About Dragons

The most basic concept of the ancient Chinese philosophy of yin and yang is that everything—all energies—are interdependent upon one another. These energies must coexist in order to exist on their own. For example: Good cannot exist without evil; Light cannot exist without the dark (or the absence of light); Heaven cannot exist without Hell; Angels cannot exist without demons; Poverty cannot exist without wealth; Love cannot exist without hate. The Yin represents female energies—the tangible, physical body, passive energy, cold, weak, night, earth. The Yang represents male energies—the intangible soul, active energy, heat, strong, day, sky.

There are 6 paired combinations of signs in the Chinese zodiac, each paired combination representing a different yet equally important facet of life. The first sign in the pair is a yang sign, the second sign in the pair is a yin sign.

The Dragon and the Snake are The Third Pair in the Chinese Zodiac. The Dragon represents strength and determination, the Snake represents softness and flexibility. Too much hardness becomes brittle and easy to break. If one is too soft, he cannot hold onto his own ideas and thoughts. Therefore, there should always be a balance between strength and flexibility. For example, the Dragon is described as the magician—the Snake is described as the mystic. Both are equally valid spiritual figures, yet the Dragon is more open about it, the Snake is more reserved about it.

In contrast to European dragons that are considered evil, Chinese dragons traditionally symbolize potent and auspicious powers, particularly control over water, rainfall, and floods. The dragon is also a symbol of power, strength, and good luck.

The Dragon—Yang—is coupled with male vigor, fertility, ultimate abundance, prosperity, good fortune. It is also the symbol for the Emperor, divine mystical creature, the natural world, adaptability, transformation. As the only mythical creature among the twelve Chinese zodiac signs, the Dragon occupies a special place. The legend of the zodiac origin says that the Dragon could easily have won the race to the Jade Emperor, (in Chinese folk culture, the Taoist ruler of Heaven and all realms of existence below including that of Man and Hell), but chose to stay behind and create much-needed rain, then help the rabbit cross the river on a raft. This means that despite their natural power and pride, Dragons are always willing to come to the aid of those who are less strong and able.

The Snake—Yin—is coupled with woman, supernatural power, cunning. Sleek, graceful, intelligent, and ever so slightly sly, the Chinese zodiac sign of the snake is renowned for bestowing these attributes onto people born under it.

The Chinese Zodiac. A long time ago, the Jade Emperor in Heaven wanted to find 12 animals to represent each year. He started a race among all the animals. The first 12 that reached heaven will get to rule each year. When the animals knew about this race, all of them started to make their way to heaven.

The Cat and the Rat used to be good friends. The Cat asked the Rat to wake him up the next day, so that they can set off together. The Rat woke up early, feeling very excited, he forgot to wake up the Cat.

On his way to heaven, the Rat met the Ox. Knowing that he could leverage on the Ox, he asked the Ox for a ride. In exchange, he would help the Ox keep a lookout for any dangers during the long journey. The Ox, being an agreeable and easygoing fellow agreed to the Rat's request.

After reaching heaven, the Rat jumped down from the head of the Ox and became the first animal of the Chinese Zodiac. Although this was very unfair for the Ox, he did not hold it against the Rat. In fact, he was happy for the Rat for being number 1.

The Ox became number 2. (This probably explains why Rat and Ox people get along very well). One by one, the other animals came in one by one. Until the Pig, who is the 12th and the last animal.

At this moment, the Cat woke up. When he found out that the Rat left without him, he was furious. To make matters worse, the Rat was number 1. The Cat swore that he'll skin the Rat alive if he ever saw the Rat. Which explains why Cats catch Rats in this present day.