calendar... and you notice it’s a Three Killings day. Do you ignore it? Do you cancel everything? Or do you know how to dance with the tigers?

Welcome to the secret syndicate no one wants to mess with — San Sha, or the Three Killings. It sounds like a kung fu movie title (and honestly, it should be), but in Ba Zi and Feng Shui, it's one of the most serious Sha Qi (evil or disruptive energies) that can show up in a chart — or in your living room.

🧨 What are the Three Killings (San Sha / 三煞)?

Despite the name, the Three Killings don’t refer to literal murder, though they do symbolize major disruptions. Think betrayal, loss, sudden conflict, or bad decisions with long-term consequences. This Sha is formed from three types of negative Qi:

Robbery Sha (Jie Sha / 劫煞) – loss, theft, things slipping away.
Calamity Sha (Zai Sha / 灾煞) – accidents, misfortunes, external shocks.
Year Killing (Sui Sha / 岁煞) – confrontations with authority, system breakdowns.

And when these three show up in force—in time, space, or action—it’s like inviting a crime syndicate to your front porch. They're not evil for the sake of it, but they are disruptors, and their power must be acknowledged and managed.

📆 Three Killings Days in the Ba Zi Calendar

Every day of the year comes with a zodiac sign. And depending on the current Year Animal, certain signs bring the Three Killings with them.

Here’s how it works — based on the Year Branch (Zhi), the San Sha falls in a specific direction, and the signs in that direction are the ones you must watch:

Year Branch	Direction of Three Killings	Zodiac Signs Involved
Rat, Dragon, Monkey (Water Year)	South	Snake, Horse, Goat
Tiger, Horse, Dog (Fire Year)	North	Pig, Rat, Ox
Pig, Rabbit, Goat (Wood Year)	West	Monkey, Rooster, Dog
Snake, Rooster, Ox (Metal Year)	East	Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon

👉 So, for example, if it’s a Water year (Rat, Dragon, or Monkey) and the day’s animal sign is Horse, you’re on a Three Killings day.

🔺 What does that mean practically?

Avoid important activities if they’re not aligned with your Ba Zi chart.
Double-check actions involving confrontation, money, travel, or legal matters.
If it’s a critical day, use countermeasures or pick a more auspicious time.

🧭 Three Killings as a Feng Shui Direction

Three Killings also appear as a directional taboo in Feng Shui, and here it’s even more strict. In any given year, the San Sha occupies one direction (15° arc), and you should avoid:

Disturbing this area: no drilling, construction, renovations, heavy furniture moving.
Activating it unknowingly (with sound, movement, or clutter).

For example:

In a Tiger year (Wood), San Sha is in the West.

That means don’t renovate the West side of your house if possible.

Think of it as sitting in a room with a sleeping dragon. Leave it alone, and everything's peaceful. Poke it with a drill — well... Hope your insurance is paid.

🔄 Three Killings & Your Ba Zi Chart: The Inner Syndicate

Here’s where it gets personal.

Sometimes, the Three Killings appear in your own chart — for instance, when three Earthly Branches align in opposition to the year's Qi. That’s when:

A certain area of your life feels under siege (career, health, relationships).
You feel pushed to make rash decisions or face hidden enemies.
Long-repressed emotional patterns get triggered or exposed.

But it’s not all doom. San Sha can also indicate:

Necessary disruption for transformation.
Breaking cycles of stagnation — like pruning a tree for it to grow.

Opportunities for inner courage and fierce clarity.

🧘‍♀️ How to Work With San Sha (Not Against It)

Acknowledge the energy. Don’t be afraid of it — but don’t ignore it.
Avoid triggering environments: no big moves on San Sha days unless it’s strategically timed.
Use remedies: Feng Shui cures, protective timing, or appropriate elemental remedies.
Consult your Ba Zi: Sometimes your chart has the strength or allies to handle the heat, and sometimes it doesn’t.

🙏 San Sha reminds us that harmony is not about avoiding discomfort, but about working with the rhythms of transformation.

🧭 Curious how San Sha affects your chart?

Every chart has its sensitive points. On BaZiAdvisor.com, you can explore your personal interaction with Three Killings — which years trigger it, which directions you should avoid, and how to turn disruption into evolution.