酉 Rooster

酉 (Yu), the Rooster, is tenth in the cycle. It stands for the eighth month of the old calendar, mid-autumn and harvest, and the hours from five to seven in the evening when the day is being counted and closed. Its direction is due west, where the sun sets, and its element is Metal, the finished, ringing kind. The Rooster is read as punctuality and clear speech: the animal that announces the hour. In Korean folklore the rooster's cry at dawn sends ghosts and spirits back to where they came from, which is why so many old tales end with a crow at first light.

Say one thing today exactly when it is due, not later and not softened: the thanks, the correction, the reminder. Rooster energy is said to show in timing, so notice how much easier the right moment makes the words.

Rooster years are traditionally said to sit well with Ox (丑) and Snake (巳), the Metal harmony group, and to clash with the Rabbit (卯) across the circle. Old pairings to hold against real friendships, not rules.

In Korean the Rooster year is 닭띠 (dak-tti). The proverb 닭 쫓던 개 지붕 쳐다본다 (dak jjotdeon gae jibung chyeodabonda), "the dog that chased the chicken stares at the roof," describes someone left empty-handed. A Korean rooster says 꼬끼오 (kkokkio), and in old stories its cry is what makes the night things leave.