Now that 2015 has come and gone, the sheep has reluctantly returned to its pasture. As 2016 crests above the horizon, the monkey emerges from its nest, ready to engage in mischief or untaught antics. Naturally, the monkey year is in full swing so the next 12 months will be dominated by the wiles of the red zodiac primate. Monkey is the ninth astrological animal of the Chinese calendar. 

One Chinese Fortuneteller Blog likens the monkey to the first metal of the cycle of elements. This makes the Lunar New Year a fitting time to ascertain the suggestive meaning of the Chinese zodiacal signs in relation to the I-Ching Hexagram.

Knowing this, those born under the monkey sign are, quite possibly, apprehensive about their prospects for the New Year. According to the Chinese theory of elements, the red monkey’s symbolic significance is dualistic in nature. The figurative color results from mingling metal and water. The metal stands for gold, and water represents wisdom.  Concerning the instinctive nature of the monkey, the most noticeable attributes are agility, curiosity, naughtiness, vigilance, and wiliness. 

Supposedly, people born under the monkey sign are inherently clever, flexible, lively, quick-witted and versatile.  The most admirable aspects of a monkey birth-year are enthusiasm, innovativeness, self-assuredness and social savviness.  

The author of the online blog, Chinese Zodiac, Year of the Monkey cites an extensive list of famous people born under the monkey birth sign. Reportedly, Leonardo da Vinci, Charles Dickens, Yao Ming, Celine Dion, Will Smith, Christina Aguilera, Diana Ross, Elizabeth Taylor, Alice Walker, Julius Caesar, Bette Davis, Eleanor Roosevelt, Cuba Gooding Jr., Christina Ricci, Miley Cyrus, and Empress Wu Zetian of China’s Tang Dynasty (618-907) were all born in a monkey year. This condensed roll of celebrities who share the monkey birth sign seems to bolster belief in the auspicious attributes supposedly conferred upon those born in a monkey birth year. Now, one question worth asking is this:  Is the monkey birth year intrinsically fortuitous?

Naturally, astrologers are prone to surmise that people with character traits comparable to the monkey are primed to obtain the most favorable results in this red primate year. Therefore, some seem convinced that their fortune is tied to a specific year, month or zodiacal sign. Such reasoning is equivalent to the notion that athletes who are innately agile tend to demonstrate a masterful affinity with their particular sport. Likewise, people who are curious are prone to make significant discoveries that yield rewarding results. 

Obviously, being vigilant or wily can be both beneficial and rewarding. With such rosy outlook, some may be tempted to believe that the red metal monkey is a harbinger of good fortune and fortuitous forecast. Such mindset engenders embracing this ‘Monkey New Year’ with high hopes and great expectations about prospects for the next 12 months.

Consequently, many astrologists regard the New Year an opportune time to peddle their version of astral quackery about auspicious timing and propitious outcomes. Actually, qualities like agility, curiosity, mischievousness, vigilance and wiliness are not congenital, nor are they restricted to people born in a monkey year or any other. Instead, such qualities can be cultivated by anyone, born under any birth symbols, month or year. Except for those with irreversible brain disorder, every person is endowed with the mental capacity to form habits that are desirable, and the determination to break those that are not.  Also, through conscious or deliberate efforts, each of us can summon the resolve to develop qualities deemed favorable, and discard those that are unfavorable. 

The tendency to define people by birth order, astrological sign, geography, race or religion is a subtle form of quackery. We are not bound by our physical condition, socioeconomic status, national, political or zodiacal legacy. Deep within us lies the desire to aspire, the mental and physical capability to rise above our circumstances, defy predictable odds, and attain our full potential. The significance of birth sign, month or year does not determine anyone’s destiny.  Instead, individual effort, personal initiative, and persistent resolve are the most important drivers of accomplishment and success. 

Now, the question is, do you want 2016 to be the year of successful dream pursuit? Then learn to liberate yourself from the chains of pseudo prophesiers. Aim high, set new goals, strive to accomplish them. Acquire the aptitude of a high achiever, and adopt the attitude of an innovator. Fix your focus on the future, not on the past.

Take control of your own life and determine your own fate. Set your own life-course, and do what lies within your physical capacity and mental faculty to shape your own destiny. Ignore the quack oracles and invent your own maxims for your life. Stop waiting for the most auspicious birth year or month or astrological sign to embark on a new undertaking for your life.  Carpe Diem — seize the day! Do what you can when time and chance allows. Then, you will begin to become the person you aspire to be. 

King Solomon’s insightful conclusion is worth reflecting on here.  “I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy.  And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.”  (Ec. 9:11 ― NLT)

By Carlton U. Forbes

Carlton U. Forbes currently teaches communicative English at Woosong University. He has also authored a forthcoming book “A Few Choice Words.” He can be reached at cuforbes@gmail.com. — Ed.