from unknown to mythical

I had such a feeling of “impossible "as I began one the worlds most sought after quest to answer the question that even the wisest struggled to answer. as you might have already guessed the magical quest is the “who am I” journey, I dint really have a clear answer as to who I am currently but I knew who I wanted to be and I wanted to be the master of seduction, the idea of captivating the female power of seduction has always fascinated me, as I learned of many powerful women that achieved greatness with their charm and the art of seduction but mainly because they finally got to find out who they were and where they are going as they all went through this magical quest. I was thrilled to know that this  journey was taken by the best of the best, it was a journey described as the hardest by the most adventurous, a voyage with no map but with definite check points that had to be identified and perused, a magical journey in which if one succeeds, they open ways that others may too succeed so in this journey a positive impact goes a long , long way. I realized that this journey has no end and that is the beauty of it! To begin the journey I was looking for a guide, like anything that would give me guidance as to where to begin, so one of the things I have heard about was the famous zodiac signs. They intrigued my interest so I Began my deep studies of the signs but I also saw that there was other signs called the Chinese zodiac. So I started my deep search as to what was it all about since I have always found the Asians very mysterious, wise and prudent so it really interested me to know more of what they knew. In the beginning of my search I found out that the Chinese zodiac was represented by 12 animals that were, namely in the order of the 1st to the last. The Rat , Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and the Pig. But what made me really excited was the discovery that I am a DRAGON so I decided to dig deeper and find out why was it represented by this animals and why in this order and just overall origin of this Chinese zodiac. I found that this is based on Chinese astrology, an ancient art, which uses the time of birth, including the year, month, day, and time, to reveal insights into a person’s personality traits, lifestyle, health, career direction, and compatibility with others. I mainly wanted to know what are my characteristic or personality traits because I believed it would help me know my self better, I continued the search...The Chinese system of zodiac is actually based on a 12-year Sun-Moon cycle that conforms to the ancient Chinese agricultural calendar. The cycle is divided into the five elements: Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal as well as the twelve animals, which represent each year. Now I am thinking to myself and wondering so the millions of people born the same year as I are just like me or? Cause if it is I wouldn’t feel that special at all... but gladly there is more to the Chinese zodiac system then just the date in which a person is born. The system is also influenced by Yin (female) and Yang (male) cosmic force, which is said to be an interpretation of universal harmony and balance, the system is also influenced by the hour of birth and the five elements that further describes each zodiacs but we will learn more on the birth date and the five elements that further describes each zodiacs but I will still come back to this… now back to the yin and the yang, I learned that Since ancient times, the Chinese have believed that two major forces, the Yin and the Yang, control the universe. These two forces are the foundation of Chinese philosophy, people, and even Chinese medicine. Generally speaking, the Yin signifies death whereas the Yang indicates life. Yin                                  Yang Death                              Life Night                               Day Moon                              Sun Feminine                        Masculine Passive                           active  cold                                 hot A well-known symbol called “Tai Chi” (the ultimate matter) embodies the Yin and the Yang. In the circle, the two forces equilibrate the energy and keep everything balanced. No force is stronger or weaker than the other, when one is at its highest, the other is at its lowest. Together the Yin and the Yang become a whole and thus keep the universe in harmony. Now all this facts were amusing and I felt like I knew a lot already but I still couldn’t stop but wonder why are they in such a order? And that's when I found out about the “story” a legend that I am not even sure if its true but has been told for many, many years to explain the origin, nature and order of the Chinese zodiacs. The story is these quoted from a very reliable source. “Legend has it that once upon a