Goat

THE GOAT MAN

His physicality

• Of all the Chinese duodecimal zodiac, the Goat male is indubitably the least manly of all. He seems even more effeminate than his Snake brother. His whole physique bears witness to the absolute predominance of Yin over Yang in him, contrary to what his animal symbol may suggest with its beard.
• This man always shows concern about his appearance and the impression it may produce in others. Even his occasional untidiness is not a matter of carelessness, but of deliberate design. More often than not he is elegantly dressed, but generally with such refinement as verges on foppery.
• Even a casual, inexperienced observer could not mistake the typical Goat man for an aggressive person. With his pallid complexion, amorphous muscles, his obvious lack of energy, and indisposition to physical exertion, the native conspicuously belongs to the lymphatic category. He never inspires hostility or fear due to his apparent helplessness.
• To those who do not know him well, the Goat man may seem to be bored to death with this world. In fact, he has an intense passion for life and living; but he has a secretive universe of his own to which no one has access and into which he withdraws frequently in order to feel secure and dream. It is his tendency to flee to his interior realm which accounts for the faraway and mysterious air about him.
• There is always something childlike in this man’s face, with his full cheeks, small mouth, slightly pointed chin, and thin nose. He is particularly recognized by his big, somewhat protruding eyes which give him a surprised yet dreamy look. His gaze, which is intent, suggests a distant, undefinable attitude; he seems not to see what is immediately before him, but what is well beyond it. He is also noted for his oblique smile and his incisors wide apart from each other. Goat males are all predisposed to baldness, and in any case their sparse hair increases the size of their already broad foreheads.
• As a rule the Goat man is of medium size, but with unusually long legs and arms, which gives him an air of immaturity. He moves quickly, silently, almost stealthily, as if always afraid to disturb someone nearby.
• The male native of the Goat does not enjoy a particularly strong constitution. This does not mean that he is afflicted with more or worse pathological predispositions than the next fellow: While his general health is rather precarious, he can display surprising endurance in case of necessity. Often out of sorts, he frequently needs to stay in a horizontal position. The symptoms of his ills are so vague, diffuse, fleeting, and changeable that generally he is unable to describe them and his doctor could feel mystified – his physical condition is exactly as elusive as his psyche!
• Unless he ranks among the few privileged members of his astrological family, the Goat man’s health usually gives rise to much concern during his infancy and adolescence. He is likely to be affected by all childhood diseases – ear infections, bronchitis, pneumonia, croup, swollen glands, skin disorders, measles, rubella, roseola, chicken pox, whooping cough, mumps, convulsions, and so on. His puberty development always proves a painful process, both psychologically and physically. There is no doubt his sickliness in his early years contributes to give him a feeling of inadequacy in life – by dint of being tended and receiving a special treatment, he gradually learns laziness and dependence, believing that the world naturally owes him a living.
• It is almost unavoidable that he suffers from a hormonal imbalance. His endocrine and neurovegetative systems present minor, but varied, liabilities. Whether or not as a direct consequence of this, he easily produces ganglia in many parts of his body and shows extreme sensitiveness to insects’ stings and bites.
• Digestive disorders are not infrequent in him, with periods of constipation succeeding periods of overrapid evacuation in a most unpredictable manner. Arthritis, which is especially painful in his wrists and ankles, constitutes one of his habitual miseries.
• This type is liable to some illnesses that clearly have their roots in his psychological makeup – autism, paranoia, schizophrenia, and mental blanks. His tendency to evade reality may be all the stronger as he is naturally attracted to alcoholism and drug addiction.
• It is difficult to make the Goat man to follow some bit of advice because of his lack of willpower. But he must submit himself to a wholesome life discipline if he does not want his existence to be poisoned by preventable troubles.
• Diet plays an all-important role in the maintenance of his well-being. Instead of following whimsical patterns as he is prone to, he must take his meals at regular hours. He can eat everything, but had better give his preference to lean fish, seafood, red meats, popped cereals, green or dried vegetables, and avoid starchy foods and sweet things. Mineral waters, fruit juices, and vegetable broths suit him better than beer or sodas. Tea, coffee, or wine, taken with moderation, are apt to help him shake off his lethargy. It would be beneficial to him if he could go completely without food one day per week.
• He must carefully stay away from people carrying contagious maladies and get himself immunized against as many diseases as possible, for his organism is actually a microbe and virus catcher!
• While he should be forbidden to do violent sports, all water sports can do him much good, probably because of his Yin-dominated temperament. Mountain air may cause him some uneasiness, but a strongly iodized climate is a real boon to him.

