Why All Fate Systems Can Be Translated Into One Another

BY NICOLE LAU

Western astrology has twelve zodiac signs.

Chinese astrology has twelve Earthly Branches.

The Yijing has sixty-four hexagrams.

Tarot has seventy-eight cards.

Vedic astrology has twenty-seven nakshatras.

Different numbers. Different symbols. Different cultural origins.

Yet they all describe the same underlying reality.

And when you understand the deep structure they share, you can translate between them—like translating between languages that describe the same world.

The Universal Template: What All Systems Map

All fate systems are mapping the same three things:

1. Temporal Rhythms

• Cycles (daily, monthly, yearly, multi-year)
• Phases (beginning, middle, end)
• Time nodes (solstices, new moons, planetary returns)
• The quality of different times (kairos)

2. Archetypal Forces

• Universal patterns (Hero, Mother, Trickster, etc.)
• Elemental energies (Fire, Earth, Air, Water)
• Polarities (Yin/Yang, Active/Receptive)
• Fundamental principles (expansion, contraction, transformation)

3. Consciousness States

• Developmental stages (childhood, adulthood, elderhood)
• Psychological modes (thinking, feeling, sensing, intuiting)
• Spiritual levels (material, emotional, mental, spiritual)
• States of awareness (unconscious, conscious, transcendent)

Different systems use different symbols to map these three universal realities.

But the underlying structure is the same.

The Twelve-Fold Structure: A Universal Pattern

Many systems use twelve as a fundamental division:

System	Twelve-Fold Division	What It Maps
Western Astrology	12 zodiac signs	Annual solar cycle, archetypal modes
Western Astrology	12 houses	Daily cycle, life domains
Chinese Astrology	12 Earthly Branches	12-year Jupiter cycle, 12 double-hours
Chinese Astrology	12 animals	12-year cycle, archetypal energies
Yijing	12 monthly hexagrams	Annual cycle through 12 primary phases
Tarot	12 court cards (4 suits × 3 ranks)	Archetypal roles and developmental stages

Translation Example:

Aries (Western) ≈ Tiger (Chinese) ≈ Hexagram 25 (Yijing) ≈ The Emperor (Tarot)

All describe: Initiating fire energy, leadership, courage, spring awakening

The Four-Fold Structure: Elements and Modalities

Most systems recognize four fundamental forces:

System	Four-Fold Division
Western Astrology	Fire, Earth, Air, Water
Chinese Philosophy	Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water (5, but 4 + center)
Tarot	Wands, Pentacles, Swords, Cups
Greek Philosophy	Fire, Earth, Air, Water
Ayurveda	Vata (Air), Pitta (Fire), Kapha (Water/Earth)
Jung	Intuition, Sensation, Thinking, Feeling

Correspondence:

• Fire = Wands = Wood = Intuition = Spirit/Will
• Earth = Pentacles = Earth/Metal = Sensation = Body/Matter
• Air = Swords = (Metal) = Thinking = Mind/Intellect
• Water = Cups = Water = Feeling = Emotion/Soul

The Three-Fold Structure: Modalities and Phases

Most systems recognize three phases of every cycle:

System	Three-Fold Division
Western Astrology	Cardinal, Fixed, Mutable
Taoism	Jing (Essence), Qi (Energy), Shen (Spirit)
Hinduism	Rajas (Activity), Tamas (Inertia), Sattva (Balance)
Alchemy	Salt, Mercury, Sulfur
Christianity	Father, Son, Holy Spirit
Hegel	Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis

Correspondence:

• Cardinal = Rajas = Sulfur = Yang = Initiating
• Fixed = Tamas = Salt = Yin = Sustaining
• Mutable = Sattva = Mercury = Balance = Adapting

Practical Translation: Western Astrology ↔ Chinese Astrology

Let's translate a specific example:

Western Birth Chart:

• Sun in Aries
• Moon in Cancer
• Rising in Capricorn

Chinese BaZi (Four Pillars):

• Year Pillar: Yang Wood Tiger (甲寅)
• Month Pillar: Yin Fire Rabbit (丁卯)
• Day Pillar: Yang Earth Dragon (戊辰)
• Hour Pillar: Yang Metal Horse (庚午)

Translation:

Sun in Aries (Western) ≈ Yang Wood (Chinese)

• Both: Initiating, pioneering, spring energy, new growth, leadership
• Element: Fire (Western) ≈ Wood (Chinese) — both yang, active, initiating

Moon in Cancer (Western) ≈ Yin Water (Chinese)

• Both: Emotional, nurturing, receptive, protective, family-oriented
• Element: Water (both systems)

Rising in Capricorn (Western) ≈ Yang Earth (Chinese)

• Both: Structured, disciplined, ambitious, responsible, grounded
• Element: Earth (both systems)

Different symbols, same archetypal energies.

