The Monkey in 2019 ~ Earth Pig Year

Posted on January 28, 2019September 20, 2019 by Stephanie Stewart

Who is a Monkey?

Years: 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004.
Month*: August
Hour: 15.00-17.00
Day: Ask Us

* Caution: the start of the Chinese month can be as early as the 4th & as late as the 9th, depending on the year. I can let you know this too.

What is a Monkey?

The image of the Three Wise Monkeys, See No Evil, Hear No Evil, and Speak No Evil is a mediaeval Japanese summary of the qualities of the metal Monkey who is yang Metal and a particularly unbalanced primate. The image is of someone of course who shrinks from involvement. In elemental terms, this often amounts to too much yang Metal. What is meant by yang Metal essentially is competition. Often the Monkey is so competitive he dare not enter the race.

As well as competitive, the Monkey is typically charming, loveable, dextrous, logical and quick witted and has a gift for precision. The balanced Monkey uses these qualities constructively and in the service of his fellow man. The unbalanced Monkey (with say an August birthday and a late afternoon hour) does not clean up behind himself. He is in short a monkey.

The Monkey is often the most acquisitive as well as the gentlest beast but he is above all, competitive. In the extreme this means warfare. In its milder forms it is the ruthless competition that involves the belief that another’s gain is our loss. This is a (painful) mistake. It’s what leads to steroid abuse in athletics and ballet dancing in the Premier League penalty box. The Metal Monkey may learn this lesson early; it’s what makes him gentle; all Monkeys subscribe to this delusion to a greater or lesser extent.

Just as you’d expect, the pitfall of the Monkey is frivolity. If he can’t win he takes the Mickey. The Monkey’s natural allies are the Rat and the Dragon. This is a pretty heavy-duty grouping, perhaps the most powerful in the Chinese Zodiac. Naturally dominant Rats and egotistical Dragons are not, as a rule a bundle of laughs; the Monkey however often is. And together these three get stuff done; most of the big revolutions of ideas involve this team.

The influence of this trio spreads everywhere: Sigmund Freud perhaps the most influential thinker of the 20th Century, Michele Obama possibly the most influential woman in the world, Dragons. Even Jesus if you take AD32 as his birth year.* And somewhere in there if we delve deeply enough, we find unsung Monkeys and Rats making it happen. The Rat plots, the Monkey gets out there and competes. Probably St Paul, the man who sold Christianity to the world was a Monkey.

* That’s up for debate of course but presumably he was a Capricorn anyway.

Monkey for sure is Karen Armstrong author of a History of God, founder of the Charter for Compassion and arguably the most important thinker of the 21st Century. This is a Monkey who has learned to speak no evil while seeing much.

The Monkey also tends to understand the mechanical: engines and systems; he is the grease Monkey. He also tends to understand maths, science and argument and so is suited very often to a career in engineering or the law, also accountancy. Unbalanced, he neglects all of the above. The Monkey month of August spans Leo and Virgo and to see him as a hybrid of Virgo control and Leo passion is not far from the truth.

When the Tiger and the Snake meet the Monkey there is trouble. The Monkey both co-operates with and fights the Snake. The presence of the Tiger pushes this competition over the edge. Keep these three apart. The Monkey must take care to mind her p’s and q’s every February (the month of the Tiger) and every May (the month of the Snake).

So that’s the Monkey: argumentative practical, mischievous and so competitive he can withdraw altogether. But you knew that already didn’t you?

My Seattle based Student Stephanie Stewart’s forecast for the Monkey in 2019 follows, do look her up: https://seriousfengshui.info/

Richard Ashworth©
www.imperialfengshui.info
Study with Richard Ashworth

The Monkey in 2019

2018 was a tough year for the Monkey. Your plans were derailed by illness and accident, probably beginning in May. R.I.P 1956 Fire Monkey Anthony Bourdain.

It was a year filled with endings. The Dog doesn’t do much for the Monkey even though they are seasonal companions. The Dog is jealous that the Monkey is hard on the Rabbit, yet has the potential to steal her away.

2019 could be draining; a final wringing out following the events of the last three years. Being Snake’s secret bestie you find yourself drawn into conflict on behalf of a partner, colleague or friend. Your love/hate relationship with the Snake means at the very least you’ll be caught up in the fall out. You really dislike being drawn in this way. Not only does it distract you from your work, it’s exhausting. The solution to your problem is the Pig. She is uniquely suited to be your negotiator.

The first quarter of the year is the time to learn something new. Try meditation. Get a check up and focus on wellness early. That’s the way to mitigate the hit your health may take due to accident or illness in the last half of the year. Take time off in September and/or November.

In April you’ll get a small break from the Dragon, but the already watery nature of the year continues to drain you. Adjust expectations. This too shall pass.

In May, someone close to you makes mistakes that have consequences for you. This is not the year for relying on the judgement of friends to keep you safe. The competition you face in 2019 is anything but straightforward. Seek independence.

The Monkey has important things to say this year but needs to take care with how he expresses himself. Your usual jokes are likely to provoke rather than amuse.

In a Pig year the tendency of things to turn to Wood brings out a Monkey’s juvenile urge to fight instead of talking things out. In discussion you may feel yourself wanting to needle. Small disagreements quickly escalate to big conflicts. In February, March, April and November that type of behavior could blow up out of proportion and get the attention of law enforcement or the court system.

Speaking of justice, in February, 1944 Wood Monkey Robert Mueller should be releasing his final report regarding Russian interference during the 2016 election. People are concerned that either the report won’t be made public, or that Mueller will be reticent under questioning. He’s a Water day stem person with the Sheep in his month and the Rabbit in his day. In a Pig year we will hear more from Robert than his typical “yes”, “no”, and “maybe” answers.

All in all, no need to worry. With Fortune Virtue on your side basic needs for food and income will be easily met. Donate to a cause that is meaningful to you. Find new places to spend your time – even within your own house. Your usual spot in the southwest is not helpful in 2019. Get in touch if you want to know more about that.

The Sheep in 2019 ~ Earth Pig Year

Posted on January 24, 2019September 20, 2019 by Stephanie Stewart

Who is a Sheep?

Years: 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003.
Month*: July
Hour: 13.00-15.00
Day: Ask Us

* Caution: the start of the Chinese month can be as early as the 4th & as late as the 9th, depending on the year. I can let you know this too.

What is a Sheep?

Idealistic, yin earth, not the top getter-onner, the Sheep has well-meant judgements about everybody which can sometimes keep her stuck in first gear. For the unbalanced Sheep (July birthday and/or mid-afternoon birth) ambition and foolishness are pretty much the same thing. On the other side of the fence the grass is not greener; it’s actually brown both sides. The balanced Sheep though, as well as being an expert judge of people, knows exactly what matters and is not easily diverted from it. The arrangement for instance that Sheep Bruce Willis, his ex Demi Moore and her ex (and Bruce’s fishing buddy) Ashton Kutcher came to, whereby they stayed friends and the children avoided becoming conflicted is not usual, either in Hollywood or the world at large but it is typical Sheep behaviour.

Conversely, the value of caution and conservatism is often clear in Sheep relationships. The most obvious of these is with the extrovert spontaneous Horse whose sidekick the Sheep often ends up being. With the Sheep beside him, the Horse’s fun may be a little less riotous but he will also stay out of serious trouble. The young Horse and Sheep of 1978 and 1979 for instance, are often a tag team who go out drinking and clubbing together. The Sheep may stand back in amazement at the daring of the Horse but is there both to pick up the pieces and to take advantage when these risks bear fruit. The Horse dances on tables, the Sheep ensures a soft landing.

This of course illustrates a psychological truth about the Sheep: the risk-taking they shy away from is exactly what attracts them most. Many a desirable partner has on the rebound from a Horse, found a life-long proposition in the Sheep.

Placed as the Sheep is between the Horse and the Monkey in the Chinese Zodiac, they also understand the trickiness of the Monkey. There is generally a certain wariness between them but this unorthodox team is capable of magic.