His psychology

• When discussing the Goat man’s character, most astrologers are wont to show some contempt, pointing out that the native is too “feminine” and possesses too many “negative” traits. But to treat him in such a way would amount to doing him an unwarranted injustice, for his nature is double-faced, if not multi-faceted, and what is generally considered “feminine” or “negative” in his personality may very well, in the last analysis, turn out to be something highly desirable. It would be hazardous to attempt to draw a clear-cut line between his qualities and drawbacks, and in any case people generally feel an instinctive tolerance for his foibles. Nevertheless, it goes without saying that, as our paternalistic society presently stands, the Goat sign is much less unfavourable to women than to men.
• The Goat male seems to have entered life with this motto: “I’m unable to take care of myself. I need other people’s support for survival. I must do everything to secure their good graces.” Throughout all his existence he will be more or less crippled by a feeling of inadequacy, show a marked degree of dependence, and seek by all means to stay on good terms with his fellow men.
• Probably few would lack self-confidence as severely as the Goat male. He is at all times shy, anxious, puzzled about life, uncertain over the outcome of his moves, and worrying about what direction he would take. He could be anything you like, but definitely not an adventuresome and daring man. Anything new or unknown may inspire awe in him, and nothing would persuade him to deliberately wander off the beaten track – he is a conformist par excellence. While his prime concern is to shelter himself from life’s storms, his faintheartedness induces him to worry and adopt a fatalistic stand instead of taking positive measures to prevent or combat them. Almost never happy with his lot, he lacks equanimity and stoicism in the face of adversity, and is unable to handle an emergency with courage or meet a crisis with steadfastness.
• It would be difficult in such conditions to find many natives of this sign among the world’s conquerors or leaders, or among those who nurture ambitions to move heaven and earth. Instead, the typical Goat man, always in want of maturity, is inclined to behave as a lame duck, demanding that the whole world be in charge of his welfare.
• This man acutely feels from his earliest years that his survival does not depend on him, but on other people as well as circumstances. It is why he is extremely susceptible to tension, disharmony, or conflict in his environment, and constantly learns to be absolutely pliable and adaptable.
• As a child, he perfectly knows how to be a pet of the family – by behaving cutely and obediently. In his adulthood he conducts himself with the utmost humility and self-effacement, sensing that to keep a low figure is the best way to avoid friction and confrontation. He is ever reluctant to commit himself to a personal opinion – it is impossible to pin him down to a positive stand – or put up even a mere show of resistance. Since his main weapon in the battle of life is the good will of others, he is careful not to antagonize them in any way.
• Obviously, this type is never expected to be a go-getter. Almost exclusively ruled by his feelings, he muddles through life according to the way things go. The only constant element of his comportment is inconsistency. Lacking willpower to a severe degree, he is unable to make up his mind in most circumstances. In sum, hesitation, indecision, fickleness, imprecision, and approximation are an integral part of his psychological fabric.
• However, he could not be more casual about his inaptitude in life since he is able to find a profuse compensation for it in the world of his own imagination. There he is undisputed monarch and author of tremendous achievements. He simply cannot help being in the clouds; he picks his way through a tangle of daydreams which unremittingly envelops him.
• It would be a gross mistake to believe he is simply an idle dreamer with no future at all. Actually, his excessive tendency to dream and daydream often presents positive aspects. Whereas he appears much of the time to be lost and bewildered, noticing nothing or doing nothing, his imagination carries him during those moments to ethereal spheres which are accessible only to him. In this way he can sometimes have visions of genius – he seems to be aware of things and events that elude the common run of people and possesses unmistakable mediumistic talents. Even though his intelligence follows mysterious patterns from which logic and reason seem to be excluded, it is generally to one’s advantage to take the indications of his intuition into due consideration. Concerning his own person, the decisions he comes at intuitively very often turn out to be the right ones; he also has the ability to foresee the actual outcome of his fantasies from their very inception, thereby being rarely a victim of delusion. As for his nightdreams, they either have a premonitory character or act as a dependable guide to this subconscious cosmos.
• Considered under a specific angle, his pronounced need to dream and daydream reflects his compulsive desire to melt away into a universe that exists outside of himself. In other words, the flight from himself is to him a vital, absolute necessity. In the most severe cases he is prone to seek evasion in alcohol, dopes, or even downright physical self-destruction; but generally he resorts to less drastic means such as sublimation, idealism, artistic creations, meditation, religiosity, mysticism, occultism, verbosity, eccentricity, hippiedom, or travels.
• The Goat male has many other traits of personality which earn him the epithet “feminine.” He is eminently subjective – truth appears to him only as he feels at the moment, and no one can convince him of an objective truth. Only a Dragon or a Snake can equal him in narcissism. He is a slave rather than a master to his moods, which are ever-changing. Lazy, he hates both physical and mental exertion, yet yearns for a life of ease and luxury. Having no sense of time and urgency, he is chronically guilty of carelessness and procrastination. Because of his capriciousness, suggestibility, extravagance, and irresponsibility, people tend to view him as a mysterious, evasive, or disconcerting man. His incredible naivet and gullible disposition make him an easy prey to unscrupulous persons. Finally, he shows a marked tendency to masochism, pessimism, and the martyr complex.
• The array of his distinctly “positive” characteristics is no less impressive. In fact, he is such a bundle of contradictions and inconsistencies that he should be considered a profoundly human and interesting personality.
• This individual could take great pride in his big-heartedness and capacity for empathy. Extremely sensitive to the feelings and emotions of other people, he always lends a patient and attentive ear to everybody’s troubles and complaints. If there is one thing in life he cannot bear for long, it must be to witness someone else’s misfortunes. His compassion reaches such proportions as renders him easily moved to pity for all those who are unfortunate or appear to be so. It is not rare to see him suffer vicariously all the trials and tribulations of those around him. He belongs to the category of people who, all the while concerned about their own comfort and welfare, will give away everything they possess to help those in need and will feel embarrassed if they are thanked.
• The male native of the Goat is one of the most indulgent men in the world. He never wants to condemn and persistently seeks to find out what makes people behave the way they do. Few would be as ready as he to show understanding of and tolerance for all human frailties and failings.
• This is essentially a gentle and charming soul moved by a sincere and profound desire to give pleasure. No one would remain insensitive to his sweetness, courtesy, and affability. He is accommodating to the point of being apologetic. A pacifist at heart, he detests violence of every description, never deliberately doing anyone harm or flaming up in a stormy temper, and often allows himself to be pushed around by others without resistance. While not particularly demanding, he is ever willing to lend a helping hand. Many people feel relieved to entrust him with their secrets.
• One of his traits of character that endear him to others is his utter candor. He never pretends to be someone else than what he actually is, for he readily admits to all his faults and weakness and avoids to glorify or justify himself in the eyes of the world.

