What is a habit? A habit can be defined as something we repeatedly do until it becomes our behavior. It is the interrelationship of knowledge, skill and desire. Whether the habit is positive or negative depends on what it can do for us.

In Chinese Astrology, a person is given a set of natal pillars which comprises the 5 metaphysical elements of the universe. These elements are wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Our existences on earth are governed by these elements. By the interaction of these elements in a productive, conquering or exhaustive cycle, our destiny takes root. Our characteristics, attributes, and behaviors are brought about by many of these elemental interplays within our natal chart. One aspect of destiny that we can change is our habit which invariably influences our behavior. This is where an analysis of our natal chart based on the 5 elements can help us decipher which habit will determine our behavior and ultimately our destiny.

In the context of self improvement, one management guru that stands out is Dr. Stephen R. Covey. His well researched and documented study on human behavior resulted in the publication of the highly acclaimed book "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People". In short, the book teaches us how to live a productive and fulfilling life. Using Chinese Astrology, we can analyze how these habits are influenced by the elements in our natal chart.

Habit 1

We always have choices in our lives. What we make of ourselves depend on the choices we made. Whether we live from hand to mouth or live off the fat of the land is ultimately up to us. In Chinese Astrology, this habit has to do with our self element, the element that exhausts self and the element that self conquers. If your self element is wood, then the element that exhausts self is fire and the element that self conquers is earth.

Habit 2

We should have goals in our lives. Goals give us direction and take us where we want to go. It is being proactive in controlling our destiny. In Chinese Astrology, this habit has to do with the element that produces self. If your self element is fire, then the element that produces self is wood.

Habit 3

We should have a plan to achieve our goals. A plan will help to take us to our destination. We need to be disciplined and to prioritize which actions come first and which to take in order to get there fastest. In Chinese Astrology, this habit has to do with the element that conquers self and the element that exhausts self. If your self element is earth, then the element that conquers self is wood and the element that exhausts self is metal.

Habit 4

We should seek cooperation that is mutually beneficial. By having such interaction with one another, everybody wins and no one is made to be a loser. In this way, an agreement will last the test of time since everybody is satisfied and will stay committed. In Chinese Astrology, this habit has to do with our self element, the element that produces self and the element that conquers self. If your self element is metal, then the element that produces self is earth and the element that conquers self is fire.

Habit 5

We should listen more and speak less in order to really understand people. By seeking to understand others first allows us to see things from their perspective and pave the way for us to be understood in return. This makes us influential. In Chinese Astrology, this habit has to do with our self element, the element that produces self and the element that conquers self. If your self element is water, then the element that produces self is metal and the element that conquers self is earth.

Habit 6

We should accept and respect differences in people. By leveraging on the strengths of other people and compensate for their weaknesses, we can forge synergy in a team. Synergy is about using creativity to build strengths in diversity so that collectively, we achieve more than if we go it alone. In Chinese Astrology, this habit has to do with our self element, the element that produces self and the element that exhausts self. If your self element is wood, then the element that produces self is water and the element that exhausts self is fire.

Habit 7

We should strive to maintain a balance in our lives - physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. By having balance in these four areas, we feel energized and empowered to live life to the full. It is the culmination in our journey to be a highly effective person.

Author: Alvin Yap
Alvin Yap is the founder and owner of the website http://www.proactive-qi.com which offers free destiny readings based on Chinese Astrology known as the Four Pillars of Destiny and free consultation on the Chinese Metaphysical Science of Feng Shui. Visit us for free download of E-Books, tips, articles etc. Pro-activate Your Life!

So what is the history behind astrology in the western part of the world?
In the ancient times, the practice of astrology is meant only for the royal blood, during this period, the royalty credibly relied on astrologers and placed them in respected positions in their palaces. When the astrologers brought some bad news though, they literally cut the heads of the poor astrologers off. In the meantime, in 2300 BC, western astrology started in ancient Mesopotamia and found its way to olden Greece. Astrology thrived in this land along with the emergence of the well-known Greek philosophers Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.

Meanwhile, one of Aristotle's students, Alexander the Great, went on colonizing different parts of the world and with it distributed the Greek philosophy and way of life. In a span of three hundred years, it was in Egypt that much of Alexander's conquests made its greatest influence. Astrology in particular became the centre of scholarly learning and acceptance by the foremost thinkers of the era. In particular, Ptolemy not only studied the skies but focused on mathematically inclined astronomy, this event marked the beginning of astrology as we know it today - the horoscope and the zodiac signs.

After several hundred years however, western astrologers have gone underground to give way to the powerful beliefs of the Christian Church in the Middle Ages. They practiced astrology with caution as it was declared unorthodox at that time. Fortunately, by the Renaissance period, the revival of the Greek and neo-Platonic thought brought western astrology back to life. Marsilio Ficino was one of the famous alchemist and astrologer of this era. Still, this was cut short during the Age of Enlightenment when a paradigm shift separated the fields of astronomy and astrology apart - considering the former to be a physical science and the latter a mere supernatural art.

The revival of western astrology at the start of the twentieth century was made primarily through the efforts of the awe-inspiring astrologers Sepharial and Alan Leo - the pioneers of the Astrological Lodge of the Theosophical Society in Britain. From then on, western astrology flourished and became a popular pursuit for almost everybody. The astrological beliefs referring to the Sun Sign Astrology, karma, reincarnation and daily horoscopes became part of group discussions and everyday lingo.

In the 1930s, Paul Clancy published the "American Astrology" magazine and opened up the world of astrology to a wider public. It was the highly respected Dane Rudhyar who first wrote the daily horoscopes under the 12 astrological signs. The horoscope then became a daily habit and widely sought in the newspapers, magazines and other publications. Hence, the history of western astrology may have been full of adversities, but the fact that it has survived through the years speak of a supernatural yet down-to-earth spirituality.

Astrology zone was not that common at that point of time, but it was revived very soon. Today the advancements in the field of science and technology has made many things possible for us and getting to know about your future and predicting things have become rather simple. There are several online sites that provide astrology zone information, numerology information, tarot card information and such other things to people who are genuinely interested. In fact, all these forms of divination are becoming so popular these days that several people are coming up with online sites to up inform people and discuss about all these. In fact there are several sites that allow you to make your own birth chart and based on that they will send you periodical predictions on several aspects.

For this you just need to enter your birthdates, time of birth and the place where you were born. That's all you need to enter to get your charts read by the professionals who work for the sites. They will send you a detailed interpretation of all the aspects of your chart. If you have some specific queries in mind about the astrology zone and other things, you can ask them and they will tell you about that. Today you will find that most of the daily newspapers and magazines have a section that is exclusively dedicated to astrology, numerology and tarot reading. Often you will also find that they have sections for some other forms of divination as well.

There are also several software available in the market that can help one in reading their birth chart. If you have a computer at home, you just need to buy the software and learn about the instructions to operate it. So now you do not even need the help of an expert or a professional to help you in knowing about astrology zone. It is very simple to operate these different functions of the software, and since all the things are explained in details you can do this easily. Now you can easily explore and try to find out what the future ahs in store for you.

Author: Amit Bhalla
Amit Bhalla works to help all those who want information about the latest and the best, most happening places in the city. To know more about Astrology zone, Feng Shui career, Search Service Delhi, Movies in Delhi, Local Search India visit http://www.myquest.in