The Journey of The Firepig - Part 1
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By
the Firepig
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Monday, February 01, 2010
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So how did Firepig become the leading provider of Chinese Astrology on the internet? This question comes up from time to time, so perhaps it's about time I gave it the answer it deserves.
The initial spark was an interest in Asian food, a taste I acquired when I went to Orange County, California on a business trip in 1986. It's the home of Little Saigon, the largest community of overseas Vietnamese. The food there was delicious and the atmosphere stimulating.
Switch scene. My first contact with Chinese Astrology occurred, of all places, near Camp Lejeune, a Marine base in North Carolina, USA. You see I came across a Korean-Chinese restaurant and stopped for dinner. It had paper place mats which were decorated with the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac. On it were their birth years and a one liner describing the personality represented by each animal.
I found the comments accurate and decided to pick up a book on Chinese Astrology the next time I was at the mall to learn more. Before continuing, I would like to answer a question that has been asked more than once: Who was your Master, your teacher? The truth is I have had none, and I have had many. There is no guru, no academy in my history. On the other hand, I have been taught by some of the best people doing Chinese Astrology today.
My training began at a book store where I luckily picked up a copy of Theodora Lau's The Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes, now in its sixth edition. More than twenty years later it is still the best work in English on personality analysis from a Chinese Astrology perspective. The place mats I first saw were admittedly superficial, but Theodora's work was in depth and provided accurate insights for my sign and those of the people closest to me.
This motivated me to head back to the book store, where I happened upon Derek Walters Ming Shu: The Art and Practice of Chinese Astrology. I didn't know it at the time, but even 25 years ago he was considered one of Europe's foremost authorities on Chinese Astrology. The Ming Shu book was superficial in its treatment of the 12 signs; however, it included a short treatise on how to actually produce Chinese Astrology horoscopes.
I studied it and began to do some for family and friends. As far as I could tell from what they said about the past they were very accurate for the most part. No, I'm not saying I became an instant Master. In fact these charts were far simpler and much more general than those created by Chinese masters of astrology. Still, they played an important part in my development.