 道 – Dào/View色即是空，空即是色, sè jì shì kōng, kōng jì shì sè "form is emptiness, emptiness is form" - the Heart Sutra  Yǐ Sì, 乙巳, Qì in the Year of the Yīn Wood SnakeAs of Wednesday, January 29th, 2025, we officially move back into Yǐ Sì, 乙巳, the Year of the Yīn Wood Snake, the Emerging Snake. By now, I probably sound like a broken record, but I must again remind you that Astrology is not Fortunetelling – we are not here to predict but to play, and, in the case of the Wood Snake, we are here to wake up and see through the veils! We now enter a strange “gap” in the Chinese Zodiac, a kind of “non-year.” The astrological influence of the Wood Snake is so minimal, docile, and hidden that it defies commentary. We therefore enter an unusual challenge and opportunity in the sexagenary cycle. We are left in an in-between at a crossroads, an eye in the storm, a still point in the flowing river. What we do during this “non-year” is up to us; it is open and malleable, and the Wood Snake presents us with the question—what do we do when we are not struck by the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune? What happens when the dual world becomes transparent, gentle, and still? How do we mind this gap in the flux of yearly Qì? Yáng Wood Dragon Reflections  As we emerge from the flash bang discombobulation of the Yáng Wood Dragon, we have a lot to reflect on. It has been a Dragon of a year, indeed. A lot has happened, and big changes are happening throughout the world. As always, I encourage you to re-read my blog from last year and reflect…how’d it go? Due to our unique Character and Fate, we are each predisposed to digest the Year differently, so experiences will vary widely, but I am deeply curious about your experience of the Yáng Wood Dragon and how it unfolded for you…so please share! If I can summarize the essence of the Year – the Wood Dragon was a joker, a wild card, full of sound and fury, but perhaps signifying nothing. It was an overall playful, positive, and renewing energy. No matter what you think of what happened, in the big picture, it was a positive, generative, and transformative force, but it was a bit clumsy, startling, and destructive, and it may have seemed like a slap in the face. Wood Dragon Qì is like using explosives to clear a path through rubble – big, hard, and fast; perhaps more effective albeit messier than sifting through stone by stone. The Wood Snake is, then, like the moment after the bang. Your ears are ringing; you may feel disoriented, but hopefully now after the explosion, you can see a clear path through the rubble. And I will leave it at that. There is, of course, so much to say. Dragon years come to shake things up, but they follow the movements of Heaven. We may never know what they are all about, and the consequences are beyond us. As always, I present the following symbols as a playful mirror – these are my reflections, but I am not an expert, prophet, or soothsayer. You must study these symbols, reflect, and apply them to your life and the world. And this year, in true Wood Snake fashion, I have decided to leave the social commentary to a minimum, so I’m afraid this blog may be a bit boring, but that is the Wood Snake. In previous years, I have offered my interpretation of world events, culture, and politics through the lens of these Chinese Astrological symbols. I could talk about the US election and the renewal of leadership worldwide, the massive shifts in global politics and culture, the various wars and the transformation of the Middle East, the drone invasions, and so on, but this year I have decided to leave all that out for the following reasons... Upcoming Book! The first is my upcoming book! I am happy to announce that I have completed the first manuscript of my book on Polestar Astrology, which is soon to be published by Shambhala Books. I have submitted the manuscript to my editor and am awaiting feedback as to the next steps in the process. I worked furiously on it all year, and the final manuscript was about 1100 pages, so it has been quite an undertaking, fully suited to the Dragon Year. The second, and more exciting reason, is that I got married this year! It was perfect and everything I could have ever dreamed of. But it took a lot of time, energy, and resources. So, between writing a massive book, planning and executing a wedding and honeymoon, and working full time, I am exhausted, and my energy for creative writing is kaput and must recharge. So, apologize if this year’s blog is not as in-depth. I simply don’t have the energy or desire to write social-political commentary, and I have decided to do myself a favor and write a more minimal blog this year, which happens to align perfectly with the vibe of the Wood Snake! The Wood Snake is the ultimate minimalist energy with little interest in intellectual indulgence. I have challenged myself to rest my mind, and I encourage you to do the same. Let the mind rest. This may be the best advice I can give you in the following year. My upcoming book is an introductory guide on how to practice Polestar Astrology through the lens of Character, Nature, and Fate as I learned from the legacy teachings of Liu Ming through my own unique experience. I am very proud of what I have created and look forward to sharing it with you. Please stay tuned for further announcements and details. When the time comes, I will be redoing my website and updating my internet presence, which will be absent from social media. Wood Snake is a perfect year to disappear from these toxic platforms. I will be combining Chinese Astrology, Buddhism, and Classical Chinese Medicine and working to forge a syncretic vision of how I want to contribute to the world moving forward. The truth is that this form of Chinese Astrology is not mine and never was. It was Ming’s, and I now need to find my own path forward. On Bias and Echo Chambers The third reason is simply to avoid bias and let the symbols speak for themselves. I will give you the tools, so you can think for yourself without my bias. This was, in part, my motivation for writing the book – to teach you to fish rather than hand you a fish. If there is one thing tearing our world apart, it is media bias and the echo chambers they produce. Our cultures have swung too far into extreme views, and we need to come back to the center with opposition just to the left and right to balance each other out. We need healthy opposition rather than pathological resistance. With that in mind, let’s jump into the symbolism of the Snake.  象 Symbolism In last Year’s Blog, I tried to communicate the ineffable nature of the Dragon, which may have been confusing, and I’m afraid the Snake may be worse. The Dragon may be ineffable due to its unlimited potential. Still, it is the Yáng version of potential, meaning it is the result of full manifestation, EXTREME YÁNG, and is therefore more accessible for us to understand in this Yáng culture. As a culture, we get “doing,” but “being,” on the other hand, is a mystery. The Snake represents this Mystery, the Yīn to the Dragon’s Yáng. Yīn is manifestation, the condensation of everything into apparent form, which turns into Yáng, the expression of form through movement and dynamism. As Yīn expresses into Yáng, it opens, expands, and rises to Heaven, becoming more and more transparent, heading back towards the unmanifest. Dragon Qì symbolizes the height of this expression and movement—all manifestations integrated, directed, and flying free, Yīn going all the way to Extreme Yáng. Yīnyáng Theory teaches that Yīn and Yáng turn into one another and that Extreme Yáng gives way and turns into Extreme Yīn, which is symbolized in the Chinese Zodiac by the Snake. The Snake is Extreme Yīn, the flipside of the Dragon. In the Dragon, the entire Zodiac is manifest and expressed. In the Snake, the entire Zodiac is in seed/potential form, having been expressed fully and then disappearing, leaving behind a complete, open, and transparent vacuum. Snake is the emptiness, potential, and openness that hosts all forms. Snake Qì is the empty spoke in the center of the turning wheel. It represents the paradox that form is emptiness, and emptiness is form. Pig Qì, while similar, is Snake’s opposite. Pig Qì expresses Yīn Water, the dissolution of everything at the end of the cycle. Snake is not a dissolution, for dissolution is a gradual process. Snake is not gradual. Snake is the sudden and extreme flip from Yáng to Yīn, like the popping of a bubble or a Snake striking its prey. Dragon Qì expands until…pop! This sudden flip from everything to nothing represents Yīn Fire, the native element of the Snake. Even in complete emptiness, total vacuity, there is Yáng, a spark, an ember, a warmth pulsating, undulating in the Void. For all Emptiness is pregnant with unlimited potential. Emptiness is said to contain all potential. Every possibility is inherent in Emptiness; the entire universe resides in and emerges from space. In Tantra, Space is called the Inexhaustible Treasury, the Dharmadhātu. Everything comes from Space, yet Space is never altered, stained, harmed, or destroyed. It is Indestructible, or “Vajra,” immaculate and pristine. Of all the Twelve Animals, Snake is said to be closest to this pristine, open, spacious quality of life. Snake, Yīn Fire, is the warm and radiant nature of Life in the Void. Yīn Fire also represents the nature of Snake Hour, from 9 am to 11 am, the time of day after the sun has appeared and begins to warm the Earth slowly. Snake Hour is bright and transparent; it is the gap between the great manifestation of sunrise (the Dragon) and the productivity of midday (the Horse). Snake Hour is a time of revelation, transparency, and reflection, where we process and gather ourselves before being productive. Yīn Fire is the slow smoldering transformation of a simmering fire, like a crockpot rather than a BBQ. It is the catalytic force of alchemy and cooking - stimulating, energizing, yet still, pulsating, warming, consuming, mesmerizing; it is internal rather than external vigor. The Snake symbolizes the Heart, the Shén, the still, warm beating center of things, awake and alive, yet passive/Yīn, for the heart beats without effort. The Snake symbol is immensely old and traces back to China’s “Shamanic” roots. The Snake symbol is universal, and its expression is similar across cultures. Unlike some cultures, the Chinese conception of the Snake is not evil or sinister - it is Yīn. It represents the unknown/unknowable world, the subterranean, the submerged, the unconscious. There is no “evil” in the Chinese view of Life, but Yīn has a dark side, and the Snake can symbolize darkness. This darkness, however, is the basis for transformation. We cannot truly transform unless we consider all our dark places; we must turn up all the rocks and look at the creepy crawlies beneath the surface. Snake is what lies beneath the surface. In this sense, the Snake is like the Rabbit but taken to another level. The Rabbit is submerged in the unconscious subterranean world, but the Snake is that world; it sees through it unattached, where the Rabbit's innocence is potentially lost in the static of the ethers. Snake Qì sees through the nature of appearances, so Snake Characters are said to lead uniquely self-reflective and insightful lives. It is in the Character of Snake to reflect, mirror, question, and peak behind the curtains. Snake Qì, Big Yīn's impulse, is sinking, gathering, descending, internalizing, seeking stillness and silence. Like snakes in the wild, Snake Qì seeks to be hidden, unseen, to blend in with the environment. Therefore, Snakes have a natural inclination to “disappear,” to hide, to renounce, and to recede from the world by blending in with the surroundings. A snake might look like a vine on the tree, so it is there, present in the world, but it is not the vine, not what it appears to be. Snake Qì is not what it appears to be; it is unknowable and ineffable. Big Yīn defines all labels and definitions. Emptiness, by “definition,” is beyond conceptual elaboration, as the Buddhists say. The Snake represents the inner open capacity at the heart of the Zodiac to become any of the other 11 Characters without being defined by them. In comparison, the Dragon embodies all 11 characters. This unknowable quality is said to be the source of an unmatched charm. Snakes can become anything and anybody without being attached, representing all potential. They have the capacity of all 11 Characters available, like the Dragon, but they are not defined by, nor do they take pride in what they display. They are a mystery even to themselves. Their instinct is to hide, but they can hide in a crowded room because they are inwardly unknowable. You can “know” a Snake for years and still not know who they are. And this is not deceptive because they aren’t anybody (no one is really), and this is their power. Snakes are a mystery to themselves and other people. They cannot be known. Remember this as I get into the Key Words. We may use words to describe Snake Qì, but Snakes are not these words. The Snake symbolizes the reality that no one is what they think they are, nor are we how others perceive us. We are all a mystery. You can never really know another person—not really. We are all symbols to each other. In China, the Snake is the Sorcerer Philosopher and symbolizes the process of Alchemy and inner transformation, for the Snake sheds its skin. It is always in the process of becoming something else. They also represent what Liu Ming called the “striking force,” like Muhammad Ali (born in the year of the Snake), an aspect of the Fire Element, the ability to remain perfectly still and then strike, act, seemingly out of nowhere like a snake paralyzing its prey.  氣 Qì Dynamics The Outer Element of this year, however, is Yīn Wood in relation to the Inner or Natural Element of the Snake which is Yīn Fire. Wood is the Mother of Fire, so the generative direction of the Wood Snake flows backwards/inward, making this a deeply introspective Qì. The Wood Snake flows inward and rests or hides at the origin of all movement. Yīn Wood is the soft, weak, and vulnerable Qì that simmers just after the initial explosion of Yáng Wood, which is like the Big Bang. Yīn Wood represents innocence, spontaneity, flexibility, renewal, humility, gentleness, sensitivity, subordination, and potentiality. While Yáng Wood represents birth, the naïve impulsive force of coming into being, Yīn Wood demonstrates the outcome of that birthing force, which is exposed, raw, and tender, but with great creative potential, like a sprout emerging from the earth, ready to grow into a mighty oak, or a baby chick bursting through the shell only to then be vulnerable to predators. Both need protection, nurturing, and time to thrive. The Wood Snake is a baby Snake and therefore the gentlest form of Snake Qì, which is already hidden, secret, and still. The Qì dynamic is light and airy, and there is nothing anywhere to stick to.  形 Manifestation/CharacterNow that we have covered the symbolism and energetic dynamics, let’s get into keywords for the Snake and talk about how this symbol manifests in/as people. As we go, keep in mind this gentle dynamic of Yīn Wood and think about how this can then be applied to the Character of the whole year. The Key Terms for the Snake are, again, how they appear, but not actually how they are. You may know or be a Snake and not identify with these labels, and that’s fine. No person is really their Character; it is merely a pattern, a tendency of our Qì to display a certain way. Snake Qì symbolizes the idea that we can all transcend our limitations through nonattachment. The first Key Term, then, is deeply reflective. In many ways, it is not easy to be a Snake. Snakes are natural mystics in a non-mystic world. Snake Qì can be called penetrating insight. Without trying, Snakes tend to see through things, from the nature of appearance to essential qualities. Since Snake Qì is naturally open and empty, it is natural for Snakes to reflect on life and their situation, for their Qì display is in direct contrast with what society tells us. With training, this can lead to insight. But if Snakes are told from an early age that the world is solid, that people are real, that situations are concrete, and that they must “be somebody,” then they will fake it and pretend, while internally, they may experience deep depression, resentment, and even fear. As it turns out, Reality can be frightening to glimpse. Imagine finding out that up and down are meaningless; this is called vertigo. My teacher calls this the “round world,” as opposed to the “square world.” In the round world, i.e., in Reality, we don’t have a leg to stand on; all concepts are relative, and nothing has any inherent meaning. If you do not grasp at solidity, this realization liberates you, and emptiness becomes the source of much giggling. If you grasp, emptiness inspires terror, nihilism, and possibly suicidal tendencies. Snakes may feel that the world is meaningless, that everyone is a fake, that everything is nonsense. They may feel crazy because they see this and no one else does. Depleted, Snake Qì can turn to paranoia. They can get into trouble if they are not taught to trust their insight and vision into what lies beneath the surface. Seeing signs, hearing voices - all very Snakey, like Rabbit Qì in this sense. The truth is that there are voices; the universe is full of psychic static, and people project their thoughts and emotions all over the place with little discretion. While Rabbits tend to feel the emotional, energetic, embodied quality of this static, Snakes tend to see into the more “psychic” mental dimension of things. Snake Qì is transparent and clear, and Snakes are probably the most distant from the rich direct experience of the senses, embodied in Snake’s opposite, the Pig. Snakes can easily be disembodied and live in a flat mental world, which can turn to nihilism. They may mistrust the display of the world. On the other hand, this transparency offers insight. If Snakes go with their insight, they become wise. The Snake is synonymous with wisdom. On the surface, this wisdom comes from a natural observant quality, which comes from the Snake's impulse to lie still, wait, and watch. Snakes tend to observe and attend very closely to details, which lends them profound intelligence. On a deeper level, Snake's wisdom is both visionary and philosophical, which I’ll get to later. In Buddhism, wisdom is identical to śūnyatā, emptiness; they are synonymous. Emptiness is a complex idea, but at the deepest level, Snake Qì represents this side of reality. Snakes can be too smart for their own good and capable of immense calculation and planning. Of course, everyone can be intelligent, but Snake intelligence encapsulates the concept of genius. This kind of intelligence often goes hand in hand with depression. Snakes have the opposite of “ignorance is bliss.” Instead, Snake intelligence tends to obsess about how messed up the world is and about how messed up they are themselves, leading to cynicism/skepticism and, very often, depression. This depression does not need a cause, for Snake Qì is by nature depressed, sinking, and dark, energetically speaking. So, Snakes can appear moody and brooding. The Snake's tendency towards depression can turn to self-loathing, however, especially if their intelligence is not put to more creative outlets. Intelligence can quickly turn to hatred either at the world or at themselves. When Snakes are unsuccessful and do not find an outlet for their vision, they can turn bitter and hostile, criticizing everything and everyone and picking apart their faults. Because of their visionary and creative qualities, Snakes make natural artists. Snakes want to leave the world behind, follow their vision, and lose themselves beyond the horizon. They want to disappear. Snake Qì is a vision quest, a spirit journey into the unknown, the underworld. In their imagination, Snakes see through this world to others and realms beyond. They may even have tangible visions in their waking lives. So, Snakes can be a bit weird, although others may never know, for Snakes are the best at hiding. Snakes must find a way to express this weirdness, primarily through art/creativity. The challenge for the Snake is to go out beyond and come back. They must return their vision to the ordinary world and share it with others. Snakes are often inventive innovators, and Snake years usually produce societal breakthroughs. Without art, the Snake has no way of communicating Reality as they experience it; whether through painting, poetry, or film, Snakes communicate the dreamlike nature of reality, such as Pablo Picasso or Edgar Allen Poe (both born in the Year of the Snake). Snakes tend to be solitary and reclusive. All the Snakes I know, either by year or hour, tend to seek and enjoy time alone (of course, everyone can), and some even dream of being hermits. Snakes take great pleasure when no one knows where they are or what they’re up to. Furthermore, they tend to be somewhat evasive, which is both positive and negative. The Snake's tendency towards evasiveness can be a skill, knowing when to duck, avoid, and do nothing. This evasive quality can appear distant, aloof, avoidant, and secretive to others. You’re never quite sure about them; think Snape from Harry Potter. Snake Qì is also very discrete, which can appear positive and negative again. Spiritually, being discreet and humble is an excellent idea; showing off and making a big flap about yourself can create many challenges. Snakes tend towards the opposite; they tend to be quiet, never revealing their actual experience to anyone, even when that experience is profound. Being discrete is the Snake's form of camouflage, hiding in plain sight. Since Snake Qì is Big Yīn, and because its impulse is to disappear towards stillness and silence, Snakes are naturally calm, patient, and slow in their display. Chill is the word. Snake Qì is the opposite of scattered, and its depleted state can turn to laziness and lethargy. But in general, Snakes are relaxed and calm; they have a big open capacity to host other people’s craziness. This peaceful nature can be called meditative. Many Snakes I know have a natural inclination towards meditation as an expression of their Qì, which also has an immense capacity for trance. The Yīn Fire nature of the Snake is also hypnotizing and trance-inducing. Think Snake Charmers. Snakes have an alluring charm because of their mysteriousness. People want to figure them out, and Snakes love this because they love avoiding and evading people’s attempts to figure them out and pin them down. Snakes can play with this, so they have a specific social capacity. They make great actors and can become anyone, like method acting. They can use this capacity for social advantage, which we call “Yīn Power.” Yīn Power is essentially manipulation, which is not inherently wrong, although it can be used that way. It can be used for good, too; like many Snake qualities, manipulation evades judgment…we’re just not sure about it. Ming once told a story of a friend who learned to speak Chinese by simply becoming the teacher, imitating his mannerisms, dress, body language, etc. Monkeys have this capacity, too. Rather than learn the language, this person just became someone who already knew it, very Snakey. Snakes can embody a social role for years, at work, for example, even if it is not who they are. They can work for years as salespeople and then one day become carpenters. This changeability may sound bad, but not for Snakes necessarily, for they are unattached. Snakes can love and be fascinated by material things and then sell everything they own without a second thought. Snake Qì loves to shed its skin, change appearances, transform, drop attachments, and move on. In the Chinese Tradition, the Snake, like the Rabbit, is associated with the practice of Inner Alchemy, refining our experience backward to the Source. When depleted, the ability to become anything and take on any form can turn helpless. Depleted, snakes can feel empty, without inner and outer resources, and unable to manifest things in the world. The tendency to not take the “real world” seriously can appear to others as a lack of ambition, but Snakes don’t have ordinary worldly ambition; their aspirations in life tend to reflect a more profound impulse, which is most often to understand this strange world of appearances, this ephemeral dance we’re all born into; Snakes are perplexed as to why everyone takes the life game so seriously. I mean, why bother? Why bother constructing wealth and systems of value when everything falls apart? Of course, if a Fire Snake chooses to be successful, they can outdo everyone and make us all look like fools, but they would never believe in their actions. Hopefully, this does not sound too negative. But negativity must be available in the cycle of time. We must remember that there is no absolute negativity/evil in the Chinese View, but there is Yīn. And all Yīn Characters represent the necessity of darkness in the cycle of time. Darkness, depression, destruction, and so on must be available in Time. Otherwise, everything would grind to a halt. Of course, not all Snakes are depressed, but they do represent that tendency. The Snake symbol is rich and deep. In the collective imagination, Snakes conjure up primal, primordial, shamanic images, like Ouroboros, the Serpent eating its tail. If you want to understand Snake Qì, look at these images, for they all speak to the wisdom of the Snake. In terms of the Five Snakes, each has unique characteristics that contribute to the understanding of the Snake zodiac sign. The Wood or Emerging Snake, which we will discuss more next, is the most honest, shy, and calm of the Snakes. The Fire or Fishpond Snake is the most natural of the Snakes, and they are the most mesmerizing, ambitious, and disciplined. The Earth or Golden Snake is the worldliest and, therefore, the most determined, fortunate, and often successful Snake. The Metal or Hibernating Snake is the most bright, sensitive, and insightful, but the Metal Element makes them the most restrained and aloof. And the Water or Hidden Snake is the most mystical, secretive, and elusive of Snakes, and their potential for wisdom is excellent (as the Buddha is said to have been a Water Snake). Understanding these different characteristics provides a comprehensive view of the Snake Zodiac sign.  