Introduction to the 12 Animals

The twelve-year cycle of animal years starts with Mouse, which is a male animal. There are six male animals and six female animals. The gender changes every other year.

Notice, however, that even though Mouse is first in every twelve-year cycle the Tibetan calendar counts with a sixty-year cycle, Rab-byung, which starts with a Fire-Rabbit year.


Lag rTsis hand calculation 
A Tibetan astrologer uses his/her own hand to calculate the animals in relation to each other.

Animal years
In Tibetan Elemental astrology every year has its own element and animal sign. One element rules for two years in succession, the first in the cycle being a male year, followed by a female year.

The own element and direction of an animal
Every animal also has its own element besides the element of the year. This own element is same as its life force element Srog. An animal is also associated with the direction which is connected to its own element.