Who is a Dog?

Years: 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006.
Month*: October
Hour: 19.00-21.00
Day: you’ll need a Chinese Calendar or an expert for this.

* 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 Dog?

The Dog is yang earth and a byword for faith and consistency. Terriers and Rotweilers are as fierce as they are loyal. In mediaeval heraldry and Renaissance painting, the greyhound symbolises constancy. The downside of this is that like Donald Trump and two of his three predecessors (ie not Obama – naturally), they can take some moving on. And the primary force in the world in 2021 is the eclipse of the post-war era which opened in the Fire Dog year of their birth 1946, and the search for a new beginning in which humanity has some chance of survival. Only rejection of the dogma of perpetual growth which continues to ravage the planet offers an escape.

A Dog can be expected to revere tradition and have a strong family background. If a Dog commits to something they can generally be relied upon to see it to completion – for better or worse. The difference between male and female Dogs can be that the female gets the message quicker. Interesting to note that Kate Middleton and Prince William are twin Water Dogs of 1982; a very solid match because as a yang earth sign, the Dog is pretty immovable, an ideal best friend or protector. These two are, whatever appears to occur to the contrary, first and foremost good friends.

The Dog’s thinking may not always be flexible but when he gets an idea, he really gets it; that’s yang Earth for you. His natural grouping is with the hunters, the Horse and Tiger where the apportionment of tasks is obvious: the Horse provides pace and the Tiger ferocity while the Dog watches the rear. If more people studied Chinese metaphysics, more workplaces would zing: in business the Horse will tend to be the sales person, the Tiger the closer or credit controller and the Dog the provider of after-sales service or er…HR department.

The Dog excels at service because he never gives up. He will return your phone calls and keep that appointment. He’s the friend who sends a card every birthday and the spouse who remembers every anniversary. He’s the charmer as well as the Tweeter at dawn.

The Dog perhaps surprisingly, also mixes well with the gentle diplomatic Rabbit. The Rabbit schmoozes while the Dog ensures that her openness is not abused. The Dog makes a wonderful bodyguard and middle manager. A Dog employer will generally have achieved that position by sheer hard work and will demand the same from all around.

The Dog doesn’t like the Dragon because he’s such a smarty pants. Also the Dog hates success without effort and he sees the Dragon create with such apparent ease. Consider Trump’s man-crush on Dragon Vladimir Putin in this light. The Snake too; she’d resent the Horse as well, except that the balanced Dog is scrupulously loyal to her own team. And just as an aside, it’s a principle of yin and yang that opposites co-exist. So some Dogs will express these qualities in the omission rather than the observance. This may make sense of both George W Bush and Donald Trump.

An unbalanced Dog is a bit of a shop steward. He knows his rights and the way things should be – often the way they always have been. An unbalanced Dog (such as one with an October or mid-evening birth) is rigid. Those recent US Presidents in a downward progress of de-evolution bottoming out at Donald Trump, have been champions of stuck, male, white, wealthy privilege. Make no mistake: it may not be clear very soon but the Fire Dog, the post-War dispensation, is over. The smart Fire Dog has already become mentor and confessor. That’s a pursuit at which he can often excel. The shallow Dog of course may never see this.

The Dog will often have a strong spiritual agenda and if he has a blind spot it may be
the inability to tell the difference between religion and spirituality or spirituality and
therapy. Because this means he sticks to his guns, the Dog is suited both to new age
therapy and religious persecution. He will not be thrown off by the opinions of others
once he has committed to a line of action. The unbalanced Dog can be thick skinned
in matters of belief; this Dog would be ideally suited to being a Grand Inquisitor. The
problem is that their motto ought to be “Do as you would be done by,” and he thinks
it already is. Resentment is a trap that is so easy to fall into.

The Dog can work well with other Dogs and even with the Pig. With the Pig he shares a love of home and team and they are so different they don’t crowd each other. Sometimes the Dog and Pig can be telepathically close; this is because they are adjacent signs in the calendar linked by the yang Earth that is a feature of both. Sometimes this Earth is expressed by banter or earthy humour, sometimes by complimentary delusions; consider Trump and Earth Pig born-again misogynist Mike Pence. They can have a lot of fun together while getting the job done. Or not. Beware though: the yang Earth and the yin Water have to mix just right or it can all end in tears.