time, the Heavenly God realized that there hadn’t been a system to keep track of time, so he decided to develop a calendar system. One day, he summoned the Earth God to hold a race for the animals inhabiting the earth. So the Earth God gathered all the animals, and announced that the first twelve animals to cross the river would be the signs in the zodiac calendar. What a great honor to be in the zodiac calendar! All the animals chattered excitedly, and all wanted to join the race to win their spot in the calendar. After the announcement, the Cat turned to his best friend the Rat to express his deep concern. “How can I cross the river when I am afraid of water?” At the same time, the old Ox grumbled to himself, and said, “How can I cross the river with my poor eyesight?” The intelligent Rat looked at the Cat, then the Ox, and then a brilliant idea entered his mind, “I’ve got it! We can hop on the Ox’s back to guide him, and he can carry us across the river without us getting wet!” All three of them agreed this was a great plan. So, early before dawn on race day, the Rat, the Cat, and the Ox were cruising slowly in the river, leaving all the competition behind. Just as they reached the middle of the river, the calculating Rat sneaked up behind the unsuspecting Cat and pushed him off the back of the Ox into the river. Unaware of the commotion on his back, the hardworking Ox paddled straight ahead and finally reached the shore. Instantaneously, the aggressive Rat jumped off the back of the Ox and raced to cross the finish line first, while the serious, enduring Ox finished in second place. At the same time, all the other animals were struggling to cross the river. The courageous Tiger raced to the finish line in third place; the Rabbit, the Dragon, along with the Snake also reached the finish line. The Horse arrived with the artistic Sheep. The Monkey was given ninth, the Rooster tenth and the Dog came in eleventh. Meanwhile, the Heavenly God counted the animals and suddenly realized they were one animal short. At this moment, the meticulous Pig arrived just before the race came to an end and was given the twelfth spot. A moment later, the poor Cat arrived soaking wet and found out he was too late to win any place in the race. Needless to say, from that day on, the Rat has been the Cat’s sworn enemy. In the end, the Heavenly God was quite pleased with the results and gladly gave each animal a year of its own, bestowing the nature and characteristics of each animal to those born in that year. What an amazing tale indeed, the only reason I believe its not merely real is due to the fact that I only believe in one eternal and living God, other than that nice tale indeed ;-)… now lets talk about the elements that I have mentioned earlier, so the Chinese believe that the five basic elements, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water form everything in the Universe. As a fundamental part of the Oriental philosophy, the five elements are divided into Conducive and Controlling interrelationships. A Conducive interrelationship means that these five elements will produce one another and help nourish each other. We get Fire from Wood because fire is produced by burning wood. We get Earth from Fire because fire can burn everything into ashes (earth). We get Metal from Earth because all metal has to be extracted from the earth. We get Water from Metal because metal will change into liquid when heated. And, from Water we get Wood because water nourishes plants, thus producing wood. I was hoping that I had a strong element as well but Under this philosophy, I found out that no element is considered the strongest or weakest. Each element is either controlled by another element or can produce another element. In fact, they are dependent on one another and therefore, are considered equal. In Chinese astrology, during the complete sixty-year cycle, each of the animal signs is combined with the five main elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. The element of your zodiac sign will exercise its influence on your life. But enough of the general chinese zodiacs, why not just jump straight into my own zodiac to really get started on the “who am I” journey… Zodiac Sign of the Dragon, Fifth of the Chinese Zodiac, get excited cause I am! DRAGON Zodiac Elements Earthly Branch of Birth Year: chen Wu Xing (The Five Elements): earth Force: yang Auspicious Directions: west, north, northwest Lucky Colors: golden, silver, hoary Unlucky Colors: red, green, purple, black Lucky Numbers: 1, 7, 6 Unlucky Numbers: 9, 8, 3 Lucky Flowers: bleeding heart vine, larkspur Best match: rat, monkey, rooster Avoid matching: ox, rabbit, dog Natural element: Wood  Season and principal month: Spring—April  Direction of its sign: East 30–Southeast 30 degrees  Hours ruled by: 7A.M.