2009 - The Year of the Earth Ox, for all signs

by Robert Wilkinson

Today we explore what the coming Year of the Earth Ox will hold for us all by examining the qualities of this sign and the qualities of these years, past and present. It'll continue to be a time for grounding and practicality, where we stabilize the beginnings accomplished during the past Year of the Earth Rat.

The Year of the Earth Ox occurs once every 60 years. The last time we had an Earth Ox year was 29 January 1949 to 16 February 1950, and the one in front of us lasts from 26 January 2009 to 13 February 2010. There is also an alternative theory of computing the beginning of the Chinese New Year, and I've included it at the end of this article for those who may be interested.

Remember that we've just finished the Year of the Earth Rat, also marked by an Aquarius Solar Eclipse last year on February 6-7, 2008 that began the year. You can find more about the past year by checking the archives for the Year of the Earth Rat. And now, without further adieu, here's this year's composition on the Ox!

THE OX

In China, the Ox (or Buffalo) is associated with stamina, patience, determination, stubbornness, possessiveness, hard work, conservatism, wealth and family. Quiet and methodical, the Ox inspires others due to their unconditional reliability. If they make up their mind to do something, they will never be swayed from their purpose. They do not like to be challenged, contradicted, or blocked, as this arouses their considerable temper.

This sign WILL have its way. They are self-contained, self-reliant, very deep, and don't like sudden things or any form of change. They like their field, will plow it forever, and are wary of anyone else trespassing on their chosen area and interests (unless they invited them to be there, and even then will not entertain criticism.) This of course makes the give and take of human relations an uncomfortable arena for them.

They are the embodiment of "slow and steady as she goes." They don't have much patience for anything they don't like or approve of, and worship family, duty, and work. They expect affection and obedience, are solitary homebodies, keep their own counsel, and can be exceptionally intelligent if somewhat narrow in focus.

The one-pointedness of the Ox often leads to them feeling misunderstood. But they are the consummate laborer, able to "transport heavy loads to distant regions." And yet they would rather stay close to home and hearth and the predictable, rewarding routines in which they feel safe and comfortable. Above all, this tribe is built for comfort, not for speed!

The intelligence of the Ox along with sheer pragmatic determination to accomplish its will enables this sign to pretty much get its way, though care must be shown not to alienate people needlessly by "bulling one's way through" life and experience. This tribe is born to work, and whether the accomplishments are great or narrow are entirely determined by how much the Ox chooses to learn, since under any and all circumstances the Ox will have its own way.

Here I must state that there are both evolved and unevolved members of all the signs. Some Ox people do not show many of the lower traits of the sign, while others are so obvious in their attachment to the lower that they barely show the virtues of the sign. And of course, in Chinese Astrology there are other modifying factors than just the element and sign of a given year. Just as we are more than merely the Sun sign in Western Astrology, we are more than the year sign in Chinese Astrology.

(In the interests of full disclosure, two of my family of origin are Oxen. Both are male, one a Wood Ox, the other a Metal Ox. You can imagine how years of that duo of colliding male authoritarians might not have been easy for this Metal Hare when I was younger! I am also very close to a much younger Wood Ox, who shows a remarkable psychological similarity to the older Wood Ox in my life.)

Ox people have an amazing mind, which is why so many leaders and people of immense creative gifts have been born under this sign. Like the previous sign of the Rat, never take this sign lightly, as they won’t be trifled with and can go to extremes when they feel they’re being challenged.

Ox people are as reliable as it gets, and when they are harnessed to a great work, can pull it off in great form if not style. Using Ox energy we can make progress through methodical effort, and set things into play that can last for years.

OX QUALITIES

The Good: Calm, patient, confident, persevering, articulate, industrious, loyal to their causes, capable, willing to work, precise, original, skillful, intelligent, strength of character, conservative, reliable.

The Bad: Stubborn, "bull-headed," short-tempered, intolerant, judgmental, proud, critical, impossible standards, hard to sway, easily annoyed, argumentative, "my way or the highway."

THE EARTH OX

Very practical and matter-of-fact, like the Earth Rat this one knows where they’re going and how to get there, if not with efficiency, then with determination. Hard working, this Ox could haul a ton of stuff across the mountains and make it without losing anything and getting top dollar for its goods. This is the worker of workers, a true heavyweight in life that cuts a wide wake across their chosen area of life.

This Ox seeks to control everything in their world and be THE pre-eminent force gaining dominance over everything in their life. An Earth Ox is persistent in the extreme, and smart enough to find ways to advance even under adverse conditions. They will win no matter the odds against it through sheer determination.

They take great pride in their accomplishments, and have no tolerance for others shirking what the Earth Ox thinks should be an appropriate effort on another' part. There are no other standards than theirs; there is no other way to accomplish a thing than their way. They believe they deserve all that comes to them as a result of their hard work, and really don't care if others like them or not, or agree with them or not.

