"How did he do it?" fellow Oscar winner Robert De Niro wondered aloud while introducing Sean Penn at the Academy Awards, "How for so many years did he get all those jobs playing straight men?" Sean Penn just won his second Academy Award for Best Actor Sunday night for his moving portrayal of slain gay-rights leader Harvey Milk in “Milk”. His first Best Actor award was for the 2003 drama “Mystic River”.

Penn’s birthday is August 17, 1960. In Chinese Zodiac this means his primary personality traits are ruled by Metal Rat. The 2009 Forecast for the Rat indicates Penn will begin the year with a lot of momentum from the last year, which was a Rat Year. This Earth Year will also exert a positive influence on Metal. This indicates that projects or plans that begun last year will flourish in 2009. With 56% of days this year indicated as favorable for Rat, it will be a satisfactory one for Penn.

In this Earth Ox Year,  Penn should work purposefully toward obtaining his objectives, whatever plans in his mind, in each area of his life. The Rat can make particularly good progress this year, given the positive repercussions of events in the previous year. The winds of change brought by the Ox may not be felt immediately, so it is important for the Rat to be assertive and follow any leads toward openings or opportunities that may reveal themselves.

One pitfall for Penn to avoid in the Year of the Ox is over-commitment to too many activities at the same time. Self-discipline, careful planning, and applied effort are three wise methods that will lead to a successful year in 2009. Penn should actively promote innovative new ideas or plans to enhance his progress as they will be received favorably. He should follow his instincts, which are likely to result in better decisions and provide the luck he will need for continued success. Chinese Astrology predicts that the Metal Rat will feel especially energized by Earth’s influence in 2009, so Penn should take advantage of the many opportune moments the year will provide.