Chinese Zodiac Sign
The Snake.
The Wise One. In Gary's GG33 system the Snake is the smartest sign at the table: either at the top of the food chain or the bottom, never the middle, and built to shed its skin and reinvent. It is also Gary's own sign.
How Gary reads the Snake
Gary reads the Snake as the wisest sign of the twelve. The defining trait is the extremes: a Snake is either at the top of the food chain or the bottom, never the middle. And like a real snake, it sheds its skin, so the Snake reinvents itself over and over across a lifetime.
There is a sharp edge to it too. Gary, a Snake himself, is blunt about the contradiction: Snakes are some of the most loyal people he knows, and also some of the most vindictive. Cross one at your own risk.
"Snakes are some of the most loyal people I know. But snakes are very vindictive. That's how snakes operate."
Gary Grinberg, GG33, a Snake
Snake years
Snake years come around every twelve years. Remember the sign turns over at Chinese New Year, so an early-year birthday can still be a Snake.
The Snake's enemy and friends
Every sign has an enemy. The Snake's is the Pig. Gary's example: JFK was a Snake, and the people who moved against him made sure to name the failed invasion the Bay of Pigs to twist the knife. Its best matches are its trine, the Ox and the Rooster. As Gary puts it, the Rooster is the best relationship a Snake can have, and he should know: he is a Snake married to a Rooster.
Enemy sign
Famous Snakes
The Snake Gary actually names:
- John F. Kennedy: a Snake. His enemy the CIA was founded in 1947, a Pig year.
The Snake in 2026
Your big year just happened. 2025 was the Year of the Snake, your double-up year, when a Snake in a Snake year tends to rise. 2026 hands the energy to the Horse, which is neither your enemy nor your trine, so it reads as a turning of the page rather than a clash. See what the Horse year means for everyone on the 2026 forecast.
Are you a Snake?
Your sign shapes who you clash with and which years carry you. Get your Chinese sign and element free, then learn to read your timing the way Gary does.
The Snake: common questions
What does the Snake mean in the Chinese zodiac?
In Gary's GG33 system the Snake is the wisest sign at the table. A Snake is either at the top of the food chain or the bottom, never the middle, and reinvents by shedding its skin. Snakes are intensely loyal but also vindictive.
What years are Snake years?
Recent Snake years are 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, and 2025, repeating every twelve years. The sign starts at Chinese New Year, so an early-year birthday can belong to the Snake even when the calendar year does not.
What is the Snake's enemy sign?
The Snake's enemy sign is the Pig. Gary points to JFK, a Snake, against the people who named the failed invasion the Bay of Pigs. The Snake's best matches are its trine, the Ox and the Rooster.
How do I find my Chinese zodiac sign?
It is set by your birth year, counted from Chinese New Year. The free GG33 reading finds your sign and element and handles the new-year boundary so an early-year birthday is read correctly.