Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

1900 Jan. 31 - 1901 Feb. 18 ~ Metal
1912 Feb. 18 - 1913 Feb. 05 ~ Water
1924 Feb. 05 - 1925 Jan. 24 ~ Wood
1936 Jan. 24 - 1937 Feb. 10 ~ Fire
1948 Feb. 10 - 1949 Jan. 28 ~ Earth
1960 Jan. 28 - 1961 Feb. 14 ~ Metal
1972 Feb. 15 - 1973 Feb. 02 ~ Water
1984 Feb. 02 - 1985 Feb. 19 ~ Wood
1996 Feb. 19 - 1997 Feb. 06 ~ Fire
2008 Feb. 07 - 2009 Jan. 25 ~ Earth
2020 Jan. 25 - 2021 Feb. 11 ~ Metal

Force: Yang
Natural element: Water
Season and principal month: Winter--December
Best Companions: Dragon, Monkey
Worst Companions: Sheep, Horse, Rabbit, Rooster
Color: Black, White, Blue

You are quite ambitious and were born under the sign of charm and aggressiveness. Born optimistic, you seem to have a solution for everything. Friendship comes to you easily with your sense of humor and energetic attitude toward life.
It is very unlikely to find a Rat sitting quietly doing nothing. Rather, you are always busy and rarely have the luxury of relaxation. And even when you have time to sit down and enjoy a short break, your mind will still be running nonstop, planning your next grand scheme. However, you have the tendency to get bored easily with your projects and when that happens, you will simply shrug your shoulders, pull up another brand-new business plan you have been working on for weeks and yell, "Next" to move on to the next project.
You are very expressive and talkative. You like to go to parties where you can spend quite some time chitchatting with your friends. Lively, sociable, and easy to get along with, it is not a surprise that you meet new friends every day.
However, as friendly and easy to get along with as you are, you are a very private person. The long list of names in your phone book does not mean you take everyone into your circle of friends. Actually, Rat people usually have more acquaintances than real friends. But to those who are close to you, you are a devoted and faithful friend. You revere and cherish them, and they will be treated as your family. However, as talkative and gossipy as you can sometimes be, you never confide in anyone. You are self-contained and often keep problems and secrets to yourself. You are extremely private and discreet when it comes to your own personal life.
On the surface, you might appear discreet or reserved, but if anyone looks deeper, they will find out that you are never as quiet as you may look. Adaptive and flexible, the Rat will survive in any situation. No crisis or defeat will take you down easily, and no challenge is too much for you. You will be successful in whatever you choose to do. And because of this remarkable ability to cope with difficulties, you are especially good at problem solving. You make a good adviser to others but not necessarily to yourself.
As a talented opportunist, you are always looking for opportunities, you are famous for your ambition and hard work. Quick-witted and smart, you know how to make the most of your time efficiently and usually get more accomplished in twenty-four hours than the other people do in as many days.
Sometimes mean, narrow-minded, and unsophisticated in outlook, you are also honest. And, as long as you manage to master your perpetual discontent and your insistence on living for the present moment, you can always make a success of your life.
You are confident and usually have good instincts. These qualities, combined with your stubbornness, mean you prefer to live by your own rules rather by others'. It won't be an easy task to work with Rat people. Why? Simple--because you are also a hundred percent perfectionist.
You have a talent for organization; perhaps this is why you usually make a good businessman or politician. Actually, the Rat seems to be the Scrooge of the Chinese zodiac. You count your dimes carefully and are known for your thrift and greed. Although there is an old Chinese saying that "being thrifty is a virtue," nevertheless, Rat people can appear downright stingy. You do not like to waste or throw anything away. You will be the type of person who will save every extra ketchup packet you collect from Kentucky Fried Chicken and keep every empty bottle after you finish your Evian. However, as frugal as you seem to be, you can be quite generous to yourself or the ones you love. For instance, when you really want something you can become quite a spender. And you are very careful when you lend money to people. A little piece of advice to those who plan to borrow money from a Rat--read the contract carefully, or you might be paying three dollars interest for every dollar borrowed.
On the negative side, you are practical but lack courage. Sometimes extravagant and greedy, you are also gullible and can be taken by those less meticulous than you. And because you are a born opportunist and are constantly in search of ways to improve your wealth and lifestyle, if you are not careful you can be led into a mousetrap. Remember, don't let your greed blind you to danger and problems ahead.
Being first in the Chinese zodiac, you seem to be obsessed with being number one. Sometimes, you believe that you are better than others are, so you love to compete and conquer and always try to be the pioneer and the first in action. Your energetic nature tends to cause you to overload with tons of different projects, and this overambitious side of you can cause you to lose your projects because you have spread yourself too thin.
High-strung, you are clever, curious, and ever alert to your environment. Although you have the innate ability to sense danger, your greed sometimes overcomes your sound judgment and causes you to fall into the same trap over and over again. On the negative side, you like to criticize, nag, and compare. You can turn into a secretive, self-indulgent, and selfish creature when blinded by greed. In fact, most Rat people will probably suffer one major financial blow before they learn their lesson. In general, you must avoid being overambitious and learn to conquer your greed and quit while you are still ahead.
Rat people are not romantic, but you are sensual and loving. And Rat people can be heard to see through at first glance, because you are very protective of yourself. But it's worth sticking it out with a Rat; ask anyone who has a Rat for a lover, parent, child, or friend. You are a very loyal and devoted friend.
<span id="test21145117">. . .</span><br/><div id="post21145117" style="display:none; margin-right:75px;">
The Metal Rat:
The Metal Rat possesses both softness from its natural Water element and inflexibility from the Metal element. They are likely to be idealistic and emotional. Metal Rats often appear charming and cheerful, but in reality they are capable of hiding their anger and jealousy. The Metal Rat enjoys money and doesn't mind spending it on quality goods. This type of Rat likes to impress people with his or her classic taste and well-decorated home. The Metal Rat is generally ambitious and knows how to advance. One downfall is that they tend to be too rigid to breative ideas and are somewhat inflexible. They need to learn to be more open to compromise.