His productivity

• In many ways the Goat male resembles the Snake man, especially as far as their productive capacities are concerned. There are often only differences of degree, not of nature, between these two, with the former’s tendencies being more pronounced than the latter’s.
• As can easily be guessed, the male of the Goat sign is more apt to display good intentions than efficiency in most of the jobs he may be called upon to perform, for he severely lacks willpower and strength of purpose. It is always in his interest, and also in that of all those concerned, to do some team work or to be closely coached – his whimsical spirit needs someone solid and realistic to lean on. Besides, due to his inability to command, he had better stay away from highly responsible positions.
• There exist a few professions which do not suit him at all because of his personality. For example, his naivet and impractical outlook on life could pose as a serious handicap should he be a businessman or tradesman; politics is certain to be incompatible with his innocence and candor; he could only make a poor salesman because he is shy and clumsy in speech.
• One must first take into account his exquisite sensitiveness to beauty under all forms, his marvelous sense of colors, lines, and proportions. These aptitudes naturally find outlet in arts – the Goat man can do well and even excel in every conceivable artistic career. He often expresses himself as an original, imaginative craftsman or artisan. Having music in his soul, he is equally thrilling as a composer or executant. Writing ranks among the domains in which he moves with much happiness – as a nostalgic poet or romantic storyteller. As he has a deep love for Nature and its beauties, all jobs related to the protection and embellishment of environment suit him quite well.
• Exactly like his Snake counterpart, the Goat man is best at abstract thinking. His amazing intuition enables him to grasp the most elusive realities and handle the most ethereal entities. No one would surpass him as an enlightened theoretician or visionary. He frequently earns his living in dealing with all matters of the occult, the esoteric, the irrational, the extrasensorial, or the paraphysical – people readily recognize him as an unequalled adept in astrology, hypnotism, telepathy, mediumship, and every imaginable discipline of divination. At an earthier level, he proves exceptionally gifted for history, languages, psychology, and psychoanalysis.
• What can always surprise is that this man, who is almost a nullity in business, may be a wizard when it comes to Stock Market speculations; his flair for the bear or the bull is nearly infallible. The position of banker would not be ill-advised to him if he is supported by an energetic associate.
• His natural sympathy and concern for other people predispose him to professions which require altruism and devotion. Indeed, many natives of the sign are social workers, teachers, nurses, doctors, chiropodists, physiotherapists, psychiatrists, or healers. Others are concerned with curing the ills of the soul rather than of the mind and body, and become priests, pastors, or missionaries.
• With his vital need of evasion, he is frequently drawn to jobs involving travels of every kind, from merchant marine to roving ambassadorship, from speleology to astronautics, and from exploration to astronomy.

