The system of Chinese Astrology known as Ba Zi can be applied in analyzing any pattern and predicting a likely outcome. How might it be applied to the four year pattern of United States Presidential elections?

America’s birthday is generally reckoned to be July 4, 1776. That was a Fire Monkey year (like 2016). The Fire Monkey is the year pillar of the United States and the sign of Monkey usually means something new is starting. Did you know that 1776 was not the year of the first election? The first Presidential election wasn’t held until December 1788, an Earth Monkey year.

The Chinese Zodiac consists of 12 Animals or Earthly Branches. Because the first election was held in a Monkey year, a pattern was established so that the US elections are held only in Monkey, Rat or Dragon years.

In a Ba Zi, Monkey-Rat-Dragon is a Water pattern. America is a country that embodies the Metal element, therefore elections are our expression. To be more clear, we see elections as a way of expressing ourselves, our approval and disapproval. We seek a common level that is unlikely to be achieved. Any election includes some drama and lots of words. So many words.

The Water pattern tends to emphasize the enforcement of inequities toward the Fire element that is endemic to the United States. We tend to kill, oppress and deprive the indigenous and the people in the south. This is part of the pattern. The pattern tells you about the character.

Following the rules of Ba Zi, it is possible to identify who might be lucky and who might not based on whether the year is Monkey, Rat or Dragon. This method illustrates how external or annual energy is helpful in a generic way. You could also call that timing.

For elections held in Monkey years, Snake, Monkey, Rat and Dragon have an edge.
For elections held in Rat years the Ox, Monkey, Rat and Dragon are lucky.
For elections held in Dragon years Rooster, Monkey and Rat are favored.

Don’t get stuck on these rules, rather use them as a starting point. Sometimes being clashed is helpful too or there would be no Tiger, Horse or Dog as Presidents. I suspect that if you’ve managed to get the nomination and your year pillar matches the election year pillar, you can win against the rules of who is favored.

As always, looking at history is a good way to refine your perception of the pattern. Using the pattern of election years, along with the pattern of who wins in what year, provides a starting place for a deeper dive.

For example, even though they might not be favored in most years, Snake is the year pillar that seems to have a slight edge when it comes to being elected. Snakes have won in six elections, so has the Rat who is favored every time. The elemental flexibility of the Snake is often the sign of a politician. The Snake can weave a spell with persuasive words, but can keep their own counsel when it’s advantageous. It turns out that’s a helpful trait when you want a powerful position.

Maybe the Snake is more successful because the year pillar of the United States is Fire Monkey. In a visual interpretation of the pillar it’s as if the Snake is sitting on top of the Monkey. The relationship of Monkey and Snake is called Secret Friends. It’s also known as one of the Six Destructions. Things get explosive at times between the Monkey and Snake. Our country is prone multiple breakups and reunions. We want to be united, but we’re mutually suspicious, sometimes for very good reasons. This is the relationship of Monkey and Snake.

After the Snake and Rat, we have Dog and Pig tied with five wins each. Ox, Tiger and Horse have four wins each. Monkey has three wins. Sheep has won twice. Two elections were won by a Rooster but it was the same Rooster: Grover Cleveland. If you understand the nature of the Rooster, it won’t surprise you that he is the only President to have won non-consecutive terms.

The Chinese Zodiac signs are listed below with the Presidents born under that sign. Each Zodiac sign has been elected at least once. What patterns do you see?

Rat Presidents

Election Year	Winner	Birth Year
‎		‎
1788		1732
Earth Monkey	George Washington	Water Rat
戊申		壬子
‎		‎
1792		1732
Water Rat	George Washington	Water Rat
壬子		壬子
	‎
1852		1804
Water Rat	Franklin Pierce	Wood Rat
壬子		甲子
‎		‎
1968		1913
Earth Monkey	Richard Nixon	Water Rat
戊申	resigned August 1974	壬子
‎		‎
1976		1924
Fire Dragon	Jimmy Carter	Wood Rat
丙辰		壬子
‎		‎
1988		1924
Earth Dragon	George H.W. Bush	Wood Rat
戊辰		甲子

The Rat is the first animal in the cycle of twelve. Appropriately, our first President George Washington, was born in a Rat year, but not a Wood Rat year. These things matter. As a Water Rat, George may have felt bearing authority to be confining and depressing. This would not be the case for Wood Rats like Jimmy Carter or George H.W. Bush.

