Chinese Astrology Profile by Suzanne White for BRAD PITT 18 December 1963 6:31 AM Shawnee, Oklahoma Calculated for: Standard time, Time Zone 6 hours West Latitude: 35 N 19 38 Longitude: 96 W 55 30 Positions of Sun at birth is 25 deg 52 min of Sagittarius Prepared by Suzanne White Suzanne@Suzannewhite.com 2006 INTRODUCTION Report and Text Copyright 2006 Suzannewhite.com The contents of this report are protected by Copyright law. By purchasing this report you agree to comply with this Copyright. WHAT IS CHINESE ASTROLOGY? Like our own western astrology, Chinese astrology uses twelve different signs or symbols to define twelve basic categories of human being. Similarly to western astrology, the Chinese system uses a person's birth date as the basis for his sign, so in some ways the two systems are alike. Now, let's have a look at how they differ. Our own astrological signs are monthly. Each of our signs has a different heaven-inspired mythological name and corresponds to a period equivalent to a single Sun cycle. If you were born in the Sun cycle period labeled Aquarius, then in western astrological terms you are an Aquarian. Chinese zodiacal signs are yearly. Each Chinese sign has a different animal name and corresponds to a period equivalent to an entire Chinese calendar year. If you were born in a yearlong period which the Chinese label the Dragon Year, then in Chinese astrological terms you are a Dragon. Simple? Yes. Chinese astrology is so simple that you need only know the year of your birth to find out which of the twelve signs is yours. But there is one tricky aspect to consider. The Chinese New Year falls on a different date every year. This holiday can occur as early as mid-January or not until late February. If you were born in either January or February, that is, if you are either Capricorn or Aquarius in western astrology, you need to know whether you were born before or after the Chinese New Year. This interpretation has calculated that information for you. The Chinese animal symbols are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Cat, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. These animals always appear in the same order. Since the beginning of recorded Chinese time, 2637 B.C., the animal sequence has recurred faithfully every twelve years. It always begins with the Rat and ends with the Pig. And to make things even more convenient for us Twentieth-Century Westerners, 1900 was a Rat year. That means that the next Rat year was 1912 and 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984 were all Rat years. Anybody born in any of these years is a Rat. Chinese astrology, in one form or another, was widely used all over the Orient from the fortieth century B.C. It became especially popular between 2953 and 2838 B.C. under the Emperor Fu Hsi and again under Shen Nung, who was born in the twenty-eighth century B.C. The zodiacal system and its philosophies as we know them today were codified by Ta Nao, an able minister of Emperor Huang Ti, born about 2704 B.C. It was made official in 2637 B.C. and was formally inaugurated, as were other historical events, at the sixtieth anniversary of the same popular Emperor Huang Ti's accession to the throne. For forty-six centuries thereafter, this system was used as the national standard and touched on all state affairs in China. People born in Pig years are all somewhat naive and hate to say no; Rats are aggressive and talkative; Dogs loyal and ardent, Snakes altruistic and attractive; Dragons healthy and noisy; Horses independent and pragmatic; Goats dependent and creative and have no sense of time; Oxen slow and eloquent; Tigers rash and magnetic; Cats flee conflict and love tradition; Monkeys are entertaining and give lots of presents; Roosters are resourceful and bossy and adore clothes. YIN AND YANG Yin and Yang are the two main opposite but equal Chinese philosophical forces. The power of Yin is sometimes interpreted as passive, female, docile, receptive and society-oriented. Conversely, the Yang energy is said to be aggressive, male and socially indifferent. To the Chinese, everything in life is either Yin or Yang, and the trick to achieving harmony is knowing how to balance Yin and Yang so they operate in synergy rather than clash. According to Chinese thought, any circumstance in the universe - a rainstorm, a night of love, a child taking its first steps, a wobbly bedstead, a frantic phone call, a dish of steaming pasta, a traffic accident, a dancing bride and groom or a washing-line in the sunlight - is the direct result of an energy balance or imbalance between Yin and Yang. THE FIVE ELEMENTS - WOOD, FIRE, EARTH, METAL, AND WATER To allow for movement to occur and bring about change, Chinese philosophy calls upon the five elements as agents of change and reaction. Change, the Chinese think, derives from the influence of the five main elements - Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water - on the basic Yin or Yang energies. Like in the old rock, paper, scissors game, each of these five Chinese elements has the ability to control and/or destroy the previous element, and is capable of producing the element that directly follows it. In the regenerative cycle of the elements, Water engenders Wood. Wood begets Fire. Fire burns to Earth. Earth creates Metal and Metal gives way to Water. Wood is characterized by the color green. Wood heralds the beginning of life, springtime and buds, sensuality and fecundity. Wood's influence affects the liver, the gallbladder and, by extension, the digestion. Wood needs moisture to thrive. Its two opposite yet equally emotional forces are rage and altruism. The Wood person will be expansive, outgoing and socially conscious. Wood, in its turn, can create and nourish Fire. Fire's signatory color is red. Fire is hot weather, satisfaction of nature, aridity and dust. The tongue and the small intestine are the centers of attention in the Fire person's body. Fire makes heat, which either warms or burns. The Fire person must constantly seek to balance a tendency to explode and possibly destroy, against a desire to create coziness and warmth. Passionate by nature, this impatient, ebullient person must strive to keep his flame under control. Earth is created from the ashes of the Fire. Now we are in the soothingly satisfying late summer cycle. Earth's favorite color is yellow, which represents the equanimity between beginnings and. endings. The weather of Earth is mild or temperate. In the human body, Earth influences spleen, pancreas and mouth. Earth's two opposite but equal forces which need to be kept in constant balance are enhancing and smothering. On the one hand Earth gives care and allows for growth and improvement. On the other, Earth buries roots and snuffs out breath. Earth people are gifted for fairness and have the ability to commit themselves to protracted projects and complete Herculean tasks with ease. They must struggle against a penchant for worry. The Earth grows Metal in her veins. Metal says white and autumn. Metal is cool, crisp weather. Metal's effect on the body centers in the lungs and respiratory system. It only secondarily rules the large intestine and the nose. Metal people like to communicate. They need to keep discord and harmony in constant balance. Metal signifies the onset of winter. Its influence can sometimes add sadness or gloom to an astrological chart. Two of Metal's emotional forces are melancholy and romance. I see Metal as Wagnerian. Metal people must guard against a tendency to wallow in nostalgia. Lastly, Metal begets Water - groundwater trickling its way through layers of the Earth's core. Water's color is blue. Its season is full-blown winter. Water is always moving, fluid, and mutational. In our bodies, water's influence affects our plumbing systems, the kidneys and the bladder. The ear, too, comes under