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.

Richard Ashworth©
www.imperialfengshui.info

 

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

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…