–9A.M. The Celestial Dragon Ranking Order Fifth.   YEARS ELEMENTS 1904 Feb.16 – 1905 Feb.03 Wood 1916 Feb.03 – 1917 Jan.22 Fire 1928 Jan.23 – 1929 Feb.09 earth 1940 Feb.08 – 1941 Jan.26 Metal 1952 Jan.27 – 1953 Feb.13 Water 1964 Feb.13 – 1965 Feb.01 Wood 1976 Jan.31 – 1977 Feb.17 Fire 1988 Feb.17 – 1989 Feb.05 Earth 2000 Feb.05 – 2001 Jan.23 Metal 2012 Jan.23 – 2013 Feb.09 Water   PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS   Positive                                    Negative Compelling                               Abrupt Courageous                              Arrogant Discriminating                         Defensive Dynamic                                    Demanding  Energetic                                   Dissatisfied Enthusiastic                              Egocentric Exciting                                      Emotional Faithful                                       Impatient Generous                                    Intolerant Idealistic                                     Irritable Intelligent                                    Opinionated Irresistible                                   Overpowering Lucky                                            Ruthless Perfectionist                                Short-tempered Principled                                     Willful Self-sufficient  Sincere  Talented  visionary  Sentimental DRAGON—THE ANIMAL The Chinese don’t call themselves “the descendants of dragons” for no reason. Dragons are deeply rooted in Chinese culture and are frequently portrayed in sculptures, paintings and temple posts. It is the only mythical animal that ever made the cut in the Chinese zodiac and, also, one of the most popular signs. In most Chinese paintings, this magnificent creature is often portrayed as a combination of many animals—a creature with a pair of antlers like the deer, a camel head, the eyes of a hare, and the neck of a serpent. Its belly looks like that of a crocodile, and its claws like those of an eagle, its paws like tiger’s and its ears like those of a buffalo. The mighty Dragon can also rise to Heaven in one second and then descend to the depths of the sea the next second. Yet no one really knows where the Dragon comes from or has actually seen a real live Dragon. Nevertheless, for centuries, the Dragon has been a symbol of imperial power, being the celestial animal of the Chinese emperors. These emperors believed that they were the real Dragons and the sons of the Heavenly God. The Chinese refer to emperors’ beds as the Dragon bed, the ceremonial dress as the Dragon robes, the throne as the Dragon seat, the palace as the Dragon palace, the heir as the Dragon child; Dragons can be seen on the buildings in the imperial palace. Dragon screens are an important part of this Dragon culture ... Dragons are born leaders and masters of ceremonies. You are usually energetic, strong and healthy. Better yet, you are also very lucky. Dragons are not especially power-hungry. And because of your magnetic, persuasive personality, you have the potential for high achievement. Dragon people shine in the crowd. When you walk into a room, heads turn; people whisper and eyes follow your every move. You are the kind of person who grasps people’s attention immediately and makes them murmur “hmmm” and wonder. But you don’t get the attention by laughing loud or dressing like a clown. Sometimes it might be the mysterious scent you wear or the low, sexy voice you project. Very easy to remember, totally unforgettable. Believe me, it is hard to miss a Dragon in a crowd. Also separating you from the crowd is your excellence at competitive games. Competition thrills you, and you are often driven by your strong will to win. Nevertheless, you can also be overconfident. It’s best to stay as far away from a defeated Dragon as possible. Luckily, a defeated Dragon is not seen often because you Dragon people usually end up as the champions. After all, you are born intelligent and fortuitous, and you are smart enough only to fight battles you’re sure you have a good chance of winning. But win or lose, you certainly know how to make the headlines. As a Dragon, you are an idealist and a perfectionist. Honor and integrity is your middle name, and you usually set up extremely high standards and rules to live by. You Dragon people are dominant and powerful. You usually walk and talk in such an assertive and confident manner that you intimidate others. The leadership quality you possess is so powerful that it probably emerges during childhood. This persuasive and scrupulous personality can bring you great success or spectacular failure. You are aggressive and determined; going after what you want is second nature to you. You are feisty and gifted with power and luck and will only settle for the best. Dragons are definitely not the types to sit and wait; on the contrary, you