the spell of Water. Hence people born in Water-ruled years are frequently musical. They pick up on everything. Be it good or bad, they never miss a vibe. Water-ruled creatures are always very sensitive and sometimes even mentally fragile. The downside of Water's influence, then, is a stressful nervousness. To balance that fidgety, squeamish, overly sensitive side, Water endows its subjects with the noblest quality of all, kindness and sympathy. Sometimes too permeable, the Water-ruled must take precautions against drowning in the chagrin of those they see as less fortunate than themselves. So, the five elements cause the commotion and are responsible for creating and maintaining both balance and imbalance - for moving things around and making life interesting. These purveyors of change can be controlled or not, depending on how one manages them. Each animal year of the Chinese zodiac has been assigned one of the five elements. The elements each turn up twice in the cycle going away for another ten years. The five elements are always presented in the above order. Once we know this, we can understand how the elements directly affect us and pertain to individual characters. The elements work by governing each animal sign once through the sixty-year "century" You will not come across a Water Horse more than once in sixty years. This fact alone accounts for sixty different basic character or destiny types. Further, when a learned Chinese astrologer draws up a chart for an individual person according to the Chinese astrological system, he takes into consideration the month and the season, the time of day and the type of weather on the day of birth as well as certain astral configurations at the moment of birth. In all, good Chinese astrologers deal with a base of no less than 512,640 different possible personality charts. This means that only two people in a million stand a chance of being born with identical destinies. YOUR CHINESE SIGN VIRTUOUS CAT/RABBIT, NB: In some Asian cultures this fourth sign of the "Chinese" Zodiac is known as Cat. In most cultures however, this sign is called Rabbit. The reasons? Nobody quite knows. We call this sign Cat/Rabbit so that all Asians can identify it. You seek harmony. You are careful and practice discretion in all things. When you sense a conflict coming your way, you deftly skitter off and hide. Distinguished, diplomatic and well mannered, you are also as nervous as a cat. Culture and refinement comfort you. You don't hate money either; you know instinctively how to earn and keep your fortune without flash or flaunt. You favor traditional antique furnishings over chrome and glass contemporary (unless you are the Designer). You're a soft stepping go-getter ... ambitious but never aggressive, strong but never rough. Your brand of wisdom says, "He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day." You are hypersensitive, squeamish, even. You are a bit of a hypochondriac: an innocent hangnail on your left big toe prompts you call an ambulance. Chronic illnesses like migraine, asthma, hay fever, lower back pain, warts, or hives may be an integral part of your life experience. Buy yourself a big house in the country, then fill it with brilliant, well-behaved kids and pets. Choose a partner from among gentle Goats, scrupulous Pigs or loyal Dogs. If you're feeling lavish, remember that Snakes are delighted to languish on Cat/Rabbits' velvet divans. Avoid Tigers, Roosters and Dragons. Their unrelenting panache threatens your tranquil existence. You plan your life to run smoothly, and usually it does. But should spontaneity enter the picture and events go awry, you freak out. The unexpected is not what you expected and you do not love it. Take my advice and lighten up. Not only on yourself but, more especially, on everyone else. THE CAT/RABBIT ID CARD Lasting symbols have special powers. Enhance your self-image. Live surrounded with tangible signs of your own identity. Make these symbols known to your friends and loved ones. Use them often and they will bring you luck, security and a feeling of personal worth. YOUR BEST Your best color is gray, flower is rose, fragrance is Shalimar, tree is poplar, flavor is tangy, musical instrument is piano, birthstone is sapphire, and lucky number is 4. YOUR FAVORITE Your favorite food is fish, animal is squirrel, drink is Bordeaux, spice is pepper, metal is bronze, and herb is tarragon. THE CAT/RABBIT IS YIN. THE MOTTO IS: "I RETREAT." In Pussycat/Bunny mode you are sensitive, tactful, home-loving, refined, prudent, discreet, long-living, ambitious, cultured, well mannered, artistic, considerate, scholarly, suave, graciously hospitable, modest, and unimpeachably virtuous. But rub your fur the wrong way and you can become snobbish, secretive, pedantic, complicated, haughtily indifferent, self-indulgent, hypochondriacal, punctilious, judgmental, self-righteous, deceptive, self-centered, and terminally condescending. Cat/Rabbits are discretion incarnate. You live quietly in refined surroundings, prefer to ask very little of others, and are not keen on entertaining just any old company. You observe the world from a privileged place on the hearth, meticulously scrutinizing your own and others' behavior. No matter how successful or socially respectable you are, you often feel unsure of yourself, worrying about the impression you make, wondering if your gestures and actions are acceptable and decorous enough to pass muster with higher-ups. Although you always claim to be ready to learn new things, you are not a willing changer of addresses. Ideally, you live in a harmonious relationship in a lovely home with close friends and family nearby. Despite your native curiosity and dreams of touring exotic lands, home is still the best place for you. You feel safe and secure, comfortable and cozy in your own nest and would prefer never to spend so much as a night elsewhere. Nothing gets under your sensitive skin more irritatingly than disorder. You are fastidious about structure. You hate chaos, deplore anarchy and refuse to have anything much to do with liberals. Although you might claim to adhere to the principles and espouse some of the more humane aspects of liberalism, you are sternly traditional. You don't see any better way to run the world than to maintain a rigid social structure, even at the cost of justice and, if necessary, under the yoke of a mild tyranny. Therefore, you possess an odd combination of conflicted characteristics. You sincerely believe in justice, yet you are mostly unwilling to stick out your delicate neck to make certain that it gets done. You will speak at length about your pet theories and share your rigid opinions on many issues, but when it comes to defending them, debating openly, or standing up for issues you claim to hold dear, you prefer to disappear. You cling to old-fashioned tenets and are virtually cemented in your ways. You feel that dissension should be kept out of life altogether, preferring to ignore discord and pretend that violence never existed. You tend to read books that don't upset or frighten you, and you rigorously avoid seeing disturbing movies or TV shows and steer a wide berth around truth-revealing confrontations. You will rarely beat a path to the scene of an accident. And you often seek refuge from reality. You are a bit timid or afraid of your own shadow and do not want to live in ordeal with tumult or upheaval. You also hate tardiness and have no patience with procrastination. For the Cat/Rabbit, all aspects of life should be clear-cut, well thought-out, on schedule, and up front. If you had your way, all human beings would be preordained by birth, social status, and degree of civilization to fit neatly into "life slots," do their respective jobs well, marry, procreate, die and get buried in the local churchyard. Messiness and confusion are your