Getting Down to Specifics

   “Everything your awareness touches becomes a field for your intellectual attainment.”

   That’s part of my 2007 Virgo horoscope. How vague can you get?

   As the Chinese New Year approached, I realized that the year starting today, The Year of the Pig, is my sign. Maybe Chinese horoscopes are more specific. After all, the Chinese have been writing horoscopes longer than any other civilization and must have it down to a science. So I got on the Internet and discovered on a Web site maintained by some long-haired Australian dude that the twelve year cycle of animals on the Chinese zodiac parallels a cycle of five elements- water, wood, metal, earth, fire – with a yin and yang version of each, making a total of ten. These overlapping symbols create a sixty year cycle, which is considered significant in terms of personal and universal horoscopes.

   From this Web site, I discovered that I’m not just a pig. I’m a fire pig. And fire pigs are pretty hot because they’re well-meaning and have old-fashioned sentiments such as goodness. Sounds cool, but I’m not sure there’s anything specific here for my awareness to touch. 

   I read on about how the fire pig affects world events. In 1947, the last fire pig year, there was conflict in the Middle East, a blizzard hit the northeast and a UFO crashed in Roswell, New Mexico. Isn’t there always a conflict in the Middle East? Isn’t there always a blizzard somewhere in northeast? And as for the weird incident in Roswell, doesn’t every year bring something weird, like a runaway bride or a love-crazed astronaut?

   I really wanted something specific. So I turned to my Chinese friends. First I e-mailed my neighbor Evelyn, who replied, “For me, the Chinese zodiac is similar to the western zodiac. No real significance, but tendencies that may be interesting. One possible observation is that compatible animals often make compatible marriages.”

   I e-mailed her back asking if she could be more specific about the compatible animal thing, but got no answer.

   Then I asked my friend Bev if she had any specific insights.

   “My husband Walter and I are both rabbits. We are both Chinese, but we come from very different backgrounds, and the rabbit sign was one thing that we had in common. Our wedding had a rabbit theme and we gave little jade rabbits as favors,” she said. “Also, the rabbit is a sign of fertility. We got married at a point in our lives when we knew we would not have children, but the idea of two rabbits huddling, well, you know…”

   Yes, I think I know. But as my awareness touches this, my intellect tells me there are some things that really don’t need to be all that specific. 

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