CHINESE HOROSCOPE
One Chinese New Year more than Five centuries before Christ, Buddha invited all the animals in creation to come to him, promising them recompense appropriate to his all-powerful and miraculous kindness and generosity. However, dimmed by their preoccupations of the moment (is it not said in the West that the characteristic of the animal is merely to eat, sleep, couple and fear?), almost all of them ignored the call of the Divine Sage. Yet twelve of the animals did go to him. They were, in order of their arrival, the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig (other traditions replace the Rabbit with the Cat and the Pig with the Wild Boar).
To thank them Buddha offered each a year which would be dedicated to him alone through the ages. This year would carry the animal's name, and express his symbolic character and his specific psychological traits, marking the personality and behaviour of people born during that year.
Thus a cycle of twelve years was established, fitting exactly the sequence and rhythm of this improbable bestiary (one can imagine the dizzying amount of work which would have faced the astrologer if all the animals had answered Buddha's invitation!).
Such is the legend.
The Yin and the Yang are the symbols of two opposing and complementary principles whose indissoluble play and constant metamorphosis represent the roots, indeed the eternal opposites --- Positive-Negative, Yes-No, White-Black, Day-Night, Full-Empty, Active-Passive, Masculine-Feminine, and so on. Each contains within itself the germ of the other. That is why the man (Yang) bears within himself a feminine component (Yin), and the woman (Yin) a masculine one (Yang).
The Yin-Yang coupling is both indissoluble and changeable, each of the two terms being also its opposite and complementary term. This is expressed by the traditional figure:
At the moment when the Yang (white, active) is at its apogee -- the bulging, enlarged part -- the Yin (black, passive) imperceptibly takes its place -- the tapering part -- and vice verse.
The Yin and the Yang have no 'moral' character, neither is superior nor inferior to the other. Their antithesis is as necessary and as little in conflict as that of the left hand and the right hand striking together to applaud.
The Rat, Ox, Rabbit, Monkey, Dog and Pig are Yin.
The Tiger, Horse, Dragon, Snake, Goat and Rooster are Yang.
THE YIN MAN
Appearance:The Yin man is often corpulent, of medium height and muscularly well developed. He is physically resilient to a marked degree and his health is sound. He often has a round face and does not smile much.
Psychology:The Yin man is above all self-preoccupied and inclined to consider himself the centre of the universe. Though his behaviour appears calm, his moods are unstable and susceptible to his immediate environment. He has great confidence in himself, yet fears failure. Sociable, hospitable, he is optimistic vis-à-vis himself and others. His life is active; he is pragmatic and efficient.
THE YANG MAN
Appearance:He is of average weight, often tall and slender, even willowy. His face is smiling and he prefers strong colours. Of delicate health, he should be advised to prevent rather than cure illness.
Psychology:The Yang man is an individualist and attracted to introspective meditation. He is intelligent, independent and at times solitary. He prefers his own company and communing with nature to living with the crowd. Contrary to the Yin man, he seeks equilibrium within himself instead of finding it amongst others.
Use the table to identify your lunar sign, but check carefully if your birthday falls in January or February and make sure you select the right sign. Chinese New Year falls on the first full moon of the first Chinese lunar month. For the Year 2003, New Year falls on the 1st of February.
The last column shows the hours ruled. eg. The Tiger rules from 3.00am till 5.00am.
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