worst enemies, but should you encounter either, you roll up your sleeves and dive in to put things to rights. You will take charge of removing mold from the fridge, untangling three hundred feet of garden hose, or clearing weeds out of a vegetable patch in a trice. You so dislike anything that you feel is opposed to the natural order that you often jump self-righteously at the chance to make order out of chaos. Some call it meddling. Cat/Rabbit people are masters of self-pity. Your experiences are always more traumatic and your family history more tragic than other people's. Cat/Rabbits worry about being perfect: you always strive to be liked, to be acceptable company and to do the right thing. You need to appear virtuous in the eyes of others. Yet you don't always manage to maintain your virtue. Failure at remaining virtuous irks you and skews your judgment. It's logical: you need to be considered wonderful by others and you know that you are not always able to be perfectly wonderful. Rather than admit failure to yourself, you may well prefer to imply that others are flawed, which allows you to rise once again in your own estimation. You can be proud of your relative honesty. In your quest for nice-guy status, you make every effort to be trustworthy. Where money and deals are concerned, you can be as wide open as Montana or as secretive as a tomb, depending on what the situation calls for. You are gifted for omitting items of information which might elicit discord or cause discomfort. Not only do Cat/Rabbits bob, weave and dodge direct collisions, you also retreat. You stealthily back out of what others might naively consider done deals. "Diplomatic" is another way of saying that you know instinctively how to keep the peace. Pedantry is another little Cat/Rabbit fault. You would like to be considered intellectual. You read voraciously and spend much of your time cultivating your mind. You may even gain an encyclopedic knowledge of a variety of subjects. In conversation, you can take over and hold forth. When you decide to wax eloquent, you can forget about your reputation for modesty and prudence. You detest being contradicted. If anyone dares interrupt, you won't shush them or order them to let you finish. Instead you filibuster. You talk right through their protestations, out-shout them, and hold the floor so tightly that they cannot get a paw in edgewise. Despite your general affability and air of constant goodwill, you are not really relaxed. There is nothing easygoing about you. You are indeed a mite petty, standoffish, snobbish, bourgeois and maniacal about details. You are also sentimental and even slightly maudlin. You cry at the drop of an onion. You are forever "shuddering to think" of one icky thing or another. Yet, oddly, you are as fascinated as you are horrified by the gruesome bits of human interest stories. Sometimes we wonder if you don't revel in sorrow. You seek out melodrama. You tell all your second-hand sadness stories and regale people with the goriest of woeful events because as long as they aren't happening under your nose, you feel both safe and a tiny bit naughty. However, this fascination with other people's dire circumstances can be a dangerous game for Cat/Rabbits. First of all, it's gossipy. But secondly, and more dangerously, your preoccupation with doom, gloom, hopelessness and misfortune can undermine whatever intestinal fortitude you ever had. All Cat/Rabbits should beware of this tendency because it threatens to diminish your image in the eyes of those who you think count. You are squeamish and shy of contact with the seamy side of life. To protect yourself from sleaze, you will take refuge in your cozy, luxurious, safe home life. Great wars or famines may occur, yet you will show only a mild interest, tutting and wiggling your whiskers in disgust. You claim to be "upset" about the Ethiopian famine or the Mexican earthquake. You may even be truly moved. But you will never be on the rescue team. You prefer to stay out of the fray. You feel it is your duty or mission to maintain decorum and social respectability. Think of Queen Victoria, a Cat/Rabbit if ever there was one. She practically invented etiquette. Generations have been touched by her idea of good form. You not only like to think you know how to behave, but you also work hard at demonstrating good taste. Your discriminating interior decoration alone denotes your penchant for favoring refinement and tradition above all else. Cat/Rabbits invariably choose to live in gracious, well-decorated surroundings. Your furniture is usually traditional. The colors you choose are neutral: beiges, grays and subtle or natural shades. If your budget allows, you will opt for high ceilings, carved moldings, heavily curtained French windows and elegant oriental carpets. If not, you may settle for the inclusion of one gorgeous antique highlighted against a sober, modern backdrop. Your wardrobe is sedate. You enjoy the feel of luxurious cashmere but will rarely be caught in a bright yellow or fuchsia sweater. Buff, bone colors, russet, and sometimes navy blue accessorized by plain-cut shoes of finest leather mark your style. Finally, you are the aristocrat of the Chinese zodiac. You are content to live in ease outside the swarm, direct operations from the wings, give orders to underlings, delegate authority, and maintain an honored social position. You are bright, charming, witty and friendly. People enjoy your company and admire your polished manner and dignified lifestyle. You will never be a street fighter, but you uphold very definite ideals. You will do almost anything to keep your distance from personal conflict, bloodshed, social unrest and skirt all potential clashes. You are determined to protect your comfort. You are a pleasant, well-bred person devoted to self-preservation. Your definitely won't willingly sign up to be on the front lines with Doctors without Borders. To ensure the survival of your snug way of life or keep your psyche's integrity intact, you are capable of elaborate subterfuge. This underhanded behavior can range from ignoring pleading letters to phone tapping and blackmail. Obviously, cornered Cat/Rabbits, apprehensive of confrontation and fearful about aggression are capable of abysmal self-delusion and many times live a whole lifetime in denial. CAT/RABBIT HEALTH Cat/Rabbits are conscientious hypochondriacs. When the doctor or practitioner advises you to avoid certain foods, you heed the advice. You are capable of great personal discipline and will go to any lengths to preserve your physique. You also care about the prevention of illness and will spend much time and no end of money trying out herbal remedies, swallowing handfuls of mineral supplements, and dropping kilos of vitamin preparations. You always have yourself vaccinated against whatever's going around, ingest endless remedies, and drink all manner of biological concoctions in hopes of improving your resistance to disease. You spend more time thinking and worrying about your health than other people. You are forever wincing about a bad back, a pain in your shoulder, a trick knee, a migraine, a recurrent ache in your upper right chest or a burning in your esophagus. Poor Cat/Rabbit! You are just about never symptom-free. Also, for the purpose of combating ill health, you are frequently dieting. Any regimen will do. You may stop eating salad in favor of boiled meats. You can become vegetarian, refuse to eat eggs, and scorn dairy products. Fact is, one never knows what you will get up to next in your dietary restrictions, but it is certain that you maintain some taboos. As a result of this quest for better health, you are easily influenced by quacks, faddish medications, purge cures or weirdo exercise programs. In your own best interest you might want to consult a psychologist or two as well. You will