In Chinese culture, the snake is a symbol of wisdom, beauty and grace. Even so it is also associated with laziness and treachery.
Snakes were object of worship from ancient Chinese history. And even today, they can sometimes be found in temples as residents.
The most famous snake in Chinese folklore is in one of the recognized classic novels White Snake (白蛇传) where the heroine was a snake that transformed into a beautiful lady. This story has been reenacted into several films.
In traditional chinese medicine, snake liver is still in high demand today for it’s medicinal properties.
The snake hours are from 0900 to 1100. This zodiac is linked to the Qian (乾) hexagram, and the Sun trigram.
The earthly branch is Si (巳) which can be translate to mean stop.
The element is yin fire (陰火) but have yang attributes contained within. This means that it takes on a yin role with regards to it’s interactions with other zodiac branches, but displays yang attributes when alone.
It is associated with the early period of summer in the months of May and June.
With regards to body parts, Si can refer to the small intestine and spleen.
And it’s direction on the compass is southeast at 142.5° – 157.5°.
It is the sixth in the sequence of 12 zodiacs, fundamentally associated with fire element, and related to spring season and the month of May.
Virtues
Stylish, sexy, theoretical, considerate, good-natured.
Shortcomings
Pessimistic, scheming, hubristic, ungracious in defeat.
Personality
The snake is an enigmatic sign that is difficult put your finger on.
More often than not, people born in the year of the snake turn out being eloquent and having a certain flair about them.
They fall asleep over mundane tasks and require variety in life to be happy.
They tend to have short attention spans. So don’t be surprised if one walks away from a conversation because you are perceived as too boring.
A great judge of people, they often spend time evaluating what is a person’s real intentions as casual conversation just seem too simple to explain why someone want to chat with them.
Often wise and loves to take position on high moral ground.
Overall, they can make great friends. However, being on the wrong side of them can be punishing.
Love life
Because a snake prides himself as independent, only a person with a high tolerance threshold would be able to maintain a relationship.
This is because snakes often have the mindset that relationships are what they want, not what they need.
The irony is that their seductive qualities tend to attract suitors.
Relationships with others
Compatible romance partners in astrology are the Ox and Rooster.
They have a high compatibility as friends with Dragon, Goat, Rabbit, Rat, and Dog.
Incompatible matches include the Tiger and Pig.
Take note that relationships between zodiacs can take on more complex dynamism and meaning when looked at more deeply.
Career
The best characteristic of snakes in terms of career is patience.
Snakes tend to be perfectly fine to wait for their turn or the opportunity to get ahead.
While others might take pro-active action, they are more than willing to wait.
They are also very organized and independent. Making them great candidates to take on projects and tasks that require them to work alone.
Dates
Those of the snake zodiac would have their best marriage years in the years of the Ox, Monkey and Rooster.
The best months are the fourth, seventh, eighth and twelfth months. The most auspicious days are the 8th day of the 4th month and the seventh day of the seventh month.
The 10th day of the 10th month should be approached with extreme caution.
5 Elemental Snakes
There are 5 different elements that the snake horoscope can embody.
Wood snake (1965)
The wood snake tend to be attractive either in appearance or personality. They also have a taste the the creative arts including music and literature.
With a deadly combination of charm and wit, the wood snake is the type of person who would be able to wriggle from from all types of tough and challenging situations.
However, his insecurity often guides the decisions he makes in life. They can sometimes be loners.
Fire snake (1977)
The fire snake is a force to be reckoned with and has a powerful personality to match. Ambition feeds the snake as he find every opportunity to inch ahead. Often even making friends for long term financial gains.
The find much pleasure in giving advice and would be motivated to take up positions behind those with power. This is an area that they can really excel in.
A high tendency to be self-centered. And a relentless thirst in the pursuit of knowledge and skills.
Earth snake (1929, 1989)
The earth snake is determined and a subscriber to the notion that success takes hard work to achieve. Practicality is his middle name.
While he is opinionated, he is not one to voice out so as not to rock the boat. This is in part because of a preference for a slower-paced and stable lifestyle.