A person born in the year of the Rat has a good chance of being elected in any election year but their influence is strong whether they are elected or not. The way I see it, a lot of the decisions made in the US are directed by the Rat’s energy. England is the country associated with the Rat so this makes historical sense too. These are the roots of our colonizer mentality.

Ox Presidents

Election Year	Winner	Birth Year
‎		‎
1880		1829
Metal Dragon	Chester Arthur*	Earth Ox
庚子	VP to Garfield	己丑
‎		‎
1920		1865
Metal Monkey	Warren Harding	Wood Ox
庚申	d. July 1923	乙丑
‎		‎
1968		1913
Earth Monkey	Gerald Ford*	Water Ox
戊申	VP to Nixon	癸丑
‎		‎
2008		1961
Earth Rat	Barack Obama	Metal Ox
戊子		辛丑
2012		1961
Water Dragon	Barack Obama	Metal Ox
壬辰		辛丑

Barack Obama was first elected in a Rat year. The powerful Ox is able to co-opt the Rat’s power and influence but only for a short time, so an Ox has a good chance of winning in a Rat year.

In the Metal Rat Year of 2020, a Water Horse was elected. What stops the Ox from winning might be their ephemeral popularity. It’s hard for the Ox to make it far enough to win unless they know how to show off a little.

Tiger Presidents

Election Year	Winner	Birth Year
‎		‎
1816		1758
Fire Rat	James Monroe	Earth Tiger
丙子		戊寅
‎		‎
1820		1758
Metal Dragon	James Monroe	Earth Tiger
丙子		戊寅
	‎
1836		1782
‎Fire Monkey	Martin Van Buren	Water Tiger
丙申		壬寅
‎		‎
1896		1843
Fire Monkey	William McKinley	Water Tiger
丙申		壬寅
‎		‎
1900		1843
Fire Monkey	William McKinley	Water Tiger
庚子	Assassinated September 1901	壬寅
1952		1890
Water Dragon	Dwight D. Eisenhower	Metal Tiger
壬辰		庚寅
1956		1890
Fire Monkey	Dwight D. Eisenhower	Metal Tiger
丙申		庚寅

You can hardly ever count a Tiger out of the running when there’s a contest.

Metal Tiger Dwight D. Eisenhower was a General in the U.S. Army before he was President. In his final speech as President he warned about the developing military-industrial complex. It may not have been the legacy he wanted, but I wonder if he ever realized his own role in its creation. That’s kind of a Tiger thing.

Rabbit Presidents

Election Year	Winner	Birth Year
‎		‎
1796		1735
Fire Dragon	John Adams	Wood Rabbit
丙辰		乙卯
‎		‎
1844		1795
‎Wood Dragon	James K. Polk	Wood Rabbit‎
甲辰		乙卯
‎		‎
1880		1831
Metal Dragon	James Garfield	Metal Rabbit
庚辰	Assassinated September 1881	辛卯

Obviously it’s been a long time since we valued the type of staying power the gentle Rabbit possesses. I would be surprised if a Rabbit is elected ever again. Remember what I said about Rat energy influencing elections?

Wood Rabbit and father of six children John Adams was known for his political independence or non-partisanship. The only element in his year is Wood. Just one element.

Dragon Presidents

Election Year	Winner	Birth Year
‎		‎
1848		1784
Earth Monkey	Zachary Taylor	Wood Dragon
戊申	d. July 1850	甲辰
‎		‎
1864		1808
‎Wood Rat	Andrew Johnson*	Earth Dragon‎
甲子	VP to Lincoln	戊辰
‎		‎
1912		1856
Water Rat	Woodrow Wilson	Fire Dragon
壬子		丙辰
1916		1856
Fire Dragon	Woodrow Wilson	Fire Dragon
丙辰		丙辰

1856 Fire Dragon Woodrow Wilson was a lawyer, professor, author and President of Princeton University, all prior to becoming the 28th US President. That’s a Dragon with 食神 shi shen – full of ideas; meticulous with work when it interests him.