probably live quite a long life. It is true that you are often ailing and frequently indisposed, but perhaps because of a habit of discomfort, you are able to recover from illness and get back to your routine after a short rest. Not only are you cautious and circumspect about your health, but you are endowed with basic good health at birth. As you grow older, your tension diminishes and, with it, your squeamishness. Elderly Cat/Rabbits are usually jollier and less persnickety than younger ones. Your weak spot is your digestion. Because you are susceptible to emotional strain, your digestive tract reacts strongly. Any disturbance or hitch in the harmony of your life may cause your digestion to go on strike. You suffer loss of appetite, gas pain, nervous constipation, muscular contractions and sometimes diarrhea. Relieve the tension, take the pressure off, and your resilient digestive system smoothes out... until the next time. For your own peace of mind, unless you are diagnosed as having a serious, irreversible illness, you should avoid racing off in seventeen directions at once to seek different medical treatments. Instead, because you lead a quiet, organized life and don't mind following instructions, you might do well to avail yourself of homeopathic remedies. Remembering to take small exact doses of your homeopathic granules and drops several times a day doesn't confuse you. This form of discipline appeals to your sense of order and gives you the impression that you are actually doing something about your symptoms. Your interest in eating the 'right' foods will help you to avoid many complaints. If you are wise, you will never become a complete vegetarian. Your nervous intestine doesn't have an easy time digesting crunchy salads, raw or half-cooked vegetables and fruits. Starch, fats and barbecued meats are also hard to digest and you should avoid them. You are always better off on a diet of citrus fruit, grapes, cereals, wheat germ, eggs and fresh milk. You should avoid foods with a high fermentation rate such as vinegar, yeast products and brewed drinks. You can add some meat and fish to your diet and remember to cook vegetables well and poach fruit. This way, you will enjoy a well-balanced food intake that won't make you miserable for hours after a meal. Yogurt is another must in your diet: its antibiotic properties will protect you from bacterial infection. Despite nervous constipation, you are advised never to overdose on cellulose or bran. Better you should ingest yogurt, a few prunes, grape juice and chicory tea along with your daily food intake. Mineral oil, 2 teaspoons per day, might help as well. Above all, you ought to drink at least 2 quarts of water daily. Between puberty and menopause, Cat/Rabbit women may suffer from gynecological problems. In middle age, the dysmenorrhea, cramps, bad moods and sieges of hypersensitivity and tears will decrease and then cease. It is often said in Chinese astrology that the Cat/Rabbit woman suffers from a faulty endocrine system. Her doctor should routinely monitor the performance of all hormonal aspects of her health. If you are not checked, metabolic problems, slow digestion and weight gain after the age of forty-five can contribute to depression in later life. You must learn to pace yourself. As a perfectionist, you have a tendency to attack a job and persevere right on through till it's done. This approach is positively dangerous for your psyche. Your nervous system is fragile. From an early age, you should make peace with your basic need for harmony. You are not gifted for either war or strife. Forcing yourself to live or work in stressful situations will not only shorten your life, but will make it perfectly miserable. Unless you must travel there for work or entertainment, you should stay clear of noisy, big cities. A quiet country home where you evolve with the rhythms of nature, keep a few pets, and adhere to a strict routine would be ideal. CAT/RABBIT COMPATIBILITIES Cat/Rabbit with Rat This game of Cat/Rabbit and Mouse is one I would resist playing. Although both you and the Rat have some similar traits, you are not very compatible. Both have strong needs for a home. One might imagine you rummaging through catalogs together or co-choosing wallpaper for your new kitchen. But unfortunately, you and the Rat disagree on just about everything else. In conflict, you will forever elude each other: neither of you is prepared to make concessions or take steps towards reconciliation. You will be hissing and the Rat sulking. This testy relationship grows pickier and pettier by the day. However dissonant a chord you strike, once joined, it will be hard for you to separate. You both cling to security. Divorce would lead both of you into the unknown. As you find the familiar reassuring, you would probably prefer to be mildly satisfied together than partnerless. Sexually, you tend to be excited by sadomasochistic games, tearing out each other's hair in the midst of a passionate embrace. In time such practices will lead to a sexually destructive relationship. Prolonged commitment is unadvisable. Cat/Rabbit with Ox Cozy. Nestled against a solid-as-a-rock Ox, you will have plenty to smile about. The Ox provides security, allowing you to spend time on creative and life-enhancing activities without having to fret over money. In return, endowed with natural refinement, you provide your coarser counterpart with much-needed class. You can easily manage the Ox's bossiness by opting out of conflict. Quiet and submissive, you are happy to take a back seat and let the Bull bully, safe in the presence of a strong, forceful mate. To show gratitude, you lavish love and respect on the stolid old Ox. Of course, the self-sacrificing Ox finds excessive displays of affection difficult to endure and may shun gestures of tenderness or poke fun at you. But pay no mind. Keep snuggling. Oxen can get used to intimacy but one must be persistent. With luck and time, you will thaw the Ox's icy resistance and maybe even teach him a love trick or two. Cat/Rabbit with Tiger A style clash. The two of you might very possibly enter into a so-called "marriage of convenience," but underneath roils a mute tension that screams, "Get me outta here!" With a Tiger/Cat/Rabbit union, it's the Tiger who's doing the silent shrieking. What then? The Cat/Rabbit usually has the money, and you Tiger, who possibly even married the Cat/Rabbit for the loot, are busy having a nervous breakdown. You live for change and victory. Cat/Rabbits dream only of peace and quiet. Get the picture? No common ground. Trying to outwit each other, you felines stealthily compete for the household throne. Tiger goes at it with typical self-serving vengeance. The Cat/Rabbit skulks around the house seeking opportunities to entrap Tiger. Imagine, two wily cats under the same roof. You may tolerate each other; but the rhythms are off. And... an occasional playful interlude can degenerate into a clawing, hissing brawl. Cat/Rabbits require security and build their nests with refinement and taste. A Tiger might enjoy sharing these surroundings but, unlike the Cat/Rabbit, Tigers crave change and favor a more Bohemian lifestyle. So much does the Tiger long for freedom that he or she might even be tempted to grab some of the Cat/Rabbit's dough and dash off to the Amazon, leaving only a deep skid mark outside the Swiss bank. Even in bed, the two of you are not apt to be compatible. Tigers are aggressive, possessing such a raw, frank, pushy sexuality that the Cat/Rabbit's sensitive sensuality may be overwhelmed. The Cat requires a coaxing, seductive, slow-moving lover, and the Tiger (with characteristic impetuousness)is ill-suited to satisfy these needs. I see the Cat/Rabbit-Tiger match as either an intense summer romance, or a long-lived "loving friendship" wherein you get together in bed once in