As such, it won’t be a surprise to find them the stay-home type. One has to take care in not taking things too leisurely.
With luck on his side in career and business, there’s a good chance that he would be highly involved in real estate.
Metal snake (1941, 2001)
The metal snake is gifted but a lack of focus will be his downfall.
While such personalities have a no-nonsense style, this can also lead to making decisions by the book but don’t adhere to common sense.
This makes them very dangerous adversaries as they are perfectly capable of working within gray areas.
A lack of social skills might push people who can help him in life away. Solitude might become a life theme. However, they tend to make very good friends to confide in.
Water snake (1953, 2013)
The water snake is smart yet pragmatic. He has an outlier nature but this can sometimes be perceived as being an outcast. They are quietly ambitious and tend to prefer hanging out with intellects of the same level.
It would be no surprise to see them pursuing interests in metaphysics, spirituality, philosophy and religion.
The water snake looks within himself/herself and has a good benevolent heart that come from nature.
Fortune in Chinese zodiac years
Snakes are benign most of the time, but can strike quickly when disturbed. This can be reflected in the zodiac years a snake goes through.
Snake in rat year
A year of changes that might be a result of external forces that the snake has no control over.
Frustration and stress ensues as the slithering snake needs to twist and turn to navigate through the year.
Finding time to settle down and take a break seem like a luxury.
Snake in ox year
While money luck would improve from the previous year, the slow pace of recovery can give you cause for concern.
Patience is the key as one will make incremental progress towards career goals.
Snake in tiger year
Another year of slow progression.
It is advisable to go with the flow rather than disturb the balance.
Bad behavior will be exposed. So snakes should be careful with what they do and avoid going against socially acceptable culture.
Snake in rabbit year
The snake will find this a comfortable year, especially when compared to previous years.
Career prospects are looking up and money is flowing steadily into his bank account.
The desire to try diverse experiences will lead the snake to find more time to enjoy the pleasures of life.
It’s a good time to travel and see the world.
Snake in dragon year
While other zodiacs struggle to contend with the celestial presence of the dragon, the snake will be spared the carnage from his serpent friend.
This is a time to stay low and avoid drawing attention to yourself.
Others might pull you into their troubles if they realize that you are relatively stress-free.
Snake in snake year
Opportunities will flow throughout the year.
But these are not opportunities for windfalls. They require commitment and hard work to realize.
Snakes must be ready knuckle-down to take advantage of them.
It might also be a time where certain past events finally find some closure. Be ready to let go and move on.
Snake in horse year
The snake has to be extra cautious this horse year as he would find that changes are taking place.
In order to stay relevant, he has to make changes or get left behind.
This could be a motivation to make bold decisions. But it is not a good year to invest on intuition.
Any sign of uncertainty in investments should be a sign to run.
Snake in goat year
The snake will appear to be a easy target for those trying to make a quick buck.
Be careful with friends, colleagues, even a romantic partner who try to borrow money. The odds are that they will not return them.
The worst part is that they might be too ashamed to see your again.
So you stand to lose them if you decide to “help” them.
Snake in monkey year
It would be a messy year with all sorts of craziness going on all around you.
The snake has to stay focused as there will be one-in-a-lifetime opportunities among the chaos.
However, when unsure, it is better to stay on the sidelines than to get involved in things that you don’t fully understand.
Snake in rooster year
Although we see snakes devouring poultry often in documentaries, they are on friendly terms with the rooster in the Chinese zodiac.
Luck will generally turn for the better.
Long term plans show real signs of positive progress while people around you will offer help without needing to ask.
It could also be a lucky year for romance.
Snake in dog year
This is going to be a busy year for the snake.
But this would be due to the work needed after getting involved in great financial opportunities.
Just don’t get too absorbed in work and neglect your loved ones.
Snake in pig year
The snake will find that he has never had so much control over life matters and might feel an air of invincibility.
However, be careful of arrogance as people around you start to find ways to take advantage of your success.