The Sheep also forms a natural affiliation with the Pig and the Rabbit; a very domestic alliance. The Chinese ideograph for home is a Pig under a roof and the average Rabbit would happily stay home 24/7 if allowed to. The Rabbit is the diplomat and mixer while the Pig who is inherently versatile takes up the slack of whatever jobs there are to perform. The Sheep makes things safe. She will have ensured for instance that there are no mutually sworn enemies on the guest list. The typical Sheep is an ideal social secretary as well as a master resolver of conflict. Psycho-therapy is among appropriate career paths.

The Sheep is passionate, representing the yin or feminine side of sexuality but whether male or female, the Sheep is more seducer than chatter up.

Perhaps most interestingly, the Sheep forms a team with the Dog, the Dragon and the Ox. Individually each of these three is somewhat intimidating to her but when this group gathers, her value becomes obvious. She can draw flexibility from the Dog, humility from the Dragon and cheerful co-operation from the autocratic Ox. Above all he ensures peace among them. Even if all they do is make the coffee, the Sheep is a comforter of the insecure. She understands that most barkers never bite and that aggression is simply inverted fear.

Richard Ashworth©
www.imperialfengshui.info
Study with Richard Ashworth

The Sheep in 2019

For the Sheep, 2018 was the breakup year; losing friendships, changing jobs, moving house or literally breaking up. Sheep who went with the flow took control by choosing what the changes would be, still October made you consider that your efforts were in vain. You know all the clash was meant to remove the obstacles that were holding you back, right?

In 2018 you had a hard time finding your people. A Sheep’s worst nightmare is being culled from the herd. Kurt Cobain, a 1967 Fire Sheep, lost his way when his relationship with Courtney Love separated him from his friends. Interestingly, Courtney’s got a Sheep in the day branch, right where Kurt would be.

In 2019 you’re safe again and back in the swim of things. It’s time to form new alliances and renew old ones with eyes having been opened wide by the Dog. The Sheep’s ability to maintain innocence is a gift, but she uses it it as a way of checking out. Sometimes facing the ugly truth is required for the Sheep’s personal growth.

2019 is your year for healing, even physical rehabilitation. Form new groups. Along with the Rabbit, you coined the term “grassroots movement”. Like 1955 Wood Sheep Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, you lead by mobilizing groups of people; helping them to unite their small efforts for a bigger cause.

Someone who is more comfortable working alone more than you are will probably take credit for your efforts. Pay no mind to that. People see what you’re doing.

You are the most inclusive of the Chinese Zodiac animals. A Sheep I know and love has said many times: There’s always room for another pal. I think that was the original intention of organized religion but it got lost along the way. Political and financial concerns generated policies that exclude people based on race, gender or sexual preference. Your spirit, in union with the Pig, can rectify this. The Sheep can organize and unite different groups, bringing spirituality to bear in healing our planet. In 2019 you are the Tin Yute. The world needs you to reclaim the power of the people.

In the first quarter of the year, expect to be over employed. After all that time on the bench, now everybody wants you. This is what you’ve been waiting for.

Welcome new neighbors; organize shelter and provision. Provide hospitality for newcomers and friends. March and July strengthen you by bringing teammates who share your mission. In April, someone in a position of power gives you a leg up because of your efforts.

Your most comfortable months will be May-July. The Metal and Water energies of fall and winter make it easy for your work to bring in the money.

Update your belief system because your clash animal, the Ox, is coming into power. The causes you think are merely personal are the ones you’ll need to back in a more public, political way if you really want change. Look for what you have in common with others. The door is open now.

The Horse in 2019 ~ Earth Pig Year

Posted on January 22, 2019September 20, 2019 by Stephanie Stewart

Who is a Horse?

Years: 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002.
Month*: June
Hour: 11 am – 13.00
Day: Ask Us

* Caution: the start of the Chinese month can be as early as the 4th & as late as the
9th, depending on the year. I can let you know this too.

What is a Horse?

The Horse is yang fire, the charmer. The extrovert, the seducer of the Zodiac, the
Horse is rarely caught out despite his high-risk strategy. He has an ego of course but
is better able to laugh at himself than for instance the Dragon. Like the Dragon, the
Pig and the Rooster though, he can not work with his own kind. The typical Horse is
not a deep thinker and his ego can lead him to suppose that no one else is either.
Brexit mastermind David Cameron, born in the Fire Horse, may be a good example.

There tends to be a belief in shortage at work in the Horse. She thinks he must be
the first to the trough if they are to eat. In romance the Horse like the Rooster, can be
what Leonard Cohen calls “a thin gypsy thief”. This means his weakness can be a
failure to respect boundaries and property. Of all the animals, the Horse and Rooster
are typically the marriage breakers and the home wreckers. This is not inevitable of
course. If we know this about ourselves we can make wiser choices. Just because
today is a good day to die, it is not necessarily a good day to kill.

Predictably the Horse is often not great at commitment. The yin and yang of this by
the way is that a self-aware Horse is the most constant partner there is; an
endangered species by the way.

Success matters a great deal to the Horse. He is not generally subtle. It is the
winning not the taking part that tends to concern him.

The ever-fiery Horse is not keen on water. He experiences this element whether
expressed as a Rat year or as excessive communication as a dampener of
enthusiasm. Water slows him down but does not halt him.

Interestingly the Horse’s charisma is best expressed either in a team with the other
Plum Flowers, Rat, Rabbit and Rooster or with the Sheep. You will often find Sheep
and Horse out and about together, the Horse radiating charm and the Sheep
reflecting it. This actually is a good partnership; the Sheep is in awe of the sheer
daring of the Horse and the reckless Horse may often need grounding, safety and a
short term loan. Horse places the drinks order for his audience and the Sheep pays
the tab; Sheep to the above-mentioned David Cameron was of course his stooge
and gopher Nick Clegg.

The Horse’s home team all of whom have fire in common, is with the Tiger and the
Dog. These are the hunters of the Zodiac: the Tiger kills, the Horse chases, the Dog
guards. This support system is the most likely to bring the Horse rewards. On his
own he is prone to burn brightly and extinguish early. He’ll have a good time though.

The Horse finds the Ox hard work also. There is metal hidden in the Ox which the
Horse can turn to his advantage but the Ox’s preferences are so humdrum to him.

The Horse has visual, imaginative and intellectual gifts but is unlikely to value them
enough to put them to good use. So many of the words we use about the virtue of
work illustrate the unwillingness of the Horse to stick at things: harness, yoke,
saddle, blinker etc. Again the yin and yang is that a Horse once-committed, never
quits – think Boxer in Animal Farm.

A Horse who works with a Snake may achieve greatness because the Snake
understands the Horse just as she understands the Dragon, additionally the Snake
will not need to compete. In many ways the Snake is the perfect partner but it is
more likely the Snake will recognise this than the Horse.

The Snake suffers in the short term and the Horse in the long.
Racing, partying, playing, the danger is burn out. The challenge for Horses far and
wide is to defer gratification long enough that there remains a future.

Richard Ashworth©
www.imperialfengshui.info
Study with Richard Ashworth

The Horse in 2019

The kind of attention the Horse likes went to the Dog in 2018. It wasn’t the year you hoped for. Funny how people think good luck means no problems at all. The Dog year opened your eyes to the fact that being in the spotlight can be scary. Horses are burned out.

Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, a 1966 Fire Horse, was roped into her own public shaming by her relationship with the Dog in the Triple Fire Combination. With the Horse’s closest friend being the Sheep, it’s inevitable that the bullying punishment affects you. Maybe it’s the Horse’s self clash. The root cause of your embarrassment is usually an unintended consequence of showing off.

Pursuing your impulses as you usually do is not your best choice for 2019. There’s nothing to be done except slow down. You could be accident prone in a Pig year.

You accomplished many of your goals in 2018. Lucky! After October though, things came to an abrupt halt. An unwelcome surprise, as always.

Horses promised things in June or July, then found they had been overestimating their capacities. It became increasingly obvious that you couldn’t deliver in full. A Horse thinks of speed as her strength; it’s unreliable in 2019. You may even experience some physical mobility issues depending on the makeup of your BaZi. That alone might be the reason to have a reading.