a blue moon for old times' sake. Marriage? Only if the Cat has a private income and protects it from the Tiger's spendthrift clutches. Cat/Rabbit with Cat/Rabbit As long as you have loads of money, two Cat/Rabbits can adore each other. Both need material comfort and love order. You are not deliriously reproductive: kids mess up the house, sometimes break the porcelain vases and are disruptive, inconvenient and expensive. Mr. and Ms. Cat/Rabbit are mutually cautious about cash. However, you usually live lavishly. You collect cruise brochures and set up trips to the safest, most luxurious zones of the globe. Switzerland, New Zealand, or an Arizona Golf Course will do nicely. No jungle dangers, inter-racial conflicts or down and dirty funk, thank you very much. The Cat/Rabbit couple's idea of fun at home is to snuggle in duvets on a bed strewn with books about home decorating and gardening. You love to be pampered and may invite the chiropodist, hairdresser, masseur, and yoga teacher to service you at home. Cat/Rabbits demand such perfection and find fault in so many areas that no one (least of all each other) ever measures up. Reciprocal nitpicking is usually at the center of any dissonance between you. You do, however, make a cozy pair. So long as you have sufficient means at your disposal, you can be a generally happy (and even sexy) couple. Cat/Rabbit with Dragon The flamboyant Dragon's exaggerated pizzazz does not suit your need for discretion. The fire-breathing monster goes about wowing crowds with his or her pyrotechnic displays while you sit by disdainfully. You find all grandiose public exhibits absurd. You would much rather stay at home and polish the silver coffee urn. Although a Cat/Rabbit/Dragon marriage usually proves unfulfilling, there can be a positive aspect to this duo: a wise Dragon sometimes chooses you as a gentle, sensible savior. With much patience and forbearance on your part, your marriage might work. Unfortunately, the gentle consideration you lend to your tempestuous Dragon partner can never really be reciprocated. The Dragon needs to be in the limelight, lead a gregarious life, rush about and curry ovation. You, the domesticated Cat, are often left at home tending the household. Overly sensitive to the Dragon's indifference, you sit alone by the fire, doing a slow burn. Cat/Rabbit with Snake The intuitive Snake finds your philosophical persona interesting and vice versa. The two of you can rely on your mutual innate wisdom to steer around difficulties. The spendthrift Snake makes weekly shopping appointments with salespeople at Cartier and Dior. This upsets you, the careful, tradition-bound Cat/Rabbit, and you don't approve of the Snake's penchant for spendthrift extravagance. Conflicts are easily resolved if you are allowed to be in charge of the treasury. However, unless you learn to understand the Snake's desperate need for the grandest accessories and surroundings, a powerful python partner may become a listless garden Snake or a hostile reptile. You can usually resolve your differences, whiling away an evening over a bottle of Snake's expensive wine. As a couple, your two ooze charm. You make excellent guests and can expect invitations to all the best parties. In, public, you fear the Snake's incessant flirtations and find his or her open, raw sexuality difficult to deal with. But the Snake has irresistible ways with you. Both of you are potential psychics: if all else fails, you can always become traveling soothsayers. Cat/Rabbit with Horse The very name of this union is catastrophe. You are sedate, laid back and reserved. Horses are pushy, antagonistic and outspoken. Clashes in everything from decorating style to sexual frequency will stand in the way of happiness. Although both of you are devoted to pragmatism, each has a different way of dealing with material issues. You are cautious, even tightfisted with money. Horses flaunt wealth openly and try to impress with generosity. No meeting of minds ever occurs on this touchy subject. You are not much on public display. Horses love to show off. You like quiet, traditional surroundings. Horses adore bold fantasy settings. You want to stay at home listening to Brahms. The Horse wants to get up and boogie at the best disco in the funkiest section of town. Hard work is the Horse's religion. You seek ways to live and work in luxury without disturbing one immaculately coiffed hair. Does this sound like a harmonious pair? Hardly. Moreover, in sexual settings, you need soft music, satin sheets and filmy negligees, while the Horse prefers a no-nonsense loft bed sans pajamas and plenty of loud marching music to reach ever-greater heights of fancy sexual athletics. Cat/Rabbit with Goat Although initially you may seem ill suited, the two of you can undoubtedly develop a solid love relationship. You and the Goat are complementary. You provide the dependent, creative Goat with just the right amount of down-home security, and the hypersensitive, capricious and creative Goat amuses and keeps you interested. You are serious and steady. Goats hardly ever follow the rules. Although normally disconcerted by such nonchalance, you find it disarming in a love partner. The Goat respects your sound judgment and takes solace in your ability to cope in a routine fashion. The Goat's capacity for total surrender in love situations melts your sexually resistant little heart. The goat's romantic life is dense with passion. Tenderness and marathon caressing sessions are the order of the day. The fewer children you have, the better. The Goat requires so much personal attention and psychic maintenance that a brood of children who distract you might make the Goat cranky and jealous. Cat/Rabbit with Monkey The two of you are intellectually well matched. You both enjoy being in cultural venues, seeking out new exhibitions or museums, and learning about subjects of particular interest to one or both of you. The meeting of two like minds can be the basis of a lifetime of wedded harmony. Emotionally, however, there will be snags. You hate change and do not enjoy surprises. Discretion, for you, is nine-tenths of the law. Monkeys live for change, enjoy leaping about from place to place, and adore being in the limelight, amusing cronies and carrying on in public. Moreover, you take yourself very seriously. Not too many jokes allowed. Monkeys make fun of everything (including mates) and think of the world as a giant silliness. The success and longevity of this relationship depends on the degree of passion the two of you can extract from your intensely cerebral friendship. Neither of you lends much belief to the idea of syrupy romance, keeping your respective cynical distances from all "sentimental" notions. You may require a push from an outside source (e.g. Dicey love triangle, savvy therapist, good friend etc) to accept and surrender to the natural human impulse to love and be loved, no matter what! Cat/Rabbit with Rooster The two of you should think twice before taking the lifelong plunge into matrimony. The sex is mediocre at best. Although you are initially attracted by the haughty Rooster's natural nobility and aura of reserve, you may be misinterpreting the Rooster's real methods and motives. Basically, Roosters want to be free to roam and race about following a peripatetic roller-coaster existence. You like to stay at home, work long and hard at quiet jobs, get and stay rich. Lifestyle would quickly become a problem for this pair. With your individual approaches being so very different, who, I ask you, would take out the garbage? Certainly not you, the refined Cat/Rabbit, who is too busy reading philosophical tomes and decorating magazines whilst seated on a Louis XV chaise longue. As for the Rooster, he or she is hardly ever home long enough to create either garbage or babies. Nothing prevents you from earning