The Year of the Rat: 2008 - A Video essay [1]
by PF Journey [1], A Ratty.
Once upon a time, the Jade Emperor of the Heaven decided to invite the Animals for a party. The first to arrive was, you guess it, the ambitious and resourceful Rat, followed by the Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and lastly, you guess it, the Pig. Thus the Chinese Zodiac cycle was born and the beginning of the 12 year cycle.
1900 was a Rat year. This Rat year saw the rise of the epoch-making, turbulent and exciting 20th century at 1900, followed by 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008 and 2020. Note that the Chinese Lunar year is approximately from February to January of the Western calendar year. So if you are born in Jan 2008, you are a Pig and after 7/2/08, you are a Rat. 2020 is also the year where the rich nations should aim to axe emissions of heat-trapping gases by between 25 and 40 percent below 1990 levels.
The Rat is respected and considered a courageous, resourceful, cunning, and enterprising person. People born in the Year of Rat are clever and bright, sociable and family-minded. They have broad interests and strong ability in adapting to the environment and able to react adequately to any changes. They are great survivors. The Rat is charming, imaginative, very clever and opportunistic in money. They are gifted in many ways and have an easy going manner. When they decided to do something, they usually do it very well.
In the Eastern culture, the rat is well respected and revered. It is one of Buddha’s favourite animals. In Hindu, God of Knowledge, Intelligence, Scholarship and Good Luck – Ganesha. Ganesha is often shown riding on rat and be attended in some way by a rat. Since rats are seen as being capable, resourceful and cunning. The rat therefore symbolizes Ganesha's ability to get things done, a perfect companion for "Ganesha, The Remover of All Obstacles".
In the West, the rat does not have a great reputation and indeed is detested and reviled as a creature of the plague and of disease - harbingers of death.
Positive Traits: Meticulous, intelligent, shrewd, cunning, resourceful, compassionate, charismatic, charming, ambitious, practical, industrious, honest, eloquent, versatile, familial, creative, hard-working, neat, organized
Negative Traits: Controlling, obstinate, back-stabbing, resentful, manipulative, cruel, vengeful, power-driven, critical, possessive, stingy, bossy, fickle, defensive, quarrelsome, dishonest.
The Loves of Ratty:
Rat*Rat - too much competition.
Rat*Ox - exciting sexually but like waxes it grows cold quick.
Rat*Tiger - has potential but must work at the relationships.
Rat*Rabbit - Rabbit wants to go hopping about, Rat wants to stay put, frustration.
Rat*Dragon - A solid, caring partnership. You will value each other and get along very well.
Rat*Snake - see Rat*Tiger.
Rat*Horse - forget it, you will get trample.
Rat*Sheep - If you try hard and make great efforts, happiness will come.
Rat*Monkey - Made in Heaven, the favourite of the Jade Emperor.
Rat*Rooster - ditto Rat*Horse.
Rat*Dog - Rats think Dogs are too boring but opposites can attract.
Rat*Pig - you will love each other intensely, but watch the credit cards.
Famous Ratties: Claude Monet; Franz Joseph Haydn; Gene Kelly; George Washington; Jimmy Carter; Marlon Brando; Plato; Tchaikovsky; William Shakespeare; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Al Gore; T.S. Eliot; George Bush Sr; Louis Armstrong; Truman Capote; Irving Berlin; Doris Day; Clark Gable; Yves St Laurent; Gene Kelly; Andrea Lloyd Webber; Charlotte Bronte; Richard Nixon; Olivia Newton-John; Cameron Diaz; John McCain; Michelangelo; Roy Orbison; Bobby Darin; Mickey and Minnie Mouse; John (The Rodent) Howard???.
The only song that I can find about rat is the beautiful ballad Ben by Whacko Jacko. I think this is very appropriate because us ratties are often a bit whacko jacko ourselves.