Lying in bed this morning, I was thinking about the Facebook “disconnect” some of us feel in how our friendships appear on Facebook and how they are in reality. I’m a marketer by trade and have been thinking much about social media lately.

I’ve already blogged on how I believe Facebook relates to the 4th house (personal consciousness) of the horoscope and LinkedIn to the 10th house (social consciousness).

I began to wonder why Facebook was called “Face” book and not “Friendbook.” According to the movie the “Social Network,” Mark Zuckerberg created an alternate facebook, a book that is provided by some universities to incoming students that contains a photograph and name so that students can get to know each other better.

The Chinese frequently use the concept of “face” (mianzi – 面子) as in saving face or losing face. Our use of Facebook is akin to our “face” and how we want others to see us.

If Facebook is more personal, LinkedIn is more professional. LinkedIn is where we post our resume and connect to everyone we know in a personal and business relationship.

LinkedIn is crystallizing what already occurs – finding opportunity through connections. Back to the Chinese, who speak of connections (guanxi – 關係) frequently and see connections as the engine that runs the motor of society. Here’s Wikipedia’s definition of guanxi.

Here’s one foreigner’s perspective of guanxi and mianzi.

I don’t believe the Chinese are the sole culture worrying about face and connections, but they seem to have more reference to it than other cultures.

China’s Dominance

While Facebook and LinkedIn are bringing the world into a Chinese social structure, China is the largest foreign owner of US Treasuries. Some say China’s economy, now third largest after the US and European Union, will become the largest economy in the not distant future.

With China climbing the global ladder of success, it’s good that Chinese language study in the US is rising fast. Maybe soon we’ll all be speaking Chinese with our connections if China ever decides to unload its dollars.

China’s Horoscope

How does one cast the horoscope for a culture that is thousands of years old?

While China is thousands of years old, the current Republic of China was “born” on October 1, 1949. That is the day the Communists united China into one country. Leadership later standardized the language and the writing and tried to remove the ancient filial culture with a culture of loyalty to the state.

October 1 makes China a Libra. Incidentally, Taiwan, the place where the Chinese Nationalists fled on October 1, 1949, celebrates national day on October 10, also in the sign of Libra. China’s beloved Confucius supposedly was born September 28, also in the sign of Libra. China loves Libra energy.

On October 1, 1949 the sun, Mercury and Neptune were in Libra. According to Astrology Weekly, the time was 3 p.m. which puts the moon in Aquarius. Both are air signs.

The People’s Republic of China is mostly air, which makes sense as it was founded on an idea rather than springing organically from shared customs.

China has an equal dose of earth (Jupiter in Capricorn and Saturn in Virgo), water (Uranus in Cancer and Venus in Scorpio) and fire (Mars and Pluto in Leo).

China has balance.

Sun and moon in air makes a person or country social, flexible, stimulation-seeking and opportunistic. Air grabs at willows floating in the breeze. Earth stares at it, fire shoots at it and water ignores it.

Air is related to intelligence. The Chinese are known for their studious intelligence and rigorous educational system.

Where is the love of family in the horoscope?

Uranus in Cancer says, accurately, that China was born during a time of great upheaval in family structure. I haven’t been to China but wonder how much the family structure has changed from the ancient and not-so-ancient days of extended family. Maybe the one-child policy is more a way to break down the extended family relationship than a true need to limit population.

Relationship with United States

The current Saturn transit through Libra is creating “relationship” issues for China. That transit will pass this fall and China should be getting along better with other countries.

The United States’ Saturn in Libra is conjunct China’s sun. Someone’s Saturn on your sun means that they are a “heavy” to you, a restrictive or oppressive person.

In turn China’s Saturn in Virgo is widely conjunct the US’ Neptune in Virgo. China is never pleased with itself, never perfect enough. Neptune in Virgo is in detriment and suggests the US filters its mystical and spiritual energy through analysis and details. China is the perfectionist and the US is the rationalizer.

If China and the US were two people having a meal at a restaurant, you would hear that the food was cold, the duck wasn’t prepared properly, the restaurant down the street is better, the fat content too great and a host of health complaints due to the incorrect mixing of ingredients. The US would be worrying about germs as the Chinese share food.

China’s Uranus in Cancer is conjunct the US’ Venus in Cancer, suggesting that China inspires us in family pleasures.

The US’ Mars in Gemini creates a grand air trine in China’s chart suggesting that China does like the US’ inquisitive nature which seeks out facts and stimulation. In other words, the US can be fun to play with.

Pluto is currently transiting Capricorn and will create a Pluto return in the US chart and will conjunct Jupiter in China’s chart. From 2020 to 2023, both countries will be focused on Capricornian control and dominance. For the US, it is a new power cycle. For China, it is an expansion of power.

Because China’s Jupiter is conjunct the US’ Pluto, I’m guessing this power expansion and solidification will be mutually beneficial rather than a winner takes all power grab.

However, Pluto in Capricorn will square China’s Libra energy meaning some “partners” will be lost during this process and for the US, Pluto will be opposite the sun meaning open power struggles. If the US and China are united in what occurs, they will make some common enemies.

China’s greatest difficulty with the US is the US’ emotional nature as indicated by sun in Cancer. For the US, the difficulty with China is that water finds air to be uncaring and aloof. Air can also be perceived as unreliable.

Wood and Metal

In Chinese astrology, the east is wood and the west is metal. Metal cuts wood. Wood can bend, metal can only be molded by heat. Wood is flexible, metal inflexible.

Maybe this Chinese idiom can help the metallic west meet the woodsy east. And, if Americans are truly becoming Chinese, learning idioms will be essential.