The Horse’s brand of spreading enlightenment is not welcomed by the Pig. You’re going to get attention from people examining your conduct. Your optimism may seem false or forced except in February, March. and July. If you’re trying to get something started, do it then. Accomplish any important tasks by July at the latest.

In the Gan Zhi cycle, the cycle of the 60 pillars, we have entered a phase where Fire is lacking. The Horse is almost pure Fire. Until around 2022 she’s going to have to be content with chopping wood to keep her own fire stoked. Seek independence. Keep track of your good ideas. Prime time is coming but not for awhile.

Focus on preparation rather than spontaneity. Improve your health. Seek education and training. Write. Learn consistency. Cultivate patience. Share.

From May onward you’ll be mostly swimming upstream. Don’t let it get to you. You are always ahead of your time which makes you worry that you will be working in obscurity forever. You won’t. Remember that in June when you’re tempted to jump the gun again.

Your best month is July when your secret friend the Sheep brings friends around to play. Horses with Water day stems get helpful attention from bosses and make good money that month. If you want to buy real estate in 2019 that could be the time.

When depression strikes in December a trip to a warmer climate will help.

You have the power to solve problems and remove obstacles in 2019; both for yourself and for others. Being a leader isn’t easy. Shine a light on your own behavior. Face and speak your own truth.

The Snake in 2019 ~ Earth Pig Year

Posted on January 21, 2019September 20, 2019 by Stephanie Stewart

Who is a Snake?

Years: 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001.
Month*: May
Hour: 09:00 am – 11.00am
Day: Ask Us

* Caution: the start of the Chinese month can be as early as the 4th & as late as the
9th, depending on the year. I can let you know this too.

What is a Snake?

The Snake is yin fire and sits between the Horse and the Dragon, possibly the most
powerful pair of animals in the Zodiac and certainly among the most difficult stools to
fall between. So a typical weakness of the Snake is indecision. Next to that is lack of
commitment and finally a propensity for sudden and uncharacteristic dishonesty. The
Snake is the prisoner who breaks at the threat of torture; a reasonable decision if
you know you’re going to give in anyway.

Snakes being of Candle Flame fire, can be easily discouraged and sometimes they
should be. A Snake may stick long term with an inappropriate choice so as to put off
making any choice at all.

The most written about Snake in 2012 was probably Xi Jinping, born in 1953, the
year of the Snake in the Grass and elected at a time when the internal tensions in
China – between efficiency and self-expression, between industrial wealth and rural
poverty and between cohesion and corruption – had never been so stark. Never
question his sincerity – he means what he says – but he is likely, like his near-twin
Tony Blair, to believe that the more he is opposed by those whose beliefs conflict
with his own, the more right he must be. For both of these dictatorship – that is to
say the Mandate of Heaven – is the preferable regime because the Snake can so
often not tell the difference between their view point and the absolute.

Typically the choice for the Snake is between opposites: the extroversion of the
Horse and the subtlety of the Dragon, instinct and logic, process and end product,
long and short term, relationship and freedom, employment or entrepreneurship. In
the face of this dilemma, a balanced Snake will often develop sufficient charm to get
through without having to make the hard decisions.

Typically in a relationship, the Snake of either gender is not the decision maker. The
decisions she has not made may include the one to be committed to the relationship.
The partner of the Snake (best choice probably Ox or Rooster though Monkey lady
and Snake man works well) would be well-advised to drag at least this minimum
communication from the Snake early on. Interestingly the 1953 Snake on the Grass
is one of the best makers and keepers of relationship of all 60 pillars. Go figure.

One of the advantages of being between the autocratic Dragon and the unruly Horse
is that the Snake has her ego in check. Many would consider her wise because what
she has to say is well-considered and she never says too much. The Snake can be a
brilliant collaborator, especially with the Ox and the Rooster who are in a sense
similar to her neighbours: the Rooster is blatant (much like the irrepressible Horse)
and the Ox determined (like the heads-down Dragon) while the Snake anchors them
to each other. There may be moments of doubt when the Snake’s loyalty wavers. At
such times, the Snake asks searching questions which should have been settled
long ago and then usually re-commits. The high minded Brutus was probably a
Snake. Not Judas though. To know this grants the Snake both power and integrity.
Snakes who know this about themselves earn undying trust.

The Snake can also work with the Dragon in what is called the House of Magic. Only
she can subordinate her ego to the extent that the Dragon demands while also
keeping up. An ideal Snake vocation is high-level p.a. Usually (and wisely) the
Snake opts to be No 2 rather than Big Chief.

Being substantially of yin fire, the Snake often has intellectual and visual gifts. She
makes a good critic as her judgement is sound and she is not out to destroy egos.
She will generally have natural and effortless style.

The Snake has a love-hate relationship with the Monkey. Both have hands-on and
logical ability and both attract occasional tussles but where the Monkey welcomes
opportunity for mischief, the Snake treats dispute as a regrettable evil. When a Tiger
appears in the form such as a Tiger-born person or a Tiger month (February), this
misunderstanding can turn nasty. In a Rabbit year it’s plain sailing, in a Pig Year like
2019 more complex.

The Snake is opposed to the Pig and as both are members of the informal group
sometimes called the Four Terminals, they can impede each other’s movement.
Snakes may develop mobility issues in a Pig year and vice versa.

The Snake prefers a short menu and yes/no questions. In a Rat year he may be
overwhelmed; there is just too much choice, The Snake’s dreams may come true
only for her to run in the opposite direction. Communication often has to be
wrenched from the Snake and in the water years of Rat and Pig there is little support
for the tight-lipped. In a typical Ox year there is just enough water but not too much.
This makes scope for just the restricted level of communication the Snake prefers.

Snakes have a complex relationship with Fire. They are not usually sun-worshippers
but often their skin needs just a little regular sun and without it they may fall prey to
easily avoided ailments such as vitamin D deficiency. Caution!

Richard Ashworth©
www.imperialfengshui.info
Study with Richard Ashworth

The Snake in 2019

Snakes, being an elemental mixture of Fire, Metal and Earth were quite successful in 2018. The Dog doesn’t particularly favor them, but embodies the same elemental mixture in different proportions and polarities. When chaos comes you’re both good at seeing the opportunities it provides, but the Snake is so much more flexible.

In 2019 you’re the Sui Po; the Year Breaker. The Pig is your clash animal. Much of the year’s energy will be directed at you. There is a disproportionate amount of attention to your actions. Stay ahead of trouble by being transparent.

Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez is a 1989 Earth Snake. She’ll be a target of criticism and accusation, deservedly so or not. Alexandra is young and her Fire element is very strong. It won’t be an easy year, but a big clash like this will make her, not break her.

2018 was good to Alexandra as it was to Brett Kavanaugh, 1965 Wood Snake. In a different month or year we might have seen him finally cave in to the truth. Not that Kavanaugh would admit to lying, but perhaps he would have recused himself and quietly slithered away. He could have created a very different legacy. Obviously that wasn’t what he wanted. Snakes who have lied can expect to have that exposed this year. In 2019, Kavanaugh’s career will continue to be plagued by his past dishonesties. Brett’s Fire is not strong. He’s going to have some mobility issues; upward mobility.

Travel is your thing, and this year Snakes will have a lot of it, especially in the context of business. Could be frustrating. If you are able to plan ahead, avoid February, May, August and November. Travel during these months could cost you extra in terms of both money and time. Consider travel insurance. Beware of special third party deals on travel packages and tickets. If it sounds too good to be true it certainly is.

Push yourself in the first quarter of the year when there’s the least blockage. In January an associate in a position of power, the Ox, wants to help you. Don’t miss the opportunity to get their counsel. Between your planning skills and the persistence of the Ox, you can easily mitigate, or even capitalize on, your clash with the Pig. If you need to come clean about anything, confess to the Ox early on.

Snakes will be tempted to give overly optimistic sales pitches in February, March, May and June. Don’t overplay your hand. Stay vigilant regarding your reputation.

