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Chinese Astrology: Rat

The Restless Rat

The Rat is Yin
The Rat Motto is "I Rule"

In the 20th Century all rats were born between the following dates:

31 January 1900	and	18 February 1901
18th February 1912	and	5 February 1913
5 February 1924	and	23 January 1925
24 January 1936	and	10 February 1937
10 February 1948	and	28 January 1949
28 January 1960	and	14 February 1961
15 February 1972	and	2 February 1973
2 February 1984	and	19 February 1985
19 February 1996	and	6 February 1997

The symbols associated with the rat, which give them enhanced powers and increase their self-image are:

Your Best	Your Favorite
Color is warm ochre	Food is sweetbreads
Flower is daisy	Animal is wild goose
Fragrance is sandalwood	Drink is Bordeaux (claret)
Tree is oak	Spice is coriander
Flavor is piquant	Metal is bronze
Birthstone is emerald	Herb is rosemary
Lucky number is 11	Musical instrument is violin

Share these symbols with friends and family and surround yourself with them as they will bring you luck, and feelings of security and personal worth.

On the bright side: Rats are charming, protective, talkative, compassionate, familiar, dynamic, thrifty, skillful, sober, upright, attractive, experimental, calm, sensual, open-minded, loving, talented, brilliant entrepreneurs, adaptable and prosperous.

On the dark side: Rats can grow possessive, wax verbose, be picky, defensive, excessive, addictive, fickle, stingy, bumptious, exploitive, bossy, anxious, argumentative, overbearing, opinionated, and downright self-obsessed.

The Rat

Legend has it that Buddha called together a meeting comprising the twelve animals of the zodiac for a power powwow and the rat showed up first. To reward the Rat, Buddah awarded him the honor of being the first sign of the Chinese zodiac.

One must understand that Rats are born leaders and are never considered boring. They love with abandon, work intensely, play in the moment, are competitive with everyone in sight, and never stop talking. They never have a shortage of opinions and share them with great zeal. They will dissect an issue in minute detail and can cover just about any subject.

The name of the Rat game is "Herculean performance." No small project for these folks! Small tasks bore them and routine simply doesn't work for them. Romantic plans and exciting adventures are what inspire them. Ịt is not uncommon for a Rat to pick up his or her entire family and move them to another country!

You don't often see a Rat sitting idly. They are constantly on the run, scheming some new plan, and exerting tremendous amounts of energy. If they become too idle they will sulk, complain and drive everyone to distraction.

Rats are not always easy to deal with but when you do, they are worth it. It is not outside of their scope to drop everything to take you on an errand, work a weekend building you a tree-house, or remind you to take your medicine. As a lover, parent or friend, they will cherish and revere you.

Rats love to talk and can do it non-stop. But they don't just want a one-way dialog though; they want an enthralled audience hanging on their every word. They love to find clever ways of cornering you into a conversation, of which they are sure they know everything about, and having a good old natter. They love to tell stories from their past and expect to hear that same story numerous times. If you tell them you've heard it before, just watch them operate as they cleverly come right back at you with something related. The wise thing to do is let them recount their many adventures as they desperately need to relive their most exciting memories from their life.

Rats usually start their stories way back in the mother's womb, tracing each day through infancy, childhood, until finally, two hours later, they arrive at yesterday's gripping monolog with the mail lady who hit his poor dog. If you have half a life to blow listening to well told stories, hook up with a Rat as you'll never be bored.

Rats have trouble being in second place and crave social acceptance. Peer approval is important to them. Because of their need for attention and affection, they seek a place in society where they can be comfortable and loved for who they are.

The Rat abhors loneliness and avoids isolation. If a Rat is left alone too long he can fall into drugs, overspending, gambling or drink. He is not naturally promiscuous so sex isn't where he would typically seeks solace. Instead of hanging out alone, you'll find the Ratso at parties and social gatherings. He loves to win the acceptance of his admiring entourage and membership into fun groups where he'll probably run for president.

The Chinese claim that Rats endure a relatively easy childhood but make poor choices about money and love in their adult life. But things improve after they gain wisdom through these experiences and will overcome this adversity and enjoy a more comfortable and harmonious old age.

Rats are know to be tight fisted with cash, but will surprise their loved ones with lovely and sometimes expensive gifts. If a Rat falls in love, they will shower you with compliments, flowers, exciting presents, and deafening applause on themselves to show you what a great person they are. They are also good at hospitality but don't be surprised in the next minute with a request for service or lines like, "Hey Bob, got a minute?"

Rats are amusing, popular and kind. He is known to be intelligent, honest, methodical, meticulous, flexible and versatile. He can sugar coat bitter pills, offer good advice and can easily winkle a secret out of you.

Rat Health

Rats should live a long life, if they don't fall too much into excessive habits. They love hard work and this will keep them strong. Rats live longer when family and a good mate surround them. Lives tend to be shorter for those who live alone and have no one to love. Eating erratically needs to be monitored, as a Rat won't think anything of sweets for lunch and whisky and wine taken indiscriminate in the middle of the night. They can be greedy for treats and must keep a watchful eye on this. To live a long life Rats must learn moderation and self-discipline which is very hard for the over indulging Rat. They should reduce junk or packaged foods, avoid too much starch and sweets and alcohol should be a smooth dry red wine, champagne on special occasions, and maintain low consumption of beer and cocktails. If they have not taken care of themselves they will start to see the results at around fifty-five and it can be dire indeed.

Rats can sometimes have mental issues including being a workaholic, suffering depression if they are not surrounded by loved ones and can even have a nervous break-down. When all is well though, it's Happy Rat time with constant chatter, cheerfulness and optimism.

2008 Rat Overview

This is the year of the Rat year so enjoy! This year really shines for the Rat. They will enjoy health and prosperity. As usual, things will seem simple and events will shine in your favor but don't fall into laziness and daydream too much. Plan the next dozen years carefully, as with all signs, adversity will arise from time-to-time and this careful planning is what will make getting through it much easier.