器 Synthesis, Application, and “Predictions" Now we get to the fun part…what is going to happen!? As always, I have no idea, and as I said in the beginning, I am going to leave my social/political commentary here to a minimum. I will instead try to summarize and give a pith interpretation of the Qì of the Year and what that could mean overall. If we put all the symbolism and Qì dynamics together, we see that the Wood Snake is, perhaps, the most delicate, minimalist, and, for lack of a better word, “weak” animal in the Chinese Zodiac. And sorry to say, it may be the most "boring" to talk about. There’s really nothing to get excited or worried about when it comes to the influence of this year. If we were to characterize the five Snakes, the Fire Snake would be like a cobra, the Earth Snake would be like a boa constrictor, the Metal Snake would be like an asp, the Water Snake would be like an anaconda, and the Wood Snake would be like a small green snake. Green snakes are small, non-venomous, and docile. The Wood Snake does not have the venom or striking force of the other snakes, so it hides and becomes invisible. The Qì, then, is just that – docile and invisible. Yīn Wood is unformed, so the Wood Snake is a baby and does not have the strong transformative “skin shedding” quality of the Earth or Metal Snake; nor does it have the deep profundity of the mystical Fire and Water Snakes. So where does that leave us? With almost nothing to say. In other Snake Years, things are much more hidden or secret, and venomous unexcepted things are more likely strike out of nowhere, like 9/11 (Metal Snake Year), or we may collectively experience huge skin shedding transformations like the fall of the Berlin Wall (Earth Snake Year). But not as much when it comes to the Wood Snake. This is why I am calling it a “non-year.” The Qì of the Wood Snake is so soft, flexible, and still that it can hardly be seen or felt, which in a way makes it even sneakier. It may as well not even be there, and that is how we can define it. The 60 Animals of the Zodiac cover every kind of Qì conceivable, and somewhere there needs to be a gap, a lull, an energy characterized by its lack of presence and “weakness.” This is the Wood Snake. There are other soft and gentle points in the cycle, like the Wood Rabbit, but this may be the most transparent and non-interfering, which makes it a kind of “gap.” We can, of course, consider all the profound symbolic qualities of the Snake, which all apply and define the Qì of the year to some extent. But the Wood Snake is the least dramatic, and all these Snake qualities are dialed down to almost zero, which gives the Wood Snake year unique challenges but also makes it a unique opportunity. The challenge is that there is little striking force or mystical, transformative, insightful strength available. Wood Snakes, as people, must often work extremely hard to overcome this inner sense of weakness or “lack.” If this lack is not understood or worked with correctly, it can lead to boredom, indolence, laziness, and sloth, and at worst, it can create nihilism, despair, and depression. The desire to give up and feel “what’s the point?” can seem very easy in a Wood Snake year. The world seems to stop and become see-through, and if this is mistaken for meaninglessness, then we may become confused and lose track of our “momentum” in life. We may feel lost, unsure, or uncertain. It may cause us to question things with no answers readily available. If this sounds depressing, remember that the Wood Snake is not as dark as the other Snakes. The recent Water Rabbit year was a dark subterranean energy full of ghosts and specters, but the Wood Snake is a fresh shimmering radiance, like the calm after sunrise. It is the Qì of small woodland sprouts or mycelium hidden just beneath the soil. So, this all begs the question, what do we do when the Qì of the year is almost non-existent? This is paradoxically the opportunity. What happens when the wind stops blowing and when we are not being pushed or pulled by the cycles of Time? What happens when we pause and enter a gap of stillness and silence that is flexible, non-resistant, docile, and weak? Well, we can do whatever we want, I suppose, or nothing at all. We can be like the small, hidden Wood Snake and slither unseen between the cracks, disappearing unnoticed. We can rest and do nothing. Or we can simply get to work without interference…but also without much wind in our sails. The lack of influence may bring out or exaggerate everyone’s innate Character qualities because everyone is free to be themselves, for we are neither bolstered nor inhibited. We have the unique opportunity to find out what we truly are. For some, this may be empowering and healing, and for others, it may be confusing and disappointing. But overall, this can be a very insightful year for all of us. The stillness of this gap will hopefully be a welcome relief. This is a peaceful, restful, and non-venomous year, without the venomous hidden surprises of other Snake years, and we can all collectively breathe a sigh of relief…that is if we can “mind the gap.” Can we recognize this and pause personally and collectively? This is a time to slow down and get our bearings before we launch forward again, rather violently I might add, with the Yáng Fire Horse in 2026, which is the true wild stallion. Of course, the world will go on as it does. Dramatic things can happen as the momentum of the past unfolds, but circumstances, responses, solutions, and so on, may lack strength, as if the wind has been taken out of our sails or the rug pulled out from under us. This makes “prediction” challenging, but we can simply apply this lack of wind power and non-interference to everything. Culture, politics, entertainment, religion, art, music, relationships, health, personal development, and so on, are all in an open and malleable gap. This is neither good nor bad. It is what we make of it. The Qì of the year is transparent and flexible, and we can mold it how we like, or we can take the opportunity to simply see through everything. The Qì of the Wood Snake can be visionary, and it offers us a chance to see through the veils, minding the gap between thoughts, to look beyond. We can grasp the emptiness of things in a very plain and simple way. To use a cliché, it is very “Zen.” Or, as Daoists might say, it is very Wúwéi, non-striving. The Wood Snake is plain, simple, minimal, and hidden from sight. It is the unbearable lightness of being. It is very easy to simply wake up and let go in a year like this because all the heavy burdens and complexity of life can seem like nothing at all. Everything falls away. Form is emptiness, and emptiness is form. This is what the Wood Snake comes to show us. It takes nothing and leaves nothing. Everything is left as it is, and yet life goes on. So, what will you do—how will you mind the gap? “Delusion is like becoming possessed by a spirit during a seance, when someone starts to suddenly hop around and do all kinds of crazy things. This is exactly what has happened to all of us. Sentient beings are possessed by the ‘spirit’ of ignorance and the 84,000 disturbing emotions, and they are all dancing around doing incredible things. They have undergone all different kinds of pain and misery for so long, aeons upon aeons. But it is a self-created possession. It is not really something from outside. Buddha Nature has lost track of itself and created samsara, but it is also Buddha Nature, recognizing itself, which clears up the delusion of samsaric existence. The moment of recognition is like the spirit leaving. All of a sudden the possession vanishes. We can’t even say where it went. This is called the ‘collapse of confusion.’” -Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche  12 Animal ForecastNow, let’s go through the 12 Animals and offer a map for the upcoming year – how do we each mind the gap? Outer Elements: Wood Signs (+): your outer element matches the year; you flow and adapt more easily but tend to go toward internal frustration Fire Signs (+) child of Wood: generative/supportive relationship; you are empowered and bolstered, and the generative direction of Wood feeding Fire nourishes you Earth Signs (–/+) Wood controls/eats Earth: you may feel ungrounded, but this helps to aerate and keeps things light Metal Signs (+/–) Metal controls/cuts Wood: contrasting energetically, but you are kept in check and restrained from too much indolence Water Signs (+) Water is the mother of Wood: you support and uphold the dynamic of the year; this could be draining but more likely it will be generative and result in wisdom Please take these lightly and remember that we all contain each of the 12 animals within our experience! Your Year and Hour are the most prominent, but the following applies to everyone! These predictions all come with a caveat, as you will notice that for all Characters, this is a neutral year, as that is the nature of the Wood Snake. So don’t take these too seriously. Rat: 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 – Inauspicious/Neutral (-) Possibly a tough year for Rats. The transparent open quality may bring out feelings of fear, paranoia, or survival if you do not self-reflect, and the Qì of the Year does not cooperate well with any sense of the organization, accumulation, or outer stability that you may need to feel secure. This Year does not work to bring people or communities together, but rather it turns us more inward toward solitude, which may bring out your more negative qualities and make you feel isolated and uneasy. But remember, the Wood Snake is gentle and subtle. This feeling is not a threat this year but rather it is an invitation. Rat Qì is a deconstructive energy that seeks to take things apart to manage and control; this you have in common with the Snake who sees through to the compound and impermanent nature to the emptiness of things. If you can be comfortable with uncertainty, impermanence, and emptiness, then this Year will be profound for rest and spiritual growth. Let go of planning and scheming; drop busyness and task management; don’t take anything personally and be comfortable with stillness. Bring out your social networking skills and help bring people together because we will all need it this year. Ox: 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973,1985, 1997, 2009, 2021 – Neutral/Auspicious (-/+) The Ox is in a trine of compatibility with the Snake and Rooster, so this affinity makes this a potentially good year for the Ox. This auspiciousness is quite easy to understand; the lack of influence for the Ox will equate to a lack of nonsense and interference with routine business as usual. So, the Yīn strength of the Ox can simply allow you to plow forward as you always do, but in this year, you will find little resistance, and little pushback, and that the earth is easy to plow. Everything can go well. Ox is generally impervious to the potential darkness of the Snake, but you can tend toward stagnation if you lack motivation or inspiration. Overall, then it can be a great year for both rest and productivity, and the Ox is a champion of both. Introspect and discover your motive, and then act accordingly. Tiger: 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022 – Neutral/Auspicious (-/+) The dark stripe of the Tiger is very Snake-like, as the Tiger is also comfortable being hidden and still, for the time being. Tigers can be dark and moody, so watch out and don’t go to the dark side. But remember, this is the least dark and moody of the Snake years, which makes it ideal for rest and personal growth. You can let go and drop whatever is holding you back, so when you get a massive boost in the Fire Horse year, you can leap forward and truly shine. So shed inessentials and let go of the past. This year is excellent for healing, waiting, planning, introspecting, and taking stock. But it is not conducive to excess scheming, overwork, or goal setting. The upheaval and intensity of the past year should dissipate, and the pressure should ease. Don’t expect big change or put too much hope into outward or worldly progress. Simply relax and let things be as they are. Things will naturally unfold, and if you can let things be, then the Fire Horse Year will go very well and may be the best in a long time. Rabbit: 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023 – Neutral (-) The Rabbit and Snake are both symbols of the subterranean/underworld. The Rabbit goes there to hide and find safety, but the Snake is born there. It is the underworld. The Rabbit can relax and will find that the Qì of the year is non-threatening/venomous, and the sense of stillness should bring ease, for the drama and pressure of Dragon year is over. The Native Element of the Rabbit is Yīn Wood, which matches the Outer Element of the year, so this may be the best Snake Year overall for Rabbits. However, the Rabbit craves protection, security, and strength, and there is little available. You are left to fend for yourself, and so you may feel a heightened sense of vulnerability and danger. If you have your house in order, then things can go very well, and this is an excellent year to hide, rest, and recuperate, and the spiritual power and potential for insight and creativity is off the charts and will allow you to peer into the underworld without fear or confusion. If your life is not in order, then the year can go poorly, as you may find that help is challenging and that things are difficult to secure. So, it’s a wash and balances out to be neutral. The Fire Horse year may be rough, so use this year to plan accordingly. Dragon: 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024 – Neutral/Auspicious (-/+) The Dragon and Snake are a Yīn Yáng pair and natural complementary opposites. Their Qì shares a lot in common as the mystical, otherworldly center of the Zodiac, representing Heaven and the Underworld. Dragons in a Snake Year are therefore apt to ride through Snake year with ease, but it may be disorienting, as the explosive Yáng energy is gone and replaced with a vacuum. Coming out of your year, you may feel either empowered or drained. Last Year was probably a big one. You may be tempted to keep the momentum going, but it isn’t there. Snake year, then, becomes a mirror and potentially an open canvas. You are asked to reflect and paint the picture you want to see. If you can reign in your bigness and deeply reflect, then the Wood Snake offers a relaxed and limitless sea of potential. No obstructions. So, what kind of life do you want? Make it happen but remember that it is up to you. Watch out for boredom, distraction, and a lack of focus. You may be tempted to go astray and wander too far into your indulgences. If you can deal with the boredom, then this year will be excellent for spiritual and personal growth. Snake: 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025 – Neutral/Auspicious (-/+) This is your Year, so naturally, it can be auspicious and go very well. The danger of being in your year is that it can highlight or exacerbate your negative qualities if you have not come to terms with them. This year has the potential to bring out your inner sense of helplessness, nihilism, morbidity, cynicism, and sarcasm. You may find yourself saying—screw you guys, I’m going home. The world may seem extra pointless, so you may get depressed. Self-acceptance is key. If you are at home and embrace your inner emptiness, then you are free. You can float through life and be uninhibited and light like a feather in the breeze. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. You can be in the world but not of it. Life is but a dream, and you can go merrily down the stream. This year is profound for spiritual awakening, insight, and shedding your skin, but not in any kind of dramatic or obvious way. It is not auspicious for worldly goals or productivity, but you’re probably not that interested in that anyway. So, if you have been faking that you are interested, this is a good year for you to laugh and admit it’s all silly. If you can do that, then you may find that things align and happen naturally. Bring out your visionary quality and do art. Horse: 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2026 – Inauspicious/ Neutral (-) Could be a tough year for Horses, but it is the least difficult of Snake years. The Snake turns into the Horse in the natural progression of the Zodiac, so they have something in common, but the Horse is in many ways the antithesis of the Snake. The Horse represents a dramatic shift from extreme otherworldly Yīn back to Yáng, which in the form of the Horse is completely worldly in the most basic sense. The Snake is the most removed from the dual world, and the Horse is right at home in the world and ready to get to work. The Horse is wild but disciplined, sociable, gregarious, and engaged; they want to work, create, build, and then ride off free into the sunset on wild adventures. Snake Qì is the opposite of all those qualities. So, the Qì of the year is not conducive to anything that feels natural to you, and you may feel stunted, frustrated, and out of sorts. Projects may get delayed. The strange, mystical qualities of the Snake may be discombobulating this year but remember that the Wood Snake is the gentlest and the least intense of this weirdness. Let it inspire what you do have in common with the Snake—art. The Snake is visionary, innovative, inventive, and imaginary—bring these qualities out in your life, projects, and practices. The neutral quality is also non-obstructive, so although there is no wind in your sails, there are also no barriers to jump over. Productivity can go well if you are self-motivated and self-reliant. Help to bring others together and smile. Make people laugh. Point out the ordinariness of things and live in the moment. Goat: 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027 – Inauspicious/Neutral (-) This may also be a tough year for Goats, but again, it is the least challenging of the Snake years. Like the Horse, the Goat and Snake are very different. The Goat is the quintessential herd animal, and they operate based on feelings of interconnectedness and collective. The Snake, on the other hand, is the quintessential loner, and they operate based on feelings of emptiness and solitude. So, the social, political, and altruistic ambitions of the Goat are not supported this year. You may feel stunted, frustrated, and disheartened. But this is why we need you; bring out these altruistic and social qualities, and don’t give up on people! But remember the Wood Snake is soft and non-venomous – no hard feelings and nothing personal. And nothing is getting in the way. Both the Snake and the Goat share deep spiritual values; the Goat sees the principles of Qì harmony and transformation, while the Snake sees deeper to the truth that space is the fundamental medium that binds us and hosts all Qì transformation. So, relax into space. Let this be a year of rest and stillness. Focus on expressing your deeper truths and seeing through the complex webs that inform your motives in the world. This will help to free you and release the frustrations of a world out of control that may be going against your values. Express yourself through creative and artistic means; focus on self-care, healing, and close relationships. Watch out for anxiety, depression, and hopelessness. If you can relax and just be, then this year will be deeply revelatory. Monkey: 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028 – Neutral /Auspicious (++) The Monkey and Snake are a special Confucian pair of compatibility, so this is an excellent year for Monkeys. Both the Monkey and Snake see through the world but in different and often complementary ways. The Monkey sees the world as a kind of joke, but they find it funny and see it as a challenge to play with. However, Monkeys can lack the deeper wisdom that the Snake provides. The Snake sees through the world with deep wisdom but lacks the playful and humorous outlook of the Monkey, so they balance each other out well. Your Monkey mischief and risk-taking can go well this year, as it finds no obstruction and produces wiser and more thoughtful outcomes that can benefit all aspects of your life. Watch out for heightened anxiety and mental agitation, as this is a very “mental” year, but let the Snake Qì help you to pierce through fantasy, fear, and projection. This is an excellent year for personal growth, self-reflection, and shedding limitations. It is also an excellent year for innovation, creativity, and invention. You can reinvent yourself and your life. Pay attention to friendships and family and watch out for isolation and feelings of nihilism. Rooster: 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029 – Neutral /Auspicious (+) The Rooster is in a trine of compatibility with the Snake and Ox, so this affinity makes this a potentially good year for Roosters as well. The Rooster and Snake complement and support each other, as they are both piercing, intelligent, sharp, and striking energies. However, the Wood Snake is the least of these qualities, so it may not be as auspicious as other Snake years. Like the Monkey, the Snake helps the Rooster to pierce through attachment, anger, and delusion, so that all your endeavors can go well this year. This can be a great year for personal and professional development, but you must be self-reliant and self-motivated, as there is little Qì available for productivity and production. Let the Snake bring out your deeper mental, spiritual, and philosophical resources, and let that infuse everything in your life for the better. Personal, familial, and relational problems can arise if you do not tend to them with care, as you may be driven overboard into mental realms that disconnect you from your feelings. Learn to relax and be spacious without fixating or obsessing. Dog: 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030 – Neutral/Auspicious (-/+) This is a mixed and mostly neutral year for Dogs that can end up going very well if you embrace it. All Dogs have a touch of the lone wolf and can be artistic, individualistic loners, (think Prince) just like the Snake. So, this is a year to embrace and celebrate those qualities. However, Dogs crave deep connection and loyalty, and the Snake shies away from this. Watch out for feelings of suspicion, judgment, and mistrust in your close relationships. If you do not have strong close relationships and are looking or dealing with issues of betrayal or mistrust, then it may be a frustrating and sad year. However, this makes it ideal for personal and spiritual growth and for embracing your lone wolf. Bring out your inner weirdo and let yourself escape. This may be a year for boundaries, self-care, and getting to know yourself on a deep level. Turn inward. Dogs can lose themselves taking care of and serving others, and you may derive your identity from being a parent, protector, or provider. Find out who you are outside all these roles. Work on your hobbies and passions and discover your hidden dreams. If you can embrace the lone wolf and let loose the inner weirdo, then this year will be an excellent springboard for the Fire Horse, which will be a great year overall. Pig: 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031 – Neutral/Very Inauspicious (-/-) The Pig is the Snake’s opposite, so naturally, this may be a challenging year for Pigs. The Pig embodies everything the Snake is not, but oddly, this makes them very close to each other, for the opposite animals are mirrors. I always say that your opposite year is not inherently bad or something to be feared, but rather it is a spiritual opportunity to look in the mirror. Of course, Snake Qì goes against your instincts, so outwardly, things may be challenging and disorienting, and you may struggle all year as your honesty, integrity, and kindness could be challenged. You may feel disheartened and that the Qì of the year is cruel or critical. Personal relationships may be challenged, as people may be less inclined to connect with and indulge you. The Pig is the most fully in the world and engaged with the senses, and the Snake is the most disconnected and detached from the senses. So, for Pigs, this year may feel like the least enjoyable, sensual, and fun, but as I have said many times, the Wood Snake is a kind of non-year. It is so docile and non-interfering that you may not notice anything at all. Hopefully, this can balance out to being a kind of neutral indifferent year, and at best, it will serve as a mirror and springboard for personal growth. It may be sobering and clarifying and allow you to clean house and mature. That being said, we will all need and appreciate your fun-loving warmth and generosity, so throw some parties, bring people snacks, give some hugs, and remind everyone to enjoy themselves.  I wish you all the best this New Year! This life passes as quickly as autumn clouds; Family and friends are like passers-by in a market; The demon of death approaches like twilight’s shadows; What the future holds is like a translucent fish in cloudy waters; Life’s experiences are like last night’s dreams; The pleasures of the senses, like an imaginary party. Meaningless activities are like waves lapping on the surface of the water. Every harmful action I have done With my body, speech, and mind Overwhelmed by attachment, anger and confusion, All these I openly lay bare before you. While circling through all states of existence, May I become an endless treasure of good qualities-- Gathering limitless pristine wisdom and positive potential. May all beings have happiness and the cause of happiness. May they be free of suffering and the cause of suffering. May all beings remain in boundless equanimity, free from attachment and aversion! Sarva Mangalam!!!  Artwork Listed in Order