His love behavior

• If he were condemned to go entirely without love, the Goat male would be left with no desire to continue to live, for to him love is life itself and life without love is synonymous with death. It is why in all cases love constitutes the greatest business of his existence – it comes very early to him and will not leave him so long as he can keep his body and soul together.
• But despite all possible religious or moral precepts it never occurs to him that love should be exclusive. Without having to be an unbalanced or abnormal native, he is at all times concerned with the quantity of his amorous conquests. This Don Juan considers promiscuity the perfectly natural way of love and very often conducts two, three, or even more love affairs concurrently without a shade of embarrassment or guilt. He is most favored by Nature in this respect as he enjoys a fatal charm for women. And every new love has the power to give him a new lease of life.
• To state that the Goat male’s fidelity in love is not irreproachable would amount to saying an overdone euphemism. Even he himself never bothers to deny that he is an incorrigible flirt. He simply has no sense of faithfulness and sees no shadow of sin or immorality in fickleness. Vulnerability to temptation is to him an asset rather than a weakness.
• This man functions with his fantasies. He loves when and as the fancy takes him. For this reason he is unpredictable even under the most normal conditions. The women involved with him can never be sure of his next move, however deeply his love for them goes. The only thing they can be certain about is that they enjoy no security. Love may withdraw from him just as waves vanish from the seashore – simply, without warning signs. There is absolutely nothing his women can do to retain his favors – once he has decided to love no longer, neither tears nor cries can change anything to the situation.
• Despite all the hazards and dangers awaiting them, women in general feel irresistibly attracted to this type. They sense that taking risks with him can be a worthwhile venture. It is because he reaches the supreme degree of expertise in handling them; it is also because, being so feminine himself, he understands them better than most men do. As a lover he is most charming, sensitive, capable of extraordinary tenderness and gentleness. He perfectly masters the art of idealizing his chosen ones and knows the secret of preventing love from growing stale with time.
• Probably the most outstanding characteristic of this subject’s love behavior is his total freedom from inhibition of any kind. He would openly discuss his sexual needs and desires and experiences without the slightest trace of abashment, confusion, or pudency. No puritanical hang-ups are there to trouble him. Refusing to accept taboos, which to him are only detestable obstacles to the natural expression of the human heart, he lends himself to all sorts of erotic experiments, thereby discovering and enjoying wonders which few people are aware of. He is on the more keen on exploring as he needs to flee from himself and forget his condition as a mortal. The notion of sexual perversion is totally alien to him.
• What are the main characteristics of this man’s lovemaking? The foregoing may give to think that it must be crude and devoid of feelings. Actually, the exact contrary comes nearer the truth. Surprising though it may be, the Goat man gains more pleasure in giving than receiving pleasure. Since romance is to him a most natural state of being, he feels very much at home in romantic depths. His sexual expression is always poetic and perceptive. Despite his incurable tendency toward promiscuity, each of his embraces brings about total peace and contentment resulting from a deeply affectionate blending. All his partners, even the most difficult ones, respond instinctively to his tenderness, gentleness, and magic touch.
• There could be no doubt about his tremendous capacity for sex and extreme sensuousness. This is an exceptionally ardent and indefatigable lover to whom bedtime is always funtime. With him lovemaking does not even always have to happen in bed, and he at all times shows his readiness to oblige his birds, however great their appetites may be. Besides, he is known as an expert at the art of light lovemaking. However, he is extremely fastidious and will not, for instance, abide a partner who is not particularly scrupulous about personal hygiene.
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THE GOAT WOMAN

Her physicality

• Natives of the Goat sign doubtlessly rank among the most attractive and feminine women in the world. They may be more or less beautiful, but the beauty of many of them is unparalleled. All of them are superlatively enticing, a joy to behold. Even the humblest ones are graced with some distinction and elegance.