They will help those they feel are worthy resulting from the other showing appropriate effort, and can be master communicators due to their sharp perception, clarity of their own intention, and ability to articulate exactly what the moment requires. But it forever remains on their terms, not yours.

THE YEAR OF THE EARTH OX

Given the capacity for hard work and strength of purpose, this should be a good year for maintaining and improving the practical strides made in the past year. Clarity and determination will combine to assure concrete rewards.

We found how and where to act to ensure future well-being in the Year of the Earth Rat, and now we can really "work the field" to bring forth major harvests, both personally and professionally. Whether plowing, planting, weeding or harvesting, this year will prove very productive for those willing to do what it takes.

This year favors being conservative in actions and investments, both personally and politically. Since it is an Earth year, as well as the animal that can plow a field or pull a heavy load to its destination, it should be good for anything to do with goods or commodities of the Earth, as well as trade.

Some intractable oppositions will show this year, with both poles completely determined to maintain and assert its narrow view. This could show as core issues dividing people coming to surface without much wiggle room for negotiation. Probably better to clearly define boundaries and leave each to plow their own field.

All in all, this year should be great for those who want to work, producing solid results from determined and practical efforts over time. Those who don't want to work had best get out of the way of those who do, and be prepared to accept some fairly blunt criticism for their lack of effort.

Be conserving of resources, and when possible, sidestep or back off from getting into arguments with those who are inflexible, narrow minded, prejudiced, or prone to escalate disagreements into head-butting destructive exercises in futility. Especially when you confront dictatorial or "my way or the highway" intolerance or stubbornness, it may be time to turn and walk away, since those types of showdowns cannot be won.

1949, the last time we experienced the Year of the Earth Ox, was filled with evidence of the qualities of this sign. It was the year of the first non-stop, around-the-world airplane flight. It was a year of the first long distance train to feature Vista Dome cars as regular equipment, the beginning of NATO as well as the precursor of the NSA, the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany, and the first stored-program computer at Cambridge.

It was the year of the "Red Scare," and the publishing of Orwell's "1984." In an odd juxtaposition, aparteid began in South Africa while it is also asserted this was the first year where there wasn't a racial lynching in the US. It was the birth of legal aid, the first Soviet atomic bomb test, America's first single-episode mass murderer, the proclamation forming the People's Republic of China and the final withdrawal to Taiwan of the opposition party.

Major media events are Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Aida," conducted by legendary conductor Arturo Toscanini, was performed and broadcast live by NBC, which also went on to air the the first television western, Hopalong Cassidy. Also featured in 1949, Rodgers and Hammerstein's "South Pacific" opened on Broadway, going on to become R&H's second longest-running musical and a theater classic.

Steady, enduring, conservative and persistent, this year should continue to pay rewards for our clever, calculating efforts initiated in the Year of the Earth Rat. Taking the long view, our perseverance in the year of the Fire Dog (2006), bold risk taking in the year of the Fire Boar (2007), and planning and saving for the long term in the Earth Rat (2008) will stabilize our fortunes for years to come over the coming year.

FAMOUS OX PEOPLE

Oxen are featured in literary giants Rudyard Kipling, William Butler Yeats, Andre Malraux, Albert Camus, Hermann Hesse, Margaret Mead, Hunter S. Thompson, William Styron, Thomas Pynchon, Gore Vidal, Art Buchwald, and William Buckley.

Historical political figures: Malcolm X, Robert Kennedy, Colin Powell, Howard Baker, John Erlichman, Gary Hart, Saddam Hussein, Idi Amin, and Menachem Begin.

Up to now, the only Ox president of the US was Gerald Ford. All that just changed, as Barack Obama is a Metal Ox, which would seem to make him up to the task of restoring the fiscal health of America and as much of the world as is affected by America's economy.

Timeless silver screen stars include Jack Nicholson, Richard Burton, Peter Sellers, Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Burt Lancaster, Clark Gable, Vivian Leigh, Jack Lemmon, Dustin Hoffman, Anthony Hopkins, Gary Cooper, Danny Kaye, Ursula Andress, Warren Beatty, Hal Holbrook, Cliff Robertson, Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis, Morgan Freeman, Stewart Granger, Tyrone Power, Sally Kellerman, Angela Lansbury, Julie Harris, Rod Steiger, Melvyn Douglas, Alan Ladd, Hedy Lamarr, Jeanette MacDonald, Eddie Murphy, Ned Beatty, and Billy Dee Williams.

Musical legends J.S. Bach, George F. Handel, Anton Dvorak, Lionel Hampton, Frankie Valli, Waylon Jennings, Nancy Wilson, Bobby Parker, Earl Carroll, and Merle Haggard.

