Most people who read zodiac charts know not every Taurus will meet an attractive stranger Monday or have an unpleasant surprise Tuesday. Even for people born on the same day at the same time, life experiences can vary drastically.
But in Ba Zi astrology, many factors that influence people’s lives are taken into account. We Were Born on the Same Day explains how this Eastern astrology differs from the Western zodiac. For instance, Ba Zi relies on five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water), rather than Western astrology’s four (air, fire, water, earth). There are many other differences explained in these pages. Yet, while the author makes a valiant attempt to detail this complex astrology system, it’s still confusing for someone without basic Ba Zi knowledge.
However, by using celebrity charts to explain why people born on the same day can have very different lives, the author makes the book a fun read even for the novice.
For example, the book examines the lives of tennis star Billie Jean King and artist Dora Maar, both born Nov. 22 in different years. In Ba Zi, King was born on a Wood Monkey day and Maar was born on a Wood Pig day. So, while their numerical birthdate is the same, their Ba Zi birthdates are different. Other examples include Beatle John Lennon, the Supremes’ Mary Wilson, opera singer Kiri Te Kanawa and actors Cliff Robertson, Julie Andrews and Ursula Andress.
The book, written in a clear, conversational style, could use editing. In particular, the lack of commas in nonrestrictive clauses is annoying at best and confusing at worse. For example, the author notes that Ursula Andress appeared in “‘The Blue Max’ …, set during the First World War [sic] and ‘Casino Royale’ with a surprise cast …”).
Despite this distracting issue, We Were Born on the Same Day is a generally informative, entertaining book for anyone interested in astrology.
Also available in hardcover and ebook.
