by Pamela Leigh Powers

In making this correlation from the Sun signs to the animals, I used the meridians and their emotions as they related to the animals on the Time of Day Wheel as the criteria and found that this worked out best. If I had my druthers and could move the animals around as I pleased, I would make a few adjustments. But, we have an astrology wheel that has been handed down through the centuries that works. And, we have a Time of Day Wheel with the meridians and the animals, which has come down through time, and so we need to have them work together. Because there are different animals attributed to the Sun signs in other books, I felt the need to take a few pages and address the reasons why I chose the system I did.

It has been written that, when the Chinese animals were called by the Buddha, the Rat came first, and Aries is the first sign. The Rat is very subjective and acts on his anger. Arians are known for their need to be first, also for their tempers and stamping their feet and demanding their own way as the baby of the zodiac might. They are hotheaded at times.

Well, the Ox fits here very well, as a surrogate for the Taurean bull. They are both very solid, sturdy. They till the soil and are one with Earth. They move slowly, but make steady progress. The meridian is the Liver, and the Ox may never take the yoke from around his neck and so feels repressed.

While the elements of astrology and the elements of the meridians don't coincide, on the wheels, with the Tiger, the Lung meridian is in the metal or air element, and so is Gemini an air sign. The Tiger roars, much like the lion, and needs a lot of lung power to do it. He is one of the powers of the jungle and the Lung meridian deals with ego and pride ... and lung power.

The independent Cat may not seem like a true animal for the Cancerian sign, but we have all sorts of cats: alley cats, outdoor cats, and house cats. We have cats that always stay home and are never allowed outdoors. And, we should remember that, no matter how far he goes, the Cat will always find his way home. The Cat maintains his independence whatever path he's put on. The Large Intestine is the meridian and the emotions have to do with self-esteem, self-love, guilt, feeling clean about oneself . . . and developing self-love. Cancer meets the criteria of these symbols and emotions.

Ah! The roar of the Leo lion or the fire-breathing Dragon ... not much difference here. The Leo personality is larger than life, and so is the Dragon. Leo loves theater and make believe and the Dragon is a mythical character. The Stomach is the meridian for the Dragon, and Leo never wants to feel deprived, but always seeks to live greater and grander than us all. The Stomach meridian speaks to identity and the roles we take on in life, much as the Leo acts out roles on stage or in film.

The Snake has a tongue that lashes out, and Virgos are often criticized for having a vituperative tongue. Virgo is a mutable sign, which means it is fluid and moves with the energy flow. The snake moves by slithering along. The Spleen is the meridian for the Snake, and there is a perfectionism about the emotions of the Spleen. The Snake hates to be wrong, always has to be right, and has to have the last word. Virgos work so hard to make sure they do everything right and are shattered when they discover they haven't covered all the bases, or have interpreted wrongly.

Librans seek to join with another and belong in a twosome. The primary emotion for the Heart meridian and its animal, the Horse, is to belong. The Heart resonates to touch and being touched, to truly belong and love. Love is a primary motivation for the Horse. The Heart meridian is in the fire element and this element is generally considered to deal with relationships.

Of all the animals, this coupling seems to be the one that doesn't work. The Sheep ... in relation to Scorpio? We can force a square peg into a round hole and say that Pluto/Scorpio energy deals with the masses, and the Sheep runs with the herd ... that it is important that humanity in general doesn't fall into a herd mentality and get swept away with any one concept. There is a saying, "like a sheep to slaughter," and certainly "slaughter" is a Scorpio word. It can also be attributed to the "poor me" aspect of the water sign personality that can be employed by Scorpios ... as long as it works for them. If it doesn't, then they can fall back on intimidation. The meridian is the Small Intestine, which deals with victim or victor and certainly the Scorpio energy can be intense and seeks to dominate and be victorious.

The Monkey personality creates a form of reality he can live with. He really doesn't want anyone to challenge it. Sagittarians, too, tend to get hold of a dogma to which they ascribe. A dogma tends to override anything unlike itself, and the Monkey person override's signals from the body in order to maintain his truth. The Bladder is the meridian that has to do with control vs. faith in a higher source. Sagittarius is generally considered the home of organized religion, and religion believes in duty.

The Rooster decides that we shall wake up when the Sun comes up and cock-a-doodle-doos to make sure we do, just as Capicorns like to control their world and set the rules and regulations for the rest of us. Saturn and Capricorn rule the bones and skeletal system, and so does the Rooster and the Kidney meridian rule bones, teeth, and the skeletal structure.