money, as you are both hardworking, serious types. If the two of you have the means to hire help for the baser human chores, you may be able to establish a solid, functional family life. But be rich first. Get married later. Cat/Rabbit with Dog In Chinese astrology, You and the Dog traditionally get on with each other. Although sexual intimacy is not the most salient point of contact here, companionship is. Everybody knows how important company is to dogs, and you like to be safe and well housed too. The two of you can experience profound mutual affection and respect for each other's opinions and aesthetic choices. Both you and the Dog have a marked tendency to mood swings. Both are critical and easily discouraged by the realities of everyday life and its various injustices. Although Dogs are more pessimistic, you can be testy and crotchety when the chips are down. The success of your relationship will be based largely on your mutual mistrust of human nature. Your shared cynicism is your consolation for putting up with an imperfect world. Both of you are dutiful and unafraid of working hard. Money should not be an issue. Mutual participation in professional projects will lend strength to your union. The Dog's spontaneous expressions of tongue-lapping affection might get on your taut nerves. But one thing is for sure: you can depend on the Dog's loyalty which, in your cautious Cat/Rabbit heart, counts for a lot. Cat/Rabbit with Pig Here's a pair tailor-made for successfully carving out a bucolic country life together. Both of you love nature and thrive in rural, bourgeois opulence. You both covet ownership of the finer things in life. With time, you and the Pig can expect to lead a civilized, charming life together in peace and tenderness, without suffering want or lack of mutual respect. You, of course, have an artistic side, and will be the one to maintain decorum, keep neat flowerbeds and establish house rules. The Pig, an earthier character given to rustic manners and relaxed, even sloppy habits, will appreciate your attempt at forging a pristine existence for him or her. You are both malleable enough to accept the other's shortcomings and honor each other's needs. Piggy is lavishly sexual. You are not. Piggy is rampantly erotic. You are borderline prudish. At first, there may be some misunderstanding in this area, but in the long run, the Pig's sensuality and open-mindedness about sex will break down your hesitancy, and a good old sexual partnership can be established for life. CAT/RABBIT FUTURES What the Cat/Rabbit should expect from the twelve Chinese animal years: 2006, 2018 The Dog Year Here, oddly enough, is a crisp, clear year in which you might thrive without too much interference from the powers that be. Trouble is, you doesn't always know it. The political atmosphere in Dog years is usually quite liberal. Personal causes and plans for social change fill the air. You sense that your conservative privileges might be in jeopardy. You don't like that feeling one bit and may suffer from a bad case of nerves. You should, however, invest now and believe in the future, leaving your unfounded fears to fend for themselves. 2007, 2019 The Pig Year Here comes your year of plenty! You should make out swimmingly in Pig years. There are plenty of opportunities for improving your lifestyle in such generous times. And we all know by now that there is nothing you like more than a little extra comfort. Go ahead, buy that Persian carpet you've been eyeing for a couple of months. If you play your cards right, you may be able to start attending art auctions again soon. Pleasure arrives this year in the form of a romantic interest custom-designed to fit your choosy tastes. You'll want to watch your diet, as newfound wealth and love always excite your gourmet food centers. Your fragile cardiovascular system could suffer an accident. You know how you hate surprises. 2008, 2020 The Rat Year Poor Kitty/Bunny, you are never quite able to let down your guard in Rat years. The old Rat lies in wait, rubbing his paws and hankering for a little revenge against your entire species. Watch out for disloyalty among your peers, especially the Rats with whom you live or work. Invest your money wisely but don't take any chances or listen to the advice of people who claim to have inside information. You may be setting yourself up for a fall. Your best bet this year would be to purchase a building where you can set up and recoup all the losses you may have to face during these infernal Rat years. 2009, 2021 The Ox Year The Ox year heralds twelve months of heaving shoulders to wheels and (ouch!) placing the nose directly on that old grindstone. There is nothing relaxed about the Ox, who runs a tight ship, demands enormous quantities of heavy, sometimes dirty work from his subjects, and gives no quarter to layabouts. You are not comfortable in this ponderous peasant atmosphere. You are impatient with louts and deplore the oafish Ox's very manner. If you visit the country, it's to ride with the hounds, not to work in those muddy old fields! It will take patience for you to squeak through this year. Make no major decisions now. Keep your eyes firmly on the future. 2010, 2022 The Tiger Year The upheavals and changes afoot may disconcert you this year. You are flexible. and can learn how to shift your viewpoint. More important, you can change. The Tiger's influence advocates many modifications in your life. Don't go getting spooked now. You can adapt and manage quite well in turbulence, but you've had a couple of testy years and must regain confidence in yourself. In the first part of this year, lie back, lick your wounds and wait for developments. Someone begs for your involvement. Examine the issues carefully, as is your wont. Then, take off in the direction of the cash flow. Voila! You're back on your little cat paws now, aren't you? Take a sentimental journey at the year's end. Travel back to a home town, relive a honeymoon or visit an ageing relative who can tell you stories about your childhood. 2011, 2023 The Cat/Rabbit Year Finally! Your very own year. Now look, Kitty Kat/Bunny Rabbit, you have been awarded this year of grace in which to plan your future wisely. Don't blow it by deciding to bask in the sunshine that you will feel on your tired back all year. Do not neglect your investments. Someone in the background may be watching, waiting for you to be distracted so he or she can fiddle your accounts. In general, this is a good year for you. Your fortunes are on the rise. You will win at cards and other gambling games. But your emotional picture is not yet crystal clear. Perhaps it needs refocusing. Go away together with your partner and talk things through. Yes. There may be some conflict. Face it and you will be the winner. 2012, 2024 The Dragon Year This flamboyant year doesn't do much for you. What you want is a bit of peace and quiet, but unfortunately, this year brings neither peace nor quiet. Dragon years are all noise and festivity. A variety of explosive events occur, happy and unhappy. Poor people grow suddenly rich and vice-versa. Your best bet this year is to try to remain indifferent to the brouhaha and lean over backwards to stay clear of the fray. Commotion freaks you out. Stay close to your family. Hug the hearth. Live hidden, live happy. 