Television stars Bill Cosby, Johnny Carson, Sammy Davis Jr., Danny Thomas, Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Jonathan Winters, Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, Sandy Dennis, and Michael J. Fox.

Other outstanding Oxen include double Nobel laureate Linus Pauling, Walt Disney, Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, and William Paley.

FAMOUS EARTH OX PEOPLE

Among the legendary historical figures of this tribe we include his Majesty Napoleon Buonaparte, Samuel Johnson, Arnold Toynbee, Thomas Hart Benton, Martin Heidegger, Carl von Ossietzky, Baron Philip Noel-Baker, Adolph Hitler, J. Nehru, George S. Kaufman, Erle Stanley Gardner, Conrad Aiken, George Plympton, Jean Cocteau, Lech Kaczynski, Walid Jumblatt, Fernando Collor de Mello, and Jose Ramos-Horta.

Major musical talents include Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Ric Ocasek, Nick Lowe, Michael Brecker, Mark Knopfler, Bonnie Raitt, Terry Reid, Marcia Ball, Michael Weiss, Jerry Harrison, Eddie Money, Bill Payne, Lene Lovich, Gil Scott-Heron, Richard Thompson, John Oats, Rick Wakeman, Bill Wallace, Hank Williams Jr, Francis Rossi, Emanuel Ax, Jimmy Lea, Alan Menken, Roger Taylor, Philip Lynott, Rick Springfield, Gene Simmons, Jeff Cook, Fred "Sonic" Smith, David Rubenstein, Paul Shaffer, Tom Waits, Randy Owen, Tom Verlaine, Paul Rodgers, Billy Gibbons, and Maurice and Robin Gibb.

Earth Ox stars of film and television feature Charlie Chaplin, Sigourney Weaver, Meryl Streep, Sissy Spacek, Richard Gere, Whoopi Goldberg, Lindsay Wagner, Jeff Bridges, Brent Spiner, Tom Berenger, Patrick Duffy, Vicki Lawrence, John Shea, Patti Lupone, Bruno Kirby, Phillip Michael Thomas, Shelley Duvall, Shelley Long, Armand Assante, Gary Shandling, Teri Garr, and Don Johnson.

Other interesting Earth Oxen include Ken Wilber, Jane Smiley, Annie Leibovitz, Ivana Trump, Carlos the Jackal, Paloma Picasso, Enrique Aguirre, Harry Turtledove, Chris Van Allsburg, John Agard, Jane Urquhart, and Vera Wang.

I'll be composing what the coming year will bring for each individual sign in the near future.

Now to pick up on something I noted earlier. There seems to be two ways of computing the beginning of the Chinese New Year. Though we know the usual way of computing the beginning of the Year, it also seems that there is a different way of measuring signs that starts from the beginning of Spring in the Chinese lunar calendar. I found this last year, for your consideration. From one source:

The First Day of the Brown Rat Astrology Year in China's time zone is February 4th, 2008 because that day is the first day of Tiger month and the Tiger month is the first month of the year in Chinese Fortune-Telling Calendar system.

In the Chinese Fortune-Telling calendar, the first day of the first month, Tiger month, is called "Start of Spring", which is when the Sun enters the 315th degree on the tropical zodiac. In China the time of Start of Spring is at Feb 4 at 7 pm, so the first day of the Brown Rat year is Feb 4 2008. This is 6 am EST Feb 4, and 3 am PST.

Many people born in late January or early February confuse their birth year Chinese astrology animal signs because they think the astrology animal signs are from Chinese New Year day when they should be based on the Start of Spring, the first day of astrology year. For example, If a baby is born on Feb 5 2008 before the Chinese New Year day, then its animal sign is Rat because the birthday is after the Start of Spring.

As I put forth last year, if any of my readers is particularly adept at explaining why one system is superior to another, please feel free to weigh in at the comment stream. I'm sure many would be interested in why one system should or should not be favored over the other.

© Copyright 2009 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[Henry]

It seems a Taurus profile year, with some specifics of Virgo taking Venusian blessings apart.
Earth everywhere, I guess.

And this...amid the ongoing earth Saturn/water Uranus opposition. I am about to say...what a mess.

Well, all of us have endured this qualities that this year "promises" due to the past Saturn/Jupiter trine with some optimism and luck as endurance and maturity, I hope this "disruption" of energies among the "Chinese Year" -which I trust- specifics and the ongoing celestial patterns will not result being a total chaos or disruption of celestial -and earthly- wills also.

People did their best with Saturn/Jupiter trine, now Saturn/Uranus opposition clearly challenges this "Ox" narrow philosophy, I think.

Crossroads, hard to grasp the meaning if not in some kind of conflict between conservativism and revolution of some kind, althought it seems the year favours conservativism definitely (taking the Chinese Year as an oooooveraaaall "picture").