The Water Rat:
The Water-Water combination endows the Water Rat with diplomacy and calmness. This type of Rat cares about the thinking process and mental awareness. They are usually very acute and observant, always knowing people's likes and dislikes. The Water Rats' understanding and accommodating nature helps them become great fashion designers that set the future trends. The Water Rat is curious by nature and is always seeking knowledge and even higher education. Atypically, they are very sensitive to what others think of them, and sometimes agonize over nothing because of this. They should learn to be more forth coming and learn to lead sometimes.

The Wood Rat:
The Wood element brings creativity to the Rat. Wood Rats are mostly artistic and articulate. Driven by their passion to explore, they enjoy researching ideas and finding a good use for anything they come across. The capable Wood Rats know what they want and how they can achieve their goals. No wonder the Wood Rat is also very egotistical. Nevertheless, this type of Rat also learns to compromise and make themselves agreeable because they seek approval from others. On the negative side, Wood Rats should recognize their limitations so they don't burn the candle at both ends.

The Fire Rat:
The Fire element brings passion and enthusiasm into the Fire Rat. Often energetic and idealistic, the Fire Rat loves to get involved in all kinds of activities and projects. Open and aggressive by nature, Fire Rats often possess the luck and capacity for success. Talkative at times, Fire Rats need to watch what they say. They can sometimes be too blunt and require some sense of diplomacy to win the support they need. On the negative side, this type of Rat can be too optimistic, and enthusiastic, which can sometimes lead to failure.

The Earth Rat:
The combination of Water and Earth elements brings balance into the Earth Rat. Usually maturing early, this type of Rat seeks order, discipline and security. And because of this, they tend to work in one place or job for a long time and refuse to change. They are very practical and diligent, and care a lot about their reputation. Earth Rats are family-oriented and can be very protective toward the ones they love. On the negative side, their inflexibility can slow down their achievement and ambition, and sometimes they can be over practical and stingy with money.</div>