The Year of the Snake

And what do you believe?

Today, Wednesday, January 29, 2025 is the beginning of the Lunar Chinese New Year. Officially, it is the Year of the Snake, an animal I found defined with the traits of “wisdom, intuition and charm,” while the people born in such a year – 2013, 2001, 1989, 1977, 1965, 1953, 1941 or 1929, anyone? – are “perceptive, intelligent and graceful” (thank you Google, although that online game is rather irritating), just as their traits connected to all the other symbols of the zodiac.

Now, dear sweet reader, you have read some of my other pieces and have probably figured out that I am not the biggest believer in zodiac signs, astrology, or any belief system that is based in faith, not facts. The word “zodiac” actually means “little zoo,” and I think that the Asian form of the calendar is closer to the true meaning of the word (no scales or archers here), but I have to wonder about the persistence of the beliefs that people hold over such things.

I was no better. I grew up in the Catholic Church, had relatives and friends who were devoted Jehovah's Witnesses, and I was encouraged to read and share the daily horoscopes in the newspapers over the dinner table. Some traits associated with my sign – Libra (can’t you tell?) – included “balanced thought”, “hardheadedness”, and “a solitary manner”. According to the Chinese calendar, I was born in the Year of the Ox, meaning that I was “persistent”, “tough” and “hardworking”. This is not a bad combination of elements. It does not make it a means of living a real life.

There was a game that I learned to play as a cynical teenager, although it was not fun for the other participants. I would ask what the horoscopes were for people who were in our kitchen, and then read out a horoscope that was not their particular sign. The usual response, before I revealed the truth, would be the person laughing and accepting what I shared. Often, I would not even bother to disabuse them (I would pick the ones that seemed closest to their personalities). It was harmless, for the most part. I was once warned that I was messing with people’s self-perception…much like a prediction made in a daily newspaper?

Anyway, I did a little check up on this year’s sign and found that my niece is a Year of the Snake birth (2001) and that my half-sister is under the Year of the Tiger (1974, and this makes perfect sense). And did you know that different signs can be both useful partners and intense irritants to other animals in the zodiac? The Ox is compatible with the Snake, providing a complement of “growth and stability” (again, I thank you, Google). Maybe there is a connection there…

Okay, there I go again. I am trying to make some sort of connection in my own life between who I am and what the stars allege. And it is not even perfectly matched up with the patterns of the heavenly bodies. The system of astrology is an ancient one, much older than astronomy, and was used to provide guidance in an age when people knew very little about how science worked and what the universe was. Is there any excuse for our continued belief in what we now know is false?

Look, I am not here to knock anyone’s beliefs. If you are comfortable with your faith, creed, predictions and other paraphernalia connected with it, be my guest. But I have to wonder if many of the problems we now face are linked to our choice to not accept that certain things might just be that: things we want to believe.

I did not intend to knock anyone down with this. The sixth animal of the zodiac is connected with positive ideas on one side (“the potential for self-cultivation,” whatever that means) and very negative things on the other (Eden’s famous tenants may not have looked upon a serpent as being worthy of having a whole year). I will be out for the parade this weekend, enjoying the firecrackers, clothes, colours and tea to be provided to all participants.

I just wonder why.

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You can find more poems, stories, and articles by Kendall Defoe on my Vocal profile. I complain, argue, provoke and create...just like everybody else.

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