2013, 2025 The Snake Year You are smack bang in your element this year. Snakes don't get in your way much, except where jealousies are concerned. Take the opportunity this year to catch up on your reading. Learn to meditate and interest yourself in philosophy. Some of your closest friends and family members may get off the track this year. Try to stay out of the crossfire. Indulge in your little sins and, please . . . don't let other people's remarks or actions hurt your susceptible feelings. If you manage to remain above it all, you will have a very prosperous year. 2014, 2026 The Horse Year You will note a sharp increase in energy and productivity this year. Shortcuts won't work. You will need to dig into your bag of tricks to stay clear of the heat of the roaring fire that somebody seems to have started under the human race. Why is everyone dashing about building and speechifying, turning the world upside down? For what? Horses need to work. They don't care where the fall-out from their diligence lands. If you just happen to be sitting sedately in your garden when the busy Horse charges through your petunias pulling a giant work vehicle or driving a half track, don't be tempted to intervene. Let him murder your flowerbeds and trundle on out of there. Then sue him. Horse years frighten people in China. Things always get out of hand. You hate messes, so stay at home, weave a basket, or re-read all of Shakespeare. 2015, 2027 The Goat Year This will be a tranquil year for you. If anything, you may experience a few minor fiscal disappointments, but finances aside, you'll be a happy camper. Enjoy the pleasures of culture in this creative year. The Goat is the most wholly fanciful of signs. His laid-back, dreamy attitudes won't upset your serenity. Should anything negative come along to cloud the weather in a Goat year, it may be coming from you. Cat/Rabbits, it seems, find a willing ear and shoulder to cry on with gentle Goats. You must beware not to cry victim too many times, pouring out endless sob stories and begging for compassion. Oh yes, the Goat will be sympathetic. He may even be moved to cry along with you. But don't be fooled. This is not the magic year in which you will suddenly be rescued from yourself. That can happen only if you stop listening so avidly to your own tales of woe. Perk up your social life. Find yourself a Goat lover. You're sexiest when handled by a gentle lover. 2016, 2028 The Monkey Year Cat/Rabbits have great resilience. Providing you are not expecting too much, you might survive these uncertain times. However, be forewarned! Monkeys lend a don't-give-a-damn, carefree spirit to the years they govern. Things may even wax revolutionary. It can get very hot and noisy in populated areas during Monkey years. Such an explosive ambience is hardly designed to lend a feeling of security to your nervous daily life. Hold back on investments. Don't take risks. Stay clear of the barricades. Go and hide out in the country, draw the blinds and write a book about one of your favorite subjects such as social injustice or internecine war. 2005, 2017 The Rooster Year This thrift-conscious year is not much fun for you. You love luxury. You often meet with reversals of fortune in Rooster years. Unexpected expenses may crop up for family or tax reasons and catch you by surprise. There is nothing you hate worse than being caught short of cash in an emergency situation. You will worry about the world, too. If you let it get to you, the constant turmoil and strife may bog you down. Stay away from newspapers. Don't watch the news on TV. Above all, keep a cool head and don't panic because your bank balance is getting low. Next year looks a smidgeon better. Save on luxuries. Hand-wash those cashmeres. YOUR CHINESE SIGN AND ELEMENTS In Chinese Astrology, there are five elements: Wood Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. Each governs an animal sign once throughout the sixty-year Chinese "century". There are therefore sixty different basic character types in Chinese Astrology. You were born in the year of ... THE WATER CAT/RABBIT 1483 Martin Luther 1842 Henry James, Edvard Grieg 1903 Dr. Benjamin Spock, James Beard, Bob Hope, Bruno Bettelheim, Vladimir Horowitz, Cecil Beaton, Cary Grant, George Balanchine, John Dillinger, Edgar Bergen, Malcolm Muggeridge, Vicente Minelli, Anais Nin, Raymond Queneau, Lawrence Welk, Bix Biederbecke, Eliot Ness, Fernandel, James Beard, Clyde Beatty, Lou Gehrig, Al Hirschfeld, Jeanette MacDonald, George Orwell, Claudette Colbert, Evelyn Waugh, Sam Spiegel, Erskine Caldwell, Ray Bolger, Peter Arno 1963 Tatum O' Neal, Nicolas Cage, Seal, Michael Jordan, Quentin Tarantino, Vanessa Williams, Gary Kasparov, Conan O'Brien, Johnny Depp, Helen Hunt, George Michael, Coolio, Tori Amos, Whitney Houston, Brian Boitano, Jennifer Beals, Brad Pitt, Jeff Bezos, Bridget Fonda, Laura Linney The Water Cat/Rabbit is a more "female" sort than most other Cat/Rabbits. Your sense of taste and love of refinement for its own sake are exaggerated by the gentling water's influence. You are also more squeamish than other Cat/Rabbits and will shy and turn your head away from all physical illness, disability, and emotional or mental instability. You cannot tolerate the sight of blood and indeed nearly pass out at the idea of an injection. You live solely for security. Despite an endearing penchant for taking up with the odd weirdo or dating a nutty art student or fancy dancer, you don't conceive of yourself as departing from the norm to live any type of Bohemian or even freelance life. Not only do you like to make money; you require luxury to survive. You cannot bear squalor. You prefer to control and discipline your food intake carefully, and must have the right bath and toilet facilities complete with all the properly appointed cupboards and shelves to keep your finery safely housed. Without a well established plan and a rigorous infrastructure, you begin to be afraid. Order comforts you. You fear everything from poverty to your own idleness. You work at maintaining clarity and a rational point of view because underneath the surface, you are afraid of losing your way, and perhaps even your mind. True love often escapes your clutches too. You fall in love easily and are enthralled by romance. Yet you won't fight for your rightful position in relationships, you rarely speak of your innermost feelings, and you keep your own counsel when confronted by the threat of conflict. Your dream love is so idealized and vague that you often make grave errors. When seeking a mate, you lean toward choosing weaker types who ultimately exasperate you with their dependency. You are something of a daydreamer. Aloof and seemingly above it all, you frequently abide in a dream kingdom where you are master and monarch of the entire realm. You long for excitement but don't dare indulge in adventure. You imagine being brave enough to escape the drudgery of a nine-to-five lifestyle. You would love to be a spy, an international journalist or a philosopher, but underneath those daydreams you prefer the safety of material gain to the danger and adventure of passionate or romantic endeavor. You want a showplace for a home. If you can, you spend much time in elegant rooms surrounded by collections of antiques, first edition books, and classical music. You read voraciously, care little for gourmet foods, but drink only the best wines (in moderation) while pondering your next coup on the stock market. You are attracted by all that is ethereal and vaporous, yet you will always remain attached to creature comforts. Charming and amiable, you have many acquaintances and few real friends. You are known for your rare intellect. You are usually highly educated and would like to be thought of as both cultured and wise. You often cultivate people for their social worth and are attracted to people you feel come from the "right" families. You have a tendency to exploit artistic or marginal acquaintances, living vicariously through them rather than risking a life outside the system. You are a great conversationalist and raconteur. You are well respected in your work because you are undaunted by decision making and can outmaneuver practically anyone. You are a terrific strategist and a keen plotter of schemes for getting ahead. You seek a lucrative career and, due to your guile and caution, almost always live to a staid old