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The twelve Animal Signs
for Men
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Rooster man
His psychological makeup
The Rooster man has an absolute character, in the sense that he regularly moves in the superlative. His extremism can take many forms, whether it concerns his thoughts, sentiments, or actions. He admits of no intermediate and adheres totally and uncompromisingly to the all-or-nothing principle. With him, nothing should be done or felt in halfway measures. Qualified opinions are not his forte: Whether it is politics or religion, morality or education, occultism or reincarnation - whatever the issue - he is likely to take a clear-cut, unmistakable stand. He has intense likes and dislikes which he is not prepared to change or tone down. Aided by the incredible force of his will, he means not to allow for chance to play its part or for fate to guide his destiny; he solidly believes that everything, including good luck, can be made to happen and refuses to sympathize with unfortunate people. When he descends on the shaded side of his being, he can show himself extremely harsh, cruel, ruthless, ready to trample on others in order to achieve his goals, aggressive in his relations with his fellowmen, and spiteful towards those who do not agree with him. But when he moves to the sunny peaks of his personality, we can find in him a man who is perfectly able to surpass himself, who is keen on devoting himself body and soul to a noble cause, and who is quite willing to sacrifice his time, his health, and even his life for the good of the community.
This subject resembles his Buffalo counterpart on many points, one of which being his intellectual inflexibility. His opinions are espoused once and for all, and no power on earth can induce him to alter them, even though later they may prove totally wrong. He therefore singles himself out as a diehard sectarian and fanatic. Clinging intensely and relentlessly to his iron-clad convictions, he always thinks that he is right, that he knows what he wants, and does not bear criticisms, however courteous and well-intentioned the critic may be. In this way he can easily become his own slave: He will persist in a course of action even when it becomes obvious that its continuation could only lead to failure or ruin.
The Rooster man has a profound taste for secrecy. He carefully avoids to show on the outside what he is feeling on the inside and generally succeeds in concealing his real thoughts and intentions. It is difficult for most people, even for those closest to him, to know exactly where he stands or what he is up to at a given moment. His secretiveness probably stems from his deep desire to wield power over others and to manipulate them as he pleases; it may also result from his all-out suspiciousness - he does not have much faith in the goodness of human nature and tends to view everyone as a potential traitor. But while he is keen on keeping his own secrets, he excels at prying secrets out of others, thereby rendering people vulnerable to him.
Of all natives known to Chinese astrology this individual finds himself among the few ones graced with such penetrating intelligence. His mind is not only cautious and skeptical; it is above all shrewd and perspicacious. He possesses an uncanny sense of the weaknesses of others and has a weird intuition that allows him to pinpoint the hidden intentions of his interlocutors or adversaries. It is practically impossible to take him in, whereas anyone could be fooled by him at one time or another if he so decides.
A shy, insecure, or defenseless Rooster man is yet to be discovered. As a rule violence under one form or another makes an inseparable part of the character of the typical native of this sign. When things do not go his way, he may or may not react immediately, depending on the tactics he chooses for the particular occasion; but one can be sure he will launch a furious, drastic attack on the obstacles or a massive retaliatory operation against his opponents. When troubled or under pressure, he tends to blurt out everything on his mind or hurl sarcasms at his interlocutors, he means every word of what he says, and, when he has cooled down, rarely deems it necessary to apologize for what he said. It is not only a matter of courage here; it is even appropriate to speak of revengefulness and sadism.
What he may be reproached for is undoubtedly his acute lack of the sense of humor. He takes life - and especially himself - far too seriously, allowing no room for defeats, failures, or weaknesses. Since efficiency constitutes one of his main driving urges, it is hard for him to switch off business and relax when his organism desperately requires it. This is a man who always wants to do more than he is able to and who gets bitterly disappointed, if not furious, if the task to perform proves beyond his capacities. Concerning his own person, he will never forget a slight on his pride, which he euphemistically calls his "self-respect."
The Rooster man has a strong practical side to his nature. Few people would be as courageous as he to be so willing to look at life with an unadorned eye and enjoy facts at the exclusion of any fiction. Suspicious of idealism of all kinds, he tends to confine himself on the conservative side, to cling to the tried and true method. Imagination and inventiveness are decidedly not his specialty.
He also mistrusts emotionalism, exercising a continual watch over his heart and controlling it only too well. The projection of his emotional coldness more often than not prevents him from having well-rounded contacts with others - but he could not care less about the next fellow's feelings toward him!
Only under exceptional circumstances is his heart in the right place. With his emotions rather shallow, he leans toward excessive selfishness; he justifies his attitude by arguing that each one should rely exclusively on himself. He is never ready to help someone in trouble, particularly when his purse should be involved.
The typical Rooster man seems to come into the world mostly to experience difficulties and hardships. In any case, he can eat his bread only by the sweat of his brows - it is a rare Rooster who is born with a silver spoon in his mouth, to put it figuratively. Despite all his ambition and earnestness, his fortune most often resembles waves. By dint of work, success in every field is not necessarily beyond his reach; but glamor, which he desperately looks for all his life, may very well continue eternally to elude him. To compensate for this irony of fate, he adores putting on a bit of a show, with a firm tendency to brag and seek the limelight: Modesty and self-effacement, understandably, are not the native's cardinal virtues.
What is one of his cardinal virtues, on the contrary, is his absolute loyalty. He never breaks a promise, keeping his given word being a point of honor with him. It is here that he again resembles the Buffalo. On the other hand, for the rare people whom he loves and trusts, he will move mountains, against any odds.
Altogether, with such a mixture of strengths and weaknesses, the Rooster male appears to be simply - and profoundly - human.
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