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The Laughter of the Universe - Qì in the Year of the Yáng Wood Dragon, Jiǎ Chén, 甲辰 - Year 2024/47222/4/2024  道 – Dào/View*湯之問棘也是已。窮髮之北，有冥海者，天池也。有魚焉，其廣數千里，未有知其脩，其名為鯤。有鳥焉，其名為鵬，背若泰山，翼若垂天之雲，摶扶搖羊角而上者九萬里，絕雲氣，負青天，然後圖南，且適南冥也。斥鴳笑之曰：「彼且奚適也？我騰躍而上，不過數仞而下，翱翔蓬蒿之間，此亦飛之至也。而彼且奚適也？」此小大之辯也。 In the bare and barren north there is the dark and vast ocean - the Pool of Heaven. In it there is a fish, several thousand li in breadth, while no one knows its length. Its name is the kun. There is also a bird named the peng; its back is like the Tai mountain, while its wings are like clouds all round the sky. On a whirlwind it mounts upwards as on the whorls of a goat's horn for 90,000 li, till, far removed from the cloudy vapors, it bears on its back the blue sky, and then it shapes its course for the South, and proceeds to the ocean there.' A quail by the side of a marsh laughed at it, and said, 'Where is it going to? I spring up with a bound, and come down again when I have reached but a few fathoms, and then fly about among the brushwood and bushes; and this is the perfection of flying. Where is that creature going?' This shows the difference between the small and the great.* The flight of the Wood Dragon is the primordial gesture of the Dào itself - pure play, light expanding, flowing freely in all directions. Nature emerges in youthful and joyous participation, the full scope of life and death - fearlessly declaring itself, roaring and cavorting in unrestrained flight - the Wood Dragon flies without concern for boundaries or borders. From dark oceans, the ultimate Yīn of the Water Rabbit turns to the ultimate Yáng of the Wood Dragon - the freedom of primordial light, encompassing all possible form, wriggling, stretching in all directions, the Gate of Duality burst open - unimpeded, the Wood Dragon is the true jester, the joker, the clown, the radiant laughter of the Universe, Original Nature saturating all forms in unfathomable and endless patterns of play, the Péng Bird in flight - where does it fly? Why? Despite the vagaries of life, despite the banal grind of samsara, this Year we must contend with a force of nature that simply doesn’t care for our smallness, our pettiness, or our crusty lack of imagination. The Wood Dragon expands and bursts - it is rainbow of delight in rapture, the baby dragon bursting from the Cosmic Egg in search of the Heavens - it flies just to fly - it represents Yóu, 遊, the free and easy wander of Zhuangzi’s Péng Bird - a light-hearted, humorous, and carefree response to the chaotic state of the world, to worry, to seriousness, and to our obsession with controlling our circumstances. This Year brings the light forward again, illuminating the dark. This light in the form of the Dragon is bright Yáng Wood, like a flash bulb in a dark room. In times of great darkness, before the dawn, in the depths of the Winter Solstice, we might idealize the light and curse the dark. We might imagine the light and dark enemies. We might imagine the light superior, as it brings revelation. But we must remember they are Yīnyáng, mutually interdependent. The light that appears in the dawn is gentle and its illumination soft. Too much light becomes pollution and obscures the Stars. Too much light obscures the small, the fine, the subtle. The Wood Dragon fills us with purpose, with lightness and laughter, elevating us to the Heavens. Its light is refreshing but can become a danger if it becomes a weapon to defeat the dark. This is our danger; this is our contemplation. The light this Year is so bright we no longer see the womb of darkness that contains and births it. A light too bright can obscure the rainbow and make us think our light is the only light. This year we must welcome the light but bring some shades, lol. Listen to the Laughter of the Universe, of the cavorting Dragon, for this laughter is so big, it challenges our sanity and makes all our pettiness seem small. But do not forget the Stars or the rainbow of light that makes the manifest world beautiful. This Year, we are all Dragons, so play in the light but remember - it is only a flash. *Zhuāngzi, chapter 1, translation - James Legge (1891), The Texts of Taoism, in Sacred Books of the East, vols. XXXIX, XL, Oxford: Oxford University Press.  Jiǎ Chén, 甲辰, Year of the Yáng Wood Dragon As of Saturday, February 10th, we officially move into Jiǎ Chén, 甲辰, the Year of the Yáng Wood Dragon, the Laughing Dragon. As always, I must remind you that Astrology is not Fortunetelling - we are not here to predict but to play, especially in the case of the Wood Dragon - an eternally playful jester. I present the following symbols as a playful mirror - these are my reflections, but I am not an expert, prophet, or soothsayer. It is up to you to study these symbols, reflect, and apply them to your own life. So take my “commentary” with a grain of salt. But before we fly into the wild of the Wood Dragon, I have some great news! For all those who have not yet heard, I recently signed a book deal with Shambala Publications to author a book on Polestar Astrology! This will be a complete guide to the tradition as I have come to digest it from the legacy teachings of Liu Ming and from my own practice. In it, I will offer everything I have learned on how to follow Polestar Astrology as a spiritual path. I am aiming to have the manuscript finished by my next birthday, September 23rd, 2024, and it should be published sometime in 2025! So stay tuned for more details.  Water Rabbit Reflections and Transition As we emerge from the deep and watery depths of the Yīn Water Rabbit, we have a lot to reflect on. It has been a strange year indeed. As always, I encourage you to re-read my blog on last year and reflect…how’d it go? We are each predisposed because of our Character and Fate to digest the Year differently, so experience will vary widely, but I am deeply curious about your experience of the Water Rabbit and how it unfolded for you…so please share! As I suggested, the past two years were a potent Yīnyáng pair - Water in the form of the Tiger and Rabbit, predator and prey - a journey of inner alchemy through the bardoes of dying and death, Yáng Water, in the form of the Tiger as the tempest of dying, and Yīn Water, in the form of the Rabbit as the state of being dead, which is paradoxically full of strange echoes of life that we call Guǐ, 鬼, ghosts. The Water Rabbit represented Yīn Wood - innocence, spontaneity, flexibility, renewal, humility, gentleness, sensitivity, subordination, and potentiality, within Yīn Water - the most mysterious and complete resolution - darkness, death, return, completion, memory, synthesis, and fluidity. The positive key terms for the Rabbit were - gentle, quiet, peace loving, intuitive, intelligent, aesthetic, domestic, social, dependent, diverse, supportive, loving, and authoritative, and the more negative or depleted expression was - gossipy, snobby, superficial, paranoid, greedy, scattered, vain, promiscuous, opportunistic, deceptive, conservative, stubborn, and lazy. If you put all this together, the image of the Water Rabbit was a deep dark portal, a threshold to a great liminal space, what “happens” between things, the limbo, the bardo between death and rebirth, a year of secrets, alchemy, and mystery - deeply social, deeply felt, deeply (inter)connected. I have heard from many that this was one of the darkest years of their life, despite being peaceful. So take a moment, and reflect on your life over the past year - personally, professionally, socially, and so on; take a look at the world as you perceive it through the media, news, internet, and so on. Reflect on these key terms - how have they come up for you? How have they manifested in the world? Personally, this Year was very Rabbity for me. I took my own advice, dug in my heels, and stayed put. I poured myself into my medical practice, into writing, and I “nested” to the best of my ability. The Rabbit is considered a “Peach Blossom Star,” which means romantic relationships were big last year, and for me this came true! I met an amazing woman and got engaged! My life has led me down a lot of side roads in search of home. And while my life now is not what I imagined ten years ago, I simply can’t start over anymore. Rabbit Year pushed me into domestication and inspired me to put down some roots. While it has been very challenging, it has been one of the most rewarding and fruitful years of my life, and I can’t wait to start the next chapter of my life, and the Wood Dragon is a great energy to renew and initiate change. In my previous New Year's Blog, I said that the Water Rabbit Year would be as weird as it gets, but I really had no idea how this would manifest. While there are innumerable small examples we can point to in our everyday lives, on the public scale, two of the most profound Water Rabbit Manifestations that have blown my mind this year have most certainly been the sudden arrival of AI/Artificial Intelligence and the "whistle blower" (whistleblowing is very Rabbity) revelation of the existence of UFOs/UAPs, government programs to retrieve and reverse engineer UFOs, and the existence of extraterrestrials. I never thought I would listen to a congressional hearing on UFOs, but it happened. The theme here is that of "other" intelligence, intelligence being a key Rabbit term, here in the form of Artificial Intelligence (which is Alien but from Earth) and actual Alien Intelligence (i.e. from not-Earth or at least non-human); these are the most extreme Water Rabbity things I could possibly imagine but never would have predicted that they would come to the forefront of our collective discussion, even if they were lost in the ever changing news feed. Even more Water Rabbity is the subtle way in which these phenomena will change society. AI will absolutely change society, especially if it continues to evolve at the current rate, and we may give birth to AGI, Artificial General Intelligence, sooner than we think. Everything AI has produced, from art and innovation to pure terror and confusion is very Rabbity. If the revelation of Aliens/UFOs continues, this too will vastly alter our culture, but it is likely that this will remain under wraps for quite some time, as we’ve been conditioned for years to think it's crazy. So if you don’t believe me, there is a UAP/UFO amendment proposed to Congress in 2024 (https://www.democrats.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/uap_amendment.pdf), and if these changes are put in place, then honesty, transparency, and reparations on the nature of truth when it comes to UFOs/UAPs may actually happen, for it is pretty clear that we are not alone in the universe, and that we have definitive evidence that has been held from the public for quite some time. Pretty wild. The changes from these are very Rabbity - they have deep social implications and will alter the very structure of society and at personal level (like people having relationships with AI bots), and both conjure our worst doomsday fears and paranoias. Some people think that AI is the end of the world and the greatest existential threat to humanity, others think it is our savior, and there have been endless conspiracy theories about the presence of UFOs since the arrival of the Atomic Bomb (and long before that). I will leave it to you to explore this on your own and come to your own conclusions. The next and worst of the most Water Rabbity manifestations this year is of course the war between Israel and Hamas, which has captivated the world and seems almost emblematic of the themes of the Year. A brutal and vicious “sneak attack” from a small, hidden group attacking a larger group to then literally run and hide in rabbit burrows (over 300 miles of tunnels under Gaza), followed by a brutal ongoing massacre in an unprecedented urban war that has produced immense civilian casualties and untold suffering amidst an ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The response from the rest of the world, though, is where the Rabbit has struck the hardest through the principles of “gossip,” safety, and vulnerability/victimhood, which essentially translates into the mist of protests, propaganda, slander, and argument. I have never seen more people arguing and taking sides as supposed experts about something they knew nothing about a few weeks/months ago. It has sent people into states of great moral confusion, split people into deeper cultural wars with tribal rhetoric, us versus them mentality, righteous victimhood, biased propaganda, reality distortion, heated accusations, and revised historical narratives spanning every position imaginable about one of the most bitter, intractable conflicts in history. You could not get a more Rabbity mess. I have been hemming and hawing about whether or not to give an in depth take on this, and we must ask - why is everyone so eager to take sides, condemn, and blame rather than understand? Does everyone with a platform need to comment on geopolitics and war? Is this just Rabbit inspired gossip? I initially wrote a long in-depth piece but decided to not share my personal take here, as I know enough to know that I do not know enough, and I do not want this blog to be about Israel and Palestine. The situation is simply too complex to do justice to it here. I am very passionate about the subject and have studied the situation in depth from every perspective imaginable, so if for some reason you are interested in an in-depth analysis of the current situation and history from the perspective of Chinese Astrology, then I will write and publish it separately, otherwise, I will leave it at this – from one perspective, the situation is a heartbreaking spiritual call to grapple with something deeply complex that poses some of the deepest, most challenging questions we can ask about human nature, religion, politics, and war. It is also an absolute industry of lies and propaganda on both sides, making it one of the most challenging subjects to engage with. As such, the whole situation is the most profound manifestation of the Water Rabbit imaginable, and the Rabbit influence here seemed to prime the world to identify deeply with and exploit this ongoing narrative of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict because it so clearly ignites the ghosts of western colonialism and the West’s ever growing hatred and condemnation of itself and especially of Israel. I pray for peaceful resolution and path toward a Two-State Solution, but I am not qualified to offer any practical solutions here; my role is merely to say that it all seems very Rabbity, and I will leave it at that, posing the question - how does all this turn in the Dragon Year? Turning back, the tribal cultural war divisions in America have only become more pronounced throughout the Water Rabbit, and we are primed for a lot of big drama in the Wood Dragon Year. With the endless legal battles of Trump and the subsequent strengthening of the cult of Trumpistan, the wide scale criticism of Biden and the rejection of the “far left” and “wokism,” the absolute mess in American Congress, and the devolution of American Politics and of both social and legacy media into a hallucination factory of biased, gossipy, judgmental bickering…the Water Rabbit has brought out some of the worst dynamics in American culture, but perhaps that is just how it appears through the news or I should say the Bad News. Our culture, as it appears through the media, has become such a house of mirrors, that we now have apps (such as Ground News, https://ground.news/) dedicated to showing right, centrist, and left wing bias in news articles, and it seems as though we now need this just to navigate the murky waters of “information.” The quality of Water Rabbit Qì was “spaced in,” and it expanded the magnitude of the present moment, slowing it down, making us more aware of time and potentially more uneasy at the slowness/quickness of its passing, like hearing the second hand of a clock ticking loudly. The capacity to then hyper focus and obsess over minutia was heightened, and with the added self-conscious social awareness of the Rabbit image, this put us at much bigger risk to be exploited by the dark side of the internet and social media. I predicted that last Year may very well have been THE Year of social media, the year of the Podcast, and probably not in a good way. Was I right? What do you think? Social media last year more than any other, which not coincidentally coincided with the meteoric rise of AI and TikTok as the most successful app in history, saw some of the most dramatic internet negativity we have ever seen, with long term consequences that I can’t even imagine. The worsening of smartphone and app addiction, doom scrolling, self-obsession, self-criticism, self-harm, body image issues, bickering, arguing, nasty comments, and so on, was off the charts. We are now learning that smartphone addiction, “TikTok Brain,” is associated with the shrinkage of the brain’s gray matter, causing “digital dementia,” the deterioration of memory, attention span, self-esteem, and impulse control, all of which increase anxiety and depression. Unfortunately, it appears that all of this has gotten worse, but we also started a lot more conversations about it and about the consequences of social media, mis/disinformation, biased media, and so on. I also said this would be a challenging Year for mental health, and this seemed to be the case, and the above challenges did not make it easier. Last Year we saw the suicide rates soar to the highest in over 80 years, especially among the elderly, and especially elderly men, which is not surprising in a Water year, Water representing death and old age. How was your mental health challenged? How about in those you know? Sorry if all that sounds negative, lol. Let’s remind ourselves that we live in the safest, most prosperous time in history. Here are a few Water Rabbity good news stories - according to the UN, the ozone layer is officially on track to recover within four decades! The 5th person was confirmed cured of HIV this year. AI is now able to detect breast cancer 4 Years before it develops, and scientists have discovered a new antibiotic for a hospital superbug, identified by an AI model trained to analyze their data. Brazil ousted 85% of illegal gold miners from the Yanomami territory, its largest Indigenous reservation, and will remove mining operations from six more reserves this year. After two decades of planning and a grueling 38 hours of negotiations, almost 200 countries have reached a historic agreement to protect the world’s oceans. The High Seas Treaty aims to classify 30% of the seas as protected by 2030 - treaties are very Water Rabbity, and it’s an ocean treaty! Ecuador has achieved the world’s largest “debt-for-nature” deal – converting US$1.6 billion in debt into a US$656m loan from Credit Suisse. Ecuador will repay this loan over the next 18 years while allocating approximately US$17m annually to support conservation efforts in the Galapagos Islands. The German government has pledged to pay more than $1.4 billion next year to Holocaust survivors around the world. In a world first, California will now require large companies doing business in the state to report their carbon emissions. The new laws will require companies with more than $1bn in annual revenue to report how much carbon is being produced from their operations and electricity use. It applies to around 5300 corporations, including Chevron, Wells Fargo, Amazon and Apple. (https://zeefeed.com.au/good-news-australia-2023/) Those are just a few examples, and let’s not forget that most of what happens is good or at least ordinary, but none of that makes the news. We are just inundated with media negativity, and this Year has been no different! Just remember that old Mr. Rogers’s quote, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” Very Rabbity. I will leave it to you to reflect, then, and think for yourself about the Water Rabbit Year. These are just a few of my reactions through the lens of Chinese Astrology. We now leave behind the Water Rabbit, and the transition to the Wood Dragon is dramatic. This is like delving into a deep, dark, and mysterious pool full of spectral visions to then come out the other side and shoot into the sky like a rainbow in space, like fireworks lighting up the dark. But how does a Rabbit turn into a Dragon? In the progression of the 12-Animals, the Ox represents strength, tolerance, and the continuity of routine hard work/labor, and the Tiger represents an escape from the drudgery of that continuity through rebellion, creativity, and change. The Rabbit, then, represents the result of the Tiger’s impulsive revolutionary bluster, which is a kind of raw, open, and vulnerable sensitivity; this combination gives us a profound and imaginative renewal that must be stabilized and made safe to explode into the rainbow that is the Wood Dragon. The Dragon is the fully realized inner Heart of the Rabbit - vulnerable/shy Yīn becomes big cavorting Yáng. Whatever has not been integrated or made safe in the Rabbit Year will come out forcefully in the Dragon Year; the integrated becomes positive and expansive change, but the unintegrated becomes destructive negativity. The Wood Dragon is therefore a wild card - the big, expansive, and potentially destructive nature of the symbol is hard to predict. Literally anything can happen. However, the nature of Wood is freshness, pliancy, and youthful renewal that eats away at the heaviness of Earth. The symbol is a refresh, and its destruction is making way for new growth, clearing the old to make way for the new. I feel that in the long run, it is fundamentally positive and unlimited in potential but potentially destructive in the short term. Let’s get into it.  