People as Patterns: A Lunar Lens on Connection
How an Ancient Chinese Zodiac Helped Me Understand Who Fuels Me—and Who Drains Me
It started with a question:
Why do some people energize me, while others leave me drained?
As a Fire Dragon, I’ve always burned hot. Passionate. Direct. Strategic. I build things fast: systems, teams, ideas, tension. And I’ve always been good at spotting patterns—whether in code, relationships, or the way a conversation turns when someone hides their real self behind a social script.
So one day I did what any Dragon would do: I made a matrix.
I charted every close relationship in my life. Friends, family, allies, ghosts. I classified them by their Chinese zodiac sign, their elemental energy (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, or Water), and the dynamic they hold in my orbit. I masked their names, because this wasn’t about calling people out. This was about understanding who I am by seeing who surrounds me.
And what I found was... wild. Some signs were everywhere. Others, completely absent. Some brought peace. Some brought static. And some brought the same cycle again and again until I finally saw it for what it was.
🐉 The Zodiac Origin Story
It’s an ancient system. Symbolic. But it’s not superstition. It’s a language of energy.
Here’s the high level of the story: The Jade Emperor, ruler of the heavens, wanted a way to mark time. To do this, he decided to host a great race and declared that the first twelve animals to cross the finish line would each be honored with a year in the zodiac cycle.
The race wasn’t simple. It crossed rivers, valleys, and terrain that tested each animal differently. The cleverest of them all, 🐭 Rat, wasn’t fast, but used its brain. It hitched a ride on the back of the strong 🐮 Ox and jumped off just before the finish line, claiming first. Ox came in second, slow but steady, undisturbed.
🐯 Tiger surged in next, bold and proud, muscles rippling from swimming across a fierce current. Not far behind, 🐰 Rabbit arrived, nimble and graceful, having skipped across stepping stones and logs.
🐲 Dragon, powerful and able to fly, could have easily won—but stopped mid-race to bring rain to a village caught in drought. He arrived fifth, a symbol of leadership and service.
🐍 Snake hid underneath the hoof of the galloping 🐎 Horse, slithering forward at the last moment to claim sixth place and startling Horse into seventh.
🐐 Goat, 🐒 Monkey, and 🐓 Rooster traveled as a team, helping each other scale cliffs and cross waters. Their cooperation paid off, and they arrived together, taking eighth, ninth, and tenth.
🐶 Dog should have been faster, but stopped to enjoy the water—loyal, yes, but easily distracted. It showed up in eleventh place. And last came 🐷 Pig, who had paused for a snack and a nap, unbothered and entirely itself. Twelfth place, but proud.
None of them were chosen for speed. They were chosen for being true to who they are.
And when I sat down to build my matrix, to chart every person in my orbit, I realized I had my own version of this story playing out around me. The clever Rats. The loyal Dogs. The wise but silent Snakes. The Monkeys sparking mayhem and laughter. The Tigers, thrilling but dangerous. The Dragons, like me, too hot to stand beside for long.
They weren’t stories anymore. They were real people—showing up just as they were meant to. Each with their own pace. Their own lesson. Their own energy.
🧬 The Animals
🐭 Rat – The Strategist
Clever, adaptable, focused.
Shadow: secretive, manipulative.
🐮 Ox – The Builder
Steady, dependable, loyal.
Shadow: stubborn, emotionally rigid.
🐯 Tiger – The Wildcard
Bold, magnetic, fierce.
Shadow: reckless, chaotic.
🐰 Rabbit – The Harmonizer
Soft, artistic, emotionally aware.
Shadow: conflict avoidant, too quiet.
🐲 Dragon – The Fire
Visionary, commanding, passionate.
Shadow: controlling, reactive.
🐍 Snake – The Schemer
Elegant, strategic, intuitive.
Shadow: withdrawn, cold.
🐴 Horse – The Runner
Energetic, idealistic, free.
Shadow: restless, unreliable.
🐐 Goat – The Dreamer
Sensitive, gentle, creative.
Shadow: overdependent, indecisive.
🐵 Monkey – The Disruptor
Fast, witty, sharp.
Shadow: scattered, emotionally slick.
🐔 Rooster – The Critic
Precise, analytical, clear.
Shadow: judgmental, inflexible.
🐶 Dog – The Protector
Loyal, grounded, just.
Shadow: skeptical, stuck.
🐷 Pig – The Pleasure-Seeker
Loving, content, generous.
Shadow: lazy, escapist.
🛠️ How I Built the Matrix
For each person, I wrote down:
Their masked name
Their zodiac sign
Their elemental type
How long I've known them
Where they sit in my orbit (core, strategic, draining, etc.)
Whether they lean into or against their energy
Then I added my take. How they land with me. What they spark. What they dim. Who disappears when it gets real. Who shows up, raw and ready.
This wasn’t about judgment. It was about pattern recognition.
🔎 What I Learned
Monkeys light my brain up. Fast-talking, fast-thinking. My favorite sparring partners.
Dogs, when aligned, ground me. When misaligned, they guilt-trip and slow me down.
Snakes restore me. I don’t need their affection. I need their stillness.
Rats? They’re often useful. But I don’t trust their motives. Not without proof.
Tigers are fun. But two fire creatures can't both drive the bus.
Most of all, I learned this: I don’t need another Dragon. I am the fire. I need balance, not reflection.
📋 Want to Try This Yourself?
List everyone in your orbit: core friends, family, allies, irritants.
Find their birth years. Look up their zodiac sign and element.
Start tracking the patterns: who energizes, who drains, who challenges, who hides.
Give them tiers: Core. Ally. Sparring Partner. Ghost.
Don’t lie to yourself. This is for your clarity, not theirs.
🔥 Final Thought
Energy doesn’t lie. Words do. Masks do. Performance does. But energy always tells the truth.
This matrix helped me stop mistaking performance for presence. It helped me stop chasing people who were never aligned to begin with.
And it helped me own who I am. A Fire Dragon. No apologies.