Earthly branch
The lower character of a pillar; there are twelve, the same twelve that give the zodiac animals.
In one sentence
The lower character of a pillar; there are twelve, the same twelve that give the zodiac animals.
How it is used
Branches carry season, place and the layer of life that runs underneath what people see, and each one hides stems inside it. Most of the relationships a reading talks about, harmonies, clashes and the stickier frictions, happen between branches. One animal is a single branch out of four, which is why year-animal compatibility and a full chart reading rarely say the same thing.