象 Symbolism and 氣 Qì Dynamics Chinese Astrology and culture has a long-standing love affair with the Dragon, the mystical culmination of the Celestial Zodiac. During Dragon Years, everyone in China tries to get pregnant. In the Chinese mind, the promise of a male Dragon son has always represented a potential for greatness unmatched in the other signs. For the Dragon has always been a symbol of the Emperor and the ruling power of Heaven. This has led to a long pattern of sex-based discrimination, and the imbalance of the one child policy will lead to a massive population collapse in China, but that’s another story. ( https://chinapower.csis.org/china-demographics-challenges/) I have been somewhat dreading my exploration of Dragon Qì, for the Dragon cannot be defined. Whenever I do readings for Dragons or Snakes, I throw my hands up and say “¿¡!?” As the mystical Yīnyáng culmination at the center of the Zodiac, the Dragon and Snake are defined by being ineffable, characterized by their unknowable quality, but in different ways. The Snake is Big Yīn, emptiness/space, and the Dragon is Big Yáng, fullness/light expanding into the Heavens. The Snake represents the inner open capacity to become any of the other 11 signs without actually being them, but the Dragon actually is all 11 Characters embodied. The symbol of the Dragon is, then, a synthesis. If you look at depictions of the Chinese Dragon you will see that it is a composite of every animal. According to tradition, it is said to have the whiskers of the Rat, the face and horns of the Ox, the claws and teeth of the Tiger, the belly of the Rabbit, the body of the Snake, the legs of the Horse, the goatee of the Goat, the wit (or brain) of the Monkey, the crest of the Rooster, the ears of the Dog, and the snout of the Pig. The Dragon is the only animal of the 12 capable of flight, an important part of the symbol, and yet it is rarely depicted with wings, for its ability to fly is super natural. It is the only supernatural animal in the group, and so people question its existence. But the Chinese never questioned the existence of Dragons because everyone knew they were controlling the weather and water. Dragons were thought to be behind the clouds, causing storms, floods, and rain. If you could ride to the source of a great storm or flood, then maybe you could see one and earn the title “Dragon.” The synthesis of all 11 into the supernatural Dragon represents infinite potential, which is the first and most important thing we can say about Dragons. Dragon Qì is said to have the qualities, capacities, and skills of all 11 and the power to express all or none of them if they choose, sort of like the 9 on the enneagram. The Dragon can choose to deny its potential, which is why Dragons need a path. Their infinite potential is meaningless to the Chinese unless it is turned away from selfishness and towards self-reflection, dedicated to the benefit of others. Ming used to say that each Character is like a tool box with a specific set of tools/skills, but the Dragon tool box just has a Dragon in it. In other words, we don’t know what Dragons are for. They are a paradox outside the paradigm, and often they are an enigma to their friends and family. The Snake is an enigma even to themselves, but Dragons, while mysterious, are often very self-confident and assured, which is part of what baffles people about them. Historically, the Dragon is a symbol of the Emperor and the Rising Sun to the East, the ruling power of Heaven from an unknown mystical origin. Because of their potential, Dragons were considered great leaders, capable of the biggest most inclusive view with the most compassion. So, it is easy to understand why the Chinese revere the Dragon as the Emperor. There is a mountain of lore around the Dragon symbol. I will do my best to make this specific, but again, Dragons may be all or none of this, and the uncultivated Dragon may be a mess of everything all at once, unable to make sense of themselves. 木克土 Wood Eats Earth The Dragon’s native element is Yáng Earth, which is also shared by Dragon’s opposite, the Dog. They each express the virtues of Yáng Earth in different ways. For the Dragon, Yáng Earth represents flight—the ability to break away from the Earth, symbolizing the Dragon’s capacity to see and travel beyond. The Dog represents territory and the ability to intuit, cover, and protect the terrain. In Chinese Medicine, Yáng Earth and the Dragon represents the Stomach and the Fires of digestion, which is our desire to devour life and experience. Yáng Earth represents manifestation, confidence, alliance, leadership, wealth, abundance, balance, caring, and power—Yáng expressions as opposed to the Yīn aspects of Earth (nourishing, mothering, stabilizing, supporting, etc.) By nature, the Dragon has these capacities, but often has difficulty expressing them without training. And of course, each Elemental Dragon has its own challenges. The outer element of this Year is Yáng Wood, which initiates a new 10-Year cycle of the Heavenly Stems. The Yáng Wood Dragon is called the “Laughing Dragon,” for Yáng Wood represents impulsivity, birth, youth, spontaneity, playfulness, innocence, flexibility, humility, gentleness, and creativity. It is the baby dragon, hatching from the primordial egg. In the Five Element structure, Wood “eats” Earth, so this pliant youthful quality is like the roots of a sprout, aerating and breaking up the solid heaviness of Earth. Wood “destroys” Earth, but this destructive quality is not violent, it is enlivening, lightening, and enriching. It takes heaviness off the heart of the Emperor, and offers him an innocent, childlike perspective that is eternally fresh. Yáng Wood is pure expansion; it represents a naïve impulsive force to come into being and is the energy of the chick breaking through the shell, the sprout bursting out of the seed. So the Wood Dragon has a very different quality than the other Dragons. Wood Dragons can have a difficult time expressing their greatness in a mature and grounded way because of the expansive nature of Wood undermining Earth. If there is one thing we can say about Dragon Qì—it is big, sometimes too big. Dragon Qì is pervasive and expansive. It is Big Yáng exploding out into heaven, into the sky, seeking to fly beyond and above all boundaries, and the Wood Dragon is like a child, exploring, playing, and unaware of its own strength. So sometimes, it makes a mess; sometimes it breaks and destroys but not out of malevolence. The Wood Dragon breaks things because it is exploring its boundaries through playful inquiry. The Wood Dragon is like Baby Huey; naive and unaware that it is big. This bigness, in my view, is what tends to give Dragons characteristics we can talk about, which they otherwise transcend. The transcendent and fresh quality of the Dragon makes them natural mystics, and often people with Dragon Qì are interested in spiritual occult traditions, especially those with extraordinary cosmologies. The way Dragons experience themselves and the universe is just too big for ordinary views. To me, Bruce Lee was the quintessential Dragon (Metal Dragon born in Earth Dragon Hour), and his life was a demonstration of the mystical power of Dragon Qì. Dragons see through and beyond ordinary appearances like the Snake, but unlike the Snake, their powerful expansive Qì pushes them towards action and adventure. Dragons want to go beyond and actualize their potential, and they can go further than any other sign. If a Dragon chooses to leave the world, they’re never to be seen again; if they choose to embrace the world, they can go into it deeply and lose themselves in the service of greatness. 五運六氣 – Wŭ Yùn Lìu QìThe Wŭ Yùn Lìu Qì, or “Five Movements and Six Climates,” is said to govern the distribution of the annual Qì as weather patterns and their effects on living beings as resultant illnesses. While the effect of the Dragon Symbol is broad, symbolic, and can be applied everywhere, the effect of Wŭ Yùn Lìu Qì is much more “physical/medical” and for students of Chinese Medicine, it is worth studying. We can apply this prediction to weather and potential natural disasters and as an influence on disease. The following is astrological jargon for Chinese Medicine nerds, so feel free to gloss over if this is nonsense. The annual Yùn is determined by the yearly heavenly stem, which this Year is jiǎ,甲,and is said to influence the climate over the entire year. The Annual Yùn for this Year is, Tài Gōng, 太宫, Major Earth-Tone which produces Excess Damp in opposition to the Element of jiǎ,甲, Yáng Wood/Wind. The terms 太 Tài ‘Major’ and 少 Shào ‘Minor’ are notes of the Chinese pentatonic scale and are traditionally used to represent the movement of Qì. As this Year is a Yáng stem, it is Tàiguò 太过, ‘Excessive’ and is associated with more violent climate changes from the host which is Yáng Wood damaging the controlled element Yáng Earth. The Guest Qì is better understood as the Climatic Factors or Atmospheric Influences. It is determined by the year’s Earthly Branch and represents meteorological changes in upper and lower halves of the year. The Host Qì of each Year progresses naturally as Seasons starting in Spring with windiness (February – March), followed by imperial heat (April-May), ministerial fire (June-July), dampness (August – September), dryness (October-November), and coldness (December-January). The 主 Zhǔ or “Host” of the natural season hosts the 客 Kè “Guest” Qì, which descends from above during the 1st half of year and is then joined from below in the 2nd half of the year. So, the first half of this Year is governed by Tàiyáng, 太陽, Cold Water, associated with Bladder and Small Intestine, and the second half is governed by Tàiyīn Damp Earth, 太陰, associated with the Spleen and Lung, all within the context of Tài Gōng, 太宫, Major Earth-tone, which produces excess Damp all Year, all interacting with the natural progression of the above Seasons. So ask, how does wind, then imperial heat, then ministerial fire, etc, interact with Damp Earth in general all year, and with Cold Water in the first half of the year and then with more Damp Earth in the second half? Lol pretty complicated; I’ll offer some interpretation, but you can figure it out! The Yún Qì relationship this Year is both Suìhuì, 岁会, meaning Annual Agreement - the tone of Excess Earth Tone agrees with the Natural Element of the Dragon, which is Yáng Earth, as well as Tóngtiānfú, 同天符, in which the Heaven Governing Qì, Tàiyáng Cold Water is in opposition to the Spring Administering Qì, Tàiyīn Damp Earth. So, Suìhuì means that the the Qì of the Year is in agreement and therefore more mild and temperate, but Tóngtiānfú means that Qì has the generally tendency to become excessive, so there will be greater changes in weather, more acute diseases, and the overall tendency of the Year will be somewhat forceful and chaotic. So I guess it is in agreement and harmonized in its excess quality! Bring a helmet! Interpretation So, what does all that mean? Essentially, we have a year that is elementally in agreement when it comes to the element of Damp Yáng Earth, which is therefore in excess all Year, but will be undermined by the presence of Yáng Wood and Wind in the first half of the Year. But, the Year is also in discord and prone to excess and extremes with the element of Yáng Cold Water, which will clash with a second dose of Damp Yīn Earth in the second half of the Year. So, Damp Earth is in excess all Year that will be less pronounced in Spring during the time of Wind, which dries Damp, but with an increase in Damp symptoms that will get worse in the second half of the Year, especially in Late Summer, with the onset of Damp Heat, and in Winter with the influx of Cold. Dampness hurts the Spleen and Kidney; it bogs things down and accumulates, which increases feelings of heaviness in the body and impairs the transformation of food and fluids. It lowers energy, both mentally and physically, but it does so through excess and indulgence in a Dragon Year. In terms of the Spleen, excess Damp impairs digestion and can lead to an increase in abdominal pain, indigestion, gas, bloating, irregular bowels, and more acute GI distress such as loose stool/diarrhea. It also bogs down the muscles and can lead to more muscle weakness, cramping, body pain, and difficulty walking. Again, this will get worse toward the second half of the Year, but in the expansive Year of the Dragon will likely come from excess, from pushing ourselves into states of deficiency. The weakening of the Spleen/Lung can lead to increases in rumination, worry, compulsive overthinking, and create sadness and grief due to the stagnation of Qì. In terms of the Kidney, it can lead to water retention, edema, hearing problems, swelling in the lower body, cold feelings all over the body, especially the hands and feet, aching in the knees and low back, and also increased water in the intestines leading to more issues with diarrhea. It can also lead to lower burner sexual and urinary dysfunction and fertility issues. The weakening of the Kidneys can lead to increased anxiety, fear, and worry over long term issues survival and death. The influx of Cold Water the first half of the Year will further damage the Kidneys and Heart, leading to increased anxiety, chest pain, heart palpitations, as well as to more pronounced cold and flu symptoms, like fever, chills, sore throats, runny nose, headache, stiffness/body aches, joint pain, etc. The second half of the Year will introduce more Damp, leading to more weakness of the Spleen, water retention, abdominal fullness, digestive problems, weakness, poor appetite, and so on. These are just some examples of things to expect. Essentially, guard the Spleen - digestive health is crucial this Year. So is Kidney and reproductive health, but as previously mentioned, in the Wood Dragon Year, these are likely to come from exhaustion, from pushing, from doing too much, from excess indulgence, from trying to leap into the stratosphere and forgetting to take care of yourself. We weaken the middle and eventually the lower burner when we push and do not rest. This Year, digestion will be hit first, and eventually, the Kidney’s will also be affected.  形 Manifestation/Character Now that we have covered the energetic dynamics, let’s get into key words for the Wood Dragon and talk about how this symbol manifests in/as people. The first is strong or powerful. The Yáng Earth Character of the Dragon has a strength unmatched by any of the other 11 Characters, but this strength is unformed and immature in the Wood Dragon, which makes it a bit clumsy and impulsive. Dragon strength is different from, say Ox or Horse strength. Ox strength represents the capacity to carry, maintain, and endure, and Horse strength represents the power to manifest, work, and accomplish, but Dragon strength is not related to any specific capacity and is better represented by the power of a great storm, the strength of nature unleashed. We marvel at the strength of nature, and we respect and fear its destructive side. The power of water, when harvested by a dam, can generate immense energy, yet uncontrolled, a tidal wave can demolish a town. We do not consider tidal waves evil, yet we mourn and fear nature’s destruction. In the same way, Dragon strength is immense, raw, wild and can be destructive, but like the dam it can be harnessed for good. In the case of the Wood Dragon, that strength is of renewal, opening and paving the way for expansion and growth. This strength, the explosive Yáng, can turn to profound compulsiveness, which the expansiveness of Wood exaggerates. Dragon Qì can be overwhelming, and Dragons can be a handful, bundles of energy that need channels in which to flow lest they flow everywhere. Like Tiger Qì, Dragon Qì has an explosive outward moving quality, symbolized by flight, that can propel Dragons toward uncontrolled action and reaction. This compulsive strength can be physical, mental, or emotional and can manifest as patterns of unruly behavior or speech, speaking freely and challenging everyone and every idea as a demonstration of power, especially Fire Dragons. In general, Dragons need an outlet where they can demonstrate their strength otherwise they will destroy themselves. The strength of the Dragon feels very natural and becomes a kind of confidence, not necessarily social confidence but self-assuredness and confidence in view. In the Wood Dragon, this is the confidence of the child who has not yet learned to be ashamed. Other Characters have this too, Roosters for example, but the Rooster arrives at confidence through analysis. The Dragon does no analysis; they’re born assured and cannot be convinced otherwise. The Dragon has a big grandiose vision. The problem is that nothing can live up to the Dragon’s vision, so it is hard for them to come back down to Earth. Dragons feel like they’re the rulers of the universe, masters of destiny, the most capable, the smartest, the best, and so on. With training, they can be, but often, this self-assured confidence is over-confident and all talk, what we call “delusions of grandeur.” So, Dragons can be selfish and “egotistical” in the ordinary sense. Dragons often feel like royalty, like everything should be given to them, like they’re already awesome and should be rewarded justly. They may even have low self-esteem, but that’s because people just don’t get how awesome they are. They can be attention hungry and expect others to acknowledge them, regardless of what they do. The Dragon can be so confident in their abilities that they never actually work to do anything. Often, they need big reality checks, to “eat humble pie,” and they need to put in the time and effort to master something. And when they do, this natural confidence in their abilities can be actualized and taken to great heights, like Bruce Lee. Dragons, therefore, possess a natural charisma. Something about their power, confidence, and ineffability becomes enigmatic and impressive to others. To me, Patrick Steward, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, a Metal Dragon and fantastic Shakespearean actor, is a great example of the Dragon charisma. He exudes a natural confidence and restrained stability. Some great example of celebrity Wood Dragons are Oprah Winfrey, Keanu Reeves, Chris Farley (a great example of destructive playfulness - Chris Farley is everything you need to know about Wood Dragon), David Spade, Stephen Colbert, Nicholas Cage, Rob Lowe, Jeff Bezos, Boris Johnson (definitely Baby Huey), and one of my favorites, 8 time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman. Dragons are a mystery to others and defy labels. At their best, Dragons, especially Wood Dragons, love showmanship and can be flamboyant and outgoing. Dragons often have big personalities, even if that personality is introverted. The outgoing nature of the Dragon is based on a kind of ambition and adventurous spirit. Grand is the only scale Dragons work with. They have a big, broad, expansive, and inclusive vision, the capacity to see a panoramic picture. Philosophically, the Dragon has a view/insight no other Character is capable of and can fly out beyond the clouds. Dragons seek grand Peter Pan style adventure, and the Wood Dragon is the most Peter Pan, never grow up, stay in Neverland forever. Small goals and narrow ideas seem insignificant, unimportant to the Dragon - like why bother? Wood Dragons have a tremendous capacity for fantasy and envision themselves to be great magnanimous beings; they take the whole “I want to grow up to be an astronaut” to ridiculous proportions. They may live in a fantasy world in which they are invincible and infallible. A personal vision may not necessarily be defined, but Wood Dragons feel they are destined for greatness, and many are, like Oprah Winfrey or Jeff Bezos. Living in the clouds, fantasizing of greatness, Wood Dragons can appear aloof and distant, difficult for others to connect with. Wood Dragons are unrealistic. Nothing can live up to the Wood Dragon’s scale. It is hard for Wood Dragons to sweat the small stuff, to pay attention to details. Wood Dragons are a telescope looking out to the stars, not a microscope. They can be unrealistic with everything—their own abilities, their plans, and their expectations of others. Wood Dragons are also dramatic. They can make a big deal out of small things because big and expansive is how they roll. When things don’t go their way, and when things fall short of expectations, Wood Dragons can be sarcastic drama queens. The feeling of bigness, too, can lead to being insensitive, blunt, and unconcerned with people’s feelings, except for their own, of which they “make mountains of molehills.” The power and self-assuredness of the Dragon can be assertive, willful, confident, dedicated, and demanding. Dragons demand the best from themselves and from others and tend to assert and insist upon their opinion, which is both a virtue and a challenge. To be a leader, one must be assertive and able to make decisions, and the Dragon is the most skillful leader and should not be put in subordinate positions. They thrive in leadership roles, but without feet on the ground, they can fly over the little guy. Once the Dragon has developed their heart, their assertive willfulness can accomplish greatness for better or worse, like Che Guevara. If turned toward the spiritual path, this capacity to assert will power, to connect to the Yáng expression of Heaven, can be unparalleled. A great example of this is the late teacher and Earth Dragon Swami Rudrananda, otherwise known as Rudi. His book, Spiritual Cannibalism, is a fantastic exposition of Dragon Qì applied to the spiritual path. Rudi had titanic willpower and dedication, and he taught people to essentially “eat” and be nourished by everything as energy, to become what Tantra calls a viśvaboghi, a digester of the universe. Unfortunately, not many people possess Rudi’s willpower and fall short of his example. Not everyone can live up to the Dragon’s vision, but he was inspiring nonetheless. The final positive virtue I will offer of the Wood Dragon is generosity. It may sound like Dragons have a lot of potentially challenging qualities, but we must remember that they have unlimited potential. The Dragon can display all virtues to the grandest scale. Wood Dragon Qì is big and overflows all boundaries, which naturally turns to generosity. The flipside we discussed is selfishness, but the Dragon can give and demonstrate tremendous sacrifice for others. I must reiterate again that Dragon Qì is a paradox that cannot be defined other than to say it has unlimited Yáng creative potential. The qualities I have discussed are merely an attempt to discuss what happens when Dragon Qì is confined in human Character. Dragons can be anything or nothing if they choose, and they represent a culmination of the Zodiac, everything rolled into one, exploding out. My Mantic Arts teacher, Liu Ming, wrote a book on the stages of human spiritual development called Dragon’s Play. In the book, the Dragon represents the twelfth and final stage of human life, the greatest expression of Yáng Qì and human potential—the Rainbow Light Body, Ja lü in Tibetan, Prakāśakāya/Tejokāya in Sanskrit, and Hóngshēn in Chinese. In Daoist and Tantric cultivation, a practitioner of the Way is said to draw all of creation into their heart or navel creating a “cosmic egg/immortal fetus,” an expression of ultimate Yīn, the return to Source. The result of Ultimate Yīn turns to Ultimate Yáng, which is the Dragon, ultimate freedom bursting from the Egg, light flowing freely and consciously into all dimensions, consciously becoming the Universe, which other people witness as a display of Light. The Dragon is the primordial gesture of the Dao itself, the demonstration of the power of Source Qì to become everything, which all humans are destined for. This may sound fantastic, but of course, everyone, every Character has this potential too; it is not limited to Dragons. Dragons are just a symbol of our unlimited potential. Dragon Characters need a path otherwise this potential is meaningless. Above all, Dragons need training; they need a path, but they must never be controlled. Dragons must be left alone to follow their own way, or they will eat you, lol. Dragons, like Rabbits, exemplify the relationship between Character and Fate. An Earth Dragon born in the ghetto with no opportunity to demonstrate their leadership capacity might become a gang leader, go to prison, and be king inmate. A Wood Dragon with major obstacles and challenges without training, help, and restraint will most likely destroy themselves, like Chris Farley. The strength of the Dragon demands "big" Fate. The Five Dragons each demonstrate a different flavor of Dragon Qì, the Wood Dragon (Laughing Dragon) being the most creative and light hearted, the Fire Dragon (Sky Dragon) the most challenging and explosive, the Earth Dragon (Yielding Dragon) the most grounded and regal, the Metal Dragon (Angry Dragon) the most powerful and articulate, and the Water Dragon (Rain Dragon) the most nurturing and mystical.  