Detailed Guide
1: Name, Owner of the Birth chart.
All e-books mention the given name in several places in the text, so it is recommended to use the name you prefer to be called. Using your name is also helpful for saving your chart. Save your own and your family members’ or friends’ charts in your account.
2: i - Detailed birth time correction, EOT.
The suzannamester.com Chinese Astrology Calculator considers the EOT time correction, as well as daylight saving time. You can find the exact calculation here. Calculations based on your birthplace and its precise coordinates are also included, ensuring that you receive a fully accurate birth chart anywhere in the World.
3: Day Master – Self element.
The essence of your true self and personality. It represents the mature, adult phase of your life, but throughout your entire life this is your conscious self - you feel this way inside. You can find the description of your Day Master in the first, red e-book, which you can access by clicking on the image here:
4: Main Profile - Your instinctive core behavior throughout your life.
The inner attitude represents your unconscious behavioral pattern throughout your life. One of the most exciting things is to gain insight into this and make it conscious.
Secondary Structure - Alongside the Main Structure, This Structure Also Significantly Influences Your Behavior. Did you know that every person born in a month with an Earth element has a secondary structure alongside their main structure? For these individuals, the two behaviors function together in symbiosis. If this applies to you, you will find the description of this in e-book No. 2, the orange edition, and the two must be interpreted together:
5: Hour Pillar – Your career, children, and secret desires.
This is the “Chinese double hour” of your birth time. It is very important, perhaps the most important pillar, as it provides insight into your subconscious motivations and behavior. If you do not know your exact birth hour, it is recommended to request the data from the hospital where you were born, as most hospitals are required to keep birth records up to age 50 in many countries. For further possibilities to refine the birth hour, read more here: link or get to know the Chinese double hours and their associated elements: link or write via the Contact menu for additional personal assistance with the refinement: https://www.suzannamester.com/contactme.
Learn about this in detail in e-book No. 5:
6: Day Pillar.
The day you were born. It contains your Self Element, that is your so-called Day Master and the Earthly Branch of the Day Pillar, which is also called the “Spouse Palace.” This pillar is strongly activated in your relationships and intimacy, and it also represents your home. This inner layer of personality is explained in the first, red e-book, which you can access by clicking on the image here:
7: Month Pillar – Work, finances, family and friends.
The elements and structures found here indicate the opportunities, abilities, and affinities of your family, friends, and your salary giving workplace. Learn more about this in e-book No. 4, the brown edition, here:
8: Year Pillar – The chinese year you were born: How others see you.
And how you see the world… Many people wear a mask toward the outside world. Some see everything as beautiful, while others experience only pain and difficulty with strangers. But why is it that some people are always “blown” into lucky situations, while others stumble? It is interesting to gain insight into what strengths you have that you can consciously use for your success. Experiences and trauma carried from childhood can be found here, and you can clearly see your childhood patterns that influence your entire adult life. Read about this in e-book No. 3, the gold edition:
9: Current year - The year active at the time of the query.
This column will always show the year according to the Chinese Year. This means that even before the February solar year transition, you will still see the previous year according to the Gregorian calendar here. As soon as the moment of transition is reached, the column will automatically switch to the correct year. Thus, even though 2027 is the Year of the Yin Fire Goat, if you visit this page on February 1, 2027, you will still see the column of the 2026 Year of the Yang Fire Horse.
The +/- buttons allow you to manually change the current year pillar if you would like to see how the structures or constellations change each year. If you would like to understand a year better, read your personal analysis in the selectable year analysis here:
10: Next year - The next Chinese year at the time of the query.
The next Chinese year at the time of the query. A useful feature if we want to see how long a given experience lasts and what effects will arrive in one year as the influence of the next year. As the structure changes, the life cycle also receives a new quality. Get to know the effects of the Next Year in e-book No. 10, the black edition:
11: +/- Buttons activating Luck Pillars.
Did you know that you have the option to use the +/- buttons to select the luck pillar whose affects you are curious about? Press the button and the calculator will show in bold which year you are at in the selection, until it moves into another luck pillar. Learn more about the effects of your luck pillars here:
12: Heavenly Stems - Intended and visible elemental manifestation.
Intended and visible elemental manifestation. The visible elemental influences given by destiny from the heavens, which are obvious to everyone. Link.