usually rush out, give commands, and make things happen. Occasionally tyrannical, you hate orders except when you are giving them. Unlike the Tiger, who imposes his will forcefully and firmly, or the Ox, whose authority is implied by his stern disposition, you know exactly how to exert authority and yet be gentle with your servants. However, Dragons are terrible snobs. Although money is not always the main object, wealth, prestige, and splendor can overly impress you. You are born strong, healthy, and usually live a long life. People do listen to you and your influence is considerable. You are gifted, intelligent, tenacious, willing, and generous. Often envied by others for your good fortune and good luck, you can do anything you want. In fact, no matter whether you choose to be in art, medicine, or politics, you will shine in it. You will be a success wherever you go. Often loved, you are never disappointed in love. In fact, you are frequently the cause of some drama or despair. Outspoken, lucky, and financially fortunate, you show boundless energy and vitality. In general, you are the healthy, sentimental visionary of the Chinese zodiac. Now specifically as the female Dragon you are Physically attractive, the female Dragon is hard to resist. Usually she grew up being the center of attention and will exude self-confidence and charisma wherever she goes. She sees the world in black and white and believes strongly in her judgment. She is a doer and can’t stand injustice. Being so talented and energetic, she always ends up in the winner’s circle. She is not used to defeat, nor will she accept it. Passionate believers for equal rights, Dragon women insist that what a man can do, she can do better. But it’s always important for men and women to remember never to underestimate a Dragon lady. Finally, there is nothing she hates more than deception and manipulation; therefore, remember never to cross a Dragon woman because her grudge is lasting and her revenge will be disastrous. Chinese astrology compatibility. Dragon with Ox- Don’t, the two of you will fight constantly When the powerful and dominant Dragon is put together with the inflexible and stubborn Ox, the result is a constantly fighting combo. Being the practical one in the relationship, the Ox likes to stick by the rules and follows daily routines. On the contrary, the willful Dragon does not like to play by the rules and is idealistic and unpractical about the future and reality. Dragon with Dragon- They’ll always compete against each other In any Chinese paintings of two Dragons, a close look will reveal that these two Dragons are always fighting for something. Dragon with Horse- but might go downhill Both the Dragon and the Horse are emotional, so when they first meet, it could be love at first sight, nothing but fireworks and sparks. Nevertheless, it usually starts going downhill from there. Dragon with Rat is One of the best-arranged unions, The Dragon and the Rat’s relationship is probably the best of all combinations. The Chinese believe this is the best match for both marriage and partnerships. The Rat will welcome the Dragon’s dominance and the Dragon will admire the Rat’s intelligence. Both are powerful and aggressive, and can work hand in hand to make things happen. With their mutual self-confidence and talent, neither will be threatened by the other and will in fact admire and support the other to bring out the best in them. Whatever they do, as long as they do it together, these two will achieve success, happiness, and prosperity. This is an absolutely marvelous combination. THE METAL DRAGON: 1880, 1940, 2000 The Metal element strengthens the Dragons’ many qualities. Metal Dragons are usually extremely bright and expressive. They have great vision and are burning with determination and ambition, but at the same time they are also unbending and unwilling to accept defeat. Metal Dragons could be the most strong-willed of the Dragons. They usually succeed because they will most likely burn the bridges behind them and leave nowhere to turn but to go on. On the negative side, Metal Dragons have very little patience with others, especially those who are considered inferior, and can be extremely intense and critical to others. They have high standards and morality, and it is useless to try to convince them of beliefs other than their own.  Yeah I too am amazed by this tremendous description of a Dragon so I was like imagine if I could literally be like the the dragon, literally glow and fly and be so powerful and strong? It would be amazing or maybe just weird and freaky I thought. At this point I am seventeen years old and just to think that in just about 3 years my life would be like a spiral of emotions, changes, achievement, purpose, experience a great number of people and just growth in general… I AM STUNNED!