器 Synthesis, Application, and “Predictions” Now we get to the fun part…what is going to happen! More so than usual, I throw my hands up, for this Year defies any confident analysis; it is truly an unpredictable Year, which may give you some anxiety. Literally anything could happen, but I suppose that is always true. So take a moment to feel the potential of an energy that is big, expansive, naive, and uncontrollable. That being said, I personally believe that the energy of the Wood Dragon is positive and renewing because it is childlike; children are not born with prejudice, hate, or malice. But like Baby Huey, a child that doesn’t know their own strength can make a mess. As Water Rabbit turns to Wood Dragon, we are confronted with a wild card, a Joker, a shiny red history eraser button. With a Fire Tiger Moon to initiate the New Year, we will be launched into the Wood Dragon like a bat out of hell. Will we press the button? What does that look like? I have no idea! Maybe nothing; maybe everything. My feeling is that the initiation of the New Year will bring a profound sense of refreshment and renewal, a kind of sober waking up call from a convincing dream. The Water Rabbit has led us until a deep dark forest, profound and challenging, and some confusion has occurred to say the least. So, my first suggestion at the start of the Year is to snap out of it. Wherever you are, whatever has happened, whatever hole the Rabbit has led you down - pause, reflect, and do whatever you have to do to just drop things, snap out of it, hit the refresh button. Splash some cold water on your face, shout, give yourself a nice hard slap. Time to start over. This is an opportunity to really break out of the mold of old habits and drop the past. There is no greater imperative this Year. The following are my interpretations - a lot of broad generalizations, trying to say something about everything to everyone, so they're naturally vague. If you want specifics, do your own thinking. Apply these ideas to your own life and see what you come up with. Personal Probably a rollercoaster. Lol. Bring a helmet. Personal upheaval, change, expansion, growth, and Dragon Drama, which is hard to comprehend or predict - could be the best or worst year of your life. The Rabbit Year was not the time to take big forward steps in life; it was a time to hold back, nest, and foster inner change. But this Year launches us forward again, you know, Yīnyáng, so this is the Year to do the big thing/s. If you are thinking about starting a business or new job, traveling, moving house, and so on, do it. Think big, think new, think refresh, and think FUN, think laughter...this is a fun, playful year. So lighten up - Wood eats Earth - it takes heaviness off the heart of the Emperor. Think bigger than you can imagine; try to let go of mental, self-imposed limitations, old habits, old/crusty self-serving delusions, and just kick the fucking door down, politely. But expect accidents, mistakes, mishaps, missteps, and so on in the process. This is a clumsy, uncoordinated, and somewhat violent process like breaking some eggs to make an omelet. This is a toddler learning how to walk; you might fall down. But it is playful, dynamic, and inquisitive. It is hard to get stuck in a rut this Year, for even the rut can be looked at from a new perspective. You can, of course, carefully plan your life and do everything according to the itinerary…good luck with that, lol. Expect your sense of realism to get distorted; this is not a “grounded” year. Fantasy and ambition can take over; you might just want to take over the world. Relationships/Family The social energy is much different this Year. Last Year was cliquey, tribal, us vs. them, don’t mess with the family, very Godfather, etc. This Year is broad, expansive, and somewhat impersonal. It is aloof but friendly, playful, even a bit slutty, but in a good way, like a dog who wants to be best friends with literally everyone. The Water Rabbit is an intimate tea time with close friends; the Wood Dragon is more like being at rave on MDMA, everything is a big rainbow of love and play in all directions. So throw some parties or something. Go to concerts, festivals, big gatherings, etc. Go to Burning Man; do something challenging that breaks you out of your rut and connects you to the universe, to a “collective,” to the forest/ocean/sky, and so on. There may be disruption to small units, families and so on, because people are aloof and distant with their head in the clouds and just a bit more selfish. But relationships are empowered to be grand, adventurous, and life changing. Romance last year was very strong, and this Year, you can take things to the next level - do big fun stuff together. Great Year to get married and have kids! The world could definitely use some Wood Dragons to break all the molds. Starting relationships may be challenging, as big crushes, infatuations, whirlwind romances, and so on, are more likely. You may fall in love every week. And close friendship could also be tough, but the energy is big enough to get you out of the cave you were hiding in last Year; it is easy to be more outgoing and extroverted. So do big fun stuff with friends, and invite everyone. Political Ugh…when it comes to politics here in America, we are set up for the rematch that no one wants. Let’s get it out the way…it’s election year, and the Trump/Biden rematch is inevitable. And we’re all sick of it - two crusty old men that represent literally everything wrong with American politics and the polarized culture war nonsense that has taken over the country. My hope is that the Wood Dragon is a strong enough of a refreshing/renewing force that it offers us another option, perhaps another candidate that isn’t fucking awful. This is a Year of wildcards, so anything can happen. Again, not predicting anything other than drama - I expect a bigger, more dramatic, more violent version of the 2020 election. Trump could literally go to jail and win and go full dictator. Trump is a Fire Dog, and Dragon is Dog’s opposite, so it could be his Year of reckoning, but if he does win, the left will absolutely snap and go haywire. If Biden doesn’t drop dead and wins, expect Jan. 6th the sequel - bigger election fraud allegations, bigger insurrection, bigger everything. The right will either double down hard or finally snap out of it. But people are so disillusioned with the left and critical of Biden that I don’t have much hope for him either. I pray that I am wrong and that it all goes smoothly, but not likely. Other than that, I again hope that the renewal force is strong. I hope that we can break out of the polarized pattern that we are stuck in and bring about a new and different way of relating and moving forward as a society. This will be a watershed Year in American politics, for better or worse. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, there are elections all over the globe and I suspect similar patterns, but I pray for the same - to get new, fresh, perspective, leadership, and renewal that isn’t driven by cultural ideology. I think some old leaders/regimes may fall. Global Unfortunately, the Year is a bit scary when it comes to global tensions. If no resolution is reached, I expect war in the Middle East and Ukraine to escalate and further involve the big superpowers with invested interest in the area. The energy invites big sudden, regretful actions that can trigger big responses inadvertently. But, it is also powerful enough to initiate big, unexpected, change and renewal. I pray it gets used to rebuild, renew, and start over. My deep hope for the Middle East is that the renewing force can produce a dropping and reforming of narratives, for what is in essence the core of the problem - that both sides have righteous victimhood mentalities and deeply held narratives that simultaneously ignore and misunderstand the other’s perspective, and both sides refuse to see the truth of the other’s narrative; nothing changes until the narratives change, as these narratives have been perpetually running them into a brick wall. Again, the Year is a wild card, and we could either initiate world peace or WWIII. I hope aliens invade, lol. Is there anything short of that that can unite us as a species? This will be a Year of superpowers and power plays, like China moving in on Taiwan (not predicting that lol). China has mostly abandoned their own history, but you better believe they will be making big moves in Dragon Year! There have been a lot of subtle tensions building throughout the world, and I expect them all to be brought to a head. Whatever has been bubbling beneath the surface will explode out. I, again, pray that we can unite in big ways for big things - this is a visionary Year, and we have the potential to be united over big issues like climate, technology, AI, space travel, etc. Economic/Career Think growth, expansion, risk, and renewal. The economy has/will always fluctuate, you know, Yīnyáng, and although the economy has sputtered a lot in the past few years, and many are predicting the economy to slow, the energy of this Year is likely to encourage an unexpected upturn. Or a big disaster! But disaster, although unlikely, would probably be temporary and bounce back strongly. This is a resilient, bouncy energy, and it may surprise us. The big picture of the economy may slow, but this is a good Year for personal finances and ambitious career and job growth. So go for that promotion, apply to the new job; it’s a great energy for taking things to the next level. However, I would watch out for extravagant spending, over-indulgence, and I would be very careful when it comes to taking big financial risks, investing, or purchasing. The Year encourages us to take big forward steps and to take risks, and this invites either big success and/or failure, similar to the Tiger Year, so keep that in mind. But a little indulgence is good; have fun, and spread it around; be generous. The Dragon has some of the greatest potential for generosity if it can get over selfishness. Cultural/Technological There are a lot of ways to interpret how culture will morph this Year. What do you think? Again, it’s a wild card, and it is renewing and refreshing. I feel like we have been caught in a doom-scroll trance that is driven by social media, smart phones, internet algorithms, etc., and the rise of AI makes this all very interesting and potentially dangerous. For we literally cannot trust anything we see, read, or even hear. AI safety will be a huge and very important conversation this Year, and I expect huge leaps forward in AI as well. This could be the Year Skynet takes over, lol. But it can also lead to huge leaps forward in technology, science, medicine, etc. This Year could revolutionize society in many ways, and our culture is going to have to adapt. This Year, there may be many big things that are new, fresh, and baby-like. They will lead to a lot of ups and downs, upheaval, revolts, revolutions, revelations, innovations, protests, and so on. Culturally, this will be a Year of big change, adaptation, and renewal, and I hope that we can break out of the polarized, us versus them mentality that we see on the internet, which is like our collective unconscious. I hope that we can collectively snap out of some of these dreams/delusions, and from a lot of the bitterness and feelings of betrayal and deceit from the pandemic and previous election and hit the refresh button. But we could also devolve into civil war. Again, wild card, expect big movement. Personally, I would say snap out of it; drop all your bullshit. If you have been caught up in extreme views, right or left - hit the reset button. The right and left have gotten so extreme that no one knows where the middle is anymore, lol. We need a new gauge - screw right and left; let's get spiralic. Artistic The Qì of the Year is deeply artistic and creative in nature, but not very mature; think “Jackson Pollock.” The desire for new/renew, for refresh, for breaking the mold is strong; so this may inspire people to tear down and start things over, which today may actually mean a return to old values! For we have already been doing the tear down thing for years; the desire to “deconstruct” things is old, tired, divisive, and played out. It’s been hijacked by corporatism. It hasn’t gotten us anywhere together, and often, it lacks a deep understanding of the nuance of history and people in favor of emotionally charged personal narratives. The cyclical nature of things demands that we return and reinvigorate the old. I would not be surprised if we see a lot of old things coming back in a new way, especially in art, music, media, fashion, etc. Many have been bemoaning the death of modern cinema, which we can attribute to the rise of online streaming, the end of movie stars, and the over-dependence on franchises, sequels, remakes, and so on. There has been a lot of independent, underground art over the past few years, with the rise of platforms like You-Tube and Spotify, where anyone can put out anything, but the mainstream has seen a dearth of creativity. I expect things like cinema to be renewed, with new creativity and new stories. We want new stories, which again, may be a return to old stories/themes, but please dear god no more remakes/sequels/live action remakes, etc. My question is how do you bring forward ancient wisdom through revitalized and revalued modern structures? What could that look like? Personally, I would recommend getting playful. Find your creativity and inject it into everything you do. We’re all artistic in different ways; sure, do some art, but think about how you can make your work, your relationships, your speech, your thinking, more artful - this Year is very “beginner’s mind.” What if your mind was uninhibited and fresh like a baby while your actions remained mature and in control? Spiritual This is truly a transcendent Year. The Water Rabbit was deeply internalized and took us through the depths of the underworld. Spiritually, the past two Years were very exorcistic, and a lot of Ghosts came up to be liberated. The darkness of the Water Element in the form of the Rabbit and Tiger was all about Death Practice. This Year is about re-birth, and the expansive nature of Wood in the form of the Dragon is skylike, fresh, unencumbered, and non-conceptual; darkness opens to light. This is very “direct realization” - spontaneous natural mind as rainbow light in open space. Tiger/Rabbit brought a lot of Ancestors and old patterns out of the dark; if you liberated them, then the Wood Dragon can blast/cut through and emerge as playful, free, and easy wandering, Yóu, 遊, which is, to me, the highest aspiration of the Year. If these old patterns were not liberated, then the Wood Dragon will only serve to blast your delusions into the stratosphere. Egoic delusions of grandeur and self-proclaimed enlightenment can masquerade as liberation, so watch out, especially for Gurus/teachers offering anything easy. Free and easy wandering is not easy if it is not earned. If you try to be a wandering Daoist, you may just be a wandering bum. That being said, non-conceptual, direct, and simple practice is best this Year. Zen/Chán, Dzogchen, Shambavopaya style practice is empowered - complex, imaginal, ritual, energy based practices are too heavy, too clunky, and don’t mix with the wiggling baby Wood Dragon. Wood Dragon is the moment of mind, clear perception, just before thought arises. It is the recognition of the nature of mind and thought that liberates thought into emptiness. Rest there. But be warned this is not easy, for that moment passes faster than most can recognize. Just sit, and in an hour of just sitting, you are lucky to have ten seconds of rest, lol. Wood Dragon is also quite dynamic, so spontaneous dance, play, movement, and so on will give flight to the wiggling, youthful exuberance that wells forth from space. Let things wiggle; this is a wiggly Year. The back and forth between sitting and wiggling is where the Wood Dragon flys. And again, humility is key, for it is easy to self-aggrandize this Year. Take yourself lightly - angels can fly because they take themselves lightly. Remember the free and easy wandering of Zhuāngzi’s Péng Bird - a light-hearted, humorous, and carefree response to the chaotic state of the world, to worry, to seriousness, and to our obsession with controlling our circumstances. Things are very much out of control this Year, and the greatest spiritual lessons we can learn is to just let go. And, laugh; laugh at everything because it is all absurd. Big Picture I’ll repeat it again - this Year is (to me) a wild card, a jester, a joker, and it is curious, playful, and explorative; it is childlike and renewing; it is expansive and destructive and out of control. I repeat - everything this year is out of control. The baby Dragon must break its shell to fly into space. It flies to discover its own edges, its own limitations, its own boundaries - we don’t know where it will take us, but whatever happens, it will change things forever.  12 Animal ForecastNow, let’s go through the 12 Animals and offer a map Outer Elements: Wood Signs - (+): your outer element matches the year; you flow and adapt more easily but have the tendency to go towards excess/anger Fire Signs - (-/+) child of Wood: generative/supportive relationship; you are empowered and bolstered but can easily push too far and burn out Earth Signs - (–/+) Wood controls/eats Earth: you may feel ungrounded, but this could be good b/c you should probably lighten up, lol Metal Signs - (+/–) Metal controls/Cuts Wood: contrasting energetically, but you are kept in check and restrained from getting out of control Water Signs - (+) mother of Wood: you support and uphold the dynamic, this could be draining but more likely generative Please take these lightly, and remember that we all contain each of the 12 animals within our experience! Your Year and Hour are the most prominent, but the following applies to everyone! Rat: 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 – Very Auspicious (++) Best Year in a while. Rat and Dragon are considered an Auspicious Pair, for it pairs the smallest and largest animal in the Zodiac. This is kind of like having a telescope and a microscope - the Rat is the most zoomed in and the Dragon is the most zoomed out. You are also in a trine of compatibility with the Dragon and Monkey. And out of all three, you are the most able to thrive, for your methodical, frugal, and diligent qualities allow you to make the most sense of the chaos, and the expansive/light nature of the Wood Dragon brings out your more charming, social, and fun loving qualities. This is the Rat’s Year to strut and feel big. Everything gets empowered for the better, but expect big fluctuations, disruptions, and drama, so prepare ahead, stock up on provisions, and you will ride on the Dragon’s back. We will need you to bring our attention back to all the small things, as this Year we’re all blowing past them. Others will look to you for help, so help others to focus, and in turn, let the energy expand your vision and take your life, relationships, work, etc. to new heights. Set a big goal and shoot to achieve it with a lot of small, well planned steps. The light/fun/dance-like quality of the Year can stave off the darkness of the past two Years, so let go of any fear and come out of the bomb shelter. Ox: 1949, 1961, 1973,1985, 1997, 2009, 2021 – Neutral/Auspicious (+/-) The Ox is a little too conventional for the cavorting Wood Dragon, so like usual, you may feel like the last sane person on earth. Ox generally wants peace, tranquility, and routine, but this may be out the window - joy, dazzling surprise, and unexpected silliness is coming, and this may be a bit much. Those born in hours like Monkey or Pig will be able to enjoy this, but others may struggle with the extravagance. But your sturdiness will allow you to ride the Year without too much disruption, as the Ox is the meaning of stability and strength. The strength of the Dragon empowers the Ox to plow ahead full steam, so overall this can be a very successful Year for work, projects, and so on. Just ignore the fireworks and festivities, and stay focused. Diligent, dedicated hard work will pay off big time as long as you are not too competitive. Don’t object to stupidity; just ignore it and do your own thing. The Yáng Wood enlivens the heaviness of Earth, so this Year can be invigorating and refreshing, but watch out for overwork, as you may feel invincible and push yourself into the ground. Tiger: 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022 – Neutral/Auspicious (+/-) Tiger and Dragon are another auspicious but competitive pair, as they are always depicted together fighting over the Ring of Power. The Tiger is the terrestrial Dragon, and they have a similar strength. But the Tiger is striped and must rest, retreat, and hide. This Year is so yáng that it will compell your light stripe to take over and draw out your competitive, ambitious, accomplishing side. You may be blinded by a need to get shit done, to fight, to compete, and so on. Watch out for aggression and competition. This Year is all about compromise and smart allocation of resources. Don’t forget that dark stripe. Prioritize alternating between rest and intense activity. Go all out, and then go all in. If you don’t rest, you will burn out. Don’t compete but rather cooperate, compromise, and negotiate. Let go of any need to be right, be in charge, etc., and you will be able to thrive and become a Dragon. This Year will be dynamic, exciting, energizing, stimulating, and fun. Bring out your more extroverted side, be more social, and let go of moodiness. Last Year was very introverted, and the tendency is to stay hidden in the cave. Don’t be shy; let yourself out of the cage. Rabbit: 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023 – Auspicious (+) All Rabbits are secretly Dragons, for the Dragon is the outcome of Rabbit Qì. However, this Year can be a bit overwhelming, as there will be a lot of activity and movement, and the expansive, cavorting energy may just leave Rabbits yelling, “Wait!” However, everything coming out and getting put in motion is the outcome of the Rabbit Year, so if Rabbit Year went well, and you nested, planned, and socialized accordingly, then this Year you can expect great fruition from your previous endeavors. Last Year, Rabbit planning, scheming, and gossiping was full on, so expect consequences, for better or worse. New friends, acquaintances, resources, connections, and so on, will become beneficial. This Year, you can let out your inner Dragon, step up, and be the boss. Rabbits may find themselves enthroned this Year, and the authoritative inner confidence normally hidden in the Rabbit can come out if it was made safe/secured. This is another Year for Rabbits to strut and be in charge. But don’t overextend. Rest and retreat are important, because you must remember you're still a Rabbit. There is a lot of big, unrestrained energy flying around, and it is all too easy to absorb, take it all in, get overwhelmed, and even go overboard with any feelings of negativity. So self-reflection is important - watch out for revenge, payback, and those vicious hind legs. Dragon: 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024 – Very Auspicious/Inauspicious (++/–) Dragons in their own Year can be a bit scary! The auspice of the Year very much depends on how you own, understand, and express your Dragoness. You can either attain great heights or open the gates of hell. Everything is grand and bigger in scale. You and all of your positive and negative qualities and aspirations will be empowered, for better or worse. So, basically act accordingly. If you are well integrated and have self awareness, self reflection, attention to detail, and some restraint, then everything can go very well. Expect recognition, progress, excitement, and happiness. But, if you don’t have those things…lol, bring a helmet. Things could be disastrous. How will you know? Others. They will (and have always) been giving you feedback, but you may have missed that, so listen up. What have you missed? What small details have you flown over? Check the details, read the fine print, and assess. Watch out for being aloof, too busy, and unrealistic. Definitely have a big vision for the Year and set yourself out to accomplish it. Make it happen. This Year can be extraordinary, but don’t be blinded by the light. Remember, too much light blots out the stars. Keep everything in check, and it’ll be awesome. Snake: 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025 – Neutral (+/-) This is an interesting Year for Snakes, for the Snake and Dragon form a Yīnyáng pair, here in the form of the Wood Dragon/Snake. Wood Snake is very different from the Wood Dragon and is a big spacious gap after a big flash of light. They are very similar in their mystical qualities, but polar opposites in every other way. This is a waiting Year. Snakes are primed to hold and host the expansion and just watch and wait. You have a profound capacity to both embrace and reject the energy of the Year. Up to you. Snakes are hard to gauge, so if you feel like you want to play the worldly game, then you can really ham it up and take on the role; think method acting. You can make big leaps forward personally, professionally, spiritually, and