age in the very lap of elegance and plenty. Chinese Signs for Men Males and Females behave differently. Below is the gender specific description of your Chinese sign: MALE CAT/RABBIT You would make an unlikely hippy. Little matter how artsy or bohemian you may appear, you always maintain a sedate image. You do have a casual style of gesturing, sitting and standing, which could be interpreted as effete, sedate, patrician, aristocratic or, at the very least, supremely gentlemanly. Your voice is unusually mellow and you have an innate ability to use it to good effect for speaking, singing or elocution. Your mouth tends to be small, your lips thin. Your eyes are bright with intelligence and curiosity. You are slender, lithe and move well. Your joints are supple and you walk briskly. You are a nimble creature whose gift for dancing is undeniable. Before the age of forty, your muscles are firm and your limbs sinewy. Because you are so rigidly non-athletic, middle age sometimes slows you down and allows an ugly spread to thicken your midsection. Naturally, the tone in your muscles tends to slacken with the passage of time. If you do go to fat in middle age, you will more closely resemble a potbellied professor than a manual laborer with a paunch. In company, public places or at work, you are always careful about your demeanor. You want to fit in, not stand out. You are easily put off by sloppiness in others and will often snap-judge new people on the basis of their looks and bearing. You like to choose your friends among those who have "made it," you prefer to live only at the "best" addresses, and you try to remain a cut above what you consider "the common people." At times, your policy of exclusion is a form of unfortunate snobbery. You adore your independence. You often choose to run your own enterprise or have only one partner. You don't care to work in crowded places and are not relaxed about sharing professional quarters with people you deem your social inferiors. A solo operation suits your snobbishness and fits your character well. As your main aims in life are financial and mental security, a good home, and a harmonious lifestyle, it behooves you to play it safe. Stay away from jobs that require daring feats of individual creativity and/or long periods of relative poverty before reaching success. You are well suited to professions requiring method and punctiliousness. Some even accuse you of being a nitpicking fusspot whose over-developed sense of precision is enough to drive normal(sloppier) folk to drink. You make an excellent accountant, businessman, pharmacist, paramedic, librarian, lawyer, researcher, archivist, scholar, or scientist. You are conscientious, discerning, and possess much native ingenuity. You are also gifted for providing art expertise, curating museums, dealing in objets d'art, and even restoration. Security magnetizes you while you are young and still feeling your way in the big bad world. You may be tempted early in your career by a stint as a civil servant or bank employee, a commodities trader, or stock broker. If you do take a job with built-in security, you will quickly tire of it unless it allows you freedom of movement and plenty of decision-making. You seem easy enough to get along with, but you prefer not to be anybody's "yes" man. If you're feeling hemmed in by a stiff taskmaster, you may bolt. Probably due to your constant need to head trouble off at the pass, you know instinctively how to reach to the heart of thorny situations. You are especially endowed with the ability to see potential catastrophe. You are also clever at uncovering hidden meanings and ferreting out concealed information. All of these talents point to a career as a detective, psychologist, psychiatrist, private investigator, or spy. No head-on collision jobs in policing or fire extinguishing, please. You benefit from a sound sense of judgment. Justice and respectability are two of your bywords. You believe in the system and want it to work; you may choose to enter the legal profession. Although you prefer never to confront others or fight about issues concerning yourself, you argue well and will stand up, within the confines of the judicial system, for what you deem fair. In the light of your talent for discerning truth and the heart of a problem, you could occupy a position in the magistrature. Both male and female Cat/Rabbits might choose to become judges. You are unlikely to choose jobs where the well-being of others comes first. You are mainly concerned with your own comfort and security, paying close attention to your own surroundings and welfare. You are not likely to choose medicine or become a social worker because you don't fancy cleaning up messes. The Chinese say that Cat/Rabbits make canny gamblers. You are lucky at games and shrewd at speculation. Pure commerce also attracts you. At first, you may be timid about collaring clients and talking them into buying your products, but once you overcome your shyness and apply your sixth sense in sniffing a bargain a mile off, you can turn a handsome profit. You write well, too. Your fine sensitivities and desire for clarity in expression pair up to give you a distinguished style. You aim to give your readers a sentimental thrill. You are a competent commercial writer whose texts please the public and usually sell like ice cold lemonade on a hot summer's day. Diplomacy appeals to you. You enjoy entertaining royally and hobnobbing with the "right" people. Your skills at gently prodding high-ranking officials in directions they never expected to move are well appreciated by government officials who need your softer touch. In romantic situations, you are notoriously reasonable, sensible and correct. You rarely get swept off your feet or fall madly in love with the wrong person. The very idea of cupid's arrow zapping you with love at first sight makes you feel queasy. You mistrust your own sentimentality and are suspicious of everyone else's motives. You fear irrational acts and are highly circumspect about who you take up with and/or marry. You may, in fact, decide on bachelorhood. If and when you decide to marry, you prefer a woman whose pedigree, manners, appearance and behavior border on perfection. You feel that everything your wife does reflects upon you, colors other people's image of you, and may make or break you in life. You would rather be married to a princess in a tower whom you never get to touch or romp with, simply because she comes from a good family. You like to feel that you have initiated your relationships. You are so dignified that you would never stoop to being seduced by a siren or shamelessly tumbled by some gorgeous movie star or model. What's more, you are skittish, sniffing around life, fearing that every new event may prove to be a major snag. You tiptoe warily around emotions as though they were land mines. Truth be told, you are downright paranoid about women's designs. You almost always refuse to share your innermost thoughts and secrets with your lady friends. You don't want any third parties or strangers prying into your private life. Fortunately, you may mellow with age. Even though you are known for your excessive reserve, you sometimes surprise people and come to the fore when asked to help out someone you love. As long as you are not obliged to engage in open conflict, you love to play hero. An ailing or despondent wife will receive your gentlest attentions. You are generally faithful to your mate as well, and if you ever cheat on her, it will be in very unusual circumstances. Perhaps because you lack the gift of easy intimacy, you are rather inhibited in the bedroom. You require perfection of atmosphere and have an exaggerated, puritanical sense of modesty. As a result, although you boast a hearty sexual appetite, you perform the ritual motions, but remain stonily silent.