Chinese Astrology - Ox

Excerpted from
Chinese Astrology: Ancient Secrets for Modern Life
By Sabrina Liao

For centuries, the Ox played an important role in the agricultural society of China. Born to serve, provide, and then be sacrificed, the Ox is one of the most precious assets in the fanning community. In fact, in many villages where Oxen work diligently in the field, farmers refuse to eat beef to show their gratitude to this hardworking animal that dedicates its entire life to the survival of the villagers. Even today, many Chinese still keep with tradition and do not eat any beef.

Aside from being a diligent worker in the field, the Ox actually became a matchmaker in one of the most romantic stories in Chinese mythology'. The story begins with, once upon a time, there was a cowherd who was lied to by his greedy brother and then believed that the only property he had inherited was an old Ox that could no longer work. Suddenly one day this old Ox spoke to the cowherd, claiming to be a heavenly general, he then took the young man to a secret place, where he met and fell in love with a beautiful weaving fairy from Heaven. Their secret love affair eventually infuriated the Heavenly God so much that he summoned the fairy back to Heaven and ordered the lovers to be separated, with the Milky Way between them.

Heartbroken, the couple came to see each other day after day, but could only look across a great distance. Finally, their love moved the Heavenly God, who finally granted that they could meet one day each year At last, the cowherd and the weaving fairy could meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh moon over a bridge across the Milky Way formed by sympathetic magpies. Because of this romantic folk tale, the Chinese celebrate their Valentine's Day on the seventh day of the seventh moon each year.

The Male Ox

The male Ox usually has a great appetite and takes pleasure from the material things in life. He also has a love for nature and enjoys homemade food. Prudent and practical, you will hardly ever see an Ox man on a shopping spree. A real conservative at heart, he does not appreciate novelties or changes and prefers to keep everything the way it is. A male Ox is very organized, so his room must be neat and systematic, but only he will understand it.

Other qualities of the male Ox are his sincerity and loyalty. To him, honor and responsibility are everything, and he takes his duty seriously. Hardworking and diligent, he is well-known for his patience and persistence. He is rarely indecisive or impulsive; in fact, he is very cautious in everything he does and insists on keeping his feet firmly on the ground. Never a dreamer like the Sheep or an adventurer like the Tiger, the male Ox prefers a stable life and prefers to plan ahead for the future.

Not the talkative type, the male Ox is often quiet in a crowd, and he does not readily show his emotion. Among all his acquaintances, there are only a handful he trusts. Careful and serious, he is not as popular as the Dragon or the Monkey. But with his intelligence and talents, even though he does not really want to be in the spotlight, many times he becomes the leader within a group. However, although he appears confident, underneath die surface he is a pessimist and constantly doubts himself.

Protective and proud, he refuses to show his weakness and reveal his true self to most people. Thus, the male Ox can be extremely difficult to understand, even to his dear friends or family. But, realistically, if you are in an Ox's circle of friends, you should brace yourself for a true and devoted lifelong friendship.

A deep thinker and a philosopher, the male Ox is not particularly quick-witted. He is also stubborn to a fault, and he knows it. Once he has made up his mind, no one and nothing can sway him. Sometimes, his belief will turn into an obsession or a fetish. And if this extreme belief is combined with the male Ox's destructive, authoritative and military-like manner, you will find men such as Adolf Hitler or Napoleon Bonaparte.

A dutiful and disciplined man, who appears cold at times, the male Ox is immune to public opinion. He always chooses to do things on his own terms at his own pace. He is ambitious but does not lose sight of reality. Eventually, he will slowly climb to the top. In most cases, he is too honorable to take any shortcuts and too cautious to take any risky opportunity. Instead, he favors doing things step by step, and that is also how he earns his success ultimately.

In relationships, the male Ox is not particularly romantic. Inhibited and conservative, do not expect him to give his partner a candlelight dinner by the beach or dozens of long-stem roses at work, or even gently whisper sweet words. That is just too much to ask a male Ox. There is a famous Chinese idiom about a man playing a lute to a cow, implying he is wasting his breath on the wrong audience. I he male Ox believes actions speak louder than words and prefers to show his affection through his actions.

In order to find happiness in life, the male Ox must learn to be less gloomy and biased, throw away his dogmatic and dull personality, and lighten up a bit to enjoy the humorous and the fun in life.

The Female Ox

Compared to the male Ox, the determined and reliable female Ox is definitely more outspoken. It could be said that she is quite eloquent. If you try to debate with this articulate Ox female, nine out of ten times you will surrender to her persuasive skills. It is evident by the way she talks and the way she walks that the female Ox is strong-willed and authoritative. At the same time, she is dependable, calm and methodical. Margaret Thatcher and Princess Diana are two famous Ox women.

Generally fair-minded and a great listener, she is a devoted and caring friend who is popular among her small circle of friends. It is not fair to say that she has no friends, it is just that she values only the handful that are closest to her heart. Although extremely loyal to her friends and family, she is still a very private person, resenting anyone who tries to pry into her personal life. Also, she can be strongly biased and prejudiced, many times judging people quickly and capable of instantly labeling individuals as liked or disliked. Moreover, underneath her apparent friendliness lies an agitated bull that is fearsome and explosive when crossed. In fact, she will never forgive those who betray her. And with the female Ox's exceptional memory, it is also very unlikely that she will forget any deception throughout her life.

Dignified and dexterous, she is too proud to take any shortcuts in life. To her. success ought to be earned, not given. Industrious and precise, she always plans ahead and has goals for herself. A born traditionalist, the female Ox often abides by the law and will make a stand when she sees unfairness. Interestingly, though, she herself is never a bully; instead, in many cases all of her friends must gather around to stop her from going after those who bully others.

Her home is very important to her and she sees it as her sanctuary. It is not necessarily luxurious or fancy, but it must be comfortable. The female Ox prefers to live in rural areas to be close to nature If unable to live in the country, a garden or a house near the water can also bring pleasure to the nature-loving Ox woman.

Loyal and practical, the female Ox is the typical ideal wife. She knows how to take care of her husband and children and is always neat and punctual. Steadfast and protective, this no-nonsense type of girl is not particularly romantic, but she certainly carries more than her share of the load.

In affairs of the heart, the Ox woman can be terribly naive and inflexible. She has high standards, which she not only applies to herself, but insists her partner abide by as well. Her naivete may be a reason that younger men can often woo her. In the event of a broken heart, she has the tendency to grieve far too long, refusing to move on.

A good lesson for the female Ox is to try to overcome her judgmental nature and learn to be flexible and open up more to others.