so on; you can be in the world but not of it, and this Year leaves no residue. Ride this Year into the next. You are the most able to retreat, not participate, and simply watch and wait. Let the madness unfold; plan, build, strategize, and slip through all the cracks, weave in and out of the crowds unseen, and next Year will be more than profound. Next Year is very soft and shimmery, and we will need you to help make sense of whatever happens this Year, which could be bonkers. If you engage, this Year is fun, complex, and filled with fascinated intrigue - there is potentially a lot more activity than you are used to, but ponder and meditate in/as the eye of the storm, and then harvest the fruit. Horse: 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2026 – Inauspicious (-) Unfortunately, this Year is a bit too forceful and may have the tendency to add wood to the Yáng Fire of the Horse. Expect a lot of ups and downs and to get easily discombobulated. The Horse by nature wants to run wild and free, so in that regard, this could be an exciting Year, for there will be a lot of that going around. If you are strategic and use your energy wisely, then things will go well. Plan your action and allow time to let out pent up energy. Be physically active and generate outlets - artistic, energetic, and social. Mindfulness is key, as you may be a little accident prone, a little more clumsy than usual. You may oversay, overdo, overthink, etc., just a little more so than usual and this could set off a chain of events that could get messy. Be kind to yourself. Be gentle. Burnout is very real. Cultivate closeness and tend to your friends and family, as they will be your best support. The social, gregarious, fun loving side of the Horse is well received and needed this Year; so bring the party. But watch it on the competition; Horse wants to run faster than everyone else, and this could push people away or lead to confrontation. Remember, everything is bigger, and so are the consequences of mishaps, mistakes, and accidents. With careful planning and mindful actions, this Year can be fruitful and productive. Pour yourself into projects, to-do lists, and art/craft. Focus and do all the things, and let the chips fall where they may. Goat: 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027 – Inauspicious/Neutral (-) This could be a tough Year for Goats, for your perfectionist, idealistic, and fussy qualities don’t easily tolerate the wrecking ball that is the Wood Dragon. Wood Dragon might just kick over your neatly arranged legos. The intensity of the Year may be chaotic and unsettling. Goats want to negotiate, compromise, and wax philosophical about the interconnected and subtle nature of things, but Wood Dragon flies just to fly, nothing to negotiate, no reason, and if you ask why, there will be no answer, just actions. However, this is why we need you. The intensity of the Year will require peacekeeping and herd cooperation; otherwise, we could break things irreparably. Things will be broken, the baby Dragon will break the egg and fly free, so you will have a lot of work to do. Just watch out for getting flustered, impatient, or belligerent. Yelling at everyone won't solve everything. You may be in a unique position to ride the expansion and broadcast your voice, solutions, and philosophies. We will be looking at the big picture and seeking illumination. Personally, this is a good Year for socializing and making connections, and you can bring people together, merging and creating dialogue with different disparate voices. Career, financial, and political goals can gain momentum and fruition. The danger is groupthink, cult behavior, and propagandizing - these can be dangerous and destructive this Year, and people may be all too eager to join the cause. You might start a revolution, and you can either galvanize or talk sense into people. The antidote is to lighten up, play, and have fun. Don’t take things too seriously, and the Year will be joyful and light. Monkey: 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028 – Auspicious (+) The Monkey is in a trine of compatibility with Dragon and Rat, so this is an auspicious Year. Rat’s methodical quality makes them a little more poised to thrive in the practical sense, but Monkey’s most dynamic, active, and exciting qualities are empowered and able to thrive in chaos, and so this could be the best Year in a while. The Tiger in me offers a warning though - the big, expansive, and dynamic qualities can put you into manic overdrive, and Monkeys have been pent up for a while; the past two Years were dark. You may just go nuts and start swinging around like crazy. But screw it; let loose - be a Monkey. This is the Year to break out of the mold, change things up, take big risks, go on big adventures, make mischief, and go for the big fruit. Get out of your head, let go of any dark funk, and let in the air and light. Climb to the top branch and look out into the distance. Imagine something bigger and better and make it happen. Great Year to travel, start over, date, and innovate. Creativity is high, so play and create. Again, my warning is take it slow, breathe, don’t swing so fast that you fall off a cliff. Practice restraint and don’t go broke or lose your job. Don’t let your imagination get out of control and watch out for others - your mischief can go to profound, even destructive heights and leave a mess in the wake. Your cleverness is a powerful weapon this Year; use it for good. Rooster: 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029 – Very Auspicious (++) The Dragon is a symbol of the Emperor and the Rooster (or Owl) the Empress, so this is considered an auspicious pair, and this heightens the Year for romance and marriage. The Rooster is also the Phoenix and one of the cardinal directions with the Dragon. The Dragon brings out your best qualities, and vice-versa. It empowers your clarity, precision, and confidence, and you will feel more inspired, alert, and forthright. This may be the best Year in a long time, and everything in life can go well. So apply yourself; the Dragon brings out qualities of leadership and oration, so career may put you in the spotlight and ask you to step up to a new position. You can analyze, plan, and peck with precision, so finances and projects are fruitful and mathematical. The only warning is - don’t turn into a dictator. You may feel so empowered that you go mono focused, monomaniacal, and unrelenting. Watch out for tirades and crusades. And don’t get overly competitive; you may feel called to puff out your feathers and fight this Year, so fight a good fight. Practice Crane Gōngfū - think balance, grace, and careful precision. Dog: 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030 – Very Inauspicious (--) Dragon and Dog are mirror opposites, so generally we say this is an inauspicious Year, but I always emphasize that this opposite nature is mirror like and therefore spiritually beneficial. The Dragon is the ultimate leader and the Dog is the ultimate follower; Dog is deeply loyal, and Dragon need not be loyal to anyone, unless they choose. Dragon energy is too opinionated, egotistical, and aloof, and your cautious, loyal, and hardworking energy is easily put off. Expect difficulties, challenges, and for your values to constantly feel affronted. This is a Year to lay low, hold back, and self-reflect. The mirror will show you all of your challenges, faults, troubles, and so on. Spiritually, this can lead to a lot of growth and transformation if you can handle the intensity and drama. Take care in relationships, for distance, disconnection, and distractedness can grow into betrayal. Focus on stability and cleaning house. With caution, you can expand and grow business and finances, but be self-reliant and trust carefully. Keep those you love close and focus on serving them. And get out of your comfort zone a bit - take some risk and go off the beaten path. Fun and sociability can lighten the challenges. Don’t let others get to you. Pig: 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031 – Neutral/Auspicious (+/-) This is mostly a good Year for Pigs, as it will empower your social times, and there will be much feasting and celebration. Pig is enamored with the bigness and glory of the Dragon, but your naive/gullible nature can be easily taken advantage of and may easily go to extremes. The hard working, reliable, and unselfish nature of the Pig is a boon, as is your gregarious, funny, and eloquent side. You will naturally be drawn to more wild, fun, and sensuous experiences. If you go with it, the Year may be a whirlwind and leave you a bit hungover. Your social aspects will be more appealing to others and could bring you a lot of recognition and respect and give a platform to your stories. This can, therefore, be a great Year for productivity, work/career, and personal projects and an excellent year for love/romance. So start or invest in your goals, especially the more humanitarian and generous. They can go big and reach a lot of people. Just watch out for being too generous with everything - your time, energy, money, etc. You may be drawn to give too much, and people may take advantage of you. You may also go overboard and indulge too much, as there is a strong push to do, to try new things, to have fun, and to burst out of the shell. Last Year was very cozy and inward; this Year will bring out your party animal into full force. It will also bring out your highest aspirations and ideals and push your love into universal transcendence. This is a big year for spiritual growth and insight.  I wish you all the best in this New Year! This life passes as quickly as autumn clouds; Family and friends are like passers-by in a market; The demon of death approaches like twilight’s shadows; What the future holds is like a translucent fish in cloudy waters; Life’s experiences are like last night’s dreams; The pleasures of the senses, like an imaginary party. Meaningless activities are like waves lapping on the surface of the water. Every harmful action I have done With my body, speech, and mind Overwhelmed by attachment, anger and confusion, All these I openly lay bare before you. While circling through all states of existence, May I become an endless treasure of good qualities-- Gathering limitless pristine wisdom and positive potential. May all beings have happiness and the cause of happiness. May they be free of suffering and the cause of suffering. May all beings remain in boundless equanimity, free from attachment and aversion! Sarva Mangalam!!!  List of Illustrations in Order
 If you have stuck with me through these 12 Blogs, thank you. I was not sure I had enough to say about the 12 Animals to write this series, but apparently, I do. These 12 Symbols are basic but very important. Remember, from the Chinese perspective, the lunar year you were born determines the most fundamental aspect of your Qi Character. And we arrive, finally, to the Dog.
Traditionally, the Dog is 11th in the series, but as you will recall, I started with Pig, at the “end,” in honor of Liu Ming, who was a Fire Pig. Since the Stem and Branch Cycle circles, there is no beginning or end, so it doesn’t matter where we begin/end. In many ways, I think the Dog is a good place to end. I’ll admit it, I’m a cat person. I grew up with cats. I have always loved dogs, but I never lived with them until now. Since I moved to Portland, I have been living with two adorably lovable dogs, and I now understand why people are “dog people,” and this is because of the primary characteristic of Dog Qi—loyalty. Those goobers are just always excited to see me no matter who I am or what I do. Humans have a had a long relationship with dogs, which, strangely enough, began in China. People everywhere have been with wolves for a very long time; human hunters lived near and followed wolves and learned from them how to hunt. But for most of this time, we were separate and respected the independent nature of the wolf pack. At some point, to help us with the hunt, we captured wolf puppies and kept them close, turning them slowly over time to our side (cats, on the other hand, domesticated themselves). According to legend, the Chinese were the first people to domesticate the wolf, and so the first breed of dog was the Chinese Chow. All dogs come from wolves, which is hard to believe when you look at a chihuahua next to a mastiff. This shape-shifting quality also gives us a fundamental insight in to Dog Qi that we can call subordination or adaptability. The first dogs were bred for hunting and war. Soldiers trained dog companions to follow them into the heat of battle. They trained them to attack on command and defend to the death. When a soldier died, their dog remained and guarded the body, another insight about the Dog we can call faithful. Dogs were also bred in Daoist families to guard temples. The Daoist legend of tiāngǒu, a great deity in the form of a Black Dog the size of a meteor, said to eat the sun or moon during an eclipse, is revered as a great protector, who guards children and chases away harmful spirits and demons. From the Daoist point of view, the Dog represents strong Yin and Yang qualities, Yin when faithful and devoted and Yang when acting as the fierce guardian. As we get into the Key Terms of Dog Qi, this Yin-Yang quality will become apparent, although we must say the Dog is a pure Yang Character. Because our culture is obsessed with dogs, Dog Qi may be the easiest for us to understand. Tigers, too, for Tigers are basically house cats. The modern domesticated dog tells us everything we need to know. And we can say generally, that people born in the Dog Year have dog like characteristics. Energetically, Dog Qi is complex but quite simple, which is why dogs were chosen as symbols of this pattern of time. Remember, each of the Twelve Animals is a symbol describing a pattern of Time in a sequence. In the sequence, Monkey turns to Rooster turns to Dog, which is where we are now. Next year will be the Year of the Earth Dog, so we can learn something of this sequence now. In other words, Monkey breaks up the stuffy Goat, offering fun, excitement, adventure, and a bit of chaos. Monkey makes a bit of a mess, and Rooster, our current Year, puts everything back in order, offering precision, logic, reasoning, and hierarchy. We are all right now running around trying to figure out what the hell is going on and what the hell to do about everything, but we remain in a yin conceptual domain and are taking little action; we're mostly just arguing. So, Rooster needs Dog to help. Once Rooster sets everything to order, the Dog comes to take orders, protect, serve, guard, and love whatever the sequence of Time has created. Dog Qi does not care what has been produced—it follows orders and guards with its life no matter what. Dog Hour, from 7 – 9 pm, is the time of day when everything is complete but still active. We are supposed to be home and secure. Imagine the family guard dog, vigilant at their post, while the family relaxes after a long day. The dog does not rest until everyone is safe, secure, at ease. Dog Hour should be spent with family, friends, those close to you, enjoying the company of those with whom you share the virtue of loyalty. My best friends Dad is a Wood Dog, and he always stays up late and will only go to sleep after everyone and everything is secure. If you were born between 7 and 9pm, then you are half Dog. The Native Element of the Dog is Yang Earth, which it shares with the Dragon, its opposite. For the Dragon, Yang Earth represents flight, breaking away from the ground through explosive, upward movement. For the Dog, Yang Earth represents territory. The impulse of Dog Qi surveys and guards the Earth and can traverse territory quickly through explosive movement. The Dog’s keen senses cover the land and go for miles. Yang Earth for the Dog also represents the virtues of support, stability, groundedness, solidity, and alliances. Although they share the same Native Element, Dragon and Dog are opposites. The Dragon is the ultimate leader and represents the Emperor in Chinese Cosmology. The Dog, on the other hand, is the ultimate follower, supporter, assistant, subordinate—they find their Qi through subordination. Samurai Bushido philosophy exemplifies the virtues of the Dog, to die on the battlefield protecting one’s Master. In general, Dogs should not be in charge and are out of place in positions of leadership. Strangely enough, our current “president,” the Dumpster, is a Fire Dog, potentially the most territorial and aggressive of Dogs, and so is George W. Bush. Both exemplify the disaster that happens when Dogs are put in charge, and both are stunning examples of Dog Qi out of balance and misplaced. Fire Dogs (all Fire characters) need great discipline and without it they dig up the garden, pee on the carpet, and bark at everyone. But let’s stay away from politics. Despite being followers, Dogs are often complex and unique individuals. I am amazed at how many Dogs are famous artists and/or musicians. Elvis, John Waters, David Bowie, Cher, Leonard Cohen, and Prince to name a few. Prince is a fitting example of Dog Qi. He was an amazingly complex individual, very private, a revolutionary artist, and yet a staunch and devoted Jehovah’s Witness who devoted his life to serving and subordinating to evangelism. In this culture, Dogs often devote themselves to principals or symbols if they cannot find family or friends to protect. To understand the Dog, we must look at territoriality and loyalty. Like the Tiger, the Dog has an alternating quality that is related to “territory,” which is why they are in a trine. Dog Qi functions based on a deep and simple principal of trust. When we meet a dog (the animals) we encounter a defensive territorial stance, so we put out our hand, they sniff; we pet them, offer treats. If their human shows acceptance and lets you into their home, dogs can quickly switch from defensive to slobbering love machines. The Dog’s instinct is to protect no matter what, so it perceives everything as a potential threat to those in its territory. But at its core, Dog Qi is overwhelmingly loving. So, Dogs alternate from growling to rolling over and showing you their belly. They go from “I can kill you,” to “do me!” Dogs can be incredibly threatening and dangerous animals, but if well trained, we can feel comfortable with a giant mastiff guarding a newborn baby. This tells us what we need to know about Dog Qi. Dogs thrive and get their power from having something to protect, from taking orders, from following. They are the great exemplars of the virtue of Loyalty. Loyalty is greatly misunderstood in our culture. We think that people need to earn our loyalty and trust by being “worthy.” But your dog does not give a shit if you’re worthy. You can be a total jerk, and they will still love you. Of course, you need to feed them, take them for walks, throw the ball. But your worthiness as a person is meaningless to them. They love unconditionally and purely. Your dog is having an awesome time being loyal, and this is true loyalty. Once you choose to dedicate yourself to something or someone, you protect and defend no matter what. This is the Samurai code. It doesn’t matter if your Master is corrupt; you die for them. There is wisdom in this, believe it or not. Many people change sides, defect, or drop loyalty at the first sign of corruption. We hold others to standards of perfection and then freak out and run away when they falter, mostly to protect ourselves, which can be useful at times. Of course, in today’s world, so many leaders, teachers, and people in positions of power have proven themselves “unworthy.” But the Loyalty of Dog Qi is not about who you serve or even why; it is about the transformative qualities of love, surrender, devotion, and service, not for others but for yourself. This is called Guru Yoga in Tantra. You can open your heart to anything, and it will transform you, if you do so from a deep place of self-love and acceptance without the need for trust. Without self-possession, devotion and surrender invite abuse. When trust gets involved, we get hurt or betrayed. And dogs can be betrayed, but their instinct is to open their heart without reservation, to give completely. We can all learn something from this. Liu Ming used to say that trust is basically stupid. Everything will let you down because everything is impermanent, unstable, and everyone has their own complex karma to work out. If we put too much trust in others not to hurt us, we will be let down. Laozi said to trust the untrustworthy, which means give up the notion that trust is something valuable. This does not mean that you should mistrust people. On the contrary, it means accepting all people as valuable and worthy of your loyalty because they’re human. What would it be like to accept and love those who betray you unconditionally without creating resentment? This is the virtue of Dog Qi. Those born in the Year of the Dog have all these virtues as instinct. The impulse of Dog Qi is to protect, guard, follow, serve, and love without giving up their individuality. Dogs are complete people but find their power through subordination. So, again, the first key term for the Dog is Loyalty. Dogs are fantastic friends, partners, and family members. They often have close select circles, people they have let in to their world. When it comes to family, Dogs are loyal to the end. When it comes to friends, Dogs often have a process of choosing, sniffing out if you will, but once they accept you they are great companions and bond very deeply in relationship. If relationships or friendships end, Dogs tend to carry the bond with them forever and may feel hurt for a long time. They can recognize “old friends” instantly and are sometimes too eager to jump into things. People can be overwhelmed with how quickly a Dog seems to know and accept you. Or, they can be put off by a Dog’s standoffishness or guard dog stance. This loyalty is by nature protective. Dogs protect. They serve. This may take the form of protecting a younger sibling, a child, a boss, a teacher, a partner. Or, Dogs can protect ideas, teachings, or principles. Dogs very naturally express the Bodhisattva Ideal so cherished in Mahayana Buddhism. The great Tibetan teacher Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche was a Metal Dog, and if you watch footage of him, you will see that he served the Dharma and thousands of students but never put on shows about being a great master. He bowed to and honor everyone who came to him, and his love was vast and open. Dogs naturally want to follow something or someone. Without this, their lives have no direction, no meaning. They often jump into devotion without forethought. Because of this, Dogs can stay in tough and even abusive situations for a long time out of misplaced loyalty; Pigs do this too, and so do Ox. Once they are devoted, that’s it. And it is hard for a Dog to break their bonds. They fear relationships, jobs, and community situations ending, for they may not know who they are outside these contexts. Dogs must cultivate strong boundaries and a sense of self, otherwise their loyalty can put them into danger. Another flipside of this loyalty and protectiveness is territoriality, a kind of rigid quality. If Dogs have trauma or wounds they have not integrated, if their loyalty was not nurtured early on, they can tend to growl. Dogs can put up enormous walls and feel very rigid to others. Of course, behind this rigidness, Dogs are gushing with love. But, like attack dogs, their loyalty can be selective; they guard their territory. This territory can be people, ideas, beliefs, and so on. They can lash out and hurt others in defense of someone or something if they think they’re right or justified. Sometimes, this is necessary; sometimes people need protection and someone must be able to fight. Violence is available in the Dog. Dogs must, then, cultivate how to use their Yang aggressive qualities in appropriate ways—when is strong action necessary and when is it paranoid? Dog Qi cares very deeply. Whatever they do, in whomever they invest, in wherever they choose to direct their Qi, Dogs give everything. The give too much. This caring quality can be unconditional in its true form. Of course, few people can actualize unconditional love and care, but Dogs are apt to accept people wholly. I am amazed when I look into the eyes of dogs (the animals) and see nothing but pure love, and Dog Qi has this abundance available. Despite this quality of caring devotion, Dogs are by nature very private individuals. Every Dog has in them a touch of the lone wolf, which may be accentuated or understated depending on the individual. Dogs tend to have powerful private lives and love to be alone, which then alternates with their fierce companionship. When expressing their wolf side, Dogs feel at home