Guest Author - Diane Kern

Last time we talked about the Chinese zodiac we discussed the rat. Each animal has its three friends and what we could call an enemy. 2008 is a rat year and the Rat’s enemy is the horse so that is the topic today.

But first a little review so you can tell if you are a horse or not. Because the Chinese year is ruled by the lunisolar calendar and not the calendar that we use in the west, the New Year does not start on January first. Instead it usually starts around the fourth or fifth of February, changing slightly each year. Each year is represented by one of the animals of the Chinese zodiac. They are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. So when you look at the placements in a Chinese restaurant to find out your animal sign remember when the year begins. If you were born before the fourth or fifth on February you must take the animal of the previous year. If you were born on the day of the New Year you must know the hour of your birth to determine which animal is yours. Most people don’t know this but you do now.

Just like with the trigrams, each animal belongs to an element, a personality, direction, a time of year and a time of day. They also have a group of friends they work well with.

The horse is ruled by fire, is found in the summer portion of the year and gets along well with the tiger and dog. These are the people a horse person feels the most affinity for and they will support him well. The hours of the day are also divided up and assigned to the 12 animals of the zodiac. We think of the day as 24 hours but the Chinese divide it into twelve-two hour periods. Horse rules the hours from 11AM to 1PM. Just as in Western astrology we consider not only our sun sign but also our rising sign. In Chinese astrology you can consider the animal of your birth hour as an influence on your character. The horse is at home in the South.

The horse is considered popular, cheerful and quick witted. But horse people can also be fickle, anxious and rude as well as stubborn. Each animal has both positive and negative characteristics.