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THE ROOSTER PERSONALITY
The Rooster, or Chicken as he is also called, is the Don Quixote of the Chinese cycle. The dauntless hero who must look to the earth to survive, he is the most misunderstood and eccentric of all the signs. Outwardly, he is the epitome of self-assurance and aggression, but at heart he could be conservative and old-fashioned.

The Rooster-born, especially the men, will be attractive, even dashingly handsome. The princely fowl is radiant and proud of his fine feathers and has an impeccable carriage. You don't find any roosters slouching; they strut about with dignity. Even the shyest member of the Rooster family will cut a neat, trim figure and maintain a special bearing wherever he goes.

There are two distinct types of Roosters. The rapid-firing, extremely talkative ones and the deadly solemn observer types with the X-ray vision. Both are equally hard to deal with. The Rooster has many outstanding qualities to crow about. He is sharp, neat, precise, organized, decisive, upright, alert and most direct. He can also be critical to the point of brutality. Don't ever ask him for his frank, candid opinion--you may never recover from his comments. He loves to argue and debate, showing how knowledgeable and smart he is, sometimes with little regard for the feelings of others. But when his feathers are ruffled in return, he is insufferable. He isn't cut out to be a diplomat. Situations requiring tact, delicacy and discretion will cramp his style. His way is to go about trying to convert everyone to his way of thinking with missionary zeal.

An outstanding performer, the Rooster shines when he is the center of attraction. Tremendously imposing as a personality, he could well pursue any career that exposes him to the public eye. Gay, witty and amusing, the magnificent Rooster will never pass up an opportunity to recount his adventures and ennumerate his accomplishments. He is adroit at expressing himself both in speech and in writing. You will have to concede that he is well-versed and prepared for any subject to be discussed. If you intend to challenge him on a controversial issue, be ready to fight long and hard--the Rooster has amazing stamina does his homework and can wear you out.

When the Rooster is negative, he is egoistic, opinionated and too abrasive for his own good. In his mind, he is 100 percent right. He presides over gatherings to exhibit the excellent opinion he has of himself. However, if you look closely, you will find that he puts on this act more as a way to constantly reassure himself of his own worth rather than to irritate anyone. For all his poise and bravado, the Rooster is not that sure of himself, and is therefore most susceptible to flattery or delusions of grandeur.

All members of the Chicken family can handle money. They are just fascinated by accounting, sorting out finances and generally guarding the cash box. He budgets everything he can get his hands on and that includes his time, your time, the mailman's time, company time, ad infinitum. Even the smallest one will most likely be elected as Treasurer of the Little League. He will handle his pennies wisely, and before you know it he may be running his own mini-bank, giving loans and charging interest from more careless youngsters.

If you have problems with your finances due to a lack of self-control--turn your money over to a Rooster. He'll make you an ironclad budget and slap your wrists every time you touch one cent

more than allowed.

While you may live to lament this move, you can be sure he is doing it all for your own good--even if he does seem to be sadistically enjoying it a bit too much and even if it is your money. Don't be so ungrateful! You should thank your lucky stars he condescended to help you at all.

Now all those bits and pieces of paper you scattered around have been neatly filed away by this efficiency expert. Your income is reconciled with your expenditures for the first time in years. You start to see the light of day. And the Internal Revenue wolf has not cast his dark shadow on your doorstep now that the Rooster is here and your creditors no longer haunt you day and night. You would be worse off, you know, if it weren't for this financial savior.

I know, too, at this point you may think you have got more than you bargained for. You will complain bitterly how he won't let you off lightly even for your smallest error. You are now in a state of perfect financial accord, yet totally miserable in this newfound bliss. Your blood pressure shoots up every time you have one of those profound discussions with him. Well, relax. Don't take it so hard.

Try to think back. Remember that day you took him on and how he made that sacred vow to help you out of the woods and stick to you "for better or for worse"? It is just that you get to see the worse part first. Stick around, things are bound to get better. His key word is service and he won't disappoint even your greatest expectations. You may not be able to live with the Rooster, but you will find that neither can you get along without him.

Actually, the Chinese character for the Rooster is "Ji," which simply means Chicken. But since this person will do anything but "chicken out" of a situation, I have respectfully chosen to address him as the Rooster. Besides, the Rooster's personality really enhances and dominates that of the entire chicken family. If there were to be an ad in tomorrow's paper for a "Superman with Fine Fiscal Abilities," you can be sure the Rooster would apply and be qualified for the job, too.