in solitude. The flipside of this private individuality can be excessive vanity and concern with cultivating a unique self/appearance to give themselves power. They tend to be very congenial and quiet, respectful of others. They keep to themselves. For this reason, they fit in very well into situations where there is a chain of command, like the military. It is natural for them to slide into a role, take orders, guard their platoon. They thrive in service oriented professions and make great waiters, social workers, police officers, assistants, anything where they put their energy into subordinating to a greater cause. Dogs are naturally very just and like righting wrongs. Dogs tend to be very direct, blunt, and honest. This comes from a natural responsiveness which reacts very directly to the present situation. Often, these reactions can be sudden and taken without consideration, like a dog barking at the mailman. When depleted, these qualities can become stubborn, stingy, and spiteful. Dogs can be excessively critical of others based on quick feelings and judgments. This blunt straight forward attitude can appear to others as egotistical and argumentative. Dogs can get into barking matches if they think they need to defend themselves or a situation they are invested in protecting. The ears and the snout are an important part of the Dog symbol. The keen senses of the dog represent a kind of intuition and expansiveness. Dog Qi is very sensitive and picks up on even the slightest changes in the atmosphere. We have all noticed a dog laying on the ground, then all the sudden her ears twitch and she is up and barking before the humans realize anything has happened. This intuition feels the nature of situations, people, and environments in a sensory, embodied way. However, Dogs don’t often know what to do with their intuition and look to others for guidance and direction. But a Dog can smell danger coming a mile away. Their observant quality produces great insight, and Dogs often have a lot to offer in terms of seeing things from multiple angles and through multiple dimensions. When everyone is stuck, they can offer a new way to “smell” rather than just see. Often their energetic sensory insights are right on without overthinking. Someone may appear a certain way, but if they don’t smell right, the Dog knows something is off. The warrior nature of the Dog is always ready to jump into battle. They feel at home in danger and chaos and act as sturdy pillars of calm. They are cool under fire. When everything goes to shit, Dogs are usually relaxed and ready to jump in and do what is necessary to help. Their senses and intuition come alive in high intensity situations, which is great for sports and high stress jobs. When depleted, or without training, Dogs can become rigid and frozen with anxiety, especially when emotions are on high. Dogs take in the energy of the environment, and if it is too much, they tremble, quake, and shiver with fear, unable to move, like a deer in the headlights. For this reason, Dogs need training and benefit greatly from the disciplined cultivation of sports, martial arts, debate, and so on, so that when they get into the heat of battle, their instincts can take over so they don’t get frozen with fear. This frozen nature may translate into an inability to make life decisions or have tough conversations. When balance, however, Dogs make quick decisions from the gut and don’t second guess things. Dog Qi at its core has many virtues, and we go into this next year, which is why the Dog is a suitable place to end this series. Next Year will be an Earth Dog Year, which is the natural Dog. The auspice of the Dog year hinges on what we make of this one. Whatever plan the Fire Rooster comes up with, the Earth Dog will carry out the orders. Let’s hope it’s a good plan. Considering the Five Dogs—Wood Dog is Puppy Qi, youthful, responsive, but naughty, may tear up the sofa, i.e. drain or ruin its good karma/resources. The Fire Dog can be trouble; forceful, vigorous, no fear of confrontation; without disciple, they will hurt others; with it—they make fierce and loyal guardians. The Earth Dog is stable, sturdy, dependable but likely to get stuck in patterns of stagnation. Metal Dogs possess the keenest senses, intellects, and intuitions, but are prone towards being too sensitive and potentially fixed in their loyalties. Water Dogs are the most emotional, generous, and kind but tend towards devotion driven by sentiment and will devote themselves to hopeless causes. I hope you have enjoyed this exposition of Dog Qi, which completes our study of the Twelve Characters of Destiny. I encourage you to study your Year and Hour and also to remember that we can all express all Twelve Characters; these symbols are meant to cover the whole range of human behavior through time and have no rigid boundaries. I hope you have found my take on the Animal Symbols helpful. Remember, Astrology is a tool for self-reflection that should make us gentle people. It should help us accept ourselves and others. Astrology is not a tool to escape or buffer from reality or exalt ourselves over others. May whatever insight this blog has produced be used for personal growth and spiritual realization for the benefit of all beings! Due to the demand of school, I may not write for a while. Next, I hope to explore the 36 stars of the Polestar System and dive deeper into Tantrik and Daoist practice and cosmology—how do we integrate Astrology into the Dharma? Thank you very much!  Welcome to the Fire Rooster Year! Before we explore the Character of Rooster Qi, I must say something--
Astrology is not fortunetelling. Period. Full stop. Daoist Priests and Polestar Astrologers take a vow against fortunetelling. Astrology is often used in this way, but fortunetelling is an abuse of Divination. Fortunetelling predicts the future. But no future exists, only a present in movement, so what are we predicting? What is Astrology, then? Astrology is a form of Divination, a Mantic Art, what Ming called “Wisdom Science.” Astrology studies and describes the cyclical and self-resolving movements of Qi/Time. It does nothing other than describe the qualities of this movement with the assumption that we each relate to it differently based on the timeliness of our conception, womb time, and birth. Astrology suggests that we then use this information for self-reflection. If it is Winter, you will tend to put on a jacket. Did I predict the future? Not really. This is where we find Astrology. It is not something to “believe in.” If you say you don’t believe in Astrology, then by all means, please, walk around in the middle of a Minnesota Winter in flip-flops and a tee-shirt, and please wake up and eat breakfast at 11 pm. You are free to do this. Wisdom Science understands that of our Original Nature is pristine open freedom, and that’s the difference. I can’t predict how you will use your freedom because then it wouldn’t be freedom! But I can say that Winter is Cold and not be surprised when you put on a jacket. We always have the freedom to choose, and we can resist the cycles of Qi/Time. We can stay up late and eat whatever we want whenever we want. However, from the Chinese Astrological point of view, resisting nature, or living in disharmony with the cycles of Time/Qi, like eating after the sun goes down, is the secondary cause of illness and death. The primary cause of all illness and death is birth. Period. The second is inappropriate conduct in regards to Astrology/Ancestral Fate. From the Chinese Perspective, no one dies from illness/disease—we die because we were born, and we speed up this process with disharmonious conduct in relation to the seasons of the Universal Calendar (Tongshu) and the personal Calendar of our Natal Chart. The third primary cause of illness is addressed by Chinese Medicine and deals with obstruction and inhibition in the flow of Qi from internal/external climatic factors that inhibit normal Qi flow. Because I am not a fortuneteller, this blog will not make any predictions about the Fire Rooster Year. Rather, I will discuss the Rooster, and Fire Rooster, as a symbol, a possibility, a tendency due to the influence of Qi/Time. No Astrologer worth their salt will predict what will happen with certainty. We can only say what is likely to happen given the climate of Qi, like saying you may put on a jacket in the Winter. Any good Astrologer will present several interpretations and possibilities given your freedom within the context of the Qi/Time/Weather. I could say—in a Rooster year, people may tend to argue more. This is a huge generalization, but I’m not talking about anything different than the weather. Rooster is just a much bigger, broader, and therefore more subtilized form of “weather.” It is the pervasive weather of the Universe for the next year, relative to planet Earth. The Chinese Tradition relates everything to internal and external weather, symbols describing movement (Qi) itself. If we spin out into Astrological details and skip over the View Teachings, the outlook describing what the Universe and Human Beings are, then Astrology becomes easy to dismiss. In this blog, and in my upcoming book, I offer you the View Teachings of Chinese Astrology, so that we don’t spin out nitpicking details/pathologies, which is a tendency in Modern TCM, and to me constitutes a form of madness. Of course, you may be skeptical of Astrology; that’s your freedom, and I don’t blame you. I only offer this as something to consider in the following Year. Astrology must be tested against your experience, but you’ve probably received the kindergarten version of Astrology (i.e. fortunetelling), so don’t be too quick to throw it out. On January 28th, the Qi Pattern/Weather of the Year will shift from the Fire Monkey to the Fire Rooster. As I mentioned in the last Blog, the auspice of the Year, like the Fire Monkey, depends on how we use our freedom to navigate the Fire-Metal conundrum. The Monkey and the Rooster are a pair, for they share the Native Element of Metal. Rooster is the Yin version of Metal, and Monkey is the Yang version. Since it is also a Fire Year, the same wisdom I described in the last Blog applies here. Fire melting Metal does not imply conflict, but conflict is possible if our conduct does not align/go with the tendency of this controlling cycle. If Fire does not melt Metal, we get rigid, hard, stuck in our ways, and as we go, you will see the possibilities of how Rooster Qi can get stuck or fixated. Fire inspires, illuminates, and shines light on the broader context of our situation, softening the rigid qualities of Metal, which turns Metal to Water, which in turn extinguishes the consuming qualities of Fire. The Fire Rooster is the least “Roostery” Rooster, since Fire controls the Rooster’s Native Element, meaning Fire softens the tendency of the Rooster to get stuck/rigid. However, if we overdo the Fire and bring too much passion, aggression, inspiration, and so on, then the positive qualities of Yin Metal, such as rational thinking, are eclipsed, and our conduct may drift towards the opposite—irrational thinking and fanaticism, which are depleted Rooster qualities. The simple difference between this year and last is that Yang Fire-Metal turns to Yin Fire-Metal. We can say, generally, that the outward, expansive, mobile, and active Yang qualities of the Monkey in the past year will turn inward, contract, still, and tend towards the Yin qualities of the Rooster. The Years rotate Yin-Yang-Yin-Yang, and so on, and Yin Years tend to be more Qi conservative, less dynamic. In many ways, the Rooster turns us inward to a mental/conceptual domain, which the Monkey established with its mischief. Rooster Qi, by nature, thinks a lot, and the Monkey has given us a lot to think about. Roosters practically need pharmaceuticals to stop thinking. Yin Metal is refined, hidden, matured, withdrawn, distilled, fermented, hardened, crystallized, designated, subtilized, sublimated, conceptualized, symbolically portrayed as ore refined from the Earth through the process of Alchemy (Yang Metal), such as silver/gold, gemstones, and so on. Metal sinks downward drawing in. I experience Yin Metal as the moment in Time when I form an opinion, when I recognize a thought, a pattern, when I refine my experience into ordered language and logic. Yang Metal represents the active moment of things becoming “thinged,” labeled, and Yin Metal represents the subtle process of refining and drawing together all the details, and the Rooster is generally associated with “details,” corresponding to Virgo in Western Astrology. I am happy to say that I am part Fire Rooster. I was born in a Fire Rooster Month, so everything I am about to discuss is part of my Qi Display. Again, the Month is not as potent as the Year-Hour, but it is part of me nonetheless. Hopefully, my personal experience as part Fire Rooster can shed light on the nature of this symbol. The Rooster Symbol in China is complex and a bit confusing at times due to some conflicting images. In general, Rooster (also referred to as Phoenix) includes all birds, such as the crane, owl, and raven—anything with a beak. The Rooster of Chinese Astrology, however, refers to the cock, the male rooster, associated with fertility and aggression, but it is a decidedly Yin Symbol, hence the confusion. Originally, this Character was more associated with the owl, but over time the Chinese decided on the male rooster because of some specific symbolic qualities, which we will discuss. In China, the Rooster, despite being male, is also a symbol of the Empress and of feminine Yin energy. Perhaps, it represents the subjugation of the Feminine, the Rooster lording over the Hens. The Dragon is a symbol of the Emperor, and together, they constitute a classical marriage pair in Chinese Synastry. Rooster/Bird/Crane all represent the grace, elegance, deportment, and dominance associated with the Empress of Chinese Royalty. The Rooster does not dominate with physical aggression; it dominates with emotion, appearance, ideology, intellect, belief—what we call “Yin Power.” The Rooster symbol is obviously domestic, one of the barnyard signs. Remember, we’re not talking about hens; the Rooster performs very specific functions on the family farm. These functions form the primary set of symbols associated with the Rooster. The first and most important symbolic aspect of the Rooster is the sharp beak. The beak represents precision, accuracy, the ability to peck things apart, like seeds, or ideas, to get to the essential quality within (Yin Metal). Crane style Gong Fu strikes at pressure points, hitting the opponent’s weak spots to bring them down with little effort. In the Rooster, this represents a certain capacity for analysis, and it also represents the possibility of getting fixated. Because roosters don’t have much of a memory, if you put their beak to a chalk line, they get stuck there and will peck all day at the chalk line, hypnotized, unable to break free. The second symbolic aspect of the Rooster is the wings and the ability to “puff up.” When challenged, Roosters flap and beat their wings, taking in air, making themselves appear larger and more threatening than they are. This wing flapping often precedes the cockfight, in which Roosters dual to the death. The wings represent a certain competitive and aggressive nature that appears to be very threatening but is all hot air. The Rooster puffs up and looks big, but it does not have much physical strength, which is another reason why it is a Yin Character. It makes a big show of wanting to fight but is weak and will not fight unless it knows it can win. When pushed, or backed into a corner, the beak and the claws are vicious, and Roosters can do some serious damage, but this is only after being abused. Cockfighting is a cruel and abusive sport; they don’t want to fight, but when challenged they will rip each other to shreds because of competitive pride. Roosters can’t fly, so the wings are deceptive, Yin. Strange that the only bird in the Chinese Zodiac can’t fly, a capacity found only in the Dragon, who has no wings. Crowing is the third symbolic aspect of the Rooster, the call to the Sun at dawn and dusk. Roosters are very vocal creatures. I lived with chickens and roosters in Thailand and they would crow all day, not just dawn and dusk. Crowing represents a capacity for eloquence and “Yin extroversion,” meaning Roosters have a such an intense inner experience that they need to get out, and because of the immense detail and complexity of their inner vision, the outer expression often reflects this, which can intimidate others. For example, I don’t talk much until asked a question, after which I tend to firehose people with a wall of information they weren’t expecting. I really try to tone it down, but the volume of my inner experience is enormous. I can’t help it. People’s eyes usually get wide, as if to say…whoa, dude, slow down…and their facial expression often communicate regret or overwhelm about 15 seconds after they ask me a question. The final symbolic aspect of the Rooster is sacrifice. Like the Goat and Ox, Roosters were often sacrificed in Daoist Ritual but for different reasons. Roosters were only sacrificed in rituals that required blood oaths. This symbolizes trust, a quality very important to Rooster Qi. In Daoism, roosters were used to ward off poison, for roosters in the wild often eat snakes, scorpions, spiders, centipedes, and toads, what are called the Five Poisonous Creatures, which represent our different conflicting emotions. The Rooster has the capacity to digest and transform conflicting emotions into wisdom, and Amulets were often made bearing the Chinese Character for Rooster, used to ward off the Five Poisonous Creatures and their respective emotions. To understand the Nature of each Qi Character, we must get to the root impulse represented by the Native Element. Control is the main impulse of the Rooster, symbolized by the Rooster lording over the Hens. Yin Metal can be an inward struggle, trying to hold on, control, keep things in order. Fire melts this control, which allows Metal to release and turn to Water, but as an impulse, Yin Metal holds on before death. So, the Rooster can be wound a bit tight. Inwardly, their impulse is to subtly control, manipulate, and put their experience to order so that it does not go towards death (Water). This impulse has a lot of fear behind it, which the Rooster covers up with a world of intense conceptuality, like the Five on the Enneagram (I'm a Five, if you haven't noticed). Rooster is the natural outcome of Monkey in the cycle of Time. The Goat attempts to put order to everything based on idealistic principals of interconnectedness; the Monkey says—that’ll never happen, and throws a wrench in the spokes, so to speak, potentially leaving behind a mess. We are now in a bit of a mess. Rooster, then, comes along and goes a bit crazy, working like mad to tidy up, organize all the shelves, label all the boxes, sweep everything under the rug, and put things back in their proper place, which the Dog then guards with its life, so the Pig can party. Rooster Hour, from 5-7 pm, is the time of completion. In China, this time of day is associated with “coming home to roost,” the time when all the chickens and animals make their way back to the barn. It is the “crepuscular hour,” the transition from day to night. Since Rooster Qi is associated with completion, precision, competition, and confidence, this is the time to go home and take pride in what you have done, to reflect and analyze. If you were born between 5 -7 pm, then you are also part Rooster. As we go through these Key Terms, try to understand them as potential tendencies in the atmosphere of the coming year. Since I am generalizing about the Rooster, remember the relationship of Fire and Metal, and this will help to understand the Fire Rooster more specifically. These tendencies, which I am here discussing in terms of Natal Astrology, can display as trends in social, cultural, political, environmental, familial, and romantic relationships. We study these principals in people/human behavior because we are people. If you can observe Rooster Qi in your Dad’s obsessive need to organize the tools in the garage, then you can understand how Rooster Qi might influence the political dynamics of a country. The first Key Terms are critical and analytical. Like the Rat, the Rooster zooms in close and uses its beak (intellect) to break everything apart. The Rat takes things apart to make them small enough to carry, but the Rooster breaks open the seed to get to the important stuff inside. In other words, Rat detail does not include analysis; Rooster Qi does. This analytic, critical nature, an aspect of Yin Metal, extends to all aspects of the Rooster Display. Inwardly this often expresses as thinking, thinking, thinking—going over and over details, analyzing, reasoning, judging. Outwardly, this analysis penetrates behavior and speech—choosing their actions very carefully, second guessing, double checking. Outwardly, they are meticulous and tidy; they love to clean, organize, and are generally concerned with the outer appearance of things. Naturally, this analytic nature lends itself to a certain kind of intelligence that is highly valued in our culture—problem solving. Roosters make natural engineers, mathematicians, and scientists but they also make great writers and artist, anything where they get to investigate and express detail and meaning. They make wonderful decorators, designers, and architects. Art critic is perhaps the most Roostery profession I can think of. Rooster Qi is a kind of competence that can translate into many arenas. They have a tremendous capacity to learn systems, methods, approaches, and so on. They can apply these systems very adeptly to anything they want. There is no limit to what Rooster Qi can accomplish with efficiency, precision, and exactness. I’m sure this sounds wonderful, because our culture highly values these qualities and wants everyone to have them. Roosters are productive, but they have a difficult time relaxing. Rooster Qi is naturally a bit high-strung, tense, uptight. This intelligent and intense thinking mind can get obsessed, close-minded, even fanatical. Roosters can fixate on problems to solve, situations to manage; they can go over and over things in their mind so much that they disconnect from reality. Of all the signs, I would say that Rooster Qi, especially the Metal/Water Rooster, is the most susceptible to mental health problems. They live in their heads, and the fixation (the beak) behind their Qi can get OCD, anal retentive, a little crazy at times. They’re prone to hypochondria. Roosters benefit greatly from cultivating stillness, openness, and relaxation; they need to get into their bodies and out of their heads, which for them is a monumental task. When they try to drop into their bodies, their awareness tends to snap back up like a yo-yo. Rooster intelligence and capacity has profound confidence. Like the peacock or male rooster, Rooster Qi tends to be confident, a bit of a show-off, not physically per-se, but mentally for sure. They like to strut their stuff, tout their abilities, and talk a big game. This may manifest as certainty; they know they’re correct, that their argument is valid and will therefore attempt to dominate in conversation, which can lead to argument. Confidence is a positive virtue, but it can easily lead to arrogance, rudeness, and pride. Roosters can be very proud. They tend to generate strong and rigid self-images that can’t stand being challenged. This also leads to vanity, which can be concerned with physical appearance but also with what Asian cultures call “saving face,” maintain a good public image. Roosters are trustworthy, honest, challenging, and forthright. They tend to speak very directly and concisely. In conversation, they tend to challenge other people, for they like to debate. The Tibetan tradition of analytical debate is very Rooster. Tibetan Buddhists have a very well developed system of logic from Mahayāna Buddhism, which they use to develop wisdom. You begin with a clear format of statement and rebuttal from a defender and questioner. You clearly define all the terms you are using. You and your opponent put forth arguments. You attempt to find the gakcha, the crux of the other person’s view and then you use logic to undermine it, pointing to the emptiness of all fixed views. This process, if done correctly, undermines our conceptual mind and shows us the structures of logic that we use to construct false views about Reality. Ultimately, it points to the non-conceptual state beyond all logic. Again, very Rooster. The flipside of this turns harshly competitive, snobby, blunt, vulgar, and tactless. Rooster Qi can be volatile and erupt without consideration for others. They can be so sure of their view that they will argue