Agreed?

“Life is a negotiation. We all want. We all give to get what we want.” —Mordin Solus, ME 2

“…remember that your path is made for a journey, not a destination.” —The Sheep

I was given a tiny Siamese kitten years ago that I eventually named “The Cat From Hell.” As this demon kitten grew into a cat, I genuinely struggled to control Sebastian’s bad behavior. Then, one day I realized that I was really working for him and I had no business trying to change Sebastian because, in truth, he was manipulating me. Back then, as I looked at the scarring claw marks on my forearms, it became quite clear that this adorably gorgeous cat was the one in charge.

Writing my new short novel Way of the New Moon Circle, I found myself looking back at my experience with Sebastian as I composed this story and particularly the character of the cat. During my research into Chinese culture, I discovered that cats are lucky mystical creatures with amazing spiritual powers. Reading further, I continued to learn about an ancient legend of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals that ran in a Great Race in Chinese mythology. I discovered that the cat was the loser of that race—and that interested me. It became quite clear that I wanted to write about what happened to the 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals twelve years after running that race and most especially from the cat’s perspective.

Why did I want to write about the Chinese Zodiac Animals in the first place? The answer revolves around creating art, meaningful coincidences and trusting my heart.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” —Lao Tzu

First, let’s talk about creating and making art—in this case, digitally produced art prints. As a fine and graphic artist, I have been accustomed to using a very hands-on approach to creating my art using paint, brushes, canvas, paper, pencils… you get the idea. Slowly, I have incorporated computer technology and appropriate software onto that list. I consider myself a mid-century design influenced creative and I’m inspired by the work of such artists as the American Modernist, Charley Harper. Ten years ago when a relative asked me to create animal art for their home, I thought this would be a good time to create them digitally which involved making many pencil sketches and scanning them into the computer to fine-tune the simplified shapes. I produced 32 alphabet animal giclée art prints—from Armadillo to Zebra—and then turned to creating the 12 Chinese zodiac animal art prints. I wanted to create an image of each animal to be used on a Lunar New Year card for that animal’s particular year.

I began to research the visual design elements of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations and the individual personality characteristics of these 12 Chinese zodiac animals. I wanted each animal to have a different visual way of celebrating the new year within the framework of their individuality. For example: the horse represents independence and is a free spirit, so I paired it with the fan/kite which is a symbol of flowing life energy. I arbitrarily assigned the animals with what seemed to me the best visual way to incorporate these elements into the composition. (At the time I had no idea I would be writing a story which would be including these—I focused on what just looked and felt correct inside me.) From learning about all the Asian new year celebrations and Chinese cultural traditions, it became obvious that I needed to add the cat and the panda to the other zodiac animals—making a total of 14 animal giclée art prints and cards.

“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” —Lao Tzu

Next up are the meaningful coincidences. When Covid-19 hit our lives, I was thinking of creating a new book using the Chinese zodiac animal art prints as illustrations. I literally was writing a book that started with the illustrations first—rather than the other way around. I found that these art prints were the inspiration for an evolving narrative and I was astonished by the synchronizations that popped up signaling that I was on the proper path. During my research, what I discovered most about Chinese culture, history, art, writing, lifestyle, traditions, and philosophies is how everything has meaning. When you bring Chinese culture into your life you are constantly looking inward—and that resonated with me.

The wealth of information that exists in the world concerning Chinese zodiac mythology and culture is astounding. Many sources contradict each other and I found that within the framework of this subject are various opinions, ideas and beliefs. It became evident that I must respectfully honor Chinese culture when writing my fictitious story to the best of my ability as I discovered what best serves my narrative. It seemed like every choice I made when creating the art of each animal pushed the story along in a meaningful way. For example the metaphors of: the rat’s plum blossoms falling and the moon gate; the ox’s Pan Chang knot; the snake’s Yin-yang symbol coinciding with the half moon phase—just to name a few. Also a series of synchronizations popped up: the rabbit’s Moon Festival legend of seeing the markings of a rabbit on the Moon’s surface; the significance of the snake’s gourd, the sheep's bell, the tiger’s gong, the monkey’s useless red lantern, the rooster’s relationship with the sun—I could go on. These insights fueled my creative fire to keep writing.