But the most powerful and most demanding role the Dog can play is in a creative team including the irritating Dragon, the autocratic Ox and the soft Sheep. If the Dog acts as conscience and bookkeeper, the Ox will relax, the Sheep toughen up and the Dragon acknowledge someone else for a change. If you are a Dog recruiting for non-executive directors take note. What is great about the Dog is that if he finds advice that works he will adopt it as if it were religion. Bless. As for the unbalanced Fire Dog
– it’s pretty much over.
Richard Ashworth © 2021
www.imperialfengshui.info

The Dog in 2021

It’s possible that there are things you might never understand. This year is a good opportunity for you to accept and embrace an alternate reality.

I’m always chasing rainbows
First recorded by Judy Garland (1922 Water Dog)

There will be money, good food, partying and abundance for the Dog, but somehow still not as much action as you’d like. This sounds like an odd thing to say next, but life is going to be much quieter in 2021.

You can continue to push, but your work may be lonely even though you’re still a rock star in certain circles. You should know that this luck you’ve had with big risks is coming to an end. You’ve got one more year to decide how you want to land when that ends. Rebrand now and market it every day through your actions.

The 1946 Fire Dog might feel bitterness about something to do with money.

For the 1958 Earth Dogs, the most relevant month of the year is October when whatever you left unfinished in 2018 is going to be live. Plan for a redo. This time you can make things right.

If you’re a 1970 Metal Dog, maybe you are striving to accept a redistribution of authority in leadership positions.

1982 Water Dogs will feel their authority and success rising.

1994 Wood Dogs may be best at changing their shape in 2021. This year will leave a mark so make that mean what you want it to mean.

For all Dogs, 2022 is going to set a new cycle in motion. Figure out where you will be the most relevant now. The location of the Dog pillar in your BaZi will give further nuance.

2021 is the perfect year for Dogs to come to an understanding of what their work is worth, and what is theirs that is worth defending. Keep asking yourself about these ideas throughout the year. What is worth my most excellent guardianship? Pay attention to immediate and emotional responses most.

When you’re feeling unsure of your commitment in relationship, you’re going to want to know that your partner is feeling the same way. You dislike emotional discussions in general and you may already feel worn out from defending your mother to your partner, or your partner to your mother, or both. This is why you may feel cultivating your talent and work is currently more compelling and satisfying than any relationships. You’re feeling conflicted about your introversion. Maybe this is calling your attention to a disconnect between who you run with and who/what you were meant to run with.

This Metal Ox year will ask you to consider that you might be doing what you think people should want you to do, rather than what they actually want you to do. That might be why they don’t encourage you the way you expected.

As with Sheep and Ox, you’ll want to know your natal chart and your 10 year luck pillar. Which Vaults are in play? The Earth Penalty is considered to be present when Ox, Sheep, and Dog show up together. Some masters see this as possible illness or accident. To really know whether that is likely would require looking at all Four Pillars. I like to look at the Life House too. The point is: don’t jump to conclusions on this.

When the fourth Earth Vault is present, this could mean the start of a big undertaking. Therefore, in 2021 it could be that all you need is a Dragon. Believe in magic. Your general distrust of it is probably holding you back.

January	Get moving. Make it regular. If you’re tired in the morning you may want to ask your doctor about a sleep study
February	A windfall kicks off the year, an older sibling or ancestor comes back into your life.
March	Relationships and promiscuity. Short term romance. Commitment is lacking.
April	Solutions appear in the midst of disappointment. Stay aware of that.
July	Who’s the bully?
Dog	Like 2018 you get your way. Has that changed? Your way I mean.

Dogs to Watch
1946 Fire Dogs: Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Donald Trump, Dolly Parton
1958 Earth Dogs: Michael Flynn, Rick Santorum, Mark Cuban
1970 Metal Dogs: Melania Trump, Ted Cruz, Paul Ryan, Hunter Biden
1982 Water Dogs: Pete Buttigieg, Lily Rabe, Elisabeth Moss

©Stephanie Stewart 2021