Twelve animals, one for each year.
A different system from the Western zodiac and worth reading on its own terms: your animal comes from the lunar year you were born in, not the month, and the year turns in late January or February.
Rat
water · yangquick · resourceful · social
Ox
earth · yinsteady · reliable · stubborn
Tiger
wood · yangbold · restless · protective
Rabbit
wood · yingentle · diplomatic · discerning
Dragon
earth · yangambitious · vivid · lucky
Snake
fire · yinwise · private · intuitive
Horse
fire · yangfree · energetic · direct
Goat
earth · yincreative · kind · sensitive
Monkey
metal · yangclever · playful · inventive
Rooster
metal · yinprecise · proud · honest
Dog
earth · yangloyal · just · anxious
Pig
water · yingenerous · easygoing · sincere
Each year also carries an element.
The animal repeats every twelve years, the element every ten — so a full cycle takes sixty. One element feeds the next and controls another; that is the whole engine.
Wood
growth, flexibility, ideas that spread
feeds fire · controls earthFire
passion, visibility, quick decisions
feeds earth · controls metalEarth
stability, patience, care for what is built
feeds metal · controls waterMetal
precision, discipline, clear boundaries
feeds water · controls woodWater
intuition, adaptability, depth of feeling
feeds wood · controls fireYour animal, and your year's element.
Celestine works out both from your birth date, and compares two people across the trines.