Rapid changes come in August when the water element is strong for the rest of the year. Compliance with law and regulations, especially in financial matters is a must. Snakes are a focus of power and authority – either a comeuppance or a promotion. You’ll find out in November. A Snake is not one to overlook a detail – in 2019 check twice.

Some diviners say that a clash year is automatically a wash, but the four stems and branches of your BaZi and your 10 year luck cycle tell the real tale. Do you know yours?

The Dragon in 2019 ~ Earth Pig Year

Posted on January 17, 2019September 20, 2019 by Stephanie Stewart

Who is a Dragon?

Years: 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000.
Month*: April
Hour: 07.00 am – 09.00
Day: Ask Us

* Caution: the start of the Chinese month can be as early as the 4th & as late as the 9th, depending on the year. I can let you know this too.

What is a Dragon?

The Dragon is yang earth, the most egotistical of the branches as well as being generally considered the most powerful. Putting aside conventional rules of animal compatibility, everyone is either fascinated by the Dragon or suspicious. Many are both.

Though charming and affable, like the Pig, the Horse and the Rooster, the Dragon suffers the self clash which makes him unsuited to working with his equals. Dragons often live alone and enjoy their own company. Sometimes they claim to even when they don’t. Often what he experiences as joy is a subtle experience that others find puzzling. The Horse for instance who likes to dance on tables, sometimes thinks the Dragon is a high maintenance prima donna. Even the Dragon’s ally the Monkey, contrasts his own goonish delights with the impassive Dragon and can make no sense of it.

And yet the Dragon delivers. Sometimes awkward and gauche, the Dragon can appear incompetent and yet still win. The steadfast Dog whose workings always lead to a logical answer detests this about the Dragon and may sabotage him. Put simply the Dog thinks the Dragon goes on a bit. The Ox and the Sheep share something of this attitude but are more passive about it.

The Chinese ideogram for thunder is a Dragon under a raincloud. Remember that all over the world rainclouds speak of plenty. Drenched is good if you’re looking for growth. The Dragon month is April, the time of sudden change. The character of the Dragon is like the awkward times before a storm breaks.

The Dragon does not naturally co-operate or easily share confidences. He will however grudgingly work with those he considers his inferiors as long as they are very clear about the pecking order. This is the central weakness of the unbalanced Dragon. King Lear was a Dragon where Othello may have been a Tiger and Hamlet probably a Snake. Up herself? Possibly.

The Dragon’s traditional partners are the hands-on Monkey and the plotting Rat. These three may not mix socially however. They need a task to cooperate upon, otherwise they find it hard to connect. Socially the Dragon will seek out the Rooster and the Horse both of whom can act as pr or spokesperson. Alone or teamed-up, the Dragon is just as creative as he feels like being. He can instantly magic up wealth and as rapidly squander it. Neither Horse nor Rooster are much help in this regard although a benevolent Rat and a diligent Monkey would be.

The Dragon and the Snake form the House of Magic. The Dragon is the Sorceror, the Snake his apprentice. So Merlin was a Dragon and his story illustrates the other central weakness of the Dragon: that he can be beguiled by the glamour of the Rooster. This coupling takes the Dragon off track. In a Rooster year the Dragon may forget all his carefully laid plans and go off-piste. In a Pig year they may have to re-think much of their approach to life in time for the boom times of the Rat year that follows.

Note to Employers: A Dragon employee is the best there is if the task suits him. It had better suit him because he will do precisely what he feels like either way.

Note to Dragons: Unbalanced Dragons fall perhaps into two categories: one is typified by shameless mischief-maker 1952 Water Dragon Vladimir Putin, the other by would-be statesman Boris Johnson (1964 Wood Dragon). Both of you – check your facts! It may be in order to justify the unjustifiable, but make sure you’re on solid ground.

Richard Ashworth©
www.imperialfengshui.info
Study with Richard Ashworth

The Dragon in 2019

As one Dragon I know very well puts it “They don’t realize I’m always working in the background”. By nature, Dragons are always working, consciously or unconsciously. Dragons magically give the illusion that making the earth move is effortless. Sometimes it is. People will take advantage of that if you let them, using your magic for their own ends. That path leads to darkness. Morgan Le Fay was a Dragon who was co-opted.

Nancy Pelosi was born in a Metal Dragon year (1940) on an Earth Dragon Day. She was meant to blaze a trail to power for women. Nancy’s most recent feat was disarming Trump by playing the Mom card; followed by being elected Speaker of the House for the second time. Doing something brilliant and totally unexpected at age 78 is such a Dragon move. This is the result of years of honing her craft and her timing. She is always working behind the scenes.

In 2018 Dragons have been overworked. You’ve been fending off the clumsy attacks of unbalanced Dogs, as well as coming to the rescue of the bullied: Sheep, Ox and even Pig.

You may be exhausted as we shift into 2019. It’ll be a relief to know it’s only a temporary situation when you find that your rhythms and usual knack for timing are off. Like your biggest rival, the Dog, you are waiting in the wings until 2022. Dragons have plenty of time to practice directing attention where it is needed, rather than consistently inward to their work.

The first quarter of 2019 may feel like a less meaningful version of the same thankless job you were doing last year, but Earth piles up. Keep disempowering bullies for long-term rewards. Towards the end of March you’re done with that.

Your usual self clash comes in April, making you unaware about what is going on in the world outside your head. Your power is taken for eccentricity when you think you are smarter than anyone else in the room. That’s so 2012. Catch up. Pay attention. There is something or someone wanting to erode your power behind your back.

The Snake, your partner in the House of Enchantment, is clashed in May. The Snake is the Little Dragon, or as I like to say, the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. To avoid the fallout of the Snake’s clash with the Pig, be truthful. There’s trouble in paradise this year. You can defuse it by talking with your partner about relationship issues. The truth will come out one way or another. Trying to be covert about your discontent and seeking intimacy elsewhere only leads to heartbreak.

Don’t go overboard with honesty though. Be careful who you share your secrets with, especially if you sleep in a bedroom located in the west of your house.

The year doesn’t really take off for you until August when you can expect either money challenge, or the opposite, for the rest of 2019. The outcome of this prediction relies on the makeup of your BaZi in which the dynamics of all 4 pillars are analyzed, as opposed to one branch. I can tell you more about that.

The Rabbit in 2019 ~ Earth Pig Year

Posted on January 16, 2019September 20, 2019 by Stephanie Stewart

Who is a Rabbit?

Years: 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999.
Month*: March
Hour: 05.00 am – 07.00
Day: Ask Us

* Caution: the start of the Chinese month can be as early as the 4th & as late as the 9th, depending on the year. I can let you know this too.

What is a Rabbit?

The Rabbit is yin Wood, essentially gentle and domestic. Her time is early morning; the legend has it that she and the Rooster swapped places which is why the cock crows in the Chinese Zodiac not at dawn but at dusk. The Rabbit rules the Spring therefore – think of March Hares and Easter Bunnies – and the Rooster the autumn.

The Rabbit is subtle, in keeping with her yin nature. She provides service readily and is often suited to catering and caring. But her preparedness to roll up her sleeves makes her the unexpected queen of networking. If you want to be introduced to the person in charge, ask a Rabbit.

Although giving the impression of a reluctance to be in the spotlight Rabbits are often performers but equally often are more at home behind the scenes. Writer-composer (of the musical “Matilda”) Tim Minchin fits this bill. Devoted Dad David Beckham perhaps also and strangely introvert Prime Minister Gordon Brown. All clearly pretty good at making connections.

The Rabbit can wait her turn; vigilance and patience are typical. Her natural allies are the Pig and the Sheep. This is a house-proud team and the Rabbit is a team player. Her unexpected friend is the Dog who values her ability to charm without threat.

The Rabbit also belongs to the gathering known as the Flowers of Love (or Plumflowers) along with the Horse, the Rooster and Rat. She may often find herself clearing up behind these three extroverts and quite often the cuddle-bunny will obtain a life partner from the leavings of her more obviously glamorous colleagues.

