I don’t put a lot of stock in things like the zodiac, but it’s something so mainstream that it’s hard to not know where you fall on the charts. When I was a teenager, I had a passing interest in it. I was curious as to how one simple sign could represent countless people who really only had one thing in common: the time of year they were born. Of course, I learned that there was a lot more to it than that. There’s your sign, your rising sign, how the planets were aligned when you were born, and a dozen other possibilities. Overall, what I learned was that my signs didn’t really describe me. The one that seemed closest was my Chinese zodiac sign, which is the hare. Or, I always thought it was the hare. As it turns out, I’m terribly, terribly wrong.
My whole life, I’d figured my Chinese sign by what was printed on my place mat at Chinese restaurants. That was probably my first mistake. Everyone knows that Chinese restaurants don’t serve real Chinese food, so what made me think they’d tell me my real Chinese sign? The wool was pulled over my eyes, and like a fool, I ate up the lies they served me with my side of crab rangoon! I swallowed the falsehoods whole and then moved on to get my fortune told by a cookie – A cookie actually designed by a Japanese man who lived in California. But no more. Today, I have finally learned the truth.
The truth is, I was born in the Year of the Tiger.
I could have been born in the Year of the Hare, had the doctors not insisted that I had baked long enough. I was born on January 26th, only three days before the Chinese New Year, ringing in the Year of the Hare on the 29th. It was a close call, but as they say, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. I was never very good at horseshoes, anyway.
I don’t know a lot about tigers. Just a few facts, really. Like that there’s six subspecies of tiger still alive, or that all white tigers are actually inbred. I also know that tigers love water, unlike most cats. And that the Tasmanian tiger isn’t actually a tiger at all. But that point is the end of my tiger knowledge, and if I’m going to be a tiger now, I guess I’d better educate myself.
I figured I would start by looking up what Wikipedia had to say about my new-found identity. What are tigers like, according to the Chinese zodiac? Apparently, this is me:
Tiger – 虎 (寅) (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Wood): Unpredictable, rebellious, colorful, powerful, passionate, daring, impulsive, vigorous, stimulating, sincere, affectionate, humanitarian, and generous. Can be restless, reckless, impatient, quick-tempered, obstinate, selfish, aggressive, and moody.
Daring? Impulsive? Powerful? Well, if I read it on the internet, it must be true. I mean, I always thought I was meek and shy and quiet like the rabbit, but who am I to know what I’m like? Of course, I’m sure the elements and my other signs play a part as well. So what does it mean when you’re a Water-Bearer Fire Tiger with a fixed element of Wood and Libra rising? I’ll tell you what it means: it means I’m really confused.
But it can’t all be wrong. My husband will tell you that when I’m arguing something, I’m definitely passionate. I’d like to think I’m sincere, affectionate, and generous. And of course I know I can be restless and impatient, but everyone can be, right?
All in all, I guess it doesn’t really make a difference, but who knows. Maybe there’s a little tiger in me, after all.
What’s your sign?
rawr
Well… see if you were born SO close to being a hare, being on the cusp like that, you're very likely to have influences from that year. Some people influenced stronger than others, typically the coming sign has a stronger influence than the sign you're leaving, so that would absolutely explain why you have such strong rabbity traits.
I'm a dragon, a fire dragon, and I am 100% of my traits very very strongly, both good and bad. It's almost a bit creepy actually.
That is so not what bulls say.
I've heard mention of cusp influences before. I think most of it is over my head, though. 🙂
What I'll always remember most clearly is me telling a friend that I was an Aquarius and her saying it didn't seem like me at all. But she also said that she'd never met an Aquarian who was a good fit for their sign. Maybe it's just a sign for mold-breakers?
When I was a kid, I wanted to be born in the year of the dragon, because I love dragons so much. I am officially jealous!
I'm an Aquaruian and I'm a total fit for my sign, thankfully I'm on the cusp so my Capricorn aspects pull out of being a complete airy fairy lol And yes, Aquarius is totally a mold breaking sign. We're not very good at doing or being exactly what we're supposed too.
Cusp basically means edge, so you're on the edge of a sign, the closer you are to the other sign, the more likely you are to have strong influences from it. So for example, you being just a few days from the Hare means it has a strong influence on you, overriding most of your Tigery traits. Which is totally Aquarian, the rabbit beating the tiger? Now that's mold breaking lol
As for being a Dragon… it's interesting, I am ridiculously lucky in very odd ways. Being an Aquarian Dragon tho, that's pretty tough, I'm a bit flighty 😉
CF4L 🙂