The Rooster in the Year of the Water Rabbit 2023

Rooster Pic by @elliespinelli

Who is a Rooster?

Years:         1945, 57, 69, 81, 93, 2005, 2017.
Month*:      September
Hour:          17.00-19.00

Day: you’ll need a Chinese Calendar.

* Caution: the start of the Chinese month can be as early as the 4th & as late as the 9th, depending on the year. We can let you know this too.

What is a Rooster?
The Rooster is yin Metal, the night bird, glamorous and with an eye for detail. She appreciates an argument and likes to win but has little patience for causes that drag on. She will appreciate jewellery, fine art and good living and create wealth easily; she can spend it as easily too. Conversely of course a wide-awake Rooster like Aung San Suu Kyi can reject such distractions in order to serve a cause that has indeed dragged on for decades. And like Aung San Suu Kyi can suddenly and mysteriously change their mind. This is yin and yang. The Rooster’s moral compass is often a learned thing. Glamorous and fickle are words often associated.

The rule this illustrates is that a typical Rooster is suited to work such as that of an advocate involving short decisive arguments. Her brief passion is the perfect support for a client. She can defend with enormous commitment and then move on to the next one. Rooster’s commitment is 100% but often short lived. If she is in a job that involves holding her peace she may fret and become ill.

Osama bin Laden may be a good example of a typical 1957 fire Rooster: just the one big splash to his name. A car must be fast, a partner challenging and life full of twists and turns. The Rooster is likely to be quick witted rather than profound, with concentration focused tightly before moving on. Attention span is usually short.

Her allies the Snake and the Ox are sometimes impatient with her because she can digress so widely and so easily but she brings to this Metal alliance the pure competitiveness that the Ox might otherwise misuse and the Snake misunderstand – or is it vice-versa? She is pure Metal – that is determined to get it right at all costs – and Ox and Snake are not. They will not win many cases or many contracts without her and they would do well to pay and respect her appropriately even though she expects longer holidays and more money. A support system that dots t’s and attends to punctuation will tend to empower the Rooster’s intuitive flashes. She needs a team to generate opportunities which she will exploit. Respect – especially of such a support system – is so often a life lesson. For team read “spouse”or “family” btw.

Your most dangerous pitfalls however are sex drugs and rock’n’roll. You probably like to party and your personality may be addictive. You are likely to prefer dusk to dawn and also to the small hours.

The Rooster enjoys a powerful alliance with the Dragon in which they may hold the whip hand. This may be unique in the Dragon’s experience. They can bend the Dragon out of shape just as the Ox can bend the Rat. This is not always entirely healthy, such sway must be employed responsibly otherwise both can be damaged. With that proviso this is one of the strongest and longest lasting alliances in the Chinese zodiac.

The Rooster predictably is one of the charismatic Flowers of Romance. Success and glamorous partners come easily to her. Often a Rooster can punch above her weight in this regard. Cinderella was a Rooster as is Yoko Ono. This effortlessness can make for complaisancy, bitterness is common among middle-aged Roosters. Growing old is hard for the Rooster who can so easily become Snow White’s stepmother. Who is the fairest of us all? Consider these aspects in the contrasting lives of Mick Jagger and Che Guevara both of whom were born – in different years – on the day of the Rooster. “You’re so vain you probably think this song’s about you.” Carly Simon (1945 Wood Rooster), was clearly concerned with vanity. Why would that be, do you think?

With the Monkey this wily, numerate bird can form a commercial alliance. A business co-run by these two will be irresistible but may not open on time. It may not close promptly either and may also suffer the cash flow problems that come from poor financial prioritisation. A marriage would risk the same types of problem: great parties, early divorce.

The cautious domesticated Rabbit is the nemesis of the Rooster. The Rooster likes bling and the Rabbit can see no life in a stone. Any relationship would generally be full of obstruction and passive aggression as well as disappointment and a failure to keep agreements. The insistent wood of the Tiger is almost as maddening although his fierceness would at least engage the Rooster’s attention. The loyal, consistent Dog usually bores her rigid though she may in extremis fall upon him for support.

Precious: The Rooster in 2023

Despite your innate charisma, you’ve been competing and losing one way or another for a long time. Here comes full frontal opposition. Do you still have the appetite? This will not be an easy year but approached intelligently, it can be a deeply satisfying and healing one. There are no fresh wounds coming.

In a Rabbit Year the Rooster is the principal opponent. That Yin Wood/Yin Metal relationship implies upset, letdown and broken agreements. In other words, in a Rabbit year you’re likely to be the fall guy. But interestingly given the rules (such as they are) of Chinese Metaphysics, a head-on Metal/Wood Clash like this speaks also of deep attraction. Fighting as Chuck Spezzano used to say, is just foreplay and the several one-to-one conflicts likely this Rabbit Year may be best approached as deepeners of relationship of whatever variety. Tussles and arm wrestles could well lead to bonding. March, July and October will probably illustrate that. And as ever, note that such tussles may be familial, commercial, romantic or other.

Conflict within the family is apt to be affecting those born in a Rooster Year; commercial struggles affect those born during a Rooster Month and relationship stuff a Rooster Day. This is unlikely to be an easy year but it can be one in which you grow.

The main issues will be ones you’ve tried for a long time to convince yourself were non-issues or irresolvable. Deepest are the ones you claim you’ve resolved.

For a Rooster woman, issues with parents, following the main theme of the year are likely. Your Father’s success has confused you and your Mother as to what success actually amounts to.

Meanwhile the Man Cheung Star suggests formal learning and Jeung Sing means that it will be competitive. Winning of course matters to you. Best let that go; as a general rule we study because we love it, want to learn something and/or want a qualification of some sort. Competition is simply a spur and this year is probably best left out of the equation. You will learn, you will grow but you may not win. And if your particular path does not take you by way of literal learning, perhaps absorb this lesson anyway.

And you know from recent experience that graduating to a higher level brings tough challenges. The question will be how badly do you want it? If you’re going to go through purgatory, make it for a reason, not for show. On the profoundest level you can win that way.

Money comes and goes this year, partners too quite possibly. There are so many loose ends to tie up; indeed deep karmic debt may be up for settlement – you know which. In a Rabbit Year, Rooster’s past tends to re-emerge. There’s little to be done on a literal level if that past remains painful or has caused others pain.

Roosters can be a bit thick about the trail they leave behind them. You are able usually to move on but significant others may not do it so easily. In affairs of the heart this year you may want to insist that others do move on but it may reopen your own old wounds. Those who move on quickest are often those with the deepest unconscious wounds. Here’s where you are advised to be compassionate. Recognise that separation is always your choice; it can not be done to you. If that were possible whose life you are leading?

In search of balance you might address that question right away.

As finally, for health, take special care of teeth and lungs. Conscious breathing – the hatha aspect of yoga for instance – will help and is able to simultaneously centre and ground you. The trick to passing through discomfort is not to struggle. Resistance as they say, is useless.

Lesson: Loyalty.

Best Months: January, April, May

Worst Months: March, September, October.

Theme: Valuing what’s valuable.

Hexagram: 3 Tun Difficulty at the Beginning

Health: ☹ Wealth: = Relationship: =

This forecast is prepared by comparing your own Chinese year Animal with the Water Rabbit of 2023. Your Year Animal is just one of the four that make up your Ba Zi or Four Pillars of Destiny. A fully-drafted ba zi can indicate possible futures and probable pasts as well as moments of decision. Knowing these moments can heal and prevent heartbreak as well make success and happiness more easily achievable. What is a ba zi?

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