The Rabbit tends to be conservative with a small “c”. Early rising is typical but this tendency to the yang of early alertness may be demonstrated by the yin of sleeping in. Lazybones or insomniac, sleeping is an issue. This is yin and yang.

Because of the unflattering connotations of the local word for Rabbit, in Vietnam this branch is called the Cat. Intuitively this does not sit right. The ideogram so clearly has ears. Yin Wood relates to the late Spring, leaves and flowers and grass, none of which are feline attributes.

In some ways the Rabbit epitomises yin. Yang Wood may be characterised as an upwards movement like the growth of a tree. Yin Wood is more of an outward expansion like the spread of grass. What these two expressions of wood have in common is irresistibility. But they are very different types of irresistibility. To counter yang Wood we need yang Metal: an axe will cut down the biggest tree. But you could attack a lawn with that same axe and not remove all the grass in a lifetime. This is the power of yin Wood.

Wood is both stubborn and flexible. Yin Wood (as characterised by Soen, the wind of the South East) is thorough as well as organised: “gentle and thorough but ultimately adamant” as the Book of Changes has it.

Hexagram 53 of the Book of Changes, “Gradual Progress” describes this: the tree grows against all the odds either because it throws itself absolutely upon the mercy of the tao or because it has a detailed plan that it follows meticulously. Or both.

The Dragon is said to lose money when the Rabbit arrives. This may be because the Dragon is distracted by his neighbour who is so apparently different in nature. This is not a great pairing but the fact is that the Rabbit sitting between the Tiger and the Dragon, shares qualities with both.

Partnership with the Tiger is sometimes formalised as the House of Diplomacy. The Rabbit offers carrot while the Tiger wields a stick. This arrangement exemplifies the truism that more is achieved with a kind word and a gun than with a kind word alone.

Wood represents bone, spine and hair as well as eyes: the light is Fire but the receiving organ is Wood. The Rabbit is often not strong in these regards unlike the Tiger. This is yin and yang.

Finally it’s worth appreciating that the wooden table you’re probably seated by is wood but not Wood. Wood is always growing which is obviously enough not true of anything else; not animals, people, cutting edges or stones. Usable Wood in feng shui terms, is alive. Dead Wood is often considered to be Earth, motionless and ashen.

Richard Ashworth© 2019
Study with Richard Ashworth

The Rabbit in 2019

The Rabbit’s profile has been elevated for the last couple of years. 1987 Fire Rabbits especially have been under extreme pressure. 2018 was so much better than 2017, but still stressful. You’d prefer not to, but you’ve put yourself out there anyhow.

For a Rabbit, a Dog year brings public success. Colin Kaepernick, a 1987 Fire Rabbit, was an outcast in the NFL in the Rooster year of 2017 due to his nonviolent protest of violence. In September 2018 Nike took a risk and Kaepernick was signed on as a spokesperson in recognition of his firm stance. But even now, most teams think of him as a public relations problem not worth taking on. They can’t rely on his loyalty to a brand to override his principles. Kaepernick has accepted his new leadership role with the kind of grace you can expect from a Rabbit. No need to make a big fuss. The Wood energy of the Rabbit is both gentle and inexorable. Kaepernick will have an offer to play quarterback again, probably in July.

In domesticity or at work, the Rabbit is often displaced by the controlling Pig who is happy to provide for you but would rather not work in tandem. That’s less of an issue in 2019. Reclaim your rights and responsibilities in February when the Pig is distracted by the Tiger. Stand firm and earn the Pig’s trust. Your ability to do that is kind of a big deal.

The Pig year demands taking care of family and other domestic matters. It’s time to resolve lasting grudges or quarrels with family, especially parents and other ancestors. Your associates, including older and younger relatives will be seeking your assistance. Help them to form or reinforce a support system. The Rabbit’s loyalty has been in question since 2017. Set things straight with talk and trust. You might think the title is beyond your pay grade, but this year the Rabbit is the Year Subduer. So settle things.

To that end, in 2019 Rabbits can employ the unusual authority they had in the Dog year to good effect. You can be bossy until the end of March. Come off the bench early if you want to work for a new company or group in July. Don’t wait – by November your window will have closed.

Your most productive months this year will be February, March, May, June and July. Set goals and timelines accordingly. In July is the Sheep will help you draw a big crowd. Organizing big events, attending family reunions, or joining groups makes for leaps and bounds.

After July the Metal element, along with the overwhelming amount of hidden Water may be tough on your health. Worry may bring sleep issues – too much or too little. Take some time off in August and/or September if you can.

Anxiety may peak in December because you’ve disregarded important information that could set you at ease. This will have something to do with how you were raised. Ask a trusted elder or other family member for help. Advice or assistance Rabbits have ignored may come back to haunt in 2020 too.

The Tiger in 2019 ~ Earth Pig Year

Posted on January 15, 2019September 20, 2019 by Stephanie Stewart

Who is a Tiger?

Years: 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010.
Month*: February
Hour: 03.00-05.00am
Day: Ask Us

* Caution: the start of the Chinese month can be as early as the 4th & as late as the 9th, depending on the year. I can let you know this too.

What is a Tiger?

Because the yang wood Tiger is composed of three different elements, he is an especially versatile predator. There is nothing wrong with being a predator except that it can imply a very rigid view of the world. Tigers often don’t play well with others, not because their egos are in the way (unlike the Dragon, the Pig, the Rooster or the Horse) but because for them, work and play are very distinct activities. They can up to a point frolic with other Tigers but broadly every alliance is focused on an outcome. It’s no coincidence that 1974 Tiger Victoria Beckham is the Spice Girl who’s not looking back; she’s moved on.

The Tiger never forgets. For the unbalanced Tiger no slight, insult or rejection can be allowed to go unredressed.. He may wait a lifetime but he will get his revenge. On the other hand the balanced Tiger will always repay a debt and go out of his way to acknowledge assistance.

The typical qualities of yang wood are sharp eyes, a strong will and swift movement. The Tiger stalks his prey silently and pounces when he is ready. He can wait days as long as he is not hungry. A needy Tiger is very dangerous. Never scorn the Tiger.

The Tiger will often have a fresh view of things which makes him the eyes of the team he makes up with the Horse and the Dog. The Horse is front of house, the Dog the keeper of records and the Tiger the hit man.

In terms of human relations the Tiger may be the most yang of the animals; that is swift, sharp and unsubtle. The earth he inherits from his predecessor in the Zodiac the Ox, is turned miraculously from yin to yang when he receives it. The unbalanced Tiger knows no mercy and expects none. And in this he has altered the dogma he receives from the Ox – do as you would be done by – into a personal code. This alteration can amount to perversion and make for serious misunderstandings; the unconscious Tiger probably knows himself less than any other animal. His ruthlessness which he can wear as a badge of honour, is often simply a failure to open up to interdependence with others. Of all insults “dependent” is the worst for the Tiger. He will not depend. This makes relationship an act of will. With a true act of will, the Tiger forms the most enduring relationships. If it is not truly a choice but a resigned agreement to bend himself out of shape, all around him will distort also. Sometimes the truly unconscious Tiger thinks this reflects a merciless world in which he has been clever in getting his revenge in first. This logic doesn’t work and the smarter Tiger knows this.

But even the smartest Tiger is not in the clear because the corollary of foregoing revenge appears to be falling on her sword. This is a mistake too. Most of us prefer not to live by the law of the jungle but then most of us are not as well-equipped for it.

Metal is generally considered to represent logical thought, authority and competition. The Tiger is elementally the opposite of Metal; the wooden Tiger likes to think of himself as logical but instinctive or even automatic is a better description. Generally he can only make use of Metal early on in life or at the inception of a process. After that he can deceive himself that he knows what to do and that he is beyond advice. The really unbalanced Tiger (yang Wood day stem for instance born in February) considers himself bold and resolute but truly is hanging onto past (mother) stuff that ought to have been completed. The admission of this would affront his pride and he is unlikely to do it.

