Dragon in the Year of the Metal Ox 2021

Who is a Dragon?

Years: 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000.
Month*: April
Hour: 07.00 am – 09.00
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 Dragon?

The Dragon is yang earth, the most egotistical of the branches as well as perhaps the most powerful. Putting aside conventional rules of animal compatibility, many of us are either fascinated by the Dragon or suspicious. Or both. Shameless mischief-maker Vladimir Putin and Trump tribute act Boris Johnson are Dragons. So however is Marianne Williamson, whose Presidential bid may be over but whose influence will only grow. It was she who wrote Nelson Mandela’s mantra:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are weak. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful
beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.”

These are powerful people. The Dragon is not however always issued with a moral compass.

The Dragon is just as charming and affable as (s)he feels like being at any given time, but like the Pig, the Horse and the Rooster, they suffer the self clash which makes them unsuited to working with their peers. 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, may consider the Dragon a high maintenance prima donna. Even the his 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. Steadfast Dogs whose workings lead to a logical answer detest 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. If you are a Dragon, know this: you are likely to induce jealousy. However gracious you are, they know the level of your self-esteem.

The Chinese ideogram for thunder is a Dragon under a raincloud. And 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. Dragon times are the tense moments 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, probably Sersei in Game of Thrones too where Othello (and Jamie Lanister) may have been a Tiger and Hamlet probably a Snake.

The Dragon’s traditional partners are the hands-on Monkey and the plotting Rat although these three may not mix socially. 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 wants to be. He can magic up wealth and as rapidly squander it. Neither Horse nor Rooster are much help to them in this regard although a benevolent Rat and a diligent Monkey can 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 to ready 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.

Final Note: As I said the typical Dragon has to seek his own moral bearings. Which
means that unbalanced Dragons are the worst: take predators Philip Green, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey
Weinstein. Who’d have thought these three shared ba zi charts?!? Or that they could justify the unjustifiable for so long? Of course as these guys show, the Dragon has the luck of the Devil*.
Richard Ashworth © 2021
www.imperialfengshui.info

* While it lasts; the special star fiu gong is often an indicator.
# These terms are the brain children of the man who first introduced me to the Chinese Zodiac Derek Walters, still the only Western authority respected to any degree in Asia. I sometimes tell my students that of the many thousands of books written on Chinese Astrology in the West, 99% are either nonsense or derived from Derek’s The Complete Guide to Chinese Astrology. Or both.

The Dragon in 2021

If you think you already know the answer to the question, why are you asking? If you think you are the answer to the question, this year you’re right.

Dragons probably won’t have as much action as they’d like in 2021, however, that may be what keeps them safe. Dragons often put that kind of consideration far down on the list. Regarding risk, in 2021 there’s someone willing to go farther than you are with it, especially when it comes to crossing boundaries. I recommend you stay in your lane. You can still help people from there.

It’s hard to settle for things not being as glamorous as you like. 2021 may be too sludgy for you. Don’t waste time on regrets about what is. The mundane is intrusive and probably inevitable in 2021. It’s not your favorite music but if you want to make the most of the year, you’ll follow the rhythm.

You’ve got a vital energy and you’re ready to bring everything you’ve learned to the table. Make use of all those credits and credentials but don’t worry about being acknowledged. If your bruised ego makes you want to take your marbles and go home, you could have a break up coming. Maybe in April.

Don’t you remember? I was always your clown.
Why try to change me now?
Written by Cy Coleman, recorded by Frank Sinatra in 1952 (Water Dragon Year)

In the 12 Earthly Branches there are four that are called the Vaults. These are Ox, Dragon, Sheep, and Dog. If you’re reading this because you have a Dragon in your four pillars, you’ve already got one vault. Find out what other vaults are in your natal chart or in your Big Fate (a 10 year luck cycle). If Ox is the only one missing, 2021 is meant to be the start of something big. This could mean a big challenge is coming. I recommend you embrace it. Take it on. Tend to business. The risk lies not in what will be asked of you, but in your declining.

Expect to be in higher demand in January, July and October. This feels like a call to fall into formation. Take up your assigned position. Being regimented is unnatural for you, but you might be talked into it if it brings the kind of sweets your ego craves. Don’t do that. Don’t do it for accolades. Do it because of the changes you want to see. We all have to pull together now. Decentralize whatever you can to facilitate that. If you’re an entrepreneurial type this is the time to strike out on your own with your business or become part of someone else’s startup.

Curb spending; save up or invest in things that will appreciate in value. Fortify yourself. Focus on nutrition and health.

If your Dragon is in the day pillar, what are you going to do with that nagging dissatisfaction with your current relationship? If you think “my wife/husband doesn’t know me”, ask yourself whether you know them. If the Dragon is in your year, you might think it’s okay to keep a physical or emotional relationship a secret because “it didn’t mean anything”. You know better and you also know any potential outcome can be changed if you listen and pay attention. You are good at those things when you want to be. When you don’t, it’s because you don’t want to be too easily available. Please.

It’s not a contest, but your partner may be more harmed by a break up than you are. Whatever you feel about them now, I don’t think that’s what you would want. So do what you need to do either way with kindness and empathy. You’ll be glad you did.

January	Do good deeds. If you’re overshadowing a colleague, move out of the spotlight a little.
April	A big win is being handed to you. Don’t get in your own way.
July	Help a sister out
August	Making repairs and reparations. That includes the ones you do for yourself.
September	Attracted to your work and the shiny stuff it brings more than anything else.
October	Stay in your lane unless you’re blocking bullies. Take care in competition.

Dragons to Watch
1940 Metal Dragon: Nancy Pelosi
1952 Water Dragons: Marianne Williamson, Vladimir Putin
1964 Wood Dragons: Kamala Harris, Jeff Bezos, Jim Jordan, Jack Ma, Boris Johnson