Chinese horoscope for June 2009

Daylight hours have been stretching and the hours of darkness have been shrinking as we move into the month of June. The longest day of the year falls on the 21st June, which is known as midsummer, the summer solstice, ‘Xia Zhi’ in the Chinese calendar. On the longest day in the northern hemisphere, it is the shortest day in the southern hemisphere. After midsummer, each day the sun rises a little later in the morning and sets a little earlier in the evening. Still, the hours of daylight are longer than night-time so there are plenty of summer days to enjoy.

The Chinese Solar Month of the Horse begins on 5th June this year. Horse month is the sixth month of the Chinese calendar. There is a full moon on the 7th June, which is the middle of the 5th lunar month. The new moon will be on 23rd June, the start of the next lunar month. You would expect the sixth lunar month to follow the fifth month, but this year there is an extra fifth lunar month in the Chinese lunar calendar, known as ‘Run Yie’, a leap month in the lunar calendar. In this Ox year there are thirteen lunar months. A lunar month is either 29 or 30 days long, so a lunar year is shorter than a solar year by an average of 11 days. Every three years or so, there is a thirteen lunar month year in the Chinese calendar. In the Chinese solar calendar there are always twelve solar months and horse month trots away on the 7th July when Goat month starts.

The elements contained in the Horse are fire and earth, which means the influence of these elements will be felt the most this month, particularly fire, which is at its strongest time of year. Fire energy is naturally bright and warm. It can mean polite manners, it can mean enthusiasm and it can mean passion. Be wary though because fire can also easily burn itself out.

In Chinese Astrology, the Horse sign is a peach blossom sign, which means the Horse can bring romance. During Horse month, romantic feelings are in the air, especially for those born under the signs of the Ox, Snake or Rooster. Amongst the twelve animal signs, the Horse is considered to be a quick-thinking and slightly impulsive creature. Will you jump at the chance of romance this month? Check your animal sign and see what galloping Horse month brings for you:

Rat 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984
Ox 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985
Tiger 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986
Rabbit 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987
Dragon 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988
Snake 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989
Horse1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990
Goat 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991
Monkey 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992
Rooster 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993
Dog 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994
Pig 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995