Your Heavenly Stems are explained for all 4 pillars, meaning all areas of your life, in the e-books:
13: Earthly Branches - The animal symbol indicating human action and experience.
The 12 Earthly Branches contain different elements, which each have different effects on your personality and areas of life. This is where the most “free will” is found, which, when made conscious, allows you to step to a higher level, meaning: You have another choice! Link The Earthly Branches are explained in detail for all 4 pillars in the e-books:
14: Hidden Heavenly Stems of the Earthly Branches.
The Earthly Branches also contain additional hidden elements, which are worth examining in detail, as they further how we may behave. Since they are called “hidden,” these represent parts of ourselves that are not conscious: Link
15: Hexagrams - The I Ching Hexagrams of the 60 Pillar variations.
Every pillar can be matched to an I Ching hexagram. Therefore, it is worth thoroughly understanding the hexagram of your four pillars, which you can learn from the latest I Ching e-book:
At the same time, every changing year (current, next), or luck pillars also correspond to a hexagram, from which you can learn what your most important lesson is in that given transit. These individual hexagrams can be studied here: Link.
In addition, the “Initiation Bundle”, meaning the hexagram of all pillar combinations, is already available: Link.
16: Structures of the Pillars.
In the radix, the structures are located to the left of the elements. These are not written due to space limitations, so you see abbreviations (e.g., Fr = friend structure or companion element). The e-books explain all structures found in your chart, depending on which life area you are examining. The main profile, which is found in the Earthly Branch of the month pillar, is covered in an entire e-book:
but if you want to understand the structure let’s say in your hour pillar, choose the 5th green e-book:
Alternating Structure in Water and Fire Elements - Did you know that every Fire and Water element takes on both polarities of the given structure? The radix or the birth chart indicates the direct and indirect polarities within structures involving Water and Fire elements. Thus, any pillar where a Water or Fire animal sign appears experiences the given structure alternately, sometimes in one extreme and sometimes in the other. This highlights tasks related to balancing these energies.
17: Symbolic Stars.
In your radix or natal chart, the most important and widespread symbolic stars are displayed on the right side. Each symbolic star is explained in detail in the e-books related to the respective pillar. The e-books are also worth purchasing as a bundle at a discounted price:
18: Visual Aid Option.
The calculator allows you to display constellation markers if you want a visual representation of interactions within the chart. You can set it to show only within the chart or extend it to luck pillars and even the current year.
19: Colored constellation Lines.
Lines Indicating Constellations with different colors of their meaning. The suzannamester.com Chinese Astrology Calculator uniquely connects the constellations in the chart through visual representation. This applies not only within the chart itself but also across luck pillars and current year transits, which can optionally be turned on or off. You can also choose whether to display only internal radix interactions or all transit interactions.
20: Luck Pillars
10-year energy cycles with the most significant influences. Learn and read more about them in the e-books on previous, current, and next luck pillars
21: Start of the first Luck Pillar.
The number above the first luck pillar indicates the age at which your life began to experience fated events as a child. You can read more about calculating luck pillars here: Link.
22: Previous Luck Pillar.
You can use the – (minus) button to analyze the effects of your previous luck pillar, to learn from its influences or gain confirmation about life events. Curious what energy you experienced in the last 10 years? Learn more here:
23: Current Luck Pillar.
Based on the entered data, unless it is set to check a day’s energies (which has no luck pillar), the calculator shows which current luck pillar a person is living in. This is highlighted in a darker color, and within it you can see which year you are in. The buttons in the top right under “Current Year” allow you to step through additional luck pillars by switching years until the program moves into the next luck pillar. The program always displays the constellation interactions within the currently active highlighted pillar. What does your current luck pillar mean? Learn here:
24: Next Luck Pillar.
You can use the + (plus) button to switch to the effects of your next luck pillar, allowing you to proactively prepare for upcoming events. You can find your expected tasks in the e-book here:
25: Date Selection Controls (+/– buttons).
After retrieving a given date, you can adjust any pillar using the + and – buttons at the year, month, day, and hour labels. You can even step through minutes, allowing you to check exact transition points, for example, when we enter a new Chinese month down to the minute, or what transition points are possible in each natal chart. This is especially helpful for fine-tuning your hour pillar.