The Dog is a friendly animal and, like the Aquarian, can be open to all who treat him right. But the Aquarian also has an iconoclastic side, and retreats from humanity. He loves humanity as a whole, but may not like them on a one-to-one basis. So, too, the Dog can be open and guileless as a puppy, or get territorial and bark loudly and create a boundary through which no one is allowed unless invited. The Circulation-Sex meridian rules here, inclining people to be reserved, cautious, and shy, with sexual intimacy issues at times. Aquarians are known to love everyone, but be awkward in one-to-one relationships.

Pisces has been called the collective garbage can of the universe, encompassing all of the other eleven signs. Pisceans are known to have deep depressions that are hard to pull out of. The Boar deals with hope and hopelessness, and can fall into a bog of despair. He needs to rise to the heights of spirituality and light, and not stay in the darkness.

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As you can see, the correlation from the meridians to the signs works pretty accurately this way. I've tried to work the meridian emotions with the other Sun sign-animal systems that are in print, but they don't resonate as this system does.

If I were God and could move the wheels around, I'd tend to switch Virgo and Scorpio. I'd assign the Snake to Scorpio and the Sheep to Virgo. Certainly, the Snake has aspects of the Scorpio inclination to bide its time and get even, striking when the time is right. Scorpions don't like rejection and will wait to get even. It's a form of not being in the right.

We could also lay claim to Scorpio for the Monkey. In traditional astrology, the Bladder is a Scorpio organ, and certainly the Monkey is in control and will override anything in its way that it doesn't agree with.

But, in fact, we could probably write a sound argument for the animals reflecting most of Pluto's tendencies, since Scorpio/ Pluto rule the masses and are a motivational part of us all. My feeling with the Sheep being assigned to Scorpio in this system is that it's simply a matter of understanding the Sheep and it's psychological motivations more deeply. Certainly, Pluto is the planet of the masses, and our collective evolution and growth, and the Sheep would represent the herd or the collective consciousness that is in constant evolution and growth.