Richard Bandler, the Godfather of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, used to say that the person with the most flexible behaviour has control. The Tiger is the yangest woodenest of the animals. He is so flexible that he can be completely immovable. This can be his role in the alliance with the Monkey, Pig and Snake sometimes called The Four Terminals: the Monkey sells the traveller a ticket, the Pig may offer to accompany him and the Snake can enchant with tales of exotic locations but the Tiger is liable to snarl and send the traveller on his way. Without the Pig in the ba zi this combination can like the Four Earths, be a seriously unhelpful combination, implying restricted movement.

A tender father and an implacable father-in-law, a good leader but an erratic motivator, at his worst, the keynote of the Tiger is an uneasy combination between a long memory and a short fuse. At his best he is the sort of leader you would gladly die for. At worst she’ll do the job for you.
Richard Ashworth© 2019
Study with Richard Ashworth

The Tiger in 2019

The Tiger’s job in 2018 was to be cruel to be kind. The Dog required repeated course corrections and you were there to assist. A Tiger likes to be known for killing it and that kind of good luck interferes with getting things done. Metal Tigers John Kelly and James Mattis got so bored they had to leave their elite positions in the Trump administration.

Like Jordan Peterson, 1962 Water Tiger, you are a covert, spontaneous provocateur. Not being clear about your position one way or the other amuses you and lands you on the winning side most of the time. You’re at your best when you’re using those qualities in your vocation. Tigers inspire trust as easily as they do fear when they want to. It’s your choice.

Most people think their own Chinese Zodiac animal year will be lucky, however, there are disadvantages to being at the top of the pecking order. In a Pig year the Tiger is in the sweet spot. You get the empowerment without the Pig’s self clash. The Pig will rubber stamp the your agenda. In a year that favors the success of the humble, probably the only mistake a Tiger can make is being too arrogant.

The Pig, the Tiger’s secret friend and year boss, leaves his true self behind, aspiring to be your partner. You suspect the Pig is not on your level, yet you are irresistibly attracted to cast your pearls anyway. Tiger and Pig have been down this road to heartbreak before. Being honest with yourself about what you really want from the relationship will rewrite the ending.

When conflicts arise in February, May and August, the Pig’s generosity and honesty come to your rescue. The Pig is your mediator. If you are house hunting choose a Pig as your agent to avoid third party interference in your transactions.

Tigers have a special opportunity to take on a new business or start up. It that’s your goal, get permits, rent office, etc before the end of March. Do the work you’ve been talking about for years. Be up and running as soon as possible for best advantage. Tigers will put out lots of product in June and reap the rewards in July. The timing is close to perfect.

In February, March and April and May Tigers are intently focused on success. Do you know what you mean by that in the context of relationship? If not, you’ll compromise yourself in trying to prop up an untenable romance again. Lesson of the year: Giving and receiving love doesn’t require that.

Be ready to defend or assist a best friend or partner in May when accusations fly. How are you complicit? Or not?

With so much going on Tigers benefit from some time off in August to explore new ideas and focus on health. Visit with parents and other ancestors.

2019 will be gone in a flash. For the Tiger a typical Pig year ends in November – breaking up with or bailing out someone close to you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

The Ox in 2019 ~ Earth Pig Year

Posted on January 14, 2019September 20, 2019 by Stephanie Stewart

Who is an Ox?

Years: 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009.
Month*: January
Hour: 01.00-03.00am
Day: Ask Us

* Caution: the start of the Chinese month can be as early as the 4th & as late as the 9th, depending on the year. I can let you know this too.

What is an Ox?

The distinctive quality of the Ox is insistence, not persistence because the Ox’s yin Earth makes for a certain fragility, more of a curtain than a rampart. The Ox is in many ways, the most sensitive year animal. This is often expressed in what looks like obstinacy but is better understood as puzzlement at being disagreed with. In discourse you may find that an Ox has firm principles that on examination are not principles at all but more like prejudices or assumptions. They are often nonetheless firm as well as correct for all that. As a rule, don’t expect flexibility of mind from an Ox; they know what they know and are often not keen to venture beyond.

The Ox’s gifts are very often practical rather than intellectual. The intellectually gifted Ox is extraordinarily powerful. Because of her position between the Rat and the Tiger, the Ox can sometimes vacillate between a fierceness that does not suit her and a Rat-like charm that she may not be able to sustain.

With her allies the Snake and the Rooster, she forms a team which is of the metal element. That is to say that the alliance is linear, judgemental and competitive. Where the ground rules are clear, this is an unstoppable combination. These three make a great legal team with the Rooster charming the jury, the Snake unearthing information that no one else could find and the Ox sticking to the point. When the rules are unclear however, the metal alliance can falter. Then the Ox can become judgemental in a more covert sort of way, being less liable to argue than to judge silently. Without the Snake and the Rooster, the Ox is more barrack room lawyer than barrister.

Working in such a team, the Metal, that is the qualities of logic, reason and competition, is less important than consistency. In dealing with the Ox, it is important to remember not only that the Metal is there but also that the Ox may deny this fact even to herself.

The hour of the Ox (01-03.00) is the time that the worlds of spirit and flesh are closest. She has a deep spiritual agenda. The gifts of mediumship and divination are essentially Ox gifts.

The Ox may be attached to ancestral dogma. Fundamentalism of all sorts – political and social as well as religious – is a common trait. She is not always good at questioning tradition or second-hand wisdom that has come down on good authority. She will often quote great men not because their words are wise but because they are great.

With the Dragon, Dog and Sheep, the Ox forms the Literary Alliance. Some call this confluence the Four Earths and think of it as negative. The fact is that it is a demanding combination. If the Dragon is missing for instance, many think of it as poisonous but to see this as an assembly of the vehicles of expression without anything new to say is probably more like it. The coincidence of these animals is a challenge to a strong ba zi and can be the ruin of a weak one.

Barack Obama may be the world’s most famous Ox and a good example. He actually has a Sheep in his month pillar. This makes for a home-loving and secure man. This is heightened by his day stem (the character that rules the day he was born) which has a special affinity both with the Ox and the Sheep. This like so many Oxen, is a man who loves his babies. Both UK Opposition Leader Jeremy Corbyn and Presidential contender Elizabeth Warren are Oxen also. Watch this space.

The challenge to the Ox in 2019 is to make up for last year’s Dog. Three of the last four American Presidents (Clinton, W. Bush, Trump) have been 1946 Fire Dogs. The Fire Dog is past his peak now; time to make way. The current chaotic world order may represent this shift of power. 1958 Earth Dogs are now in their 2nd cycle of 60 years – it’s all revision now. But for the Ox, although there is a foreshadowing right now in the Ox month, real power beckons from early 2020.

The Ox has a love-hate relationship with the irritatingly spontaneous and extrovert Horse to whom she can not help nonetheless being drawn. Nor is she that keen on the Rabbit who can help herself to the Ox’s fresh vegetables or the Tiger who somehow often manages to exploit her.

The Ox in 2019

The Ox is a rule follower. She’s willing to help but not an indiscriminate joiner. The Ox navigates through the darkness by feeling her way. Perhaps that made it possible for her to hide out in plain sight in 2018, unlike the Sheep with whom she shares the bullying punishment. In a Dog year there’s always someone waiting to cash in on your mutual disempowerment. It’s hard not to be bitter about that.

In 2019, Ox and Sheep are looking at each other and thinking “You mean all this time we could have been friends?” It’s not too late.

Appropriately then, the Ox’s job in 2019 is to be the Tin Yute. Her to do list includes coming to the rescue of those in an emergency state. You probably already know who it will be. And you will help even if they also blame you for their crisis. Your deep empathy makes it hard to say no, but you dislike having to come in at the chaos point of the last minute. Time to put aside your judgment. Not everyone shares your common sense.

The term “dark horse” is more fitting for the Ox than the Horse. You’re always working but you’re a plodder. After toiling away in obscurity for years like Water Ox Tarana Burke (1973), you burst forth and startle everyone with the accumulation of your power. You can already feel the early stirrings of your fruition – a foreshadowing of 2020. Have you noticed Barack Obama, 1961 Metal Ox, is out and about again? His influence will be formidable in 2019 and 2020.

