The Year of the Rooster

by Victoria M. Johnson

What's all the fuss about roosters?  Plenty—if we look at folklore, astrology, and symbolism.  Oh, in case you didn't know, 2017 is the Year of the Rooster in Chinese culture.  It begins on January 28, 2017 and lasts to February 15, 2018.

The rooster is one of the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac. According to the What's Your Sign website, the rooster is a Chinese symbol of honesty, as well as physical and moral fortitude.  It signifies fortune, luck, fidelity, protection, as well as bossiness.

Considered sacred symbols in Japan, the Japanese attribute the virtue of courage to roosters.  In China and Japan it is believed that by crowing at dawn, the rooster chases away evil spirits.  (And I thought roosters just crowed throughout the day to tell everyone who's in charge.)  In Portuguese folklore the rooster represents truth and equity.  While Jewish tradition identifies the rooster as a symbol of gallantry and honesty.

An interesting post on the JapaneseMythology & Folklore website says:  In Korea, people “believed roosters knew time well and considered them a symbol of hopeful beginnings and good omens." The Astrology Club website echoes that viewpoint saying the Year of the Rooster is "a period when the fiery temperament of the Rooster is expected to infuse more enthusiasm and energy into our activities, increasing hopes for better prospects for everyone."

I know we are all seeking hopeful beginnings, enthusiasm, and better prospects for our future and that of our loved ones.

According to the What Is My Spirit Animal website, as a Totem Animal, the rooster belongs to those who never give up. 

Determined, compassionate, and hardworking are other attributes of "rooster" people.  And since we are all here, making a go of our lives in 2017, doing the best we can with what we've got, we are all roosters, too.  It's encouraging to believe we each have a year of possibilities ahead.  

Let's make this a year to crow about.  Wishing you and yours a fabulous Year of the Rooster!

Victoria M. Johnson knew by the time she was ten that she wanted to be a writer.  She loves telling stories and she's happiest when creating new characters and new plots.  Avalon Books and Montlake Romance published Victoria's fiction debut, The Doctor’s Dilemma, (A Bookseller’s Best double finalist).  Her other fiction book is a collection of romance short stories titled, The Substitute Bride and a novella, Hot Hawaiian Christmas. She is also the writer and director of four short films and two micro documentaries.   Visit Victoria's website at http://VictoriaMJohnson.com for inspiration and tips and find her Amazon author page or connect with her on Pinterest and Twitter.

 

Curse You, Mercury in Retrograde!

by Gina Ardito

Photo by Efi21
Courtesy of MorgueFile

Whether or not you believe in horoscopes or the zodiac, you've probably heard the term, "Mercury is in retrograde." Usually when something goes wrong: your computer crashed, your car broke down, or you suddenly lost your job. While I can't say I believe that the alignment of stars and planets has any bearing in my life and how I live it, there's something to that whole retrograde thing I can't deny.

Every month I check my forecast, skimming through to see my best dates, my worst dates, and looking for those three fateful words. And guess what? Mercury's in retrograde from April 28 through May 22. I was coasting along okay, thinking maybe I'd skate away unscathed this time around.

But, no. Mercury was just toying with me. It began last week when I woke up one morning and discovered I had no heat or hot water. The oil burner would not turn on, no matter how hard or insistently I pressed the red button. My first thought? I'm out of heating oil. We get an automatic delivery every few weeks, but maybe they missed one? I checked my calendar. Nope. They'd come right on time in early April. I couldn't possibly be out of oil. I called my service company and they agreed it wasn't likely. Still, better safe than sorry. The rep told me to go out and check the level in my tank. I explained to the rep that I'd been told in the past that the way my tank is situated, you can't take an accurate level that way. He told me to do it anyway and talked me through the procedure, which is basically me putting a long stick down in the pipe, and then measuring the oil line. I got back on the phone. "It's about two inches."

"Wow," he replied. "That's low."

Now what? Well, he promised he'd send someone out to fill my tank ASAP. This is a term that means different things to different people. To me, ASAP means, an hour or two. To the oil company, ASAP means before five pm. I wound up losing a day at work, waiting for the guy to show up at three. And guess what? I didn't need oil. And I still had no heat or hot water. Back to the oil company for round two.

This time, when I called, I was told they could send a repairman immediately. Well, immediately is better than ASAP so sign me up. That would be immediately, first thing the next day. <sigh> Okay. If I have to wait another day, what can I do? Fine. Send the repair guy the next day. Luckily, my daughter volunteered to stay home so I didn't lose another day at work. And sure enough, the guy got there first thing: ten am. But hey, a few hundred bucks later, I had heat and hot water again! Yay!

For three whole days. Then the burner conked out again over this past weekend. Let me repeat that: on a weekend. The company's owner was more than happy to put aside his Sunday and come on by to see if he could fix it, provided I signed away the deed to my house and my firstborn male child. Or, I could wait until Monday. We opted to wait. (I think I made the right choice there.) We were scheduled for...you guessed it. First thing in the morning. 

Our Monday first thing in the morning became three in the afternoon. (I made my son stay home this time. He didn't mind the staying home part since he just got home from college and was looking forward to foraging in the pantry while no one was around, but the getting up at seven am for an appointment eight hours later made him a bit surly.) 

The final diagnosis? I need a whole new heating system: tank, burner, lines, water heater. 

The cost? Oh, about $10000.00. (No, that's not a typo. It reads ten thousand dollars.) But look on the bright side! If I buy the burner from them, they'll write off a portion of the five hundred dollar bill they hit me with for the second service call. Be still, my heart.

Next time Mercury is in retrograde, I'm hiding in an underground cave 'til it's over. Maybe mercurial Mercury won't find me there.

Horoscopes Can Help Your Characters

I'm not a horoscope fanatic, but during my birthday month I tend to check it more often. I don't seek out complicated astrology charts, a certified astrologer, or gaze at the stars. I'm more than satisfied reading my daily horoscope in the newspaper. The sun sign forecasts in the newspaper are only the tip of the complicated process. To come up with a daily forecast astrologers look at the relationship of the planets and their cycles to your sun sign.

Astrology and Your Characters

Astrology is a way to discover more about your characters. Are they direct or do they avoid love and romance? A horoscope for your characters can help you determine their strengths and weaknesses, it can give you an idea of how their day will go, or who might cross their path.

A Water Sign and a Fire Sign 

In Chocolate Secrets, my heroine is a horoscope junkie. The hero, a practical NYC firefighter doesn't believe the stars and planets determine his life. He's a self proclaimed asparagus. Her quirky habit and his logic put them on opposite ends of the universe. To complicate things she's a water sign and he's a fire sign. Can complete opposites overcome their differences?

Endless Resources

Finding the answers to your characters personality dilemmas is easy. Most of my info comes from an assortment of little books I buy at the supermarket checkout counter. Sometimes I'll create a complex personality who crosses over between signs. The possibilities are endless.

 

Once you create horoscopes for your characters, you'll have an ongoing sketch of their relationship potential, their job and health, and what they need to learn and experience.