• There is always something misty, dreamy about the typical Goat female. Her gestures are hesitant, uncompleted, as if she were afraid a decisive movement would brutally dissipate her halo and crudely project her into the world of reality. She also likes to leave her sentences – and almost everything she does – unfinished, thereby providing plenty of room for guessing and imagination. Much of her particular brand of charm unquestionably resides in her indecision and imprecision.
• This woman’s face represents a perfect oval of the purest design. One can often recognize her by her high, rosy cheekbones and well-delineated nose. Her mouth is usually very small, somewhat lost among the other parts of her face. Her eyes are one of the two or three physical elements that mainly account for her power of fascination: Almond-shaped, they could, by their unfathomable depth and strange languor, hold people breathless. Her voice, soft-toned and a little hoarse, exerts an undefinable enchantment; it would be impossible to remain insensitive to it, for there is a kind of bewitching music in even the most banal words the native utters.
• In general the Goat woman is of medium height or even somewhat short, with a thin skeletal structure and without any apparent muscles. Her body and limbs are rather frail, which however does not impede her from being an exquisitely dimpled creature. She usually remains slender and curvaceous well beyond her middle years, unless she has been particularly careless about her diet in her youth,. She moves with much grace, undulating like a serpent, and is therefore naturally gifted for dancing. In no way does she have an athletic bearing or appearance.
• Concerning her health, the Goat woman must first of all take her extreme suggestibility into account. Any imprudence or carelessness on this score may have far-reaching adverse effects on her physical as well as mental well-being. She is indeed exceedingly sensitive to atmospheres and other people’s influences, plugging herself on all possible wavelengths and reacting vicariously to all kinds of situations. She must, for instance, avoid places where for some obscure reason she does not feel at ease and refrain from reading horror stories or seeing intensely conflictual movies. Having remarkable mediumnistic faculties, she naturally feels drawn to occult experiences; but she would be wise to resist her penchant as spiritualistic practices do have the power to exhaust, depress, or distress her beyond endurance. Her delicate psychological equilibrium may be brutally thrown out of kilter by someone’s ill will, bad jokes, or disquieting behavior; she must therefore carefully choose those whom she wants to frequent. The positive steps she can take to cope with her influenceability range from having a lot of sleep to leading a quiet life, from adopting optimistic views to frequently taking a grip on herself; the practice of relaxation and yoga is certainly beneficial in this respect.
• Another grave danger threatening the Goat female’s health is her excessively easy habituation to drugs and alcohol. It is in her interest never to try out dopes and never to indulge, without strict medical control, in medicines, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, or stimulants, all the more as she rarely has enough will power to stop when necessary.
• To any observer this woman appears unmistakably to belong to the lymphatic category. She abhors exertion under all forms, whether physical or mental, and loves to spend much of her time in a lying position. She would encounter no difficulty making her choice between practicing a sport and staying home to read a book or listen to music. It is hard to say if she is basically of a contemplative or lazy disposition.
• Physically, she is not particularly strong; but her health is basically good, and her power of endurance can sometimes surprise. The level of her resistance to disease is relatively low. She is especially susceptible to ailments caused by poor elimination. She may suffer from air in the stomach and also from oedemas, swellings, and lymphangitides because of her tendency to retain water in her tissues.
• She is more liable than most other women to a vague feeling of general discomfort, to pallor, languidness, and romantic fatigue. But all these symptoms are only transitory and seldom act as warning signs of something serious.
• This woman must constantly struggle against her propensity for laziness and inaction, for a prolonged lack of physical exercise can do her great harm by, among other things, favoring faulty elimination. She must regularly practice some kind of moderate sport – lawn tennis, golf, swimming, hiking, fencing, etc. – at the exclusion of more exacting ones. Homeopathy seems to suit her better than allopathy because it is “milder;” besides, only a homeopath would be in a position to decipher the actual meaning of the hazy symptoms she complains about.
• Her diet must be as wholesome as possible. She can eat a wide range of foods, but always with moderation. Seven-day-old yogurt and brewers’ yeast, taken every day, will greatly help her intestinal activity. On the contrary, she would never be wary enough of icecreams, chocolates, cakes, sweets, and the like, which she is particularly fond of.