it to the death, pecking and ripping with beak and claw. This impulse to challenge can be competitive, so much so that they will argue even if they know they’re wrong, just so they can be right, so they can win and be in control. They may put down and criticize others, making them feel stupid, and they can do this unintentionally. Roosters need to develop big open minds and include as many points of view as possible in their experience. Rooster Qi tends be very social and spontaneous. The Rooster tends to be concerned with social dynamics in terms of hierarchy, structure, the “pecking order.” By nature, Roosters love socializing and fun; they like the dynamics of social interaction and relationships. Although they are prone to spontaneous displays of showmanship, invoking reactions from and interactions between others, they are acutely aware of social structure. They like to know where they stand with people; they feel secure knowing who is doing what and with whom. Everyone should have a job, a role, clearly defined. They like to know the reasons why people act the way they do. In the end, Roosters feel uncertain if these things are not defined, and they love being the ones to put everyone to order. This social certainty reflects the sacrifice of the Rooster, the blood oath, making a pact. Depleted, Roosters can be aloof and closed off. If they lose face, or if their ideas about how others perceive them, about their role in life, fall apart, they may question everything and distance themselves until they can figure it out. They can be overwhelmed by the amount of detail they take in, and if it is more than they can handle, they crumble. It can be difficult to approach them when they close off; they need to relax on their own and come to conclusions naturally so they can feel in control. If you confront them, they are likely to snap back and get more entrenched in their difficulties. Roosters are adept at justifying their feelings, and if those feelings turn to self-hate or blame, or to blaming others, they can’t be talked out of their point of view. They will, however, respond to logic if that logic is well presented and offers them structure to work with. Rooster Qi is intense and by nature alert, inspired, and insightful. Roosters, on the farm, are guardians. They are vigilant, observant, watchful, and always alert, aware, perceptive. Rooster Qi can be luminous, awake, present. At its best, Rooster Qi is bright and inspired by life, and they are psyched to wake up and crow. Roosters have an amazing capacity to pay attention and focus. The category of meditation called Vipassanā, which means to investigate with clear or distinct seeing/observation, is very Rooster. Vipassanā is often translated as Insight Meditation, and insight is the ideal outcome of the Rooster analysis. I would, however, not recommend Vipassanā to most Roosters, especially if they are depleted. They can be too focused, too analytical, too vigilant, and Vipassanā can make them even crazier. If clarity is not met with its sister, calm, then clarity and insight can produce agitation. Roosters can become hyper aware of how messed up everything is, and they may spin off into irritation and reactivity. Non-conceptual meditation, called Zuòwàng, sitting and forgetting, is much healthier for Roosters. Finally, along with Rabbits, the Rooster is the most sexual of the signs. Everyone is a sexual sign. But as a symbol, we all know what is said about Rabbits and Roosters. If you have one rooster in the barn, all 60 chickens will be laying eggs. The sexual appetite of the Rooster is large. Both signs use sexuality as a form of power but in different ways. Roosters tend to dominate and Rabbits tend to submit. Each element adds a different flavor to this general image. Wood Roosters are the most spontaneous, idealistic, and inspired and are the most likely to forgive and forget. I’ll get to the Fire Rooster last. Earth adds stability and conventionality to the fussy Rooster image, but the capacity of Earth makes them so strong that they easily go into overwhelm at the amount of complexity they imagine they can handle. Metal Roosters, the Natural Rooster, are the most meticulous, articulate, and fussy of the bunch, prone to mental instability, and often their ability to analyze is a cover for their delicate mental/emotional state. Water puts the Rooster capacity over the edge into mystical territories, so much so that they lack the focus of other Roosters and are the most susceptible to possession and madness. I have met some intense Water Roosters. However, Water Roosters are the most sensitive and are more capable of emotional intelligence and empathy than other Roosters. The Fire Rooster, the Character of the coming Year, my Month, is the most sensual and restless of the Roosters. They are bright and luminous, able to focus like laser beams, yet they can collapse under too many difficulties. They have strong ambition and yet the Fire-Metal dynamic causes them to flip-flop between iron-clad confidence and hopelessness. Fire Roosters tend to be unapologetic, anti-social, and embarrassment is unknown to them. They probably have the most ferocious sex drive of all the Roosters. I’m no fortuneteller, but I can speculate about what this image means for the coming Year. The climate of Fire Rooster is intense. Monkey has worked everyone into a bit of a frenzy, and now this critical, analytic, argumentative capacity will be available to everyone. Remember, if our passion turns to aggression, if our inspiration becomes excessive, then in a Year like this, people are more likely to argue, especially over definitions, ideas, beliefs, borders, boundaries, and so on. Expect fanaticism in politics and public discourse. People are more likely to get worked up over compelling rhetoric. Our logic may fail us; or we may twist logic toward selfish and closeminded ideals. If we meet the Year with an open mind, and if we maintain our health, then the Year offers an amazing ability to focus, organize, and get shit done. This Year, we can see through fanaticism to the conceptual structures beneath and liberate our old fixed patterns. We can soften the hard edges around what we think is possible and envision beautiful and realistic possibilities. Navigating the Fire-Metal conundrum is simple. Over the coming Year, notice when you get worked up over thoughts, stories, and ideas; notice when you get excitable or excessive in your aspiration; see yourself challenging others; recognize when you’re hard on yourself because of some future ideal of what you’re supposed to be, what’s supposed to happen—notice all this and relax; drop it. Relax and find the thread of inspiration that guides the Fire Rooster. Fire Rooster is luminosity—the Light of the Mind. It can be so powerful that it will do anything to display this Light. Relax and find that the Light naturally goes where it needs; in fact; it’s everywhere. Inspiration and insight are everywhere. This is a great Year to self-reflect and take stock in a realistic and practical way. Pay attention to your mental health and wellbeing. Easy on the entertainment. Rooster can get drawn into the computer for hours. Relax social-media and stop throwing your opinions at everyone. Don’t believe everything you read, or think. Easy on the idealism. Look forward but don’t strain—remember there’s no future, only a present with a direction/momentum. The direction of the present is not fixed, but it tends to go where the Qi of the Year pushes it. Fire Rooster will ask us to soften our views/opinions to seek logical possibilities. I know—Trump. With all the political rhetoric being shoved down your throat, this Rooster image may sound a little scary. But remember, the auspice of the Year is created by our Freedom, by how our Character digests the Qi buffet. Ming always likened the Year to a buffet. We go along and choose what our appetite inspires in us; some people belch, others fart, some are sleepy, and some are inspired and energized. There is no other Year available. Fire Rooster is what’s on the menu. I hope you’re prepared to digest it. Thanks for reading about the Rooster, and stay tuned for the final installment of the 12 Characters of Destiny as I examine the Dog. Love and Blessings in the New Year!   At long last, we make it to the Qi Character of the Year—Monkey. It has been a Monkey of a year, for sure. I feel like I don’t even need to explain the Fire Monkey, for the year has been such a great lesson. Of course, everyone experienced the buffet of the year differently based on their own Character, but the public image via the shitshow that is internet media suggests that the Year has been difficult for many. The Fire Monkey is a bit like Heath Ledger’s Joker from Batman. It came to show us the futility of all our plans. This kind of disruption must be available in the cycle of time, or else we may think time is linear, heading towards some perfect future. Fire Monkey set fire to all that. There is no perfect future; any peak experience progressing toward a better future can only turn into its opposite. Period. Repeat—things only get better temporarily; they only get worse temporarily. Wisdom is relaxation, riding the cyclical waves of Yin-Yang, not working productively towards a greater future (this is lunacy). Monkey reminds us of this. The more we resist natural chaos, the more dramatic our fall. Many are bashing 2016, and I don’t want to associate all this negativity with the Monkey. The Fire Monkey offers a profound wisdom that has been poking you in the plans all year—have you noticed? I hope I can share with you the Wisdom of the Monkey and change your perspective on the last year. As a Tiger, Monkey Qi is my opposite. Many misunderstand the diametric relationship in Chinese Astrology. On the cheesy folk level, what you find in most books on the Twelve Animals, they say—Tiger-Monkey, Pig-Snake, Dragon-Dog—oh, very bad! But this level of Astrology assumes that ordinary people have little to no capacity for self-reflection, which may be true—I don’t know. The diametric is a mirror relationship. Spiritually, they are complementary opposites, which tend to polarize and attract, creating a fascination with each other’s differences. The relationship of opposites can be explosive and prone to volatility, but this explosive quality has tremendous potential for transformation if met with self-reflection. I have many close Monkey friends, and I love all of them, for they mirror myself back to me. When presented with the Monkey perspective, I scratch my head and go—wow, I would not have thought of that! There is a great YouTube video of a monkey messing with tigers, jumping off the tree, pulling the tiger’s tail and then jumping out of reach—such is the Monkey-Tiger dance. This year, too, has been a fantastic mirror—tough, one of the most difficult of my life, an internal struggle mostly, but good lord, I’ve learned a lot. As a Tiger, I have a difficult time understanding the Monkey, so hopefully this will make sense. I encourage you to study your opposite, as I have, and let it reveal to you your own Character. The opposites are—Rat-Horse, Ox-Goat, Tiger-Monkey, Rabbit-Rooster, Dragon-Dog, and Snake-Pig. As I delve into Monkey Qi, I encourage you to reflect on your experience of this year. I will not review the events of this year considering the Monkey, so let these symbols speak to you through your own experience. The Twelve Characters are best learned in your day to day lived experience. Every 60 years, every 60 months, every 60 days, every 60 hours, we pass through everyone we will ever meet, energetically speaking. Every day, I look at the Character of the Day and then simply feel, reflect, and observe as I go about my life. Today is a Water Dragon day, for example. What does this feel like? How does my experience reflect this Qi? Find out the Character of your friends and family and simply observe the way they interact given their Character relationships—this is the best way to learn Chinese Astrology. Asia adores the Monkey. It is a very rich symbol in Chinese Cosmology. Monkeys are common all over Asia, particularly, the gibbon and macaque, and many cultural myths surround them. Both China and Tibet share stories of ancient Monkey Ancestors; perhaps, they had a natural understanding of “evolution.” Chinese folk religion regards monkeys as supernatural beings, and many myths about monkey spirits, monkey demons, and half-monkey/human hybrids abound throughout China’s history. In general, Monkeys are depicted much like humans, both foolish and wise. In the Chinese Zodiac, Monkey represents the fated human flaw so heavily debated throughout the history of religion—desire. We find Monkey in the transmission of Buddhism to China, which began around the 2nd century B.C.E, most famously depicted in the 16th century Ming Dynasty novel, Journey to the West, which was later abridged by English author Arthur Waley in the widely read novel titled Monkey. In this story, the Buddha seeks a Chinese pilgrim to journey West to India and retrieve the Buddhist Scriptures so that Chinese people could be enlightened (typical Buddhist evangelism, as if the Chinese Tradition was not rich enough). Based on the legendary Tang Dynasty Monk Xuánzàng, the main character Tripitika, volunteers, goes, and returns successful after many trials and tribulations. Gautama Buddha and the Bodhisattva Guanyin, enlist three protectors to help him along the way, including the famous Sūn Wùkōng —the Monkey King, who was imprisoned under a mountain by the Buddha for rebelling against Heaven. Sūn Wùkōng is a trickster, able to shapeshift and transform his appearance. In the journey, the Monkey King becomes a disciple of Xuánzàng and undergoes transformation from trickster rebel to enlightened sage. Early Buddhism used many monkey similes. We have all heard of the famous “Monkey Mind.” The Samyutta Nikaya says, "Just as a monkey roaming through a forest grabs hold of one branch, lets that go and grabs another, then lets that go and grabs still another, so too that which is called 'mind' and 'mentality' and 'consciousness' arises as one thing and ceases as another by day and by night." As Monkeys helped to transmit the Buddhist Scriptures, they became allegories for the transformation of Monkey to Enlightened Mind. The Monkey King was initially a Daoist Immortal before being worked into Buddhism. Daoism, too, tells many tales of the Monkey. Zhuangzi’s famous tales goes, “Once upon a time, there was a monkey keeper who was feeding little chestnuts to his charges. ‘I'll give you three in the morning and four in the evening,’ he told them. All the monkeys were angry. ‘All right, then,’ said the keeper, ‘I'll give you four in the morning and three in the evening.’ All the monkeys were happy with this arrangement. Without adversely affecting either the name or the reality of the amount that he fed them, the keeper acted in accordance with the feelings of the monkeys. He too recognized the mutual dependence of "this" and " that." Consequently, the sage harmonizes the right and wrong of things and rests at the center of the celestial potter's wheel.” Here the Monkey and Sage dichotomy depicts the transformation from delusion to enlightenment, implying that nothing happens other than a shift in perspective. Liu Ming played with this famous tale in his book Dragon’s Play. Here, Ming used the image of Monkey and Sage to represent our dual nature of energy and awareness. The delicate balancing act between these two, between freedom and control, is the dance of duality that every human must integrate to follow the Way. At its core, Monkey Qi represents this perilous balancing act, like the monkey swinging through the trees, balancing from branch to branch. Monkeys are poised between the sacred and the profane, fluctuating between materialism and austerity, selfish fantasy and visionary wisdom. Every Human has this dance inside them. Though depicted as Godlike, Monkey Qi symbolizes the weakness commonly associated with humans—desire, which keeps them dancing between the poles. This may sound dramatic, but Monkey Qi is fundamentally playful. The Chinese never thought to demonize desire like the West. Even Buddhism could not make judgmental moralists of the Chinese (to the Chinese morality is Astrological). Monkey’s balancing act is not a battle between good and evil where order wins over chaos. Both are natural aspects of our being—Yin-Yang. We must make friends with both, and Monkey Qi forever plays with this dynamic. Ultimately, to tell a Monkey (or anyone) to sit still and control Monkey Mind is stupid. Monkeys must play. They are the Wisdom of Playfulness and Survival. The playfulness of Monkey Qi is a sleight of hand poking fun at the seriousness of “good and evil,” revealing duality as a game, a playful situation rather than the cause of “suffering.” If you put your Monkey Mind in a cage called meditation—how will this lead to freedom? The myth that the mind must be trained is stupid; concentration (when excessive) is madness, especially to the Monkey. Training the monkey/ox/horse, or whatever metaphor you want to use for the mind, implies that your Nature and Duality are problematic—they’re not; your Nature is perfectly free as it is. Meditation is an expression of your Nature, not an exercise in making it behave. I lived with Monkeys on an island in Thailand for a period and learned a lot watching them. I found them to be very social creatures. They roamed about the island in packs and would march down the beach in big monkey processions. Momma monkeys carried babies on their backs, and they had groups with leaders and sidekicks. They were unbelievably curious, and everything they did was playful. They would wrestle around, jump on everything, and investigate all they came across. A monkey once jumped on my table while I was eating breakfast, snatched the coffee mug out of my hand along with a handful of sugar packets, ran off into the trees, and then preceded to throw the sugar packets at me. They would also lunge at me bearing their teeth—perhaps they knew I was a Tiger. We find the impulse of Monkey Qi in its Native Element—Yang Metal. Yang Metal examines, refines, distills, transforms; it is precision, ingenuity, and imagination, the active conceptual mind used for problem solving; it is our capacity for vision which internalizes, draws in, and goes towards Water, which is full blown mysticism. This active conceptual quality of Yang Metal is the so-called Monkey Mind, but the virtue of this is imagination, self-reflection, wit, and intellect, which are obviously important qualities. Like the Five Tigers, the Five Elemental Monkeys are very different. This year has been a Fire Monkey year, and “Fire melts Metal.” This is not conflict, but it can generate conflict! The kè or controlling relationship between the elements is necessary for Qi to keep moving, and each controlling relationship is different. When Fire melts Metal, inspiration and vitality soften our rigid thinking, releasing boundaries and hardness, and turn Metal to Water. When this becomes overactive, or “insulting,” the passionate, aggressive, and consuming qualities of Fire lead to hyperactivity, erratic behavior, and excessive disordered thinking. This Year, then, offered the possibility of tremendous inspiration, to push beyond the limits of imagination, but if met with too much Fire/aggression, then the Year also offered the possibility of profound delusion and irrational behavior. In the beginning of the Year, I told many people—anything can happen in a Fire Monkey year, depending on how we negotiate the Fire-Metal conundrum. This is the kind of year we could have ran with inspiration, softened the boarders of what was possible, and for example—elected Bernie Sanders. Or, this was the kind of year in which people’s fear and paranoia could consume them, generating aggression and eclipsing the rational mind, and for example—we could elect Donald Trump. No further comment. All of this is available in the cycles of Time based on how we negotiate these Elemental Qi Character Cycles. The Wood Monkey is the most playful, the least serious, and the most resilient of Monkeys. The Fire Monkey we know. Earth Monkeys are more grounded but a bit at odds with being on the ground, since their Monkey impulse tells them to swing. Metal Monkeys are the most natural and at home in their Monkeyness. And Water Monkeys push the mischievous boundaries of Monkey Qi into unknown, possibly dark, mystical territories—not even Heaven can perceive what they’re up to. The impulse of Monkey Qi, which may shed some light on the past year—the impulse of Yang Metal, tests limits and pushes boundaries, seeking the release of Water; Monkeys define life by taking risks. Life without risk—why bother? Where is the fun in that? Monkeys like to poke, play, push, and test possibilities. They seek adventure, excitement, to keep on moving. Stagnation is death to the Monkey. They seek to go as far out as they can into extreme situations, places, experiences, and so on, just so they can bounce back and say “wow, that was cool!” Yang Metal generates what I call “scanning Qi.” Monkeys in their natural environment always scan for danger—where are the Tigers? Monkey Qi provides a broad pervasive awareness of the environment and all the details within. Monkey feels the precise movement and activity of the jungle and is at home in the chaos. Silence, stillness, serenity—this spells doom for the Monkey; what’s coming to kill me? Monkey keeps moving, staying forever on its toes/tail. Monkeys (this category includes apes) and Human Beings share many similarities, and these similarities highlight many of the Key Terms we will discuss. Humans, arguably, became dominant because of our ability to use tools and problem solve, which is mostly due to having thumbs. Monkey Hour is from 3-5pm. Monkey Qi is associated with planning, strategizing, projecting, adapting, and imagining, so Monkey Hour is the time to look forward to the next day or week and plan. It is the time to cease productivity and to shift into imagination. During Monkey Hour, our Qi naturally anticipates the end of the day and the transition into night. It is a time of adaptation; soon we must head home, but before we do, we must digest the experience of the day, adapt accordingly, and anticipate what may come. Since Monkey Qi is playful, this is the time to end the seriousness of work, “quitting time,” when you should joke and have fun with co-workers before heading home. If you were born between 3-5 pm, you are also part Monkey. If the Goat teaches us about social responsibility, justice, order, harmony, fairness, and interconnection, then Monkey teaches us that none of this is serious. When Goat gets on a high horse and its rhetoric starts working people up—here come the Monkeys. The First Key term, then, is curious. Think Curious George. Like the Monkey stealing my sugar packets, Monkey people have an intense desire to investigate, to understand, to peak behind the curtain, to get to the bottom of things, and to pull the rug out from under people. They often seek professions, lifestyles, and hobbies that express this curiosity, and they tend to be spiritual seekers who rebel against committing to a single path, for there is always another branch, another tree with more fruit. Monkeys are in danger of what Chogyam Trungpa called spiritual Materialism—getting into the spiritual path because it offers fun and exciting experiences, which Monkey is very curious about. This curiosity goes hand and hand with the Monkey’s naturally playful disposition. On the flipside, curiosity turns to erratic and frantic behavior—yes, Monkey Mind. By nature, Monkeys have a profound capacity for distraction. When depleted their minds scatter, race, and push them into a thousand places at once. This erratic behavior can cause them to quit jobs, abandon projects, change their minds, and waffle back and forth unable to make decisions. Monkey Qi defines compulsive (rather than impulsive) behavior, and they can easily spin out into addiction and self-destructive tendencies. Monkeys are playful, funny; they joke and like to mess with people. In their hearts, Monkeys do not take life seriously. They are not grave or morbid. They view life as a playful act. Alan Watts once said—life is musical in nature, and we are supposed to dance while the music is being played. When other people are morbid, Monkeys want to tickle them. Monkeys want to pull the rug out from under peoples plans. When confronted with hard decisions, the Monkey response is usually—play! This can confound other people who want them to commit and be responsible. Tiger, Monkey’s opposite, hates to be messed with and we can tend towards toxic moodiness, hence the Monkey pulling the Tiger’s tail. This playfulness is also imitative in nature. Monkey see, Monkey do. Monkey, like Snake, learns by imