This week I celebrated 1 year at Tabblo. My first year...

And I may say that while I share my live with you, I also get to know more about me... specially what pleases me most, what catches my attention, what is beutiful and important for me.

When I was thinking of the tabblo I wanted to make to mark this 1st anniversary, I thought of calling it "the year of tabblo" as something that influenced me, maybe like the year of one of the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac that might as well have an effect upon my life. So I decide to learn something about the Chinese horoscope, and that is what I found out at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_horoscope. :

The Chinese Zodiac is a 12 year cycle. Each year of the 12 year cycle is named after one of the original 12 animals. Each animal has a different personality and different characteristics. The animal is believed to be the main factor in each person's life that gives them their traits, success, and happiness in their lifetime.

The 60-year cycle consists of two separate cycles interacting with each other. The first is the cycle of ten Heavenly Stems, namely the Five Elements (in order Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water) in their Yin and Yang forms.

The second is the cycle of the twelve Zodiac animal signs (生肖 shēngxiāo) or Earthly Branches. They are in order as follows: the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep (ram or goat), monkey, rooster, dog and boar.

The Five Elements on top of the cycle of animals are modifiers and affect the characteristics of each of the 12 animal signs. Thus, each of the 12 animals are governed by an element plus a Yin Yang Direction.

The balance of yin and yang and the five elements in a person's make-up has a major bearing on what is beneficial and effective for them in terms of feng shui. This is because each element is linked to a particular direction and season, and their different kinds of qì or life force.

In Chinese astrology the animal signs assigned by year represent what others perceive you as being or how you present yourself. It is a common misconception that the animals assigned by year are the only signs, and many western descriptions of Chinese astrology draw solely on this system. In fact, there are also animal signs assigned by month (called inner animals) and hours of the day (called secret animals).

According to the 60-year cycle, the fallowing is related to my life:

Year: Jan 28 1979 - Feb 15 1980

Associated Element: Yin Earth

Heavenly Stem: 己

Earthly Branch: 未

Associated Animal: Sheep

土 Earth

Centre（中） 

Three Enclosures, Change of seasons

The Yellow Dragon（黄龙）

The Planet Saturn（土星）

The Colour Yellow（意）

Digestive system, Spleen（脾） and stomach（胃）

Powerful, Patient, Militaristic, Prideful, Prudent, Stable, Reliable, Hard-working, Ambitious, Stubborn, very energetic, Seeks to Conquer Disciplined, Rigid, Controlling, Tenacious, Logical, Governed by Service and Duty to Others

Earth Governs Dragon, Rat, and Ox. It is the central balance of the elements and can lend qualities to all 12 animals as well.

Sheep (Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Fire): Righteous, sincere, sympathetic, mild-mannered, shy, artistic, creative, gentle, compassionate, understanding, mothering, determined, peaceful, generous, seeks security. Can be moody, indecisive, over-passive, worrier, pessimistic, over-sensitive, complainer.

The Fourth Trine

The fourth trine consists of the Rabbit, Sheep, and Pig. The quest for these three signs is the aesthetic and beautiful in life. Their calm nature gives them great leadership abilities. They are artistic, refined, intuitive, and well-mannered. These souls love the preliminaries in love, and are fine artists in their lovemaking. The Rabbit, Sheep and Pig have been bestowed with calmer natures than the other 9 signs. These three are compassionately aware, yet detached and resigned to their condition. They seek beauty and a sensitive lover. They are caring, unique, self-sacrificing, obliging, sensible, creative, emphatic, tactful, and prudent. They can also be naive, pedantic, insecure, cunning, indecisive, and pessimistic. The Trine of the Rabbit, Sheep, and Pig is a weaker, more timid, and vulnerable trine when compared to the second Trine of the Ox, Snake, and Rooster (the other 3 Yin signs of the Zodiac).

The months - the inner animals

An individual's monthly animal sign is called their inner animal and is concerned with what motivates a person. Since this sign dictates the person's love life and inner persona, it is critical to a proper understanding of the individual's comparibility with other signs.

Concerning my inner animal:

Solar longitude: 301º

Solar term: 大寒 dàhán

Western date: Jan 20 - Feb 03

Lunar month: 12th - 丑 Ox

Fixed Element: Water

Season: Winter

水 Water

The North(北）

Winter（冬）

Black Tortoise（黑龜）

The Planet Mercury（水星）

The Colour Black（黑）

Skeletal（骨）/Excretory System & Lungs

Secretive, Self-destructive, Charming, Intuitive, Deceptive, Passive-Aggressive, Compassionate, Sensitive, Creative

Flexible, Addictive, Manipulative, Compliant, Eloquence, Intellectual, Betrayal

Water Governs the Rat (strongest water), Ox, Pig (weakest water)

Ox (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Water): Dependable, calm, methodical, patient, hardworking, ambitious, conventional, steady, modest, logical, resolute, tenacious. Can be stubborn, narrow-minded, materialistic, rigid, demanding.

The Second Trine

The second trine consists of the Ox, Snake, and Rooster. These three soul mates conquer life through endurance, application, and slow accumulation of energy. Although each sign is fixed and rigid in opinions and views, they are genius in the art of meticulous planning. They are hardworking, discreet, modest, industrious, charitable, loyal, punctual, philosophical, patient, and good-hearted individuals with high moral standards. They can also be self-righteous, vain, critical, judgmental, myopic, narrow-minded, petty, and pessimistic. The second Trine of the Ox, Snake, and Rooster is a much more powerful and dominant trine when compared to the fourth Trine of the Rabbit, Sheep, and Pig (the other three Yin signs of the Zodiac).

The hours - the secret animals

I would love to know my secret animal, as it is thought to be a person’s truest representation, since this animal is determined by the smallest denominator: a person’s birth hour. It is therefore important to know the exact time of birth to determine it, and this is what makes it so difficult to find out, especially when we think that I was not born in China, nor in Europe, nor in the States, but in Brazil. So, this is something that I will have to research better...