The Year of the Rabbit 2011 is considered with respect to the characteristics of those born during the Years of the Rabbit. The influences of the 5 Elements on these individuals are described and some general recommendations are made before the well-known links between longevity, Rabbits and this fourth Sign of the Chinese Zodiac are discussed.
Year of the Rabbit (2011)
Your year of birth, the Fourth Sign of the Chinese Zodiac? If you turn 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72 (and so on in 12-year increments). between February 3, 2011 and January 23, 2012 (when the Year of the Rabbit ends) or you know of a baby that will be born during this period, this article might interest you, and similarly those with partners, friends, relatives or colleagues in this category. Others might wish, in general, to find out what Chinese culture and tradition have to say about those born in the year of the rabbit.
animal games
The Animal Olympics were once held to determine which animal should start the cycle through a race that ends up crossing a raging river before a sprint home. The clever rat gave the cat the wrong starting time, snuck onto Ox’s back over the river, and crossed the finish line first (Ox came in second). The cat (Tiger) who was late to the race came third, was furious, and consequently has been chasing the rat ever since! Lucky Rabbit (see below) found some rungs and came after.
rabbit abstract
Essentially, rabbits are laid back, relaxed, and in various ways of cultivation. They are considered the luckiest of the 12 animal signs of the Chinese Ganzhi system. They rarely gamble (being conservative at heart and averse to risk), but do so skillfully when tempted. They are reliable and trustworthy and the last to renege on contractual commitments, but can sometimes be too tolerant. Fond of gossip, they are eloquent, virtuous and loved. In relationship terms, Rabbits, who enjoy a comfortable and secure home life, are more ‘at home’ with those born under the Signs of the Sheep, Dog and Pig and less so with those born under the Signs of the Rooster and Rooster. the rat.
Animals in their Element
The basis of the continuous 12-year cycles of animals is a 10-year elemental cycle (5 elements repeating sequentially first in the Great Yang mode and then in the Little Yin mode) with the element of the year (metal Yin in the case of the year 2011 of the rabbit) that modifies both the energies of the year and those of the rabbit. individual natures as shown below. So far in this new 12-year cycle (starting in 2008) the Animals of the Year and the Elements of the Year have been: 2008 Yang Earth Rat; 2009 Yin Earth Ox; 2010 Yang Metal Tiger and 2011 Yin Metal Rabbit. These will be followed in 2012 and 2013 by a Yang Water Dragon and a Yin Water Serpent respectively.
rabbit flashback
Those born this Year of the Rabbit will be Yin Metal Rabbits, but in previous 12 Year Cycles this necessarily varied and their ‘résumé’ requires modification as follows.
2011 and 1951 metallic rabbit: Metal gives them strength and endurance (elemental color white);
1999 and 1939 earth rabbit: Earth ensures that they are well grounded, sometimes materialistic (elemental color yellow);
1987 and 1927 fire rabbit: Fired can be Impatient, unpredictable, and outgoing (elemental color red);
1975 and 1915 wooden rabbit: Generous, often versatile but introspective dreamers (elemental color green);
1963 and 1903 water rabbit: Water makes them sensitive, emotional and eloquent (elemental colors blue/black).
Rabbit! Rabbit!
What does this mean for rabbits? Well, turning 12, 24, 36, 48, or 60, etc., in 2011, the Chinese believe that one should spend time silently meditating on the past 12 years and planning for the next 12, the exact opposite of the Western notion of wild date of birth celebrations; instead, a very quiet year dedicated to self-assessment is indicated. You should avoid/postpone trench digging, foundation building or drain laying, ie important tasks like moving house (which would distract attention). I am an Ox did this in the Ox Year 2009, finding it a very useful experience.
Combining the 12 animal cycles and the 5 elemental cycles results in 60 being a number to consider and Rabbits reaching this key age in 2011 may be especially recommended to undergo this rewarding exercise. The animal/element year birth combinations repeat after 60 years (hence the importance of self-assessment at this point) and if we add up the Yin/Yang dimensions of these calculations, we get 120 as a figure to behold. The Chinese believe that living in harmony with nature and the universe allows for such life expectancies and the 12 animals and 5 elements plus their Yin/Yang attributions represent these forces.
The Rabbits who contemplate the next full Moon should (like the Chinese) see themselves, (a Rabbit), there, standing under a tree, with the paw holding the elixir of life. Because of their reproductive rate, there will never be a worldwide shortage of rabbits! The rabbit is therefore a Chinese symbol of longevity: its lunar placement emphasizes this through links to the reproductive cycle. The 5 Elements, the 12 Animals, their Yin/Yang associations and longevity are all good topics to meditate on during the Year of the Rabbit 2011.
