General
Patient, hardworking and a great heart are the qualities most associated with the Ox. Under that cool and calm exterior belies a hot temper though so people should be wary not to provoke the Ox. The Ox is a completely transparent creature – what you see is what you get. There is no sense of pretense about him, he wouldn’t know how.
Devoted to his job and his family, he has a fierce loyalty that will never be broken. Resilient and determined, the Ox will be a fantastic partner in work or on a personal level. Just bear with the rough edges and you will have a diamond in the rough.
Strengths
The Ox is probably the most hardworking of the animal signs. It takes the Ox some time to make decisions, but once made, he is stalwart and unwavering. No matter what obstacles arise, the Ox will persevere until he reaches his goal. In times of hardships, the Ox’s stamina and strength will always pull him through.
The Ox is also a traditionalist at heart and holds his principles high. Not at all easily swayed, he will hold onto his beliefs and the people he cares about loyally. Once he is your friend, he will defend you to the end, always with the best interests of all at heart.
Taciturn by nature, the Ox simply gets on with what needs to be done, without much discussion, justifications or explanations. He can be a great leader as well as a responsible head of the family. His success will be reflected in his results rather than by words.
Weaknesses
The tenaciousness of the Ox can become a weakness if the Ox is inflexible, stubborn and fixated. While the Ox is principled, he is also firmly set in his thoughts and it is difficult to make him see another view. There’s a fine line between principled and bigotry and the Ox can sometimes veer towards the latter.
The Ox is also resistant to advice and criticism, however constructive it is. The Ox will often just screen out anything he is not comfortable listening to, which can make it frustrating for people who are working with him. He hates to fail and he also cannot accept people who are opposed to his ideas.
The Ox’s bad temper is legendary. Quick to flare up and only appeasable at his own pace, the Ox makes people tiptoe around him in fear of setting him off.
Generally intolerant of facetiousness, pretentiousness and insincerity, the righteous Ox will only work with those who are willing to work with the Ox on his terms. This requires complete transparency, a lot of hard work, honesty and forthrightness. Unfortunately, this can mean that there are few people left for the Ox to work with.
The Ox’s practical mind also makes him seem cold. Due to his lack of empathy and care, he may run roughshod over you in his eagerness to attain his objective, but he didn’t mean it. Really.
Career
At work, the stalwart, obstinate Ox prefers to forge his own path to achieve a particular objective. He is likely to go off on his own track and as such, if he is a member of your team, you should keep close tabs on what he is doing. It is not that he is rebellious but simply decides that his way is best and he charges full steam ahead.
The Ox enjoys being in the great outdoors and usually has a green thumb. Work wise, he might gravitate towards agriculture, land development or plantation management. Sales, rental and purchasing of property would also be suitable for the steady Ox.
The Ox’s ability to follow rules and regulations strictly, as well as his general resilience and courage, makes the Ox also suitable for a career in the armed forces. The Ox makes a good leader because of his strong sense of moral discipline, ethics and firm responsibility.
He is a long-term thinker and will make sure that whatever work he does is sustainable and has the potential for growth. As he is not fond of change, he is risk-averse and will always look for the safest and most secure option.
While not very sociable, the Ox is generally kind by nature and can be attracted to charity work, spirituality and community service. Whatever work the Ox pursues, he is diligent to the extent of obsession. Watch out though – if he has issues in other areas of his life, he may use work to hide from the problems.
Love and Relationships
As in every area of his life, the Ox takes his time when it come to romance. He will consider and date for a long time before deciding on his mate, but when he finally decides, he is a faithful partner and his family will be his priority. A creature of habit, the Ox prefers places of familiarity and his home is his castle. He is not fond of traveling, and is happiest to just potter around his home and garden.
Practical and prosaic in nature, don’t expect the Ox to be flirtatious or creative in romance. However, where he lacks in refinement, he makes up for with honesty and reliability.
The Ox can be your best friend as once he believes in you, he will stand by you no matter what. However, once you let him down, he is inclined to hold a grudge and it will take a long time before he can forgive and forget.
