Hubbard's Zodiac Sign for the Chinese New Year
Happy New Year! The Gregorian calendar new year has already passed, but the Chinese calendar’s new year began this year on (the Gregorian date of) February 7th, 2008 and is the year of the Earth Rat. In the Chinese zodiac, each year in a repeating twelve year cycle is represented by a different animal - rat, ox, tiger, cat, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, pig. In addition, there are five elements - wood, fire, earth, metal, water - that rotate every two years in the cycle further defining the characteristics of each animal sign.
Recently my nieces and I spent a fun afternoon investigating my family’s Chinese zodiac signs. Later on, being a Roycroft blogger, I naturally wondered what Elbert Hubbard’s zodiac was. He was born in 1856 (as was Sigmund Freud), during the year of the Fire Dragon, and from what I have read of the Fra, he was very much representative of this sign. Here is an excerpt about the Fire Dragon from Suzanne White’s book, The New Chinese Astrology:
“This energetic, feisty, dynamic person is always someone to be reckoned with. Whether a fire dragon is born starving in the humblest cave or comes into the world with a giant silver spoon melting in his jaws, he stands out above the crowd. He makes a name for himself and causes buckets of trouble for anyone in the immediate neighborhood who doesn’t feel like going along with his plans.”
“...the Fire Dragon is the most attractive, charismatic creature in the Chinese zodiac. His personal magnetism is such that people cannot leave him alone. He is bafflingly contradictory. He’s rampantly sexy and full of wisdom. He’s constantly giving advice, yet is not afraid of taking major risks or embarking on oddball campaigns to effect the impossible.”
“Although he is always making sweeping gestures, involving himself in grandiose schemes and craving attention, he is not afraid of the criticism his behavior often affords him - it seems to fuel his ardor. His determination to dominate frequently places him in the public eye. And his earth-shaking decisions often put him on the public firing line. But the Fire Dragon can handle flak. His ego never gets in the way of his desire to be king. A cool customer, he understands the necessity of diplomacy and knows how to withdraw gracefully from untenable positions to smooth the way for a comeback at a more propitious time.”
Material written by Elbert himself, by Roycrofters and others lend support to this as a description of the Fra’s personality. However, I rather doubt Elbert would have had much truck with the zodiac. In any case, it makes amusing conversation today. This is even more reason why Hubbard and by extension, The Roycroft, had so many followers; who wouldn’t want to be near someone “rampantly sexy”?
Regardless of which calendar year you use, or how sexy you are, check out the (Gregorian) calendar of classes being offered at the RCC this year at our web site, www.roycroftcampuscorporation.com. Happy Chinese and Gregorian New Years to all.
- Sue
