The year of the Metal Rabbit promises to bring some much needed peace and tranquility. If you are like most people, you probably feel like you were on a roller coaster in 2010, the year of the Tiger. That will generally not be the case in 2011, as the Rabbit is everything the Tiger is not.
Let there be peace, and let it begin with me is the Rabbit motto. The Tiger makes waves, but the Rabbit mends fences. Diplomacy reigns. If you want to improve your chances of success, you most often want to negotiate and cooperate rather than try to force your ideas and methods on others. It’s also a time to kiss and make up. Forgive and forget. Let’s all get along. Make love not war. If last year the emphasis was on excitement, it now is on harmony.
This does not of course mean there will be heaven on earth. You can find good and bad in every year. Still, looking back at the last reign of the Metal Rabbit, it’s hard to deny there were significant, Rabbit-style developments. In April 1951, for example, the Treaty of Paris was signed, establishing the European Coal and Steel Community. This was the first of several organizations that eventually became the European Union. A significant event in Asia in July was the beginning of armistice negotiations that eventually led to the end of hostilities on the Korean peninsula. And, in September, Australia, New Zealand and the United States signed a mutual defense pact (ANZUS).
The Rabbit is also very much about good taste and refinement. In March Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I began a three year run on Broadway. In July Judy Garland opened the first of 14 concerts in Dublin, Ireland, at the Theater Royal, and Walt Disney’s Alice in Wonderland premiered in London. In October An American in Paris premiered in New York and went on to win six academy awards. One of America’s classiest actresses, Audrey Hepburn, began her route to fame in November, as the lead character in the Broadway play, Gigi. In December the movie African Queen, starring Audrey and Humphrey Bogart premiered in Hollywood.
Self indulgence is another Rabbit theme. By all means go to the theater, spend time at the spa and patronize those great restaurants you love. On the other hand you do want to be careful about not overdoing it. And, you can bet the Rabbit will put lots of temptation in front of you.