“Great acts are made up of small deeds.” —Lao Tzu

Which brings us to trusting my heart. After writing a short first draft of about one page for each animal, a friend suggested fleshing it out—it was evident that there was more to this story. Suddenly, I was writing a short novel and I began to doubt my abilities since it was a giant leap for me. This was a turning point—could I deliver? This would be my fourth book that I have self published and now more than ever I had to trust in my past experiences as a creative writer, designer, illustrator and avid reader of good books—I asked myself, “Why not?”

The heart of Way of the New Moon Circle has always been the words of the “old master,” Lao Tzu and Confucius. Giving voice to quotes through these animal characters was a choice I made that gives their journey direction, depth and a purpose. What drew me to write and illustrate this book is the beautiful use of symbolism and meaning in the natural world of the Chinese culture and philosophy.

Here’s an excerpt from my Way of The New Moon Circle author’s notes:

This allegory of a meaningful journey is a work of fiction and from my imagination. While this short novel was inspired by the myth of the Chinese Jade Emperor’s Great Race, the creation of these anthropomorphic characters and their relationships have been born out of Chinese culture both ancient and modern. I have tried to respectfully honor the traditions, legends, philosophies, culture, art, writings and history of China through my own lens to serve this story. However, this is in no way a complete guide to Chinese new year celebrations or zodiac horoscope information. My use of “old master” is inclusive of many wise philosophical works from the writings of Lao Tzu and Confucius and some may be a paraphrased translation in the language and dialog of the characters of this story. The ram rehashes the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson and there’s also a Shakespeare-quoting horse that makes this point. Often, these playful animals speak with a contemporary flair and use language of a more modern humor such as the cat’s snarky quips.

In writing this story's allegorical narrative, the themes of forgiveness, diversity, getting unstuck and facing fears (among others) have been assigned to the animals of this adventure. Ultimately these characters become united while passing through diverse lands, customs, ancestry and extended households, and friendships are born out of differences—regardless of their many variances. As each animal travels their own personal journey of discovery, it’s the giving, sharing and circulating of their unique characteristics that makes them stronger together as a group in reaching their quest.

As the dragon simply said to the rabbit, “—together, we’ll go further.”

When writing this allegory, I used a dialog device for creating repetitious negotiations and contracts for each chapter. It seemed to help the narrative get to the point of the what these animals actually desired. Each character wanted something and was willing to give something to get it. Every chapter uses the “Agreed?” (question) and then after reaching a solution the “Agreed.” (answer) —thus confirming what action to take and move along to the next leg of the adventure.

From the book, during such a negotiation, the seer sheep wrote, “I will do as you ask on two conditions: firstly—you all remember that your path is made for a journey, not a destination. And secondly—that you help our flock transport these banners, scrolls, and couplets to the marketplace of the Resplendent Village for the coming new year celebration. Only then will I take you to see someone very special who will know where to find the New Moon Circle. Are we in agreement?”

As I sat isolated at home in my studio writing and fearing to go out as the coronavirus pandemic ended lives, this story of the 14 animals resonated with me deeply. As much as I doubted myself and the unknown, my heart told me to share what I had to give—this was my journey on my path.

Ever since Sebastian was placed in another home better suited for him, I have learned to love many more cats and their owners. Particularly the artist and my friend, May Sun who has saved, sheltered and loved many cats over the years. Born in Shanghai and growing up in Hong Kong, my friendship with May has had a connection since working together as artists at the Mark Taper Forum at the Los Angeles Music Center in 1986. Both of our families immigrated to the United States—May’s from China and mine from the UK. We became united while sharing our diverse backgrounds, customs and ancestry—our friendships were born out of our differences and similarities. Thinking about May while writing this novel, I decided to dedicated this book to her.

And finally, the snarky cat of Way of the New Moon Circle, issues a challenge to anyone who is seeking a new path and happens to pick up this book and read the back cover, “For what it’s worth, this book was created for humans (like yourself) to read out loud to each other. I don’t care if you’re 9 years old or ninety—crack the spine and get to it.”

Agreed?