[Valerie]

who are the famous earth ox people?

[Robert]

Hi Henry - Yes, we're still continuing the Earth influence. It should be a stabilizing year. Chaos will most likely be a component of the Metal Tiger, to come in a year. Yes, this year will be a crossroads between what is stuck and what is enduring. Playing it safe is probably a good thing.

Hi Valerie - I meant Earth Ox, not Rat. A few places I wrote Rat instead of Ox. (I suppose it's because I did this on the fly and posted it with no editing.) They've been changed since you wrote this.

[Larissa]

Hi Robert, can I post your article on my facebook? I want to share it with everyone and also tonight's Solar Eclipse article. I want them all to read this.

[Matt]

Hi Robert -

This is a fantastic article. While the parallels aren't one-for-one, I'm told the Ox is most similar to the western sign of Capricorn. In any case, whether it is or isn't, the take home message is the same: get life in order this year for next will be an interesting ride. That Metal Tiger + T-Squares to Pluto (and at times, Cardinal Crosses) both indicate 2010 will be make new demands on all of us.

- Matt

[Robert]

Hi Larissa - Sure. Just make sure to put my name as author and a link to the site.

Hi Matt - Thanks for your praise. Yes, the Metal Tiger will definitely make things quite different than the past two years.

[Larissa]

Oh, Robert, yes of course. Your whole article and your name the whole web site shows up there, so they can browse for more posts. Some of my brand new friends (I have found a number of very nice friends lately in different places!!) they like astrology and would enjoy reading it. I don't know what's going on, but I am enjoying new friendships immensely. Expansion! Thank you.

[Christine K]

"The only Ox president of the US is Gerald Ford. (Why isn't that a surprise?)"

Hey - Dear Robert... that has changed hasn't it? :)

[Robert]

Hi Christine - sorry, mind blip! I suppose it's still so new I haven't processed the importance of the time. Already changed the text, my dear. Thanks for the reminder.

[Christine K]

Hey Robert - no need to apologize. I had to double check his birthday because I was surprised you didn't mention it. I didn't know he was an Ox before your post, but I was pretty sure he was born in '61. I find your description of the Ox very interesting indeed. Reassuring really. I keep expecting him to be more daunted than he appears to be...

And isn't it funny how things repeat themselves in life - with your oxen. My mother and my 15-years-younger-than-me cousin bookmark my life, not by their Chinese designations (a snake and a horse, alongside this tiger), but by their north nodes in Virgo, and their 12th houses in Leo... me with a north node in Leo, and Leo ascendant. Expression, shall we say, is not taken lightly.

[catherine]

Very interesting article indeed Robert. Since the last solar eclipse in Leo in 2008, my life had been undergoing a major change, mostly the stuff that I refused to acknowledge in the past. Now I can identify what are these and stubborn as I am have difficulty letting go. Then in your article you pointed for Leo natives (I have both sun and ascendant in leo and a wood tiger) that letting go is the key. It has been quite a journey since the last solar eclipse in Leo. I am now more sensitive about the effects of eclipses and outer planet transits like jupiter and pluto because they have served as a guide and has helped me weather the storms and "soften" the impact on everyone including myself.

[Sue]

Hi Robert,
I'm an earth ox but I hope I'm not as totally 'my way or the highway' as you describe. Maybe my sun and moon in Pisces soften things a bit.

What I don't understand is the fact that 2009 would presumably be a good year for me where I would achieve heaps through hard work but instead I find myself struggling to stay awake! I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome just before Christmas. Maybe all that earth practicality and slow and steady progress has manifested as a need to slow down and focus on my body.

[Robert]

Hi Christine K. - If there was anyone who could "transport heavy loads to distant regions," it's Barack Obama. I also have found that planetary and/or sign patterns do have parallels across generations in families. Family dynamics is a whole branch of astrology in itself.

Hi Catherine - What you've related is exactly why I keep re-posting articles on eclipses past, since several of them are still very much in play. They provide interesting markers in the beginning of endings of various types in our lives. And yes, by knowing what's going on we can move more easily through the storms.

Hi Sue - Well, there are levels and degrees of that sort of strong will, and you're right that Pisces does tend to see the value in other peoples' ways of doing things. However, I'm sure that when push comes to shove, you'll still do just what you want to do the way you want to do it, and probably do not like people to block you. Perhaps you're being shown a "steady as it goes" pace, and it's time for you to do your own thing because of your body limitations. An awareness of limits and the need for rebuilding is as much a part of endurance as work. I have no doubt that this year will be good for you, but it may take a year to see the whole process from the vantage of hindsight.

[Sue]

Fantastic answer Robert - just what I needed to hear. I can see what you mean - learning to accept limits has never been my strong point. And yes it's true that I do tend to do what I want to do and don't like being blocked.
Thankyou for your insights.