Snake Presidents

Election Year	Winner	Birth Year
‎		‎
1840		1772
Metal Rat	William H. Harrison	Water Snake
庚子	d. April 1841	癸巳
‎		‎
1860		1809
Metal Monkey	Abraham Lincoln	Earth Snake
庚申		己巳
‎		‎
1860		1809
Metal Monkey	Abraham Lincoln	Earth Snake
庚申	Assassinated April 1864	己巳
‎
1888		1833
Earth Rat	Benjamin Harrison	Water Snake
戊子		癸巳
‎		‎
1908		1857
Earth Monkey	William H. Taft	Fire Snake
戊申		丁巳
‎		‎
1932		1882
Water Monkey	Franklin D. Roosevelt	Metal Snake
壬申		辛巳
1936		1882
Fire Rat	Franklin D. Roosevelt	Metal Snake
丙子		辛巳
1940		1882
Metal Dragon	Franklin D. Roosevelt	Metal Snake
庚辰		辛巳
1960		1917
Metal Rat	John F. Kennedy	Fire Snake
庚子	assassinated November 1963	丁巳

I don’t know about you, but what stands out to me about Snake Presidents is that they tend to have health problems and/or are more likely to be assassinated. Maybe this is a manifestation of the potential destruction between the Monkey and Snake. Snakes might want to consider they can last longer in politics if they are less prominent.

As always in any crowd, John F. Kennedy stands out, this time because he has a Snake year, Snake month and a Yin Metal day stem. He was a tricky guy from a family of politicians. As a Metal day stem person his power is in the Snake, that is, in his ancestors, siblings and his job.

The Water-y nature of any election year tends to stimulate the Snake with promises of potential power and transformations.

Horse Presidents

Election Year	Winner	Birth Year
‎		‎
1868		1822
Earth Dragon	Ulysses S. Grant	Water Horse
戊辰		壬午
‎
1872		1822
Water Monkey	Ulysses S. Grant	Water Horse
壬申		壬午
‎		‎
1876		1822
‎Fire Rat	Rutherford B. Hayes	Water Horse
丙子		壬午
‎		‎
1900		1858
Metal Rat	Theodore Roosevelt*	Earth Horse
庚子	VP to McKinley	戊午
	‎
1904		1858
Wood Dragon	Theodore Roosevelt	Earth Horse
甲辰		戊午
‎		‎
2020		1942
Metal Rat	Joe Biden	Water Horse
庚子		壬午

Elementally, it’s a Water Horse’s job to cease Fire, however, when the proportions of Water and Fire are off, the opposite might happen. In harness with Abraham Lincoln, Water Horse General Ulysses S. Grant led the Union Army to victory in the Civil War prior to becoming President. There was a LOT of burning as I recall.

On a lighter note, it’s hard not to think of 1978 when I think of Earth Horse Theodore Roosevelt. With his goofy mustache and glasses he was a precursor of 1970s men’s fashion. Teddy is also known for his promotion of national parks and preserving nature. In the 1970s we began to return to regarding the earth as a living being, rather than just a resource. That’s the spirit of the Earth Horse.

Don’t count the Horse out in a Rat election year just because they clash with the Rat. Sometimes a clash is exactly what is needed to win. Ask Joe Biden.

Sheep Presidents

Election Year	Winner	Birth Year
‎		‎
1808		1751
Earth Dragon	‎ James Madison‎	Metal Sheep
戊辰		辛未
		‎
‎1812		1751
Water Monkey	James Madison	Metal Sheep
壬申		辛未
		‎
1848		1800
Earth Monkey	Millard Fillmore*	Earth Sheep
戊申	VP to Taylor	己未

Metal Sheep James Madison was the oldest of 12 children. That’s excellent training for a Sheep who wants to be a leader. The Metal Sheep has a lot to manage. Other Sheep may prefer to be second in command, rather than number one.

Being President is not usually an aspiration of a Sheep. A closer analysis may reveal that people with a Sheep year rarely run for the office of U.S. President. Millard Fillmore, the only other Sheep to be President assumed office due to being Vice President when Zachary Taylor died.

