2016-monkeyBorn  1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992*

Does the mind rule the body, or does the body rule the mind? Monkeys are more strongly affected by their physical condition and physical state than any other Chinese sign. The monkey’s relationship with her body is extremely important to her. This Chinese zodiac sign corresponds strongly to Virgo in the Western zodiac and Virgo is the only sign to be defined by its physical condition (virginity).

It would be a mistake to assume that a monkey is all about health and fitness. There are some very famous monkeys, like Timothy Leary and F. Scott Fitzgerald, who pursued drugs and alcohol, respectively. It is more accurate to say that monkeys believe that their bodies are the path to everything else. Leary’s career and life revolved around L.S.D.

Monkeys can base their careers on their bodies. Their personalities often end up being defined by what they do (or do not) put into their systems, no matter if they are smokers and drinkers, or organic macrobiotic yoga enthusiasts. They place a huge emphasis on the physical, along with the mental and spiritual and find it hard to understand people who live as if they were cut off below the neck.

Simone de Beauvoir was an intellectual monkey who took a very basic question about the human body – gender difference – and turned it into a feminist issue, as she confronted the world with questions about sexual and physical difference and the impact it had on equality.

Perhaps it’s not surprising that 1980, a monkey year, began the Eighties, a decade of obsession with mineral water and gym membership. It was also the decade that vegetarianism became mainstream after existing on the fringes of hippiedom. Finally, the Eighties was the decade that the H.I.V. virus and safe sex arrived, making everyone body-conscious for completely different reasons.

If you were born under the sign of the monkey then your journey in life is to understand that your body will often serve your soul. In other words, if your body stops functioning as normal, it is time to ask your soul what your physical being is trying to achieve for you. It works the other way too.

One of the best discoveries a monkey can make, is that the body’s natural highs and deepest pleasures have their own value to the soul and can actually change the way we live our lives. Achieving vitality or calm with food or drink is one way. Pursuing sport or other body-conscious activities is another breakthrough moment for the monkey. So, too, is turning any important corner with medicine, healing or alternative therapies.

Pregnancy for monkey women seems to have a more dramatic effect on their identity and priorities than for other signs; perhaps because the body transforms at that point never to be the same again. Dramatic weight loss or gain is another monkey milestone. It all points back to the same question – how should the mind, body and spirit work in unison?

*If you were born in January or February please double-check your Chinese zodiac sign at Wikipedia


You know your regular horoscope but what about your Asianscope? You might assume you have a Chinese sign, but in truth, you actually have an Asian Sign. Asian astrology combines Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese, Korean, Tibetan and Japanese knowledge – all of which evolved at the same time. The biggest common factor across all these different kinds of Asian astrology is the importance of the number twelve (twelve signs, and also the twelve-year cycle of Jupiter, which in Western Astrology we associate with good fortune.) This ‘rule of twelve’ links Eastern and Western horoscopes in an uncannily accurate way.