Tibetan Astrology
Kartsi and Naktsi: animals, elements, parkha and mewa.
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Level 1Units: 6
Level 1 · Unit 1
Two streams
Tibetan astro-science (tsi): Kartsi from India's Kālacakra Tantra, Naktsi with Chinese roots, and the Men-Tsee-Khang.
- What is tsi?
- White calculation: Kartsi
- Black calculation: Naktsi
- The Men-Tsee-Khang
- Checkpoint: Two streams
Level 1 · Unit 2
Animals, elements and the calendar
The twelve animals, five elements, the 60-year rabjung, Losar and the Fire Horse year.
- The twelve animals
- The five elements
- The 60-year rabjung
- Losar and the Fire Horse
- Checkpoint: Animals, elements and the calendar
Level 1 · Unit 3
Life-force elements and practice
La, sok, lü, wangthang and lungta, the mother-son element cycle, prayer flags and astrology in daily practice.
- Five life-force aspects
- How elements relate
- Wind horse and prayer flags
- Astrology in daily practice
- Checkpoint: Life-force elements and practice
Level 1 · Unit 4
Naming Tibetan years
Tibetan words for the animals, elements and male and female years, counting years from an anchor, and a year's place in the rabjung.
- The animals in Tibetan
- Saying a year in Tibetan
- Counting from an anchor
- Where a year sits in the rabjung
- Checkpoint: Naming Tibetan years
Level 1 · Unit 5
The elements in depth
The elements' directions and seasons, the element each animal carries, the enemy cycle, and naming the relation between any two elements.
- Elements, directions and seasons
- Each animal's own element
- The enemy cycle
- Naming element relations
- Checkpoint: The elements in depth
Level 1 · Unit 6
Months and holy days
Lunar months, the four great Buddhist festival days (düchen), special days each month and the customs around Losar.
- Tibetan months
- The four great festival days
- Special days each month
- Losar customs
- Checkpoint: Months and holy days
Level 2Units: 6
Level 2 · Unit 1
Parkha: the eight trigrams
The eight parkha with their Chinese equivalents, images, directions and elements, and how a birth parkha is found in outline.
- Eight trigrams
- The eight names
- Directions and elements
- Your birth parkha
- Checkpoint: Parkha
Level 2 · Unit 2
Mewa: the nine numbers
The nine mewa and their colours, the Lo Shu square, element lists and how the year mewa counts down each year.
- Nine numbers, nine colours
- The Lo Shu square
- Colours and elements
- The year mewa
- Checkpoint: Mewa
Level 2 · Unit 3
Parkha lines and the sipaho
Reading each parkha's lines, pairs across the compass and by flipping, Manjushri and the golden turtle, and the sipaho image.
- Reading the lines
- Opposites and flips
- Manjushri and the golden turtle
- The sipaho
- Checkpoint: Parkha lines and the sipaho
Level 2 · Unit 4
Parkha and mewa in practice
Patterns in the Lo Shu square, comparing parkha and mewa elements direction by direction, element relations between mewa and an invented year profile.
- Patterns in the square
- Two lists, one direction
- Mewa and element relations
- An invented year profile
- Checkpoint: Parkha and mewa in practice
Level 2 · Unit 5
Finding the life-force elements
How the sok, la and wangthang elements are found in one widely taught method, and why lü and lungta are looked up in tables that vary by source.
- Sok: the animal's element
- La: the mother of sok
- Wangthang: the year's element
- Lü and lungta
- Checkpoint: Finding the life-force elements
Level 2 · Unit 6
Life-force elements in practice
Comparing a person's elements with a year's element, what mother and enemy relations are said to mean, the two elements of a year and invented people.
- Comparing with a year
- What the relations are said to mean
- Two elements in the year
- Two invented people, one year
- Checkpoint: Life-force elements in practice
Level 3Units: 6
Level 3 · Unit 1
Kartsi and Naktsi in depth
How Kartsi builds the calendar from the Kālacakra, the Phugpa and Tsurphu schools, omitted and doubled days, leap months, and Naktsi's layers.
- Kartsi and the Wheel of Time
- Calendar schools
- Lunar days and leap months
- Naktsi and the almanac
- Checkpoint: Kartsi and Naktsi in depth
Level 3 · Unit 2
Yearly obstacles and practices in context
Keg years and Tibetan age counting, and the prayer flags, offerings and almanac visits people turn to, described as culture and faith.
- What is a keg year?
- Counting Tibetan age
- Prayer flags and offerings
- The almanac and the astrologer
- Checkpoint: Yearly obstacles and practices
Level 3 · Unit 3
Case studies
Invented people worked step by step: year animal and element, mewa from hypothetical anchors, and keg ages, described with care.
- Case 1: Tenzin, a Fire Horse
- Case 2: Pema and the Losar line
- Case 3: Dolma's mewa
- Case 4: Karma's keg year, with care
- Checkpoint: Case studies
Level 3 · Unit 4
The five parts of an almanac day
The five calculated parts of each almanac day: weekday, lunar day, lunar mansion, yoga and karana, and how to read an invented entry.
- Five parts of a day
- Lunar mansions
- Yoga and karana
- Reading a day's entry
- Checkpoint: The five parts of an almanac day
Level 3 · Unit 5
Planets and eclipses in Kartsi
The five visible planets, Rahu and the crossing points of the Sun's and Moon's paths, when eclipses can happen, and eclipse days as times of practice.
- The five planets
- Rahu, the eclipse planet
- When eclipses happen
- Eclipse days in practice
- Checkpoint: Planets and eclipses in Kartsi
Level 3 · Unit 6
Case studies with life-force elements
Invented people worked step by step, joining year names, life-force elements, keg years, weekday names and almanac days, described with care.
- Case 5: Nyima's element set
- Case 6: Phurbu's keg year
- Case 7: Reading the almanac for Pasang
- Case 8: Two friends compare
- Checkpoint: Case studies with life-force elements