With your yin nature perhaps you don’t know your own strength. A brief preview comes during December and January, but it’s not quite your moment yet. I can tell you more about that if you’re interested.

An Ox is more sensitive than flexible. You’re the person in the room who gets confused as to which emotions are yours. You cry more than others because feelings demand expression to bring relief. Spending time in groups exhausting. Get your alone time; balance with expressing your care.

In the first quarter of 2019 the lingering Earth of the Dog makes you feel you’re taking two steps forward, one step back. The end of April brings a more lasting relief from the fear that in putting your ideas forward, you’ll be attacked. People in power are paying attention and they feel a connection. If you want a promotion, pave the way in April and ask for it in December

The Ox uses her increased productivity in May to help the Snake out of a jam. You warned her about using the truth as currency but the Snake didn’t listen because she usually gets away with it. The Rooster will show up with similar issues, probably about relationship, in September.

The intense emotions of November are nothing to worry about. This flood of feelings is meant to prepare you for the watershed that’s coming in December. All of the work you’ve been doing behind the scenes is about to pay off. At the end of 2019 you’re almost there.

About My Teacher

Richard Ashworth is probably best known for introducing authentic Chinese
Imperial Feng Shui to BBC tv’s Housebusters and for his book The Feng Shui
Diaries which apart from anything else, may be the funniest on the subject to date. Read more…

The Rat in 2019 ~ Earth Pig Year

Posted on January 11, 2019September 20, 2019 by Stephanie Stewart

Who is a Rat?

Years: 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008.
Month*: December
Hour: 11:00 pm – 01:00 am
Day: ask us

* Caution: the start of the Chinese month can be as early as the 4th & as late as the 9th, depending on the year. I can let you know this too.

What is a Rat?

The Rat is yang water but with a hidden stem of yin Water, that is to say pure Water, the only Chinese Animal that is so pure. All Water on this planet, unless interfered with by outside forces, is connected with and on the same level as all other Water. Sea level at Zeebrugge is the same as sea level at Miami. If I spill my cup of tea here in Surrey and you spill yours in Taiwan, sooner or later they’ll mix. It may take aeons but they’ll mix. This powerful idea may clarify the connection between Water and communication.

Someone said that we have two ears and one mouth for a good reason: that we should listen twice as much as we speak. The issues relating to Water are listening and speaking while keeping the ratios right. The Rat can easily miss this. Some of us are elected primarily to talk and the yang Water of the Rat says it’s you. The Rat is the talker of the Chinese Zodiac. As you know, an unbalanced or distressed Rat tends to clam up or run off at the mouth. Which will it be this year?

Interestingly both Prince Harry and his father Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales are Rats. Charles’ career has been one of juggling his often outspoken opinions with the privilege of his position. It’s likely that Harry’s lessons will be similar; wise observation of his father’s conundrum could be invaluable. Rats tend to blurt or have learned to be shtum.

The Rat is supreme in the realm of ideas. It is said that when you can tell Water from Fire, you are a master. The blue of the sky at mid-summer, for instance is not Water but Fire. Who can identify this consistently? The Rat who is a planner and a plotter and a deep thinker, is the most likely candidate. He thinks ahead, sometimes to the detriment of his awareness of the present. This makes him a good chess player but not so great at poker. He is apt to be too controlling for games that require openness – even to good fortune. That sort of uncertainty can be painful. Your average Rat wants the credit and to get that he has to be in control.

In conversation you may find that the mature Rat second guesses in a very distinctive way: typically he gets his correspondent to commit to a position before he states his; a very useful quality in a teacher but not everyone’s cup of tea in a collaborator. The Dragon and the Monkey, even the Ox, may find this reassuring but it drives the Horse and the Tiger wild and to some extent even the Dog.

Being big talkers and travellers, Rats are traditionally suited to work involving communication: sales, oratory and persuasion. In the collaboration with the Rabbit, Rooster and Horse that Derek Walters (himself a Rat) calls the Flowers of Love, the Rat is the talker, the chatter-up if you will, where the Rooster provides the glamour, the Horse the passion and the Rabbit the stamina. A Rat with the assistance of these other Animals is effortlessly successful and charismatic. Whichever may be missing at any given time indicates his weaknesses. None of the others however is ever much at ease in the company of the Rat.

An unbalanced Rat talks too much and listens selectively. A balanced one gets it exactly right; he is fascinating talker and a skilled listener. But this wilful deafness can be a point of pride. Blessed with an orderly mind and excellent retention, a Rat can consider his ignorance of a subject a reflection upon the subject rather than upon himself. This sort of Rat needs to learn to value the convictions of others, especially if they are derived from premises he does not accept.

The Rat is a guardian, a watcher. Sometimes he is self-appointed and the unbalanced Rat has a particular blindness that leads him to believe that his opinion is an absolute. This is more accentuated and less well-informed in his partner the Ox in what some call the House of Creativity (or Cleverness). The relationship between the Ox and the Rat is less that of partners than of pupil and tutor but the Ox can be a particularly obdurate and dominating learner, sometimes drawing conclusions to which he is not entitled and sticking like a limpet to any conclusion he can justify. In these circumstances the Ox is not so much partner or indeed student of the Rat as tormentor. When Ox and Rat are together it is the Ox who calls the tunes.

A very conscious Rat can make good use of his blindness to the value of other people’s positions. She is likely to be able to explain things that baffle others and to derive laws from this gift. To have no explanation however is to open himself up to chaos. If he knows this about himself he can master even the most abstract discipline.

The Rat is versatile and multi-talented though not as notably so as the Pig of whom he is often jealous or the Dragon who can baffle him despite their mutual affinity. Yang water can speak of profligacy with money. The Rat is a brilliant small businessman but often a poor tycoon. In the power triad with the Dragon and Monkey, the Rat may appear to overvalue the hands-on deftness of the Monkey because he finds the Monkey easier to control and may envy the Dragon his magic. Twin Rats Robert Plant and John Bonham and Monkey Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin (formed in the Monkey Year of 1968) may be a good example of this creative tension.

And it is this potential for envy that is the other big weakness of the Rat and lays him open once more to the Rooster of the year who of course shares it. The full-on spontaneity of Fire has always drawn resentment from certain Rats. He can’t admire what he can’t himself master. This can lead to him not getting credit for originality of mind. Consider Water Rat Alan Turing of Enigma fame. And finally the Rat can be a fickle partner but an attentive parent, albeit one who may have favourites. The awakened Rat is absolutely even-handed; that in itself is quite a gift.
Richard Ashworth©
www.imperialfengshui.info

The Rat in 2019

2018 was lonely. Those in power forgot how much the Rat had contributed to their causes in the past. The Rat’s mentorship has been disregarded. You shared your secrets but they were not valued. Your associates Dragon and Monkey were struggling too, possibly with illness or depression and weren’t able to help you as much as usual.

Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, is a 1972 Water Rat. She resigned her post in the Trump administration in October 2018 – Dog month, Dog year. As a Rat, Nikki realized before others that her thwarted efforts meant it was time to leave the sinking ship. There are rumors that she will run for President in 2020. The Ox in her month says she would be better as an advisor to the winner. The Rat in her year says if the election were in 2019 she’d run.

Though the earthy nature of 2018 is still present in the first quarter of the year, the Pig of 2019 brings relief to the Rat by beginning the water cycle. Water is your element. Your gift of articulacy has been compromised by the Dog year. You’ll be returning to your usual wordsmithing around February.

The Rat’s good ideas about leadership have gone unappreciated, and now she thinks that being in an advisor role is not enough. Being number two feels like losing. This competitiveness is a live issue for you throughout the year, peaking in April. Patience. 2021 is coming.

You are the most expressive of the twelve Chinese Zodiac animals, and in January you’ll be taking talent that in a different direction with a new agenda. It only feels risky because it’s not your usual way. A new iteration of your job is calling you to apply the benefits of your education, training and background for those who need justice. You’re worried about how this will affect the lifestyle you’re accustomed to, but you needn’t be. Go with it.