Her psychology

• There is no denying that, as things stand at present, this sign suits women much better than it does men. All Goat natives, whether male or female, share many characteristics which our basically patriarchal society normally associates with “feminity.” But when it concerns the fair sex, “feminity” is favorably considered or gently condoned, depending on its positive or negative aspects, whereas it is generally frowned upon in the bearded sex. This discriminating attitude, of course, is unjustifiable and tends to aggravate the less desirable side of Goat females’ nature.
• When drawing up any native’s psychological portrait, astrologers usually make a distinction between his (or her) faults and virtues. Such a method proves awkward when it comes to the Goat woman, for the various features of her personality tend to overlap one another and it is impossible to draw a clear line between her strengths and weaknesses; moreover, she is so changing, so self-contradictory that some of her good points may suddenly become bad ones, and vice versa.
• The Goat woman is first of all noted for her sweetness, meekness, air of innocence, and compliance. People can hardly ever detect a trace of aggressivity or enmity in her comportment, even when she is subjected to extreme vexation. She does not seek to provoke or withstand, preferring to keep a low figure and yield the ground under all circumstance. It is almost impossible to pin her down on any subject as she is always reluctant to express opinions of her own and consistently adopts the tactics of the chameleon; one would be grossly mistaken, however, not to realize that behind her modest exterior hides a very quick and perceptive mind. Her unassuming attitude may point to a lack of ambition or self-confidence, but is very effective in warding off hostile reactions and activating protective reflexes in others. In this manner she can indulge in all sorts of funny little ways with immunity and successfully charm her way through life.
• Another of her character traits is her absolute candor. Unpretentious and humble, she does not know the art of make-believe and behaves with remarkable transparency. Consequently, there is no doubt this subject enjoys popularity in society, all the more as she is physically alluring and likes to mix. People eagerly seek her company, confident that it will be agreeable and that they will not be confronted with bad surprises.
• Of all the Chinese duodecimal zodiac, the Goat-born female is endowed with the most vivid imagination. This gives her a poetic, somnambulistic appearance which seduces most people she meets but may irritate some. She is inclined to be exceedingly psychic – she always has difficulty in drawing a boundary between the phantasmal and actual worlds, and floats continually from one to the other.
• Dreams occupy a paramount place in her life. Whatever her age or material condition, she eternally shows a deep attachment to fairy tales and loves stories with a happy ending. Stories about kings and queens, princes and princesses, never fail to exert a powerful fascination on her, and she is ever willing to spend money on books and magazines dealing with them.
• The Goat female is also the most intuitive person known to Chinese astrology. She definitely seems to possess a sixth sense, for she can perceive what is impenetrable to the common run of mankind. No wonder why she usually says “I feel” instead of “I think.” It is in her habits to make decisions or statements quite offhand and more often than not turn out to be right, only to find herself unable to account logically for her moves or indicate how she got the information. One could not blame her for exclusively trusting her own antennae and deliberately, though always discreetly, ignoring other people’s advice.
• Her memory is unsurpassed. She absorbs almost all events and experiences, especially those with affective overtones. It takes her no effort to recall what happened years and years before, without missing the minutest detail. As a school-girl she is unbeatable in learning languages or memorizing historical dates and poems.
• Is this woman an egoistic, unfeeling creature, or on the contrary an affectionate, generous individual? It is practically impossible to give a straight-away answer to this question without running the risk of oversimplification. Actually, the Goat woman is born astride both these extremes, a fact which constitutes one of her major contradictions and which accounts partly for her elusiveness. On one hand she could be considered the epitome of gentleness and bigheartedness. She is unmistakably thoughtful of others and instinctively knows how best to please them; their happiness makes her own happiness. She also singles herself out by her exaggerated generosity, for she could give whatever she has to anyone who asks. Essentially, she is more sensitive than anyone else: The sight of a stray cat or lonely bird trembling in the rain may prove unbearable to her and give her an emotional shock of great intensity.
• But not rarely does she behave in a completely different manner. Strange as it may seem, she is at times totally engrossed in her own welfare and interests, showing utter indifference to the desires or miseries of others; every now and then people can see in her a person apparently devoid of all humane feelings. This woman is of course herself unaware of such reversals in her personality or at least incapable of understanding and explaining them. However, they are not a complete mystery to an outsider. One could safely surmise that they are her own means of self-defense: Being so sensitive and vulnerable, she unconsciously covers herself with a carapace of egoism and disinterest which can shelter her from unbearable emotions and sufferings; to put it differently, she has to resort to emotional self-anesthesia. Her case could be likened to that of the rose, which, in order to protect its delicate beauty and exquisite fragrance, has to make use of a terrible weapon – thorns.
• As just said, the Goat woman is emotionally vulnerable in the extreme. It is never easy for her to live with her impressionability which knows of no limits, and those who want her good are often at a loss not to upset her precarious equilibrium. Sometimes she seems to defenseless that one may wonder how she could survive.
• Her emotions, however deep and tumultuous they can be, are always sincere. She instinctively knows how to express them, naturally and daintily. On the other hand, she invariably views any lack of emotional response on the part of someone else as a most painful affront – it is why she must stay away from phlegmatic people.
• Considered under a certain angle, many of this woman’s character traits appear to be distinct drawbacks. One of these is her arrant dependency, which she never bothers to conceal. She does not believe herself to be strong enough to fend for herself and always counts on others in the business of living. Moreover, she is firmly convinced of women’s inferiority to men and seldom hesitates to seek protection and support from members of the opposite sex; faced with criticisms from her more “liberated” sisters, she just smiles and ignores them.
• Throughout her existence she deludes herself into believing that the world owes her a living and that all she has to contribute is merely to exist. Not only does she want to be entirely taken care of, she also insists on receiving a special treatment from life. As a consequence, her laziness, lack of fighting spirit, and exactingness generally exceed all reasonable boundaries.
• Another of her less desirable characteristics is her indecision. Under any and all circumstances she finds it extremely difficult to make up her mind, to pursue one train of thought, to sustain or follow anything through to its conclusion. All she wishes is to see someone else decide in her place and dictate his will to her – only a firm discipline imposed from the outside can put an end to her sempiternal hesitation and make her move ahead. Left to herself, she would ever be floating in the clouds and drifting to where the wind of events pushes her.
• She definitely lacks will power and courage. It would be easier to teach an old dog new tricks than to convince her to take things in stride and face up to reality. When things go wrong or the challenge of life requires a strenuous effort, her instinctive reaction is to plunge into her own interior waters where she can feel secure and where everything is still and rosy. She may be inclined to withdraw from conflicts and tensions through the escape routes of drugs, alcohol, futility, vagrancy, religiosity, or bigotry.
• There seems to be no stage in her life when the Goat female ceases to behave like a spoiled child. As a rule she only does what she wants to do and when she wants to do it, with complete disregard for the urgent tasks at hand. Incurably romantic, she persistently balks at coming to grips with actual problems and piously hopes for the best to come out of the wrong situations and people. One cannot prognosticate her circle of ever-changing moods with some reasonable degree of accuracy. Frivolity, superficiality, carelessness, thoughtlessness, credulity, and a tendency to mysticism are all an integral part of her psychological make-up. Finally, despite her elaborate escape mechanism, she is unable to free herself completely from spells of gloom and despair, from moods of self-pity and dark forebodings.

