Rabbit Year heralds plots and back-stabbing, astrologer says (Feature)

By Hazel Parry Feb 3, 2011, 5:01 GMT

Hong Kong - History has proven the rabbit to be not as cute as it seems, according to Chinese astrologers, who believe the Year of the Rabbit, which started Thursday, could bring hidden agendas and secret plots.

The atmosphere between nations may appear friendly and calm but underneath there will be tensions in this Chinese lunar year, according to Hong Kong astrologer and feng shui master Raymond Lo.

Lo bases his predictions on the fact that 2011 is a Year of the Metal Rabbit which sees the disharmonious pairing of the elements of metal and wood - the rabbit being a wood element. Metal is considered a destroyer of wood which is why it could bring international conflicts, he says.

This combination of elements also dominated 2010, a metal tiger year, which means 2011 will in some respects be similar to 2010, Lo says.

The rabbit is the fourth of the 12 animal signs in the Chinese zodiac. In addition, there are five basic influencing elements - metal, water, wood, fire and earth - which rotate, making an overall cycle of 60 years.

These elements and signs also influence specific months, days, hours and even minutes.

There is also the influence of the female yin and the stronger male yang. Odd years are yin and even years are yang.

Lo says the female influence of yin in 2011 will create a more peaceful atmosphere on the surface, yet hide tension underneath

'The yin metal is jewellery and decorative. It is beautiful, charming on the outside but hard and tough on the inside,' Lo says.

'Yang metal is more aggressive. It is a sword and therefore signifies an open fight like that we saw in Korea and Thailand. But yin metal is a dagger, which means the fight will go underground.'

Lo says the rabbit's wood element was also associated with back bones which together with the dagger metal element signified back-stabbing and assassinations.

Throughout history the yin metal rabbit has been associated with conflict, espionage and assassinations. The Korean War broke out on a yin metal rabbit day while the battle of Austerlitz in the Napoleonic Wars was also a yin metal rabbit day, Lo says.

King Abdullah I of Jordan was assassinated in the last yin metal rabbit year of 1951, which also saw the sentencing to death of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg in the United States for selling atomic secrets to the USSR.

For the economy the continued pairing of metal over wood brings mainly good, says Lo, because wood is a supporter of fire, it makes fire burn, and fire is said to be the element that drives money.

'The rabbit, like the tiger, is wood and wood is considered the mother of fire which generates optimism. Banking is metal and like metal it needs fire to melt it into useful tools while finance and stock market are related to fire.

'This means fire is supportive of the economy that is why we saw the recovery and the financial market doing well in 2010.

'That optimism will last into 2011 as the rabbit wood can still support fire. But the rabbit is a flower while tiger wood is a tree. A tree makes more fire than a flower so the fire will be weaker.

'Economy activities will still continue but they will not be as powerful as last year and the momentum will not be so strong.'

Lo says industries destined to do well this year are similar to those that did well last year with metal favouring fire industries - entertainment, energy - and earth industries such as property, mining, chemical, insurance and hotels.

But the yin-weakened fire will make it more difficult for metal industries, which like metal itself, need fire to forge into tools.

Water industries, such as shipping, transport and communications, will move ahead conservatively, Lo says, while wood industries - textiles, paper, media and furniture - will struggle.

One international personality who can expect a good year is President Barack Obama, who as an Ox is a strong earth person and benefits from both the presence of wood and metal.

'It is a year when he can show off his talent and get recognition for his performance,' Lo says.

However, the year will not be good for Roosters who will clash with the Rabbit. These include al-Qaeda founder Osama Bin Laden, actress Jennifer Aniston, tennis ace Roger Federer, and film director Roman Polanski.

Looking ahead, Lo advises caution for investors in the latter part of the year because of the impending arrival of the 2012 Water Dragon, a powerful water year, and while fire generates optimism, water years bring fear and are not favourable to the stock market.

'The last water year was the rat in 2008,' says Lo. 'It was also a powerful water year and it brought the financial tsunami.'

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