Here Comes The Dragon!
Enter the Dragon!
Legend has it that the Jade Emperor, the ruler of the heavens, had called for a meeting of the animals. He had ordained that the Zodiac be named after each animal according to the order of their arrival at the meeting.
It seems the dragon came in fifth. Being a fair and wise ruler, the Jade Emperor questioned the dragon as to why it did not come in first, having wings on its back and all. The latecomer explained that it was held back to help bring some rainfall to some farmers. He later saw a rabbit stranded on a log in a river and had aided the poor creature to the shore.
The Jade Emperor was so impressed with the Dragon’s helpfulness that His Majesty included it into the Zodiac, despite it being the only mythical animal among the lot.
What’s in Store for the Much-Anticipated Dragon Year?
Starting a new business? Embarking on a new career path? Planning to tie the knot or have a baby? If you’re a Chinese, you couldn’t be happier that the Year of the Dragon is just around the corner .
The Dragon Year has always been considered the most auspicious in the Chinese Zodiac and indeed, the 2012 Chinese New Year looks set to provide us a fair share of excitement, prosperity and meaningful events!
Joey Yap, founder of the Joey Yap Consulting Group, author of over 80 books on Feng Shui and face reading, calls 2012 as `a year of changes’. As 2012 is the Year of Water Dragon, it will bring much cleansing and clarification, as water refreshes and nourishes all negative elements.
He added that the Dragon Year also brings growth and renewal. Bickering people will tired of arguing and quarrelling – they would resort to finding solutions and answers to their problems.
Feng Shui expert, Lillian Too, along with her daughter, Jennifer Too, call 2012 a `transformative year’, a harbinger of good luck and prosperity.
Though the Chinese dragon looks intimidating it’s a symbol of generosity and compassion
(public domain image from Wikimedia Commons)
The Stuff Dragon People are Made Of
Westerners perceive the dragon as a fire-breathing, man-eating, evil beast and malicious ‘lizard’, with depictions of its viciousness in folklores and movies like “Dragonheart” and “Reign of Fire”. Even the Disney cartoon, “Sleeping Beauty”, portrays the creature as malevolent, with the nasty Queen turning herself into a dragon to kill the Prince!
So, do people born in the Dragon Year exhibit the so-called villainous character of the dragon? They don’t seem to.
The Chinese regard the dragon as a symbol of generosity, auspiciousness, prosperity, not to mention regal and imperial authority. So much so only Emperors were allowed to sport the dragon symbol in their regalia.
A wise guardian, protector of the weak and a symbol of happiness and joy, the mystical dragon is held in high esteem by the Chinese, and like the creature, the people born under this Chinese Zodiac Sign display a great amount of generosity, compassion and other exemplary qualities.
These extroverts enjoy outdoor activities and are essentially thrill-seekers. Being highly imaginative and rather dominant, they make good engineers, architects, philosophers and lawyers.
Dragon child :1938 Nobel Prize Winner, Author Pearl S. Buck
(public domain image from Wikimedia Commons)
Dragon People, however, possess a short temper and are prone to emotional eruptions.
Famous Dragon People include Courtney Cox, Sandra Bullock, Reese Witherspoon, Isabella Rossellini, Shirley Temple, Ringo Starr, Pearl Buck, George Bernard Shaw and John Lennon, among others.