
The Rabbit/Hare is the emblem of self-sacrifice. The story is told that when the animals bought their gifts for the Budda, the Rabbit had nothing to offer but his own body. He threw himself on to a fire, but only after carefully combing his fur to remove any insects that would have died through the rabbit's actions. As award for the animal's selflessness, the Budda transferred the Hare to the Moon, there the Rabbit can still be seen to this day, as his cauldron distilling the liquid once supposed to have the power of indefinitely prolonging life.
The year of the Rabbit or Hare should be an excellent time period. A time foe peace and co-operation. A year of diplomacy, avoiding confrontations and achieving ends through quite determination. Family, romance, career, personal abitions - all these are favourably aspected and can lead to success in many fields.
Positive Side - new discoveries in the field of medicine, and any matters which concern prolong of life or improvements in the quality of social welfare.
Negative Side - people for health reasons, begin taking medication most avoid becoming dependent on it.
The Year of the Rabbit is a time of peace and diplomacy. But, the Metal element brings a competitive side. The Year of the Rabbit is projected to bring in a time of peace, tranquility and diplomacy. However, the Metal element gives this bunny a competitive, aggressive, cold, and sometimes insensitive side.

This link with the forces of darkness may go all the way back to pre-Christian pagan faith, when sightings of rabbits playing in the moonlight led to their indentification with the baleful Moon God.
As well as adopting the form of a rabbit as a disguise, witches were also reputed to use parts of rabbits in various spells - notably those connected with making mischief or with feritility and sex magic, reflecting the animals remarkable powers of reproduction.
In both physical and behavioral, the hare was a natural ally of witches. Hares are swift and agile, able to stand on their hind legs like a person, prone to gathering in parliament-like groups, orgiastically mad in the spring, destructive of crops and possessed of a most unbeastlike cry.
Some witches traveled in the shape of hares; others had hare familiars - demonic servants in disguise.
Given the asociation of hares with witchcraft and magic, it is not surprising that superstition surrounded them. It was said, for example that the sight of a hare running down a village street presaged fire and that the appearance of a white hare in a mine would be followed by a fatal accient.
To see a rabbit all is well with friends. To see a dead rabbit a friend is stressed.
Curiously enough, possession of a hare's-foot brought luck. This belief arose not from the hare's traffic with witches but from a much more ancient associations. The hare is notably prolific creature, and its foot was long a sexual symbol.