The twelve Animal Signs

for Men

Ox (Buffalo) man
His physical background

The Buffalo man is generally of medium height, stocky, with a thick skeletal structure and powerful muscles. With age, his abdomen tends to become more pronounced, and the use of suspenders may prove necessary. But despite his seemingly heavy appearance, a lack of grace is not evident; his gait is light and precise, bordering on agility, and he has a gift for dancing. His hands are relatively small, his feet slightly pointed outward.

It is not always easy to guess what this man feels or thinks as his round face is expressionless and there is a blank stare in his wide-open eyes. A round nose, a high forehead, a swarthy complexion, abundant hair, fleshy lips and a thick neck - an indication of sensuality, it seems - are usually associated with this sign. People rightly say the Buffalo male is a tactile; he always feels the need to touch, palpate, manipulate everything within his reach, like a child exploring the world around him. Attributed with extraordinary manual dexterity, he dotes on tinkering with his hands whenever circumstances permit it. His voice is deep, husky, warm, full of poise and authority.

The native enjoys an exceptionally sturdy constitution; he generally enters life full of vigor and free from all major pathological predispositions. His physical endurance far surpasses that of the average man. He can normally expect to live a long and healthy life - provided, of course, that he be careful about his eating habits, sleep sufficiently and indulge in no excess whatsoever for any length of time. As a matter of fact, the Buffalo sign provides more sprightly old men than any other sign of the Chinese duodecimal zodiac.

But he is not always as reasonable as he should be, and finds moderation a difficult objective to achieve. He tends to overwork himself to death, partly because he loves working - "Work equals health," he often says to justify himself - and partly because once he gets the bit between his teeth, it is practically impossible for him to know how to stop before being forced to. Considering food to be one of life's greatest pleasures and lacking the will to avoid overeating, he may, from his middle age on, be afflicted with plethora and acne rosacea, all the more as he is extremely fond of sweets, starchy foods and meats cooked in sauce. Terrible piles may also affect him at one period or another of his life.

It would not be difficult to give this subject a sound piece of advice. All he has to do is to follow the dictates of sheer common sense. Temperance in all things must be assiduously cultivated as a supreme virtue.

First of all, no matter how absorbing his work may be, he would be wise to break it with frequent pauses during which his organism will be allowed to recuperate. It is vital to him to know the limits of his forces - for limits there are! - and take a rest before, not after, feeling tired. Once he has got down to exhaustion, it would require of him much time to become afloat again.

Second, he can hardly ever be sufficiently on his guard against alimentary excesses. Stuffing should be avoided at all costs. Nibbling quantities of small things - crackers, chocolates, salted peanuts, and so on - when he has nothing to do is a hard-to-break habit of his which can account for many of his miseries.

Third, there is nothing original in advising him against heavy, too rich or too abundant dishes - which favor engorgement - but he has to beware of them anyway. Too much meat can definitely do him harm due to the high percentage of toxins it brings. On the contrary, eggs, milk foods, fish, cheeses, fruits, raw vegetables and, as a general rule, Japanese dishes suit him well.

The male of the Buffalo sign is more intimately linked to nature than anyone else. It will be most beneficial to him to follow its rhythms - for instance, to wake up and go to bed with the sun, or to eat mostly seasonal products. It is in his interest to live in the country or at least to go there very often to recharge his biological batteries; the spectacle of greenery refreshes and reinvigorates him better than any medicine or course of treatment. He can also cure most of his minor troubles with herbs, algae and other natural produce.

If he does not do a manual work which requires some degree of physical exertion, he must make it a rule to practice gymnastics or some kind of sport on a regular basis. Hiking, cycling or swimming can do him a lot of good without demanding violent efforts he is reluctant to make. He loves gardening and can find in it an activity likely to keep him fit.

Everything this individual does seems to confirm his rather unconscious desire to keep a low profile. He moves slowly, eats slowly, reacts slowly, speaks slowly, rarely raising his voice. Quiet and understated in manner, he shuns the limelight as far as possible. His clothes are decisively on the conservative side.

Although sparing of words, what he says is usually well thought-out and meaningful. He is burdened with some difficulty to express himself verbally in his everyday life, but can become quite eloquent and forceful when his deepest convictions are at stake.