Her productivity

• Although she is basically more interested in inactivity and daydreaming than working, the Goat female can be enthusiastic with a job if it pleases her or if it appeals to her sentiments. But even in this case she will display more good will than efficiency. She needs constant supervision and prodding in order to show what she is capable of; it is why she does best in fields where she has to associate with others. Once subjected to a strict discipline, she can carry out adequately any kind of occupation, including the most exacting or routine ones.
• Her sympathetic heart and her own self-defense systems most naturally predispose her to such works as concern the care of others. Thus she can be a much prized physician, obstetrician, psychiatrist, pediatrician, or nurse. She can perform these tasks in a particularly touching way since she seems to identify herself totally with her patients whereas in reality she may be absorbed in quite something else without anyone’s knowing it. This ability to be two persons and live two lives at once is an exclusively “Goatish” privilege.
• As she is generally good at academic studies, the native could successfully do research in social fields or in any other discipline related to humanitarian efforts.
• Probably nobody would love animals more than she does. Her relationships with them bear a strange, almost mystical, mark, as though she could dialogue with them in a secret language. Being a veterinarian or animal breeder would procure her profound satisfactions.
• As indicated earlier, this woman possesses unmistakable occult powers. One can therefore find her among the best renowned mediums. Her competence is equally surprising as a card-using fortuneteller, telepathist, clairvoyante, etc. To non-believers in spiritualism, it may be explained that she owes her extra-lucidity to her exceptional intuition.
• This intuition also allows her to sense the “collective soul,” thereby making her a good journalist, saleswoman, publicist, and in general one whose profession requires a thorough knowledge of the psychology of the masses.
• Owing to her taste and sensitiveness, she can do well or even excel in all artistic fields. This is a wonderful sign for a dancer – dancing is to the Goat woman as natural as walking. As a writer she enjoys the extraordinary ability to express herself with subtlety and imagination. Having no difficulty in identifying herself with the characters she represents, the Goat female often proves a first-rate stage or movie actress.
• Lastly, nothing seems to preclude her success as a secretary, teacher, clergywoman, public speaker, or playwright – provided she be strictly disciplined.

Her love behavior

• The Goat female is certainly the most romantic, the most loving of all women. To her, love is the essence of life, and there is nothing more natural than to love: It would be impossible for her to exist or survive without love. One would waste one’s time and effort in talking to her about feminist claims in general and Women’s Liberation Movement in particular, for she finds all this utterly senseless. There is only one claim she wants to make – that she be allowed to love to her heart’s content, without any hindrance whatsoever.
• Since she only lives for love, she could in no way do without men for any length of time. Because of this some people are inclined to view her as an oversexed and nymphomaniacal creature. Actually, these epithets are quite unjust: Her sexuality serves primarily as a means of expression of her soul, and her eroticism verges more on mysticism than on carnality. Nevertheless, her particular conception of, and attitude toward, love does not in the least harm her extreme sensuousness and desirability as a wonderfully voluptuous bed partner.
• Men find the Goat female utterly irresistible – she has the exclusive power to thaw even the coldest ones and tends to produce more suitors than she can possibly handle. But while her exquisite, effortless feminity brings enormous joys to members of the opposite sex, it may also prove a cause of their ruin as it all too often makes them lose their heads – there probably exists no more dangerous femme fatale than this woman. One might wonder if Eve and Helen of Troy were not natives of the Goat sign!
• In love, more than in all other sectors of her life, the Goat woman shows profound, inextricable contradictions. On one hand, she sincerely longs for an ideal union where she can give the best of herself without any strings attached. Soft, tender, and affectionate, she only asks to be entirely consumed by her passion for the man of her heart, to get lost in him, to enter nirvana through him. She is more likely than any other female to believe in true love and love’s absolute capacity to bring about true happiness. When she loves, she loves wholeheartedly, so wholeheartedly that the object of her love may feel frightened at her sentimental avalanche. She is also inclined to show an unequal capacity for dedication and self-sacrifice.
• But the reverse side of her love behavior could give a foretaste of Hell. First and foremost, she requires comfort and ease, like a gold fish, despite all her protestations to the contrary. She is unlikely to stake her life on anyone who would compel her to pinch pennies, and does not care to conceal her intention to enter a financially advantageous marriage. If he is to keep her love burning brightly, her man should never leave her in need, for poverty is certain to spell disaster.
• Her love also needs to be handled with the utmost care which not every male is capable of. A dispassionate look, a brusque gesture, a word uttered at the wrong moment, or some other seemingly harmless trifle could be enough to mummify this ball of fire. Since to her the worst ordeal is to feel undesirable, she relentlessly asks to be made to know she is treasured by the man she loves; his failure to give her constant reassurances of his eternal love is likely to be interpreted by her as murderous treachery. It is practically impossible for anyone to chart her mood fluctuations, and a sincere lover would be hopelessly entangled in the game of guessing.
• But if this woman more often than not behaves as a sore trial to those who love her, it is principally because of her incurable fickleness. Born with a multiple, insatiable heart, she demands not only quality but also quantity in love. Fidelity is an empty word for her as she sees no point in restricting her natural inclinations. It is indeed rare to see her conduct only one love affair at a time. Marriage is not considered by her as an obstacle to her escapades; in this way she is generally a bad spouse despite her being a fantastic lover. In addition, jealousy is deeply ingrained in her character.
• The native enjoys an exceptional state of grace which effectively immunizes her against sorrows in love. When she no longer loves or is no longer loved, she does not feel the situation as traumatic or even painful. From an old love to a new one, she has the amazing ability to preserve her initial capacity for wonder and enjoyment in its entirety.
• This subject always more or less fears the responsibilities of a family, especially a large one. Her love for a man, however deep it may be, would stand a slim chance of survival should he make her the mother of a numerous offspring. This, however, does not mean that she is basically a bad mother: She can show herself extremely tender and indulgent with her children, but it would be excessive to demand that she behave in a strictly responsible way on this score.