In 2019 the Ox’s influence on the Rat is growing. The Ox is interested in practical applications of justice and brings a heightened sensitivity to a Rat’s work. Rats are usually more comfortable wielding justice in a political sense, like a judge. Impartiality falls away in 2019 as Rats realize that justice is personal too.

In 2019 your natural charisma is enhanced. There’s romance if you want it. Your position on the dial plate amplifies your problem solving abilities regarding romance and everything else. In April and August especially, you are needed. Channel your refusal to lose so that it benefits others.

The Horse month of June, your clash month, is easier to manage this year. You’ll be putting out fires, literally and figuratively, likely on behalf of someone else.

Your full recovery from the Dog year will arrive in August. Timing and clarity become yours again for the fall and winter. You’ll need it to deal with your competitors.

Roosters are having another tough year, and will seek your counsel in September. Be open.

By December you’ll be officially working for the Ox. Curious?

The Pig in 2019 ~ Earth Pig Year

Posted on January 10, 2019September 20, 2019 by Stephanie Stewart

Who is a Pig?

Years: 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007.
Month*: November
Hour: 09:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Day: ask us

* Caution: the start of the Chinese month can be as early as the 4th & as late as the 9th, depending on the year. I can let you know this too.

What is a Pig?

The weakness and the strength of the Pig (who is inherently yin Water and therefore often reluctant to communicate) is that they think they know what is good for them. And they are actually right often enough to make advice close to impossible. By extension this means you Pigs may believe you know what is right for everybody else.

Technically the Pig is a cocktail of Water, Wood and Earth. This makes for extraordinary versatility. But this combined with the Pig’s weakness at emotional disclosure can mean that they lack a support system just when they most need one. Consider Fire Pig Hillary Clinton and her rogue email account; the story goes that she simply could not master her iphone and could not bring herself to seek appropriate help. That’s a Pig.

Versatile and wilful, gifted at whatever they do, the Pig is the sign of the inventor. Edison was a Pig and Elon Musk, as is Wikileaker Julian Assange. Perfectly-balanced Pigs can literally do almost anything but they don’t much like reflective advice from others and they are liable to hate uncertainty. Remember Fire Pig Elton John in “Tantrums and Tiaras”? And Elon Musk’s recent social media tiffs?

Vagueness is uncomfortable for the Pig: Edison was of course an obsessive patenter, Hillary determined to both get Wall Street onside and retain her liberal credentials and Assange, confident that he knows better than anyone else what the world needs to know. Brexit and the Trumpreich might have fallen differently but for some of these guys. This does not make them mistaken but the truth can be a moveable feast.

A balanced Pig (perhaps March birth around mid-afternoon) is a great audience and typically gets the listening/talking ratio just right. An unbalanced one can shoot off at the mouth and give (or take) away the farm before she knows it. Does any of this sound like – to pluck a name from nowhere – Earth Pig Simon Cowell?

More likely, you are prone to withdrawing into silence. Sometimes the Pig sulks but more commonly withdraws out of pure disinterest and can be perfectly cheerful when challenged on the withdrawal.

The Pig child needs just the right mixture of carrot and stick. Too much disincentive and he is suppressed or resentful. Too much carrot and he can be smug. The balanced Pig is the most sensitive of the animals; the unbalanced one has undergone an empathy bypass. As the parent of a Pig, just remember you are instrumental in this process. Your Piglet does not need to become a boor.

The Pig harbours the Wood of creativity so they can be as adept with the written as the spoken word as well as the yang Earth of deep concentration. Many Pigs prefer to study in noisy rooms and many are effortless A-students as tutors of the first year postgraduates of 2019 may notice. Bear in mind though that there is a near-epidemic of depression and anxiety among millennials and that Water is the associated element. Don’t ever take a 1995 Pig’s good cheer for granted.

The Stevie Smith poem “Not waving but drowning” is about a Pig. They look so competent. And they are. Until they’re not, If you care for a Pig beware of their apparent endless confidence. There are crucial gaps.

The Pig does not tend to like the Snake; one way or another they immobilise each other. And the Monkey, the Snake’s intimate, can be a source of annoyance also. The Pig’s most natural team is with the Rabbit and the Sheep. This alliance is quintessentially domestic; together these three can make anywhere home. A perfect family might be Pig father, Rabbit mother and Sheep first-born. Once home, the Rabbit entertains while the Sheep ensures compatibility and the Pig skilfully performs the tasks that are beyond the scope or interest of her partners.
Traditionally the Pig also enjoys the company of the Tiger as Elton John’s husband Water Pig David Furnish can attest. You might think they’d be more cautious but they know that the Tiger is uninterested in conquering anyone he considers easy meat. Of course he’s missing something here but the Pig’s fearless approach often disarms the Tiger before they realise. And by the bye, Pig’s literary ambition often burgeons in a Tiger year and flourishes in a Rabbit one.

Although she may herself be more adventurous, the Pig also understands the loyal and consistent Dog. She respects the fact that every home needs its guardian. These two will tend to develop a camaraderie with its own distinctive banter. The Pig respects the Dog’s diligence and the Dog knows the Pig will compensate for his weakness.

The Pig also operates well as factotum for a group consisting of the Snake (whose company she can’t otherwise stand for long) the Monkey (see above) and the Tiger. For these she is, interestingly, the peacemaker and setter of standards. Without the Pig this grouping whose common interest is travel and mobility, can’t get off the ground.

One final note: the Pig suffers what is called the self curse. That is to say that she has limited patience with other Pigs. Consequently they will find a Pig Year challenging as we shall discover. The Chinese character for a house is one Pig under a roof. Just the one.

The Pig in 2019

2018 caught up the Pig in the bullying punishment. It doesn’t formally include him, but his proximity to the Dog and his friendship with Sheep and Tiger makes it unavoidable, doesn’t it? That sounds like the kind of argument we’re about to hear from 1959 Earth Pig Kevin Spacey. Look for him to make a come back in 2019.

Mike Pence, also a 1959 Earth Pig, lives and breathes the fallout of Trump’s nonsense. He would understand what I mean. In 2019 Pence will be more prominent; hopefully as mediator/spokesman for Trump. In April, Pence will cover for Trump’s incapacity from illness, injury or disgrace, but he doesn’t have the support base to make much of his temporary promotion.

In 2018 the Pig felt compelled, more than usual, to portray that he was FINE, thank you. Kind of makes sense. It’s true that you do get picked on just for showing vulnerability, but that has nothing to do with being weak. Those who love you know you are strong. Let them help you. It hurts them when you don’t.

Romantic relationships and close friendships are complicated for Pigs this year. In February, an irresistible attraction springs into existence as the Tiger brings out your inner Shere Khan. The Tiger is predatory so you will be too. Potential partners, including you, may be looking for gain instead of growth. Some think they are interested in commitment but don’t know what that means. For your safety, consult a Sheep or an Ox. Pain you inflict on others comes back like a boomerang in May.

Your uninhibited honesty brings requests to settle disputes in February, May and August. It’s not necessarily going to be clear who is right or wrong, or even who is involved, but your conduct is in the spotlight. You’ll be tempted to fly solo as a defense against this – don’t. That’s your self clash.

Allowing others to participate in your process makes you anxious lest your reputation will be compromised. March favors making a better balance. Put plans in place for assistance with housekeeping, maintenance, pet care, yard maintenance, child care… Make sure people you trust know what is going on with you. Learn to delegate.

May, the Snake month, will mark the peak of accusations made against the Pig this year, wrongful or not. You’ll need allies already in place to back you up.

In July groups ask for your help. You’re not a joiner but many of your associates are. What you all have in common is a concern for the health of our planet. Crisis brings out the best in you as long as it’s not yours. We really need your leadership.

The peak of feeling hemmed in comes in November. Because your orthodox standards regarding domesticity are akin to religion, you want to do everything yourself so that it’s done “right” – whatever that means to you. You’d be shocked at the relief you could feel if you could only admit to that you feel out of control. Open the door to intimacy. Get in touch if I can help.
©Stephanie Stewart 2019