2005 is the Year of the Rooster in Chinese Astrology. The Rooster year starts on February 8th. 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 Rooster, let's say, when they were born in January. But, this isn't cut and dried. You aren't a Monkey on one day and a Rooster the next, on February 8th. People born at that time are shapeshifting into the next sign. So by January the Monkey characteristics are giving way to the Rooster; it would be like a Rooster with a little look of the Monkey left. This applies to all birthdates at the beginning of the year before the next Chinese New Year takes place.

"The Rooster is anxious...always looking over her shoulder to see if danger is coming (we use 'her' for the Rooster, referring to the yin energy of the Kidneys. You may superimpose 'chicken' if need be) That is why Rooster people usually have tight necks.

"The Rooster can't fly very far or very high. It is vulnerable on the ground, so it scurries about, trying to stay out of harm's way...and harm is surely just around the corner, to its way of mind.

"That is why it procrastinates...always putting things off. 'Well, what if this happened?", or 'What if that happened?' The Rooster is always weighing the pros and cons and deciding the worst is probably going to happen, so let's not face it at all. When it gets backed into a corner over some inaction, it goes 'bawk...bawk...bawk,' and flutters its wings and complains about its Fate.

"The Rooster, who is full of energy, gets up at the crack of dawn and 'cock-a-doodle doos' the world awake. It has high energy and gets a lot accomplished. The Rooster seems to be drawn to the media and politics, exposing (and showing the world what's to be feared) the wrongs of the world. But, lots of times, the Rooster is low on chi (energy, life force), and kind of drags around. The energy invested in fear and fretting over what might happen next, can leave it exhausted and it lays around wishing life was more peaceful.

"Sexually, the Rooster can have problems. It wants to be in partnership, it wants a sexual relationship, but sometimes its experiences have been harsh, so it backs away. The Chicken can have fertility problems and is not able to get pregnant easily.

"The Rooster tends to be phobic and can go through periods of time where it must face its basic fears.

"The Kidney is the meridian/organ for the Rooster. It is involved in 'chi', the life-force energy of the body. It relates to sexuality and reproductive functions. It filters the metabolic wastes and secretes urine. The Kidney meridian is concerned with bones and teeth and the knees. In order for the Rooster to be upright and strong, it needs to stay away from the media, which motivates the population thru fear tactics. " ...from "Chinese Power Animals" copyright 2000, Pamela Leigh Powers, all rights reserved.

Just as in the Chinese 5 element system upon which acupuncture is based, each meridian is named after an organ of the body (stomach, spleen, heart, etc.) the Chinese say don't take that literally; yet if the meridian stays out of balance the organ will be affected.

The meridian/organ in the 5 element acupuncture system for which the Rooster is the archetype, is the Kidneys. The kidneys respond to fear vs peace. There is a fear here and a feeling that something bad is just around the corner. Some Roosters are hypervigilant; they read the newspapers, watch the news, always looking around for the next problem. Which is why they often have tight necks, because the Upper Trapesius muscles on the side of the neck are related to the Kidney organ/meridian.

The Rooster's foundation is fear of abandonment and betrayal or completely adored. Mom may have had abandonment issues herself, so she either sends the energy down to the next generation (you) or she goes against it and adores you.....yet there's always a feeling it might all fall apart at any second.

The Rooster's shadow issues revolve around neuroses. Your mate and second child can express this energy to you and show you your shadow issues (which you think you are hiding very well and wonder why they are so obvious about it). The Rooster feels he's come in as defective merchandise and nothing can change that, which is why s/he can get into compulsive cleaning. Even if the Rooster has been raised by his Mom in the most positive of ways and adored by her, there's something inside that says they are a fraud and one day it's all going to be found out.

The Rooster's need to succeed is challenged by a father who may have been distant and remote. Dad may have had heart problems. Some Roosters have a dad who was very loving, but some have been hurt too badly and refuse to get into an emotional relationship again. The ability to succeed in the career depends on the Rooster's ability to be able to be open, vulnerable and trust again and not continue the pattern.

No matter what year you were born, there is Rooster energy somewhere in your chart:

Ox - The Ox has Roosters in his/her life who are priests, professors....or travel agents. They have a fear of traveling unless otherwise encouraged. Priests and those in higher education tend to come from a fear base and leaves the Ox with all sorts of irrational fears. These people can have kidney issues with teeth, bones, fertility and the kidneys themselves.

Tiger - The Tiger has a Rooster in the area of sex, death and taxes. The Tiger can obsess over what might happen next....will they hear from the IRS?.....what is that pain in my back? Am I performing up to his/her expectations? They can also worry about whether they'll get an inheritance or not.

Cat - Cats have Roosters as mates. If the Cat seems to have mastered his/her fear issues, the mate can show him otherwise. It can make the Cat angry to be kept from going out prowling. The Rooster wants it to stay home and be an indoor cat. There can be lots of fights over this.

Dragon - The Dragon has Roosters who work with them in the workplace, or even a boss or employer. They can work in a field which is akin to the kidneys (like kidney dialysis, or dentist, or tv anchor people). The Rooster is always putting the fear of God into the Dragon, and s/he must fight it all the time.

Snake - The Snake chooses Roosters in uncommitted relationships. The Snake's first child can be of Snake energy as well, regardless of his/her chart. They can get along pretty well, as long as the Snake doesn't show its fear of not being perfect.,

Horse - The Horse has a Rooster for a mother. The Horse has a foundation of fear. There may be a few Rooster mothers around who are a peace, but they are in the minority. The Horse must learn to take risks, and go beyond mom's admonitions to stay near.

Sheep - The Sheep communicates with Rooster energy. The Sheep will have Roosters for siblings, and the first one in particular. The Sheep tends to run with the herd anyway, rather than being the maverick and going it alone, so Rooster siblings can manipulate the Sheep quite well with their fear.

Monkey - The Monkey has real issues over money. The Rooster oversees the money area of his life, and he tends to be conservative and not bet, or invest in highly speculative ventures.

Rooster - The Rooster has his Mother's Dad and Dad's Mom as role models. Were these grandparents fearful? Or have they found peace and have passed it along to the Rooster? To get out of fear, the Rooster needs to look at these grandparents and choose not to do what they did.

Dog - The Dog has Roosters as hospital personnel, or enemies. In this case, the enemy is fear. The Dog barks and scares away anyone who is willing to have a relationship because of the fear of abandonment. The Dog needs to trust and open up again.

Boar - The Boar has a Rooster for friends; and they can talk him out of taking action. Which is why the Boar is so morose and depressed; reflecting on what might have been. The Boar needs to find peaceful Roosters. The Boar has a sibling next oldest, who is a Rooster, who can infest him with negative energy if s/he isn't careful.

Rat - The Rat has a Rooster for a Dad and Employer. It is the area of career as well, and the Rat needs to throw off the words of the Rooster father to make a success in life. If drawn to a fearful boss, the Rat needs to move on.

In more traditional Chinese Astrology you are told not to marry someone of the opposite sign, which in this case, is The Cat. But when you overlap the Chinese chart over the western astrology chart, it becomes obvious, since the 7th house represents mate, and The Cat is the seventh animal from the Rooster, that you will be drawn to The Cat.....even if you shouldn't!! So, Rooster, don't write someone off who's a potential mate, just because they aren't a Cat, or a Cancer (which is Cat energy). More often you marry the animal energy that's opposite that at the time of your birth, which is more reflective of your personally; but the Cat 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 the year ahead, you'll find that the area where your Rooster energy is located, is where and whom you'll deal with this year.

copyright 2003-2004-2005, Pamela Leigh Powers