IN YOUR ELEMENT

The characteristics of the Sheep are tempered by one of the five Chinese elements of Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth overlaying a 5-year cycle of characteristics on the original 12-year cycle.

 

THE METAL SHEEP 1931 AND 1991

 The Metal Element expresses structure, fixed values, strength of will and fluency of speech. The nature of Metal is to define and to strengthen. This Element symbolises clear thinking, sincerity and accuracy. Metal Element people have the gift of structure and the ability to interface easily with the outside world. Those born under Metal set and follow their goals with vigour and passion. Metal is determined and fixed, holding each sign in a position of strength by serving as a foundation. Sheep often display a tough exterior to protect the fragile interior they are notorious for. Close friends and family of the Metal Sheep understand this is simply a front for those sensitive emotions tucked inside. Sheep can sometimes treat others the way they feel instead of the way they wish to be treated which can lead to a tendency to be overprotective and vulnerable. Metal Sheep, more than other Sheep, are culturally stimulated and hold a deep passion for the arts.

 

THE WATER SHEEP 1943 AND 2003

 Like their element, Water Sheep go with the flow of things, content to stroll through life like a Sunday evening walk. They are easy to get along with and live with and can make quite lovable room-mates and companions. They enjoy the security of their homes and will generally plant their roots and stay in one place. They are well-spoken and witty, but lack self-confidence. They can pout when they don’t get their way. The Water Sheep expresses feelings, reflection and sensitivity. Symbolic of feelings and emotions. Water descends, seeks out and fills low places, especially the hearts of the disheartened and needy. Those born under the Element of Water are guided by their feelings and the need to communicate. The Water Element endows one with a lucid and quick mind; however , this element is chaos because it does not have it’s own form rather it takes shape of whatever contains it. Water Element have the ability to persuade and manipulate others and their environment. The Element of Water blesses it’s natives with a deep spiritual nature and the ability to thrive in many social situations. Those born into Water years possess the extraordinary intuition and function as a kind of spiritual barometer in this life.  

 

THE WOOD SHEEP 1955 AND 2015

 Generally surrounded by a bevy of friends, these Sheep enjoy being in the midst of a crowd. People flock to these Sheep, possibly because they are so compassionate and helpful. Their sincerity can be taken advantage of and Wood Sheep may get their feelings hurt by undeserving sympathy seekers. Sometimes, Wood Sheep need to suppress their caring ways and take care of themselves.  Wood Element expresses imagination, creativity and compassion. Also represents the family and artistic theory. The nature of wood is move upwards toward the light, to spread and expand. Wood Element people have high-minded values and believe in the dignity of every human being. The Element also brings cooperation, so people born under this element understand the value of teamwork and excel in organising large projects. They are progressive thinkers and far sighted in their goals and ventures. The Wood Element endows each with natural presence; however, Wood is also incendiary and capable of producing a combustible temper.

  

THE FIRE SHEEP 1907 AND 1967

 Fire Sheep are not as likely to get their feelings hurt nor are they as likely to desire the approval of others as typical Sheep are. They are capable of taking care of themselves, standing up for themselves and putting themselves first. They are vivacious and charismatic, preferring theatre to any of the other arts. Fire Sheep generally enjoy a tight circle of friends and family and enjoy the social limelight. The Fire Element expresses dynamic passion, energy, aggression and leadership. The nature of fire is to arouse, convert,consume, resolve and bring out an outcome.This Element will tend to multiply signs inborn talents and energies. Fire Element people have the gifts of leadership, passion and assertiveness. Decisive and masterful, those born under this element rarely have trouble making decisions  and the attract others with their strong and radiant personalities. Fire Element souls have an abundance of energy that produces impatience. The movement of Fire is rapid and can consume one’s energies if not properly balanced with relaxation and moderation. This Element also represents the ability to be decisive, to lead and to act spontaneously without forethought. Fire punctuates each sign with an exclamation mark!

 

THE EARTH SHEEP 1919 AND 1979

The Earth element gives the Sheep a grounded effect. Although he struggles with a lack of self-confidence, this Sheep is a very stable person. They are independent and practical, leaning more towards conservancy than liberality. An Earth Sheep’s family is his most important asset and he spends his life working hard to provide for his loved ones. Earth Sheep are born with a joy for life that generally becomes infectious as you get to know him.  The Earth Element expresses stability, reliability and common sense. The nature of Earth is to ”ground,” to keep whole, and to preserve. The Earth is symbolic of the mother’s protected womb of peace and safety. Those born under the Earth Element are both practical and industrious. They have exceptional powers of organisation and are competent masterminds and executives. Honest, serious and conservative, Earth Element people are capable of making wise decisions.