His is the sign of the collector, too. Outstanding accounts bug him terribly. And you know what chickens do with bugs. My, my, you have all these uncollectable debts due you? Just watch the Rooster roll up his sleeves and take on those culprits who owe you money. You cannot find anyone finer to carry out an important directive. He loves difficult assignments. But don't expect him to improvise. He is an explicit person and you have to give him explicit orders. On top of all his virtues, you cannot ask him to be versatile and inventive too. That would be asking too much.

To truly understand a Rooster, you must accept his predilection for controversy. This may be because of the mental exercise it provides him. You must comprehend, difficult as it may sound, that there is nothing personal in his moves. You should have enough sense to keep out of the crossfire when you know his gun is always loaded. And while he does seem knowledgeable and wordly about everything else it should also be noted that the Rooster can be puritanical about sex or affairs of the heart.

For the Rooster to make smooth, unimpeded progress it would be well if he first realized that people will not be so adverse to accepting his excellent advice--if only he could do better with the packaging. A little sugar coating, perhaps? He doesn't have to be like the old-fashioned doctor who prescribes bitter-tasting concoctions with no I regard for our delicate taste buds!

When a Rooster spends lavishly, he must be doing it to appease his oversize ego. He is a sharp dresser and loves to attract attention. Therefore, he occasionally will have the tendency to over-decorate his home, his office or even himself. He is also very impressed with awards of all kinds, medals and honorary titles. Every Rooster will try to win at least one award, have one professional title to his credit or get a minimum of one medal per war. With money, he will only be generous with his immediate family or in order to win love and admiration from his followers. Otherwise, the only thing you can be assured of getting from him free is--advice.

A Rooster born at the crack of dawn, during the Tiger's hours, or at sundown (between 5 and 7 P.M., the hours of the Rooster) is definitely going to be the noisiest of the lot. I personally know of one whose family has long since been considering the use of a muzzle to silence his lengthy discourses. Too bad not one among them has worked up the courage for the task. Night Roosters tend to be the exact opposite. They can be over serious, self-contained and uncommunicative even. These quiet roosters tend to be doubly eccentric, bookwormish, aloof or insulated in their quest for perfection.

All Roosters are perfectionists in one form or another. They will have a sharp eye for details mixed with theoretical flights of fancy. Their ideas sometimes look better on paper than in actual application because they forget to make allowance for human frailties and other varying factors. They have scientific minds and may fail to see why other people cannot exist by fixed formulas as they do.

Yet for all his faults and interfering ways, the Rooster native is usually sincere in his desire to help others and will undoubtedly mean well in all his endeavors. He just comes on too strong because he is so positive in his convictions that he tends to close his mind to the views of others.

If the Rooster's dreams are too farfetched and over-ambitious, he will suffer many disappointments in life. He must learn to stop reaching for the sky. While he can be practical about difficult matters, the Rooster can also be very unreasonable and difficult over simple things. But it is useless standing between him and his goals. He is the dauntless knight, who recovers at a moment's notice and will go off chasing another rainbow. Who knows, he may succeed at the next try. The Rooster is brave and chivalrous under stress, but sometimes he will carry his heroism far beyond what is required.

The female of this sign is usually more down to earth and less colorful in her aspirations. She is super-efficient and will get things done with a minimum of fuss. You can rely on her to have enormous amounts of energy to dedicate to any job she sets her sights on.

One would be hard pressed to find a more helpful woman than the female Chicken, with the exception of a Boar lady. Although this Hen acts like she has been gang-pressed into her labors, the truth is that she loves to conscript herself to a life of involvement and dedication. What would she do with her vast reserves of energy otherwise? Whereas others are only bored, she can actually be frightened when she finds extra time on her hands.

The Hen is more adaptable than the male Rooster and will do well in society. She will have no qualms about being a mere worker, just one of the group, if it gets her where she is going. Routine appeals to her and she is always on schedule if not ahead of it. She is as capable and productive as her male counterpart but will go about performing less offensively. Careful, dutiful and less obtrusive, she could excel in precision work, proofreading, preparing long-range studies or compiling statistics and the like. A meticulous worker, she is also likely to make a very thorough and patient teacher, watchful and protective mother and solicitous wife.

She does have the tendency to harp or constantly remind you of what is next on the agenda, but this should be accredited to over-zealousness and not to the fact that she is out to persecute you. One gets the impression that she is out to reform or remake the people she loves. This is simply her way of showing that she cares. She cannot bear to see you make mistakes when she is on hand to prevent such blunders. Consequently, she will help you up every time you stumble, supply you with the right word every time you stammer. Helpful to the extreme, the Hen can drive the objects of her devotion to the limits of sanity.

