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February 9 is Chinese New Year and as we leave the year of the monkey and begin the year of the rooster,Yogi Dr. Malik unveils the Chinese system of astrology. Chinese astrology is thought to be the oldest known astrological system. It is based on 12 animal symbols and the five elements.There is a 60-year cycle with half the years known as yin years and the other half as yang years. Unlike western or Vedic astrology which pay more attention to the month of your birth, Chinese focuses on the year in which you were born. A different animal governs each year.You can establish your animal by using your date of birth (see table).However, who you are is not just determined by what animal sign you are, but also what ‘type’ of animal you are. For instance, you may be a fire tiger or an earth tiger. The element governing your date of birth can also influence the personality traits you display.The year of the Rooster starts on February 9 2005 and lasts until January 28 2006, and this will have an impact on us all. The 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac are Rat, Ox,Tiger, Hare (or Rabbit), Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.The system believes that people born in a particular year may inherit characteristics present in the governing animal.Astrologists can make sophisticated readings using not only the year of birth,but also the month and time. From that you can learn more about your loved ones and colleagues. No wonder the Chinese Emperors kept the subject of astrology secret; the system was used to predict the moves of their opponents. Here we will simply look at how the overall animal sign affects the year. One legend attributes the creation of Chinese astrology to the Jade King. In boredom he decided he wanted to see the animals that inhabited the earth.The King called his trusted advisers who brought him back animals. The animals put on a display of music for the King; he arranged them in no particular order and so was born the system of Chinese astrology. Chinese astrology was a cherished discipline used extensively by the Emperors. Evidence suggests that it was being practised as far back as the period when Emperor Fu His (2953-2838BC) and Shen Nung in the 28th century BC were in power. In 2637BC Ta Nao, an aide of Emperor Huang To, codified the system. Another popular legend attributes the origins of the astrological signs to the Yellow Emperor (2637BC) an important figure in Chinese history.Yet other famous traditions attribute Chinese astrology to the Buddha, the precious one. When the Buddha achieved enlightenment he invited all the animals to share in his ecstasy and the animals that turned up were each given a ‘year’ to rule. Chinese astrology has been used over the centuries to establish auspicious times of the year to enter into marriage contracts, to further business interests, to conceive a child, to go to war and for other events. Using your date of birth you can find out what sign governs your year of birth. According to Chinese astrology, people born into a particular year tend to share common characteristics and dispositions.This is the simplest way of establishing what zodiac sign you are under. Chinese astrology is also heavily influenced by Taoism, a way of life and philosophy. According to Taoism the universe is made of opposites and governed by the balance of yin and yang. Yin tends to be female energy and yang is male energy. This principle can be applied to the world around us for instance, light-day, fixed-changing, sun-moon, Once you work out what animal year you were born into, you can then work out your compatibility in love relationships with other people, or how well you and your colleagues work together in business. For instance, the rat is compatible with monkey or dragon. More in-depth readings can be made using your hour of birth. Other readings can be made to establish the natural element governing your sign, whether you are primarily a yin or yang person and so on. If you have the time you can learn more about yourself by using the exact time of birth. Remember that you are not just an ‘animal’ but also a certain ‘type’ of animal. For instance you may have been born into a yin or a yang year. Whether you are a yin or yang person influences your disposition and personality. Some examples of characteristics which may be predominant in you include: Yin - passive, cold, feminine Yang - active, hot, masculine Unlike western astrology the astrological signs are based on your year of birth not the positions of the stars. However there are still 12 signs in the zodiac. Chinese astrology is based on a 12-year lunar (moon) cycle. The Chinese New Year begins on different date to the Western calendar. The primary characteristics of the signs of the Chinese zodiac Rat Intelligent, business minded, passionate Ox Practical, reliable and generous Tiger Bold, emotive, forceful Hare Caring, perceptive, intuitive Dragon Independent and prosperous Snake Secretive, clever Horse Loyal, hardworking, sociable Goat Sensuous, friendly and adaptive Monkey Amusing, friendly and quick witted Rooster Honest and nurturing Dog Trustworthy and hardworking Pig Sensuous, loving and pleasing Each year is also ruled by an element and is known as the dominant element. In addition to this, each animal sign has its own natural element.The element governing your sign bestows certain qualities on the individual. The five elements are: water, metal, fire, wood and earth. Each of these elements can either bestow positive or negative qualities on your personality and life cycle. For instance water in its positive state is intuitive and artistic, yet can be illogical at times. Metal in its positive state can be strong and protective and in its negative side will be opinionated. Fire in its positive state is happy and loving and in its negative side can be cruel. Wood in its positive sense can be sociable and practical and in its negative sense will be angry. Earth in its positive sense, for instance can be practical and peaceful and in its negative sense can be stubborn. Zodiac Sign Governing Element Rat, ox, pig: Water Tiger, dragon, rabbit: Wood Snake, goat, horse: Fire Monkey, dog, rooster: Metal What does my Chinese zodiac sign say about me? Remember the Chinese New Year is different to the Western calendar. Check the dates carefully to discover which animal’s year you were born in. Rat Rats are successful entrepreneurs and leaders in their professional lives.They excel