Wealth
The Ox is not a good speculator and knowing that, he is usually risk-averse. Everything he earns will have to come by hard work but since he works hard, he will be able to lead a reasonably comfortable life and provide for his family, which is important to him.
The Ox is generally not interested in material goods and he can be turned off by ostentation. As such, he lives within his means and does not overspend. His acquisitions and home environment are dictated more by practicality and comfort than luxury.
Social Life
The Ox’s introvert nature leads the Ox to avoid the limelight and he is happiest in the background. He enjoys his own company rather than group activities, and this naturally leads to a less developed range of social skills.
The Ox does not have a very high emotional quotient so he does not read people or their emotions well. He does not like to share, nor confide and keeps his thoughts to himself. As a result, there can be much unintentional miscommunication with an Ox.
However, because of his sincere, trustworthy and dependable nature, the Ox will always find people who like him and will support him.
Life Lessons
The Ox should not take things too personally and learn to let go of grudges because they do not serve him nor the goals he works so hard to accomplish. If the Ox could also be more objective and examine the feedback to improve himself, he would benefit greatly from it.
The Ox should tone down his opinionated views and learn to accept others’ thinking and judgments. He doesn’t have to be just his way all the time. He must realise that if he continues to rely only on himself, he won’t get as far as he could if he had the support and assistance of others around him. If the Ox is in the role of a leader, he should be more flexible with the rules, otherwise he is likely to alienate his team if he is too strict.
Once the Ox realises that hostility and being confrontational is not achieving the results he wants, he would do better to consider bending or lowering his standards in order to take control and achieve his goals.
COMPATIBILITY
The Ox is the best of friends with the Rooster and the Snake. These three have great affinity with each other, so any partnership with people born under these signs or in the hour ruled by these animals will be successful. This injects much needed flair and fun to the evasive Snake and serious Ox; the intense Snake and flamboyant Rooster will be brought back to earth by the grounded, stable Ox.
The quiet Ox gets on perfectly with the chatty Rat, whose inherent insecurities will be assuaged by the Ox’s solidity and loyalty. If the Ox can make the Rat feel content, this will be a very positive union.
Other animal signs that the Ox gets on well with are the Monkey – their opposite natures of the Ox’s seriousness and the Monkey’s playfulness will attract. The Ox will also get on well with the Rabbit, who is also gentle and introverted.
NON- COMPATIBILITY
The Ox clashes with the Sheep on various levels. The Sheep is an emotional creature while the Ox functions on pure logic. Both animals are equally stubborn so they will hardly ever see eye to eye.
The Ox will also have issues with the fierce Tiger, whose strong character and quick temper will clash with the Ox. Neither will give in, which can only result in disharmony.
The Ox and the Dragon is also ill matched, as the down-to-earth Ox tends to be intolerant of the Dragon’s flamboyant imagination.
The Ox and the Five Elements
The Ox sign is Water
The Ox sign is of the Water element. Generally, the Water element indicates the potential for a powerful communicator and someone who is able to skillfully manipulate people into seeing a particular point of view. Those born under the Water element are observant and very quick to take advantage of opportunities and harness resources to fulfill their aims. They are also versatile and adaptable, embodying the very nature of Water, which is fluidity.
The Metal Ox
Metal Oxen are indefatigable. Tough as steel nails, these Oxen are the most hardworking of all the Oxen. They are also extremely determined to achieve their objectives and can give new meaning to the word “bull-doze”.
Socially, the Metal Ox is quiet and may not be demonstrative to his loved ones but he is highly responsible and will look after his family well. Integrity is important to the Metal Ox who will pull out all stops to make sure he fulfills his promises and commitments – you would do very well to have an Ox as a partner and friend.
Work wise, the Metal Ox does not work well in a team as he is quite inflexible and rigid. He does not accept differences of opinion well and can give an air of superiority. However, he does have a relentless drive and unceasing energy that will see through any goal. The obstinacy of his Ox characteristic can be harnessed to achieve great things in this instance. Once he’s set his mind to something, it will be extremely difficult to discourage or distract him from accomplishing it to its fullest. He will earn people’s grudging respect for that.
