2012 is the Year of the Dragon in Chinese Astrology. The year starts on January 23rd. The Dragon is the only mythical animal of the 12 and he is bigger than life, loves the limelightt, and is generous and loves kids....if he isn't a kid himself. The element is Earth and the color is Yellow. It relates to the solar plexus chakra.. "Mr. Dragon is wound up in his identity. He struts and puffs (Puff the Magic Dragon???) and is proud to be known as.... parent... child... employer... employee... spouse... breadwinner....coach.... grandparent.... actor.... When the spotlight moves on and he's been dispossessed from the role ("dispossessed is a Dragon word) he moopes around and feels as if his right arm has just been cut off. Mr. Dragon is what he does, and when he doesn't do it anymore, he is adrift. He has assiduously carved this identity for himself, and it defines who he is. He can be bereft when changes occur and he has to look at himself, without the role and see just who he reallyu is. "Mr. Dragon is a mythical animal of magic and fantasy. ...or the Dragon can be a fire-breathing reptile, full of bravado and steam. whichever role he decides to assume, he is always someone with whom to be reckoned. He huffs and puffs and calls us to look at our deepest issues of power and the hunger for it. "Mr. Dragon can be found in our solar plexus - right in the gut. Mr. Dragon has gut issues over getting his needs met, and can become obsessive when he feels "empty", covering his emptiness by being a shopaholic, alcoholic, food aholic, sexaholic, etc. he can be greedy and covet whatever he can get his hands on or his mouth around in order to calm his 'inner dragons". There is a fire burning in the pit of Mr Drgon's stomach that needs to be extinghished. The Dragon needs to be content, to do work that is fulfilling, and be compensated royally for it. The Dragon like the good life, to be larger than life, and have all his tactile needs met...immediately....now. He doesn't want to hunger for long. That fire needs to be quenched frequently...and what does water symbolize? Why emotions of couse. Mr. Dragon needs to be emotionaly fulfilled to quiet down and feel content." " excerpted from my book, "Chinese Power Animals - Archetypes of Transformation", copyright 2000, 2nd printing 5/07, all rights reserved. No matter what year you were born, there is Dragon energy somewhere in your chart: Rats...have Dragons for kids. It's kind of a clash, because both of you want to be center stage and you compete with each other. This pertains to kids and the first one in particular. Also a second sibling after you. Oxen ...have a Dragon for a mom. She's as vibrant and outgoing as you can be reticient and shy at times. But she represents your foundation, your roots, so you have that in you....you just have to tap in to it. Tigers have siblings as Dragons., and the first one after you in particular. They tend to be in the limelight and grab the attention from mom and dad......but you know how to speak up when you have to.. Cat/Rabbits make money with Dragons. Dragon...you are the Dragon energy. It also represents your mom's dad and dad's mom. You can get into competition with them or they can be overpowering. Snakes...have a step father as a Dragon., or mate's boss can be a Dragon. Good Dragons make a child's world full of fun and wonder. Horse...has a sibling one older that's a Dragon, or friends who are Leos. Those Leos may rule the airwaves, but you like to be the partner in most cases and let them shine. Sheep...has a Dragon father and/or Dragon boss. They often get away from their secretive nature and lose themselves in a role. Monkeys...have ministers, sports coaches and professors who are Dragons. It can be a stressful relationship when the Monkey wants his way, and the Dragon wants to edge his own way into the limelight. All these authority types trying to make the Monkey do things their way can find stiff opposition. Roosters...find their mates have large Dragonian appetites in spending money and it drives them wild. p> Dogs...have Dragons for mates. The Dragon mate can be the alpha one in the relationship. They also have Dragons for Mom's mom and dad's dad.....and 3rd sibling after them and second child. Dogs have a lot of Dragons in their lives. Boars/Pigs...have Dragons for employers .....and stepmothers......'nuf said! ~~~~ In more traditional Chinese Astrology you are told not to marry someone of the opposite sign. But when you overlap the Chinese chart over the western astrology chart, it becomes obvious, since the 7th house represents mate, and the opposite sign is the natural mate, even if in Chinese terms, they shouldn't get together...they do!!! So, Dragon, don't write someone off who's a potential mate, just because they are a Dog, or an Aquarian (which is Dog energy). More often you marry the animal energy that's opposite that at the time of your birth, which is more reflective of your personality; but the Dragon is part of the picture. A person may not be born in that year, but their, month, day or hour animal may be that energy or they can have a lot of planets in that area. After awhile you'll be able to recognize just who represents the energy and who doesn't. In some books, the Dragon isn't attributed to Leo. I was told by someone who knows that the Chinese use the animals as predictors of business and what's in store for the year ahead, they didn't use it for personality types, until those of us in the west were interested in it. So, there are at least 3 different interpretations out there of how to assign the animals to the astrological signs. Since I'm a student of acupuncture, and the 5 element system, and the Time of Day Wheel, I looked at the fact that in the fable, the Rat came first to the Buddha and the rest followed. Western astrology starts with Aries, and when you put the two together from an energy point of view, they come together very well. When you look at the organ of the body and the animal and the monthly astrological sign, it's just to uncanny. So, mine may be different than other books, but it has its foundation in the 5 element system on which acupuncture is based. In the year ahead, you'll find that the area where your Dragon energy is located, is where and whom you'll deal with this year. Sometimes I'll be going too fast on a short interpretation offered and will look at the Year, and say someone was born in the Year of the Dog, let's say, when they were born in early January in the Year of the Rooster. But, this isn't cut and dried. You aren't a Rooster on one day and a Dog the next. People born at that time are shapeshifting into the next sign. So by January the Rooster characteristics are giving way to the Dog; it would be like a Dog with a little look of the Rooster left. This applies to all birthdates at the beginning of the year before the next Chinese New Year takes place. copyright 2003-2012, Pamela Leigh Powers, all rights reserved. For your own personal Chinese Astrology reading for the Year, send $35 plus $5.99 P&H for a half hour cd. If you would like a full reading including western astrology and your year to come, please send $99 + $6.00 P&H for a 90 minute reading on tape or cd, giving a natal interpretation, the year ahead, and how the Chinese Animal totem fits in. Send to Pam Powers at P O Box 2235, Benicia, Ca. 94510-2235. Include complete birthdate - day, month, year, time and place along with areas you'd like to concentrate upon. Pay by Paypal! Go to your PayPal account or set one up; click on Send Money at the top. Indicate total amount (for PayPal $42 for Chinese Astrology reading; $110 for full reading) and send to my email address: acumind@sbcglobal.net - and then email me and send the info! See the Year of the Horse, 2002. See the Year of the Sheep, 2003. See the Year of the Monkey, 2004. See the Year of the Rooster, 2005. See the Year of the Dog, 2006. See the Year of the Boar, 2007. See the Year of the Rat, 2008. See the Year of the Ox, 2009. See the Year of the Tiger, 2010. See the Year of the Cat/Rabbit, 2011