The Real Year of The Dog

Well, first toilet stories and now Chinese New Years. Great minds think alike. Either that or Nukie and I both need some new lives. Anyway, I had intended to post this on Saturday, so as to make use of everyday of this terrific Year of the Fire Dog. While Nukie's interpretation is pretty par for the (Male) course, the real significance of the year of the dog isn't quite so...doggy.http://nukie310.blogspot.com

2006 is indeed the Year of the Dog. This year is a great chance to make real progress in your life. The Dog is loyal and trustworthy and that can be translated as "steady progress". This isn't a good year for "get rich quick" schemes, and anything that isn't built on solid ground may end up falling away during this year. But this is a great year to work on the long term (5 year or 10 year goals).

There is a saying that "It's great to build castles in the sky, just put foundations under them". And that's the best way to make the most of a Dog Year. Write specific, detailed goals down, so that the substeps can be clarified, this way it will be easier to see if the goals may have some unforseen snags or blocks that need to be worked out. This is not a good year for risks or unplanned spur of the moment ventures. Don't spread your resources out too thinly in this year.

This is the year to fix, mend or invest in those things that are essential to your life. Home, car, career, family. This is the year to clean out those basements, tune up the car, or take a course or certificate program. Family can be strengthened with a little time and attention there as well.
The more solid you make these aspects of your life, the more you can advance them in a Dog Year.

The lesson of the Dog is to stick with the tried-and-true.
Also the Dog teaches us not to take the things we have in life for granted - just as a dog will bark loudly (or in Kimmy's case tear up the Rubbertree plant) when it wants attention, the Dog Year will make those neglected areas of our life a big headache if not taken care of.

The Fire aspect of this year relates to the year of the Yang. This relates to Fame or general reputation. This is a good year to update hairstyles, wardrobe or business cards. This year highlights our "face we present to the world", in other words: your image. And this also presents an opportunity to spruce up your career sector. Maybe with a class or two, a conference or a seminar. If your self-employed this is a good year to review the books and tighten up bookkeeping along with housekeeping.

The bottom line for the Dog is this: it will highlight what in your life is working, and what isn't. So, you can be the pruner, or let fate prune for you. This may be especially harsh in a Yang year.

What this may mean for the outside world in general: harsh weather pattern and stock market fluctuations.

So woof, woof, woof. Make the most of this opportune time.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it."

Astro Hammy