in business where their creativity and quick thinking bring results.They have a strong work ethic and are able to cope with unexpected changes in life. Stressful situations are handled easily and with a great sense of humour. Rats are genuinely loyal and useful friends if you are investing, buying or selling and want clever decisions and they enjoy what money can do for their family and friends. In love they are fiery, intense and adventurous, but they need excitement and intellectual stimulation: if the rat gets bored it will run. Rats will always look out for themselves and make their own way in life – they are independent but also self-motivated. In business and love the best match for rat is monkey or dragon, and they are least compatible with pig. Ox Well respected and with great reserves of energy, the ox is also reliable and kind.They can shoulder responsibilities with ease and derive great satisfaction from helping others. They can be perfectionists and clinical in their approach to many things, but this is not necessarily bad. The ox is patient and can be trusted to complete tasks. These personalities excel in the teaching and legal professions, where they are dedicated to their work and make good team leaders.Their diplomatic traits make them good listeners and they are great lovers and good parents, too. Laziness is not a trait of the ox and they make good use of their time. They are highly compatible with snake and rat.They cannot generally work with monkey or pig. Tiger As a fiery and passionate personality the tiger can sometimes make rash mistakes. But if kept grounded they can be great leaders and shine in sport and politics.They have a tendency to stray in relationships but are exciting and adventurous lovers if they find love with a compatible sign.Tigers are introspective and can spend a lot of time on their own.They also excel in business and come with inspirational ideas – but don’t expect tiger to hang around to finish projects. They are great talkers when given the chance. Emotionally they can be unstable.They work well with dragon and dog but not with pig. Hare or Rabbit The hare is good at communicating and has a strong flair for fashion and trendsetting.These personalities work well in advisory professions such as healing. They remain calm under pressure and are able to implement ideas quickly.Through an understanding of the problems of the world, hare is well suited to charitable work. They tend to hold back sexually and run the risk of being over-sensitive. But given the opportunity and the right compatibility, the hare can be a fiery and brilliant lover. Hare is well liked socially. The best compatibility for hare in business and love are dog and ox.They very rarely make a successful partnership with monkey or rat and there can be problems in such situations. Dragon Quick witted and the darling of social events, the dragon can rouse excitement but sometimes finds it difficult to keep focused. They are nevertheless kind and independent personalities who flourish in the art and fashion industries. Full of energy and ideas they make good business partners.They thrive on attention and can work magical wonders if they are given lots of attention. Dragon tends to flit between lovers and can easily stray. Sophisticated and sociable, the dragon can be inspirational and fiery. They are highly compatible with rat and monkey. They do not work well with dog. Snake Mysterious and clever, the snake excels in academia, science and design. These personalities have a flair for style. In love they are passionate but also difficult to penetrate which makes them independent, leaving their lovers wondering whether they have been left out in the cold. But if the snake opens up its feeling it can become obsessive and intense. They move gracefully if encouraged but can attack with ferocity.The snake loves creative ideas and is inspiring.Those born under this sign are both sociable and great listeners. Snake is most compatible with dragon and ox, but rarely gets on with pig. Horse Excellent at communicating on all levels, the horse is happy and friendly.They tend to do best in science, news and information gathering.They are sociable and honest, but can sometimes be irresponsible. Horse is charming and sensual, and makes an inventive lover.These personalities like openness and hate having to read between the lines.They tend to shun business and have a carefree, easygoing attitude to life. They thrive in the limelight and are charming animals with poise and grace.They make great business and love partners with dog and tiger, but don’t work so well with rat and ox. Goat Easygoing goat is elegant, rarely causes trouble and has a tendency to live for the moment.Those born in the year of the goat cope easily with the ups and downs of life.They are sociable but independent and their flirtatious nature means they can’t always be trusted in love.They tend to shun business-related professions and excel in the arts, social and teaching professions. They are charming and imaginative with a huge capacity for love and can be great inspiration to younger people. Goat is highly compatible with hare and horse, but is less likely to work well with snake and rooster in business or in love. Monkey The monkey is clever, sophisticated and witty. In relationships they are passionate and exciting companions with big appetites for sex, but will rarely stick around when a relationship hits trouble. Monkey loves attention and can sometimes be self-motivated, and take risks. Energetic and full of ideas, these personalities excel in professions like journalism and the travel industry. Their creativity,communication skills and ability to attract people makes the monkey a natural leader. Monkeys are talented and can do well in business if they work with their compatible signs, such as rat and goat. Rooster Roosters are fashionable and outgoing, sometimes to the point of eccentricity.They have a strong work ethic and love challenges. These personalities are good at talking and listening, but the sensitive rooster can be easily hurt emotionally. In love the rooster can be reserved and find it difficult to reciprocate, but with the right partner they are sensual, sexy and daring.They are proud and set high standards for themselves. Roosters shine as leaders and are successful in the fields of fashion and medicine. They are very compatible with ox and dragon in both business and love, but don’t work well with hare or horse.
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