Rat: 1900 • 1912 • 1924 • 1936 • 1948 • 1960 • 1972 • 1984 • 1996

Ox: 1901 • 1913 • 1925 • 1937 • 1949 • 1961 • 1973 • 1985 • 1997

Tiger: 1902 • 1914 • 1926 • 1938 • 1950 • 1962 • 1974 • 1986 • 1998

Cat: 1903 • 1915 • 1927 • 1939 • 1951 • 1963 • 1975 • 1987 • 1999

Dragon: 1904 • 1916 • 1928 • 1940 • 1952 • 1964 • 1976 • 1988 • 2000

Snake: 1905 • 1917 • 1929 • 1941 • 1953 • 1965 • 1977 • 1989 • 2001

Horse: 1906 • 1918 • 1930 • 1942 • 1954 • 1966 • 1978 • 1990 • 2002

Sheep: 1907 • 1919 • 1931 • 1943 • 1955 • 1967 • 1979 • 1991 • 2003

Monkey: 1908 • 1920 • 1932 • 1944 • 1956 • 1968 • 1980 • 1992 • 2004

Rooster: 1909 • 1921 • 1933 • 1945 • 1957 • 1969 • 1981 • 1993 • 2005

Dog: 1910 • 1922 • 1934 • 1946 • 1958 • 1970 • 1982 • 1994 • 2006

Boar: 1911 • 1923 • 1935 • 1947 •1959 • 1971 • 1983 • 1995 • 2007

1900 January 31, 1900 February 19, 1901 Rat

1901 February 19, 1901 February 8, 1902 Ox

1902 February 8, 1902 January 29, 1903 Tiger

1903 January 29, 1903 February 16, 1904 Cat

1904 February 16, 1904 February 4, 1905 Dragon

1905 February 4, 1905 January 25, 1906 Snake

1906 January 25, 1906 February 13, 1907 Horse

1907 February 13, 1907 February 2, 1908 Sheep

1908 February 2, 1908 January 22, 1909 Monkey

1909 January 22, 1909 February 10, 1910 Rooster

1910 February 10, 1910 January 30, 1911 Dog

1911 January 30, 1911 February 18, 1912 Boar

1912 February 18, 1912 February 6, 1913 Rat

1913 February 6, 1913 January 26, 1914 Ox

1914 January 26, 1914 February 14, 1915 Tiger

1915 February 14, 1915 February 3, 1916 Cat

1916 February 3, 1916 January 23, 1917 Dragon

1917 January 23, 1917 February 11, 1918 Snake

1918 February 11, 1918 February 1, 1919 Horse

1919 February 1, 1919 February 20, 1920 Sheep

1920 February 20, 1920 February 8, 1921 Monkey

1921 February 8, 1921 January 28, 1922 Rooster

1922 January 28, 1922 February 16, 1923 Dog

1923 February 16, 1923 February 5, 1924 Boar

1924 February 5, 1924 January 25, 1925 Rat

1925 January 25, 1925 February 13, 1926 Ox

1926 February 13, 1926 February 2, 1927 Tiger

1927 February 2, 1927 January 23, 1928 Cat

1928 January 23, 1928 February 10, 1929 Dragon

1929 February 10, 1929 January 30, 1930 Snake

1930 January 30, 1930 February 17, 1931 Horse

1931 February 17, 1931 February 6, 1932 Sheep

1932 February 6, 1932 January 26, 1933 Monkey

1933 January 26, 1933 February 14, 1934 Rooster

1934 February 14, 1934 February 4, 1935 Dog

1935 February 4, 1935 January 24, 1936 Boar

1936 January 24, 1936 February 11, 1937 Rat

1937 February 11, 1937 January 31, 1938 Ox

1938 January 31, 1938 February 19, 1939 Tiger

1939 February 19, 1939 February 8, 1940 Cat

1940 February 8, 1940 January 27, 1941 Dragon

1941 January 27, 1941 February 15, 1942 Snake

1942 February 15, 1942 February 5, 1943 Horse

1943 February 5, 1943 January 25, 1944 Sheep

1944 January 25, 1944 February 13, 1945 Monkey

1945 February 13, 1945 February 2, 1946 Rooster

1946 February 2, 1946 January 22, 1947 Dog

1947 January 22, 1947 February 10, 1948 Boar

1948 February 10, 1948 January 29, 1949 Rat

1949 January 29, 1949 February 17, 1950 Ox

1950 February 17, 1950 February 6, 1951 Tiger

1951 February 6, 1951 January 27, 1952 Cat

1952 January 27, 1952 February 14, 1953 Dragon

1953 February 14, 1953 February 3, 1954 Snake

1954 February 3, 1954 January 24, 1955 Horse

1955 January 24, 1955 February 12, 1956 Sheep

1956 February 12, 1956 January 31, 1957 Monkey

1957 January 31, 1957 February 16, 1958 Rooster

1958 February 16, 1958 February 8, 1959 Dog

1959 February 8, 1959 January 28, 1960 Boar

1960 January 28, 1960 February 15, 1961 Rat

1961 February 15, 1961 February 5, 1962 Ox

1962 February 5, 1962 January 25, 1963 Tiger

1963 January 25, 1963 February 13, 1964 Cat

1964 February 13, 1964 February 2, 1965 Dragon

1965 February 21, 1965 January 21, 1966 Snake

1966 January 21, 1966 February 9, 1967 Horse

1967 February 9, 1967 January 29, 1968 Sheep

1968 January 29, 1968 February 16, 1969 Monkey

1969 February 17, 1969 February 5, 1970 Rooster

1970 February 6, 1970 January 26, 1971 Dog

1971 January 27, 1971 February 14, 1972 Boar

1972 February 15, 1972 February 2, 1973 Rat

1973 February 3, 1973 January 22, 1974 Ox

1974 January 23, 1974 February 10, 1975 Tiger

1975 February 11, 1975 January 30, 1976 Cat

1976 January 31, 1976 February 17, 1977 Dragon

1977 February 18, 1977 February 6, 1978 Snake

1978 February 7, 1978 January 27, 1979 Horse

1979 January 28, 1979 February 15, 1980 Sheep

1980 February 16, 1980 February 4, 1981 Monkey

1981 February 5, 1981 January 24, 1982 Rooster

1982 January 25, 1982 February 12, 1983 Dog

1983 February 13, 1983 February 1, 1984 Boar

1984 February 2, 1984 February 19, 1985 Rat

1985 February 20, 1985 February 8, 1986 Ox

1986 February 9, 1986 January 28, 1987 Tiger

1987 January 29, 1987 February 16, 1988 Cat

1988 February 17, 1988 February 5, 1989 Dragon

1989 February 6, 1989 January 26, 1990 Snake

1990 January 27, 1990 February 14, 1991 Horse

1991 February 15, 1991 February 3, 1992 Sheep

1992 February 4, 1992 January 22, 1993 Monkey

1993 January 23, 1993 February 9, 1994 Rooster

1994 February 10, 1994 January 30, 1995 Dog

1995 January 31, 1995 February 18, 1996 Boar

1996 February 19, 1996 February 6, 1997 Rat

1997 February 7, 1997 January 27, 1998 Ox

1998 January 28, 1998 February 15, 1999 Tiger

1999 February 16, 1999 February 4, 2000 Cat