Practical Translation: Astrology ↔ Yijing

Saturn Return (Age 29-30)

Western Astrology:

• Saturn returns to natal position
• Time of testing, maturation, reality check
• What's not authentic must go
• Commitment to what's real

Yijing Equivalent:

• Hexagram 29 (坎 Kan) — The Abysmal (Water)
• Double danger, the abyss, testing
• Must maintain center while navigating treacherous waters
• Crisis that forces maturation

Transforms into:

• Hexagram 30 (離 Li) — The Clinging (Fire)
• Clarity, illumination, commitment to truth
• The light that emerges after the abyss

Same pattern: Testing → Maturation → Authentic commitment

Practical Translation: Astrology ↔ Tarot

The Tarot Major Arcana directly corresponds to astrological symbols:

Tarot Card	Astrological Correspondence	Archetypal Energy
0 - The Fool	Uranus / Air	Innocence, new beginning, leap of faith
I - The Magician	Mercury	Skill, communication, manifestation
II - High Priestess	Moon	Intuition, mystery, the unconscious
III - The Empress	Venus	Fertility, abundance, nurturing
IV - The Emperor	Aries	Authority, structure, leadership
V - The Hierophant	Taurus	Tradition, teaching, spiritual authority
XIII - Death	Scorpio	Transformation, endings, rebirth
XVI - The Tower	Mars	Sudden change, destruction, breakthrough
XXI - The World	Saturn	Completion, mastery, wholeness

The correspondences are precise because both systems map the same archetypal forces.

Why Translation Is Possible

Translation works because all systems are mapping the same underlying reality:

1. Objective Temporal Rhythms

• Planetary cycles are real (Saturn orbits in 29.5 years regardless of culture)
• Seasonal cycles are real (spring follows winter everywhere)
• Lunar cycles are real (new moon every 29.5 days)

Different systems use different symbols, but they're tracking the same astronomical events.

2. Universal Archetypal Patterns

• The Hero archetype appears in all cultures
• The Mother archetype appears in all cultures
• The four elements appear in all cultures

These are universal structures of consciousness, not cultural inventions.

3. Shared Human Experience

• All humans experience birth, growth, maturity, death
• All humans experience day and night, seasons, cycles
• All humans have the same basic psychological structures

Different systems describe the same human experience using different languages.

How to Translate Between Systems

Step 1: Identify the Deep Structure

What is the system mapping?

• Temporal rhythm? (Which cycle?)
• Archetypal force? (Which archetype?)
• Consciousness state? (Which level?)

Step 2: Find the Correspondence

What does another system call this same structure?

Example:

• Western: "Saturn return at 29"
• Deep structure: "29-year maturation cycle, testing phase"
• Chinese: "30-year generational shift"
• Yijing: "Hexagram 29 (Abyss) phase"

Step 3: Translate the Symbols

Use correspondence tables to translate specific symbols:

• Aries = Tiger = Hexagram 25 = The Emperor
• All describe: Initiating fire, leadership, spring

Step 4: Verify the Translation

Does the translation preserve the meaning and function?

If yes, the translation is valid.

Why This Matters for Practice

Understanding that all systems are translatable gives you:

1. Multi-System Fluency
You can use multiple systems to gain different perspectives on the same situation.

2. Deeper Understanding
Each system offers unique insights. Western astrology emphasizes psychology, Chinese emphasizes elements and balance, Yijing emphasizes change dynamics.

3. Universal Validation
When all systems converge on the same truth, you know it's not cultural bias—it's universal reality.

The Operational Truth

Here's what translatability reveals:

• All fate systems map the same reality (temporal rhythms, archetypes, consciousness)
• Different symbols, same structure
• Translation is possible because the underlying patterns are universal
• Using multiple systems = multiple perspectives on one truth

This is not cultural relativism. This is universal structure expressed through different languages.

Practice: Cross-System Translation

Choose a Current Life Situation

Step 1: Describe It in Western Astrology

• What transits are active?
• What houses are emphasized?
• What does astrology say about this time?

Step 2: Translate to Yijing

• Cast a hexagram for the situation
• What phase of change are you in?
• What does the Yijing say?

Step 3: Translate to Tarot

• Draw a card for the situation
• What archetype is active?
• What does Tarot say?

Step 4: Find the Convergence

Do all three systems point to the same underlying pattern?

Example:

• Astrology: Saturn in 10th house (career restructuring)
• Yijing: Hexagram 29 (navigating the abyss with discipline)
• Tarot: The Tower (necessary destruction of false structures)
• Convergence: Time of testing that requires releasing what's inauthentic to build something real

All fate systems are different languages.

But they describe the same world.

And when you learn to translate between them, you gain multi-dimensional wisdom.

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This concludes PART 3: Time and Fate (Temporal Level).

You have now explored the cosmic structure (PART 1), the psychic structure (PART 2), and the temporal structure (PART 3)—the three fundamental levels of reality.

Together, these form a complete map of existence: Cosmos, Psyche, and Time.