She will forgive you anything, but not before she gets those hurt feelings off her chest with a strong lecture. After that, she won't harbor grudges and is not vindictive by nature.

The lady Chicken is a simple dresser. She will go for simple, classical and natural outfits that could be appropriate for numerous occasions and which can be complemented by her large array of accessories.

Taking a peek into her handbag could tell you loads more about her character. Besides all those little notes she writes to herself constantly, she will probably have a tape measure and all the dress and shoe sizes of her entire family. She's armed to the teeth with remedies for every illness and other do's and don't's. She is precise and orderly and will enjoy taking charge of distributing or organizing things. It is not beyond her to open the office in the morning and lock up after everyone leaves in the evening. She guards her responsibilities jealously and enjoys with gusto the power her authority confers.

Every Rooster is a reputable worker. He will know how to please his superiors, who in turn will be impressed by his sharp intellect and efficiency. But although he has boundless energy and a driving will to succeed, the Rooster is too cocksure when he is negative and can misdirect his efforts or take on impossible tasks. The irony of it is that the Rooster will find success and money in the most common places. Contrary to his own opinions, he will not have to search far and wide for his fortune. As the Chinese put it, "Chickens can find food even in the hardest ground with their sturdy beaks and claws."

Likewise, if the vigilant Rooster person can bring himself down to earth and apply himself to mundane matters, he can literally dig up gold from his own backyard. He would do well setting up his own business or running the family estate. But wherever he goes, he will be meticulous and competent enough to have everything operating smoothly in no time at all.

The emotions of the Rooster-born swing high and low. He is plagued by an activity-oriented and inquisitive mind. His probing ways keep him chained -to his objectives. Once he sets out to prove a point, he will not leave a single stone unturned. He makes an excellent investigator: there is a bit of Sherlock Holmes in every Rooster.

With his many administrative abilities and natural passion for work, the Rooster will start out young and be successful early in life. What he needs most in everything he undertakes is restraint, moderation and a firm hand to direct his irrepressible energies. No matter how competent he is, he must realize that he cannot take the world by storm in a single day and reprogram everyone else in it to do things his way. In short, the Rooster-born can achieve the most astonishing task with aplomb and then become eccentric over the last detail.

The Rooster loves praise, is allergic to criticism of any kind and can be very selfish about sharing the limelight. He will never like to admit he is wrong. He will go to all lengths to discredit his enemies. A good provider, the Rooster person is wonderful to his family and will indulge them anything, provided no one dares usurp his No. 1 spot. It would do well for him to have a large family as he needs a cheering squad to bring out the best in him.

No matter what happens, it will be an advantage that the Rooster is indeed a tireless worker, for he will have to work his way through life. Things won't just fall into his lap. He is the intrepid dreamer, full of ambition and goodwill but destined to succeed in ordinary things. Yet, on the other hand, it will not pay to underestimate his powers. Being fiercely competitive by instinct, he could peck the formidable Snake to death should he set his mind to it.

To sum it up, the colorful but controversial Rooster will never fail to make an impression on you. You will either be enchanted and grow to love him immensely or you will simply be unable to bear the sight and sound of him.

The Rooster will pair off nicely with the wise and intuitive Snake. The Snake in turn will need the effervescent personality and sunny, dauntless outlook of the Rooster to cheer up his life. The Ox will also welcome the sunshine the Rooster could bring into his regimental existence. both will be compulsive workers although the Chicken is not as Spartan as the Ox. The Dragon will definitely find the grandiose plans of the Rooster very much to his liking, both of them being outgoing, energetic and ambitious.

The Tiger, Sheep, Monkey and Boar will be the next best partners for the Rooster. Put two Roosters together and you know what you will get--a cockfight. With the Hens, there is more likely to be more harmony. The Rooster-born will come into conflict with people born under the sign of the Rat. The Rooster lacks intimacy, the Rat thrives by it. Neither will the Rooster find happiness with the Rabbit-born. The Rabbit is sensitive and will seek to avoid squabbling or inciting his enemies. The Rooster on the other hand is an expert at provoking a fight and can rub people the wrong way by his uncomplimentary remarks. This trait will scandalize and alienate the Rabbit, who cannot bear such glaring directness. The Dog's relation with the Rooster will range from lukewarm to frosty, depending on how wide the gaps are between their different points of view. They could work together when necessary but they are not fated to be joined together in perfect connubial bliss.

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