Monkey Presidents

Election Year	Winner	Birth Year
‎		‎
1924		1872
‎Wood Rat	Calvin Coolidge*	Water Monkey
甲子	VP to Harding	壬申
‎		‎
1944		1884
Wood Monkey	Harry S. Truman	Wood Monkey
甲申		甲申
‎		‎
1948		1884
Earth Rat	Harry S. Truman	Wood Monkey
戊子		甲申
1960*		1908
Metal Rat	Lyndon B. Johnson*	Earth Monkey
庚子	VP to Kennedy	戊申
	‎
1964		1908
Wood Dragon	Lyndon B. Johnson	Earth Monkey
甲辰		戊申

Wood Monkey Harry S. Truman was our 33rd President. The Wood Monkey is the sign of a decision maker; could be a person who lands in what they think is a catch-22. This is a person with a dilemma.

When the decision maker is the President of the United States, the decisions have huge consequences. Might be something like making the horrible misjudgment of bombing Hiroshima. A Wood Monkey is capable of making good choices too, of course.

Rooster Presidents

Election Year	Winner	Birth Year
‎		‎
1884		1837
Wood Monkey	Grover Cleveland	Fire Rooster
甲申		丁酉
‎		‎
1892		1837
Water Dragon	Grover Cleveland	Fire Rooster
壬辰		丁酉

1837 Fire Rooster Grover Cleveland is the only President to serve two terms non consecutively. I think his secret to success was that Yin Fire is reborn in the Rooster making the Fire Rooster more adaptable than other Roosters. They know how to stay relevant.

Dog Presidents

Election Year	Winner	Birth Year
‎		‎
1840		1790
Metal Rat	John Tyler*	Metal Dog
庚子	VP to Harrison	庚戌
‎		‎
1928		1874
Earth Dragon	Herbert Hoover	Wood Dog
戊辰		甲戌
‎		‎
1992		1946
Water Monkey	Bill Clinton	Fire Dog
壬申		丙戌
		‎
‎1996		1946
Fire Rat	Bill Clinton	Fire Dog
丙子		丙戌
‎
2000		1946
Metal Dragon	George W. Bush	Fire Dog
庚辰		丙戌
		‎
‎2004		1946
Wood Monkey	George W. Bush	Fire Dog
甲申		丙戌
2016		1946
Fire Monkey	Donald Trump	Fire Dog
丙申		丙戌

There were only two Dogs elected before Bill Clinton won in 1992. He seems to have started a trend that was only broken by Obama. I would attribute this succession of Dogs to a bigger cycle of timing than the annual energy. Period 7 formed the way these men grew up and their attitudes about women, Period 8 put them in charge.

Pig Presidents

Election Year	Winner	Birth Year
‎		‎
1800		1743
Metal Monkey	Thomas Jefferson	Water Pig
庚申		癸亥
‎		‎
1804		1743
Wood Rat	Thomas Jefferson	Water Pig
甲子		癸亥
	‎
1824		1767
Wood Monkey	John Quincy Adams	Fire Pig
甲申		丁亥
‎		‎
1828		1767
Earth Rat	Andrew Jackson	Fire Pig
戊子		丁亥
‎		‎
1856		1791
Fire Dragon	James Buchanan	Metal Pig
丙辰		辛亥
‎		‎
1980		1911
Metal Monkey	Ronald Reagan	Metal Pig
庚申		辛亥

Like electricity, too much power takes the usual checks and balances offline. When you’re powerful or popular, people hesitate to mention your crimes, that your comb over has flopped or that you’re using fatal amounts of painkillers.

The versatile and creative Pig who becomes a President has the self penalty and the power to potentially make big mistakes. Thomas Jefferson was smart and multitalented but apparently (to put it lightly) he couldn’t keep it in his pants. This seems to be a common problem for men who have too much power.

Conclusion

If you found this post useful or helpful, know also that there is more to forecasting a US Presidential election than understanding the data here. Seeing as it’s 2024 and the next US Presidential election is in November, in my next post I’ll be narrowing the focus of my investigation, writing about elections in Dragon years.

*Elected as VP, assumed office of President