According to a Chinese legend, one day during some dynasty or other, Buddha called all 12 major animals together for a race. The Rat not only won the race, he was probably canny enough to ride on the Ox's back to do so. Oxen tend to be slow, but they are steady and plodding. We all know from our own legend about the Tortoise and the Hare that steady plodding wins the race. You won't find many steady plodders among the Rat population.
RAT YEARS1900, 1912, 1924. 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2052, 2044, 2056, 2068, 2080, 2092
Born in January or early February? Check my Chinese Sign page to be sure you are not among those who fall into the sign of the previous year. Rat is the first sign of the Chinese Zodiac.
On the bright side, the Rat boasts:
- Appeal
- Sociability
- Influence
- Intellect
- Thrift
- Charisma
On the Rat's underbelly, check for:
- Anxiety
- Verbiosity
- Thirst for Power
- Guile
- Acquisitiveness
- Meddling
"What? You tell me I'm a Rat. Yucko! Gross. No way!" I hear these protests all the time. Nobody wants to be a Rat. Apparently, they'd rather be something less revolting. Rats don’t benefit from an elegant reputation in our occidental, urbanized society.
But think for a moment of the clever farm rat. It is this rat: the collector, the hoarder, the deft and admirable country rat, whom Buddha honored. This rural rat is, to this day, a scrounger for food, finder of warm places to nest and a procreator par excellence. Let us then put aside our base image of the repellent city rat and concentrate on the characters of his artful country cousin.
The key adjectives I like to use to describe Rat people are: charming, assertive, protective and relentless. Rats go whole hog for what they are after and they never give up. You’ll never meet an unattractive Rat. They may not be classically handsome. But they ooze allure. Neither will you find a Rat person who doesn't seek to achieve and succeed, stand out from the crowd and even assume power over others. Rats are go-getters. They are born with leadership qualities and a hefty measure of guile. For the Rat, the ends frequently justify the means.
Rat people usually appear calm and at ease in company. They’re talkative (to a fault sometimes) and make pleasant conversationalists. But take a closer look. That Rat has a rubber band in his hand which he incessantly snaps back and forth between two fingers. The Rat woman keeps wiggling the fastener on her bracelet. Rats only seem tranquil. Inside, they are like nuclear reactors: churning, bubbling, twisting and steaming. Rats seethe and sizzle. But they never—or rarely—explode.
Rats are not only stashers of food, they have a well-developed sense of economy. They know where their money goes and for which frivolities they are willing to spend lavishly. Parties and gatherings of all sorts please the Rat. In fact, any chance to communicate is seen as a joyful occasion. Rats love—no, need—to talk. If Rats have problems, they talk them through. If they are depressed, they blab it out. If they lose a lover, they can only cure themselves of heartbreak by exposing the whole gory story until the listener’s ears are red with compassion and the Rat has emptied his despondent soul. If you have a gabby Rat crony, keep your IPOD handy and pump up the volume.
If you are loved by a Rat, consider yourself lucky. Rats will fiercely defend and cheerfully spoil the people they care about. But outsiders don’t count. The Rat wants to be surrounded with those who like and admire him. He will lavish presents on them and feed them all till they burst from admiration. Loyal companionship is the Rat’s idea of contentment.
