|
It's ironic that the term chicken has become synonymous for coward in our culture. In many other cultures, Roosters
aren't just domesticated barnyard animals, they are symbolic of war and military vigilance. This is the Year of the Rooster,
also called Year of the Cock, or Cockerel.
In Asia, the New Year begins at the first New Moon of January, from the 27th-29th this year. New Moons are the optimal time
for beginnings of things, as well as endings. We will be in the sign of the Rooster from January 28, 2017 to February 15,
2018. People born in 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, and 2005 were born during a Rooster.
Rooster Years
Year Duration Element
1909 - 22 January - 9 February 1910 Earth
1921 - 8 February - 27 January 1992 Metal
1933 - 26 January - 13 February 1934 Water
1945 - 13 February - 1 February 1946 Wood
1957 - 31 January - 17 February 1958 Fire
1969 - 17 February - 5 February 1970 Earth
1981 - 05 February - 24 January 1982 Metal
1993 - 23 January - 9 February 1994 Water
2005 - 9 February - 28 January 2006 Wood
2017 - 28 January - 15 February 2018 Fire
This is a Fire Rooster year. Unlike Western Astrology, which has four elements, there are five elements in Asian Astrology
with the addition of metal (jin) to the traditional wood (mu), water (shui), fire (huo), and earth (tu) elements. These characteristics
form the foundation of all nature and their relationships to each other can encourage growth, strength and success, or inhibit
success and cause failure or destruction.
People born in the years of the Fire element are the born leaders of their respective signs. They're decisive, confident,
and are more robust in their tendencies, positions, and attitudes than others of their particular sign. They thrive on adventure
and are among the first to embrace new innovations. They are natural pioneers, constantly on the move, exploring new horizons.
They attract others through their warm, dynamic personalities, and are likely to dominate others with originality and clever
thinking.
But, they must nurture consideration, patience, and understanding of others' needs and interests in matters before taking
action. Others may feel left out or exploited if they assume they know what's best and plow ahead without consulting those
who are involved. Moreover, Fire people who try to achieve their goals by force will find that the more they push, the more
obstacles they will encounter.
Those born in Fire years must not impulsively act out of anger, because their capabilities will engender stronger reactions
against them. Untempered, Fire personalities tend toward selfish ambition and don't like not getting what they want. Those
who were born in Rooster years should take extra care this year. In Asian astrology, it can be unlucky to be in the year of
your own sign because it angers the God of Age, who curses them.
Roosters crow at the rising of the sun, so it is natural that they would have a position in the origin stories of solar deities
throughout the ancient world. The ancient Norse believed that there were three roosters in place at the top of the world tree,
Yggdrasil, to warn the gods of impending attack.
Christians began the practice of placing them as weather vanes on the tops of their churches as a reminder and warning that
the apostle Peter denied Christ three times before the cock crowed, just as predicted by Jesus in the gospels. Roosters and
chickens are also symbols in Islamic lands. They are woven into oriental rugs as protection against the evil eye and wishes
for fertility. The sounding of a rooster's crow at dawn evokes the responsibilities of faith in Islam.
In Gnosticism, the servant of the Creator, Abraxas, was depicted with the head of a cock. From medieval times, a French cockerel
has been one of the national symbols of France.
|
