The Diplomatic Snake

The person born in the year of the Snake often make their way to the top of success. Unlike the Dragon however, they are more restrained and refined. They are in no means, pushy, and have a knack for being at the right place at the right time. They make decisions quickly and firmly.

Intelligent and careful, snake-people make good research scientists, philosophers, detectives, or professors. They have a very analytical mind, yet seem to have an ability to "sense" a good thing when they see it.

They lean toward elegance and expensiveness. It is unlikely to find a snake person wearing bold colors and gaudy dress. In money matters, the Snake has good fortune, but is often considered "tight", except with close friends and loved ones.

The Snake and its complementary sign, the Dragon, form the "House of Mystery" in Chinese mythology. The Dragon is the gaudy magician, the Snake is the contemplative mystic. The snake is closely associated with plots and counter-plots, scandal and corruption. The expression "long snake" in Chinese means "intrigue". Unlike in America, the traditional Chinese believe it unlucky to kill a snake which enters the house because it could be the bearer of good fortune.

Personality

Personality-wise, Snakes are not people who can be easily ignored. They possess a strong, charismatic presence and a charm which has been described by some astrologers as "bewitching" or "beguiling." With a penetrating eye and attention to the desires of their conquests, they're known as experts in the art of seduction.

People born during the Year of the Snake are said to be endowed with wisdom and with deep philosophical understanding. They are born thinkers who excel in finding solutions to complex problems. In matters of business they can be shrewd, biding their time in making a deal only to strike like lightning and make a killing when they judge the moment is right. Thus in life, the majority of Snakes are financially successful and generally lucky with money; their fortunes very much depend on their careful and considered judgment in financial affairs and on their intuitive feelings in business negotiations. These are clever, intelligent people who take time to formulate their ideas and opinions. Even when they are at their laziest, their minds are working overtime, laying their schemes and hatching their plots for the future.

Snakes are wise, philosophical, calm, and understanding. They are receptive and physically alluring, often fickle. Success and fame come easily to Snakes. They can be treacherous creatures who delight in intrigue and who wouldn't think twice about double-crossing someone in order to save their own skins. Their calculating natures will never forgive or forget a slight. They can be lazy and self-indulgent. Their innate elegance can at times be ostentatious.

Subtle, secretive, elusive and enigmatic, there is an element of the mysterious that surrounds the Snake personality. Perhaps this is due to their intuitive faculties, or perhaps it is a consequence of their strong inner spirituality which can manifest itself in an interest in religion, mysticism or the occult.

A Snake can be counted on to carry a project through to the end. Their decisions are quick and firm, but they are formed by first impressions, on sympathies and feelings logically assembled in their minds -- rather than by simple facts alone. The Snake will fight and plod for anything they believe in and allow nothing to stand in his or her way. At ease in all circumstances and possessing uncommon self-discipline, the Snake achieves great heights and honors in his or her career, enjoying the well deserved respect of an admiring entourage.

Snakes are a bit tight when it comes to lending money, though their sympathy for others often leads them to offer help. The help will be in kind rather than in cash, however; Snakes are freer with themselves than they are with their money! The fatal flaw in the Snake's character is, in fact, a tendency to exaggerate -- in helping friends as with everything else. If a Snake does somebody a favor, they becomes possessive toward them in an odd way, so that finally they are more a hindrance than a help. The snake's serpentine nature leads them to coil and cling to the point where they can suffocate the object of his attention. Think twice then, before you accept an offer of help from a Snake; you could regret it!

In money matters, the Snake has good luck -- they simply don't have to worry about it. They will always be able to get money when they needs it, and they feel this so strongly that it never bothers them at all. Once they have got it, though, they are little stingy; that's why they never lends. In old age they can become quite miserly.

Snakes are notoriously good looking and like to project the best image of themselves that they can. Both men and women of the sign have elegant and stylish taste in clothes; the men are sexy and always have a bit of the dandy about them, and the ladies are seductive and rave over smart accessories. Whether in looks or in circumstances, Snakes simply have a magical knack of making the very best out of the most mediocre.

In Japan, those wishing to pay a woman a compliment and acknowledge her beauty are accustomed to say: "My dear, you are a real snake!" -- a pleasantry most likely to be misinterpreted in the West.

As with real snakes, which hibernate in the cold season and come out when it's warm, Snake people shine in the hot months. And the Snake born at midday in the heat of a tropical summer will be happier than one born in the middle of an icy night in winter. The destiny of those born under this sign is so sensitive to the inclemency's of climate that the almanac warns Snakes born on a stormy day that they will face danger throughout their lives.

The Sensual Snake

The Snake personality is described as careful, and when it comes to the choice of a partner these people are infinitely selective. For them, only the best will do. Elegance will be one of the first attractions, but so too is good breeding and delicate manners. When they find the partner of their dreams they will brook no opposition, allow nothing to stand in their way, until they win the heart of the object of their desire. Having won their prize, they then become possessive and jealous, fearful that it should slip out of their hands. Deeply passionate, these are demanding lovers, highly sensual creatures, sexy in the extreme. Lady Snakes are ultra-feminine -- sultry, exotic creatures, femmes fatales in every sense. Success and power will turn her on and she will probably make a beeline for the richest and most influential person she can find.

Relationships

Those born under the sign of the Snake often tend to be afflicted with a wandering eye, especially the Snake males who delight in women. Unfortunately, both sexes tend to complicate their lives with extramarital affairs. If they can struggle against this trait and succeed in channeling their affections inwards towards their own families, they will gain enormous serenity and inner harmony in their lives. If the Snake settles down, he or she can become a marvelous parent, creating a calm and stable atmosphere for their offspring.

The Snake will often have a large family -- for him, it's just one more way of making sure that his wife has no time to play around like he does.

The Rabbit, Ram and Dog are on good terms with Snakes, but the Rat and the Rooster annoy them. A firm alliance can be achieved with the Horse. The Snake will be happy with the Ox, who is content to be overrun by this family on condition that the Ox is always accepted as boss -- a role that the Snake willingly concedes in the home. The Boar should beware of the Snake who will impose upon them, ensnare and immobilize them, while the Snake wallows in their own faults, knowing that they can get away with it.