Year of the
Rat

'I Rule'

Rat

1900, 1912, 1924, 1936,
1948, 1960, 1972, 1984,
1996, 2008, 2020
**

Rat is the first sign of the Chinese horoscope.

Rats have the following
characteristics:

Appeal, Influence, Thrift,
Sociability, Charisma,
Intellectual Skill
Rat is Yin
of the Yin/Yang

Yin/Yang
Rat sins may include:
Nervousness, Verbosity,
Acquisitiveness, Guile,
Thirst for Power, Meddling

** Please note: �The Chinese year ends on the first new moon of the following year.
For those of you born in January and February, please take care when determining your Sign.

RatChinese astrology, like the rest of life, is really just another rat race. �According to legend, many many years ago Buddha summoned all the animals in the kingdom to his side. �Only twelve showed up and the rat got there first. �To compensate the dozen animals who answered Buddha's behest, their leader awarded one year of the Chinese calendar to each. �As the rat had won the race, she got to have her name on the first year out of twelve. �How Buddha classed the rest of the animals I don't know, except that they fall in this order: �Ox, Tiger, Cat, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig, following the Rat. �Each gives his/her name to a year.

RatWhenever I inform people that their astrological sign is Rat, they squiggle up their little snouts in disgust. �"Ugh!" �They don't want to be Rats. �They'd rather be something less revolting. �A hummingbird? �A hamster? �Let's face it. �Rats don't have a very elegant reputation in our occidental urbanized society.

RatBut think for a moment of the clever farm rat. �It is this rat, the collector, the deft and admirable country rat, whom Buddha honored. �This rural rat is, to this day, an amazing scrounger for food, finder of places to nest and procreator par excellence. �For the purposes of this book, let's put aside our base image of the city rat and concentrate on her country cousin.

RatThe key words I always use for Rat people are "charm" and "aggressiveness." �You'll never meet an unattractive Rat. �Nor will you find a Rat person who does not seek to achieve and succeed, stand out from the crowd and even assume power over others. �Rats are movers and drivers. �They are born with leadership qualities and a hefty measure of guile. �The Rat's ends frequently justify her means.

RatRat people usually appear calm and at ease in company. �They're talkative (to a fault sometimes) and make pleasant conversationalists. �But take a closer look. �That Rat has a rubber band in her hand which she incessantly snaps back and forth between two fingers. �Or she keeps jiggling the fastener on her handbag. �Rats only SEEM tranquil. �Inside they are nuclear reactors of nerves that bubble and twist, but never -- or rarely -- explode.

RatRats are stashers of food and have a well-developed sense of economy. �They know where their money goes and for which frivolities they are willing to spend lavishly. �Parties and gatherings of all sorts please the Rat. �In fact, any chance to communicate with others is seen as a joyful occasion. �Rats love -- no, NEED -- to talk. �If Rats have problems, they talk them through. �If they are depressed, they blab it out. �If they lose a lover, they can only cure themselves of heartbreak by exposing the whole gory story until the listener's ears are red from hearing and the Rat has emptied her soul of despondency. �If you have a gabby Rat pal, keep your Walkman handy and turn up the volume.

RatIf you are loved by a Rat, consider yourself lucky. �Rats will defend and spoil the people they love without hesitation. �Outsiders don't count. �The Rat wants to be surrounded with those who like and admire her. �She will lavish presents on them and feed them all till they burst from admiration. �Companionship is the Rat's idea of contentment.

RatRats are not necessarily high-minded. �Nor are they artistic dreamers. �Rats are simply smart. �They make excellent lawyers and executives. �Rats dabble more than a little in politics. �Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter are both Rats.

RatRats are not infrequently found dabbling in other peoples' lives. �They enjoy a facility for getting involved with friends and neighbors. �Rats are not quite busybodies, but almost. �They love to be engaged in the running of some committee or the administration of a board of directors. �Rats will not volunteer to be on the cleanup committee. �No. �It's power they are after -- power and influence and lots of big old-fashioned kudos.

RatFAMOUS RATS: �Alan Alda, Ursula Andress, Lauren Bacall, Shakespeare, Mozart, Winston Churchill, George Washington and Truman Capote.

The New Astrology -
A Unique Synthesis of the World's
Two Great Astrological Systems:
The Chinese and Western

by Suzanne White

Western Astrology Chinese Astrology Western/Chinese Synthesis
Aries | Taurus | Gemini
Cancer | Leo | Virgo
Libra | Scorpio | Sagittarius
Capricorn | Aquarius | Pisces
Rat | Ox | Tiger
Cat | Dragon | Snake
Horse | Goat | Monkey
Rooster | Dog | Pig
Aquarius/Rat | Cancer/Dog
Cancer/Snake | Leo/Horse | Leo/Snake Pisces/Dragon | Sagittarius/Rooster
Taurus/Pig | Virgo/Monkey

A Ki-chan Creation

Moyra's Web Jewels Graphics by Cowgirl

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