The four directions are east, south, west, and north –
they do not differ in any way from the directions you find on a compass. East is
associated with air, south with fire, west with water, and north with earth (see
the Elements section for more information about these associations). These four
directions are traditionally recognized by almost all cultures. Although much
Western philosophy and spirituality is based in Greek practices and beliefs, the
tradition four divisions of the directions appear to be generally universal. The
sun rises in the east and sets in the west, its path curves to the south (in the
Northern Hemisphere), and Polaris (the North Star, our polar star) lies in the
north.
The Chinese traditionally associated an animal (Ssu Ling) with each direction: dragon in the east, bird in the south, tiger in the south, and tortoise in the north. The dragon is green, as the east is associated with spring, the tiger is red, associated with summer, the tiger is white, associated with fall, and the tortoise is black, associated with winter. Each of the directions corresponds to a quadrant of the sky (the center being a fifth element), containing particular groups of constellations. The Chinese seasonal correspondences are still used, as are additional daytime correspondences: the east is morning, the south is midday, the west is twilight/evening, and the north is night (or midnight).