Happy Losar – Year of the Earth Pig

Learning About Tibetan Astrology

This article is from a series on Tibetan Astrology written by Raven Cypress Wood, a longtime student of Bön, and can be found on her website Nine Ways. Raven has translated hundreds of Yungdrung Bön prayers, poems, texts and commentaries and is the author of Indestructible, The Longevity Practice of Lama Tsewang Rikdzin. Since 2013, she has been writing articles and offering information on the history, culture and practice of Yungdrung Bön religious tradition on her website. The website has been translated into the Spanish and Portuguese languages and is currently being developed for the French language.

In Tibetan astrology, there is a 12-year cycle. Each year within the cycle is characterized by a different animal and associated with one of the five elements. Therefore, a full cycle of the 12 animals being associated with each of the five elements is 60 years. The 12 animals according to the Yungdrung Bön texts are the Rat, Elephant, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Horse, Snake, Sheep, Garuda, Monkey, Dog and Pig. 

February 5, 2019, begins the Tibetan New Year, or Losar, and the Year of the Earth Pig. People born during a Pig year will have an emphasis of the specific qualities associated with the symbol of the Pig. According to Tibetan astrology, the element which governs the life-force of the Pig is Water, and its positive direction is North.

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