The Water Ox
Water lends the solid Ox a sense of much needed flexibility and the Water Ox is the most easy-going of all the Oxen. If you explain things logically to the Water Ox, he is willing to change his mind and incorporate changes in order to achieve his goals.
The Water Ox may not be too open to anything too avant-garde though, so present alternatives in as conventional a manner as possible. The determined Water Ox’s systematic and logical approach combined with a willingness to listen to others will stand him in good stead to rise to great heights. Like the steady flow of water, the Water Ox also has a strong propensity for hard work and will be reliable, diligent and responsible in his tasks.
Socially, the Water Ox is also more popular as he is more amenable to people’s different points of views. Since the native sign of the Ox is already that of water, the double water element will bestow on him an great amount of patience which will see through many things – both at work and in relationships. With this resilience, he is very capable of managing both the commitments of his own life as well as to tackle obstacles that arise in a calm and unobtrusive way.
The Wood Ox
The Wood Ox is very principled yet is the least obstinate of the Oxen. He is also the most accepting of change. He is open to consider others’ ideas and suggestions and unlike his stubborn brethren, the Wood Ox is happy to go along with what everyone else thinks. Also, while he is quite conservative, he is much more open to new ideas than his Ox brothers.
He is also empathetic and gets on well with people. As a result, people look up to and are fond of the Wood Ox – for his moral discipline as well as his respect for others. He is able to create and maintain good relationships in all aspects of his life. With the combination of both flexibility and the ability to cooperate well with others, the Wood Ox has a tremendous potential to excel, especially in the workplace. However, while he is honest and direct, sometimes he is too blunt for comfort.
The Fire Ox
Flamboyant and aggressive, the Fire Ox is the most active and domineering of the Oxen. Proud and arrogant, the Fire Ox gravitates towards positions of leadership at work and also on the social level. His uncompromising, loyal and regimented outlook lends him well to a career in the armed forces.
The Fire Ox may be obnoxious at times because he will ride roughshod over your feelings in his single-minded focus on his goals. It is not deliberate but just that the Fire Ox can be insensitive to others’ needs. The Ox in him will also be very stubborn and want to hold on very tightly to his views; he’ll need to be careful not to allow both his stubbornness and arrogance to take over his decisions and action. These qualities can also be helpful to keep him in line though – by his obstinacy and need for recognition, he will fulfill his responsibilities and not back down easily in the face of challenges.
The Fire Ox is egoistical and may think more highly of his own capabilities, which can get him into trouble as he may unintentionally overpromise what he can deliver. He can also become quite calculative and discard people who he feels may not be of use to him. If he becomes less judgmental and thinks about the qualities of these people, he may discover some gems that he would have otherwise overlooked.
However, the Fire Ox is someone of integrity and unlikely to be dishonest, though these qualities may be only seen by those who love or know him well.
The Earth Ox
The most dependable and stable of the Oxen is the Earth Ox. He is practical to a fault and lives by convention but others will appreciate the firm sense of grounding he brings to any group. Ever loyal and hardworking, he knows what he is capable of and what he is not. Thus he only commits to what he can fulfil and he will always fulfil what he has promised. He likes the sense of security and will always seek to create that around him and in the things that he does.
The Earth Ox is a good team player who will happily pull his weight without complaint. He’s not one for sentimentality – being as practical as he is does not leave much time for emotional indulgences! However, this reliability and constancy makes him a trusted employee and friend, and he is well liked by all.
The Earth Ox accepts that life is an uphill battle and he works towards his goals relentlessly. Although the Earth Ox is not the most dynamic of the Oxen, he is the most steady and will achieve what he wants in the long term, perhaps more assuredly and successful than other quicker but more fickle signs.
In love, the Earth Ox is not the romantic charmer but he is faithful and is emotionally stable. For those who appreciate these qualities, the Earth Ox will be a wonderful and long-term partner.
