In a few weeks, 2018 enters the Year of the Earth Dog, on the lunar new year come February 16. The Dog is the 11th of 12 animal signs of the Chinese zodiac.
There are two popular versions of how this order was achieved: Story one says Jade Emperor once called a race of animals on his birthday to create the Chinese zodiac. Story two says it was the Buddha who did the calling. Both stories are the same, save for some minor details and who thought of making an animal race where there could only be twelve winners.
In order to win, the animals had to cross a river with a rapid current to reach the finish line set on the shore. This is the order in which they arrived: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
BEING A DOG PERSON
The Chinese zodiac characterizes people born in the Year of the Dog as independent, sincere, loyal and decisive. These are the people who are not afraid of the difficulties of daily life. These characteristics enable them to have harmonious relationships with the people around them.
Dog people are also valiant, loyal, responsible, clever, courageous, good-natured and lively, though they may also be sensitive, conservative, stubborn, and emotional.
You know the saying that dogs are man’s best friend? The dog person who loves you is your best friend, with honesty, kindness, sincerity and prudence that they will put at your disposal so long as they love you.
As Dogs are not good at communication, it is difficult for them to convey their thoughts to others. Therefore, Dogs tend to leave others with the impression that they have a stubborn personality.
The thing with being a Dog Person in the Year of the Dog is that one’s own zodiac year is rarely lucky for anyone and this year, geomancers say, will be a year of challenges for those born in the Year of the Dog.
Dog Year people may face career changes, or that their finances will not be as good as last year—particularly in terms of failed investments that leave imbalances in their income and expenses. They may need to make great effort to adapt.
During the Year of Dog, they may suffer health problems and, even if they feel exhausted by work stress, they must focus on balancing their health concerns and their careers.
Famous people born in the Year of the Dog include: Winston Churchill, Benjamin Franklin, Bill Clinton, Herbert Hoover, Golda Meir, Voltaire, Marcel Proust, George Gershwin, Jane Goodall, Socrates, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Prince William, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Anna Paquin, Brad Renfro, Ellen DeGeneres, Heather Graham, Jessica Biel, Kelly Clarkson, Kirsten Dunst, LeAnn Rimes, Leelee Sobieski, Queen Latifah, Ryan Cabrera, Shirley McLaine, Susan Sarandon, Thora Birch, Uma Thurman, Dakota Fanning, Moises Arias, Andre Agassi, Confucius, Sun Quan (King of Wu in China’s Three Kingdoms Period 220 – 280), Li Yuan (the first emperor of the Tang Dynasty 618 – 907), and Zhou Enlai (the first Premier of the People’s Republic of China).
DOG’S WORLD
According to the website Feng Shui Web (www.fengshuiweb.co.uk ), “2018 year of the Yang Earth Dog Wu Xu energies are controlled by the earth element in its Yang form. It can be a very eventful year with many changes all over the world especially with national security and many changes in the Middle East and Asia.”
This website predicted that 2018 “is a year of social change.” It is also a year during which the world will see changes regarding “how we live our life; we will see changes in our view on diet, smoking, drinking and junk food.”
There will also be, according to this website, “new laws brought in to let the people know the true dangers associated with eating and drinking.”
The Feng Shui Web issues this reminder: “We must still remember that the 11th Chinese astrology sign of the Dog is a symbol of intelligence and protection, and 2018 can be a fragile year and we could see many uprisings throughout the world including counties in the Middle East and North Korea with the demand for fairness and a better standard of living.”
This coming lunar year, the website’s geomancer writes, “can be a turbulent year in all aspects of life and whilst it can be a troubled year it is also a year of less affluent areas of the world coming together and introducing new ways to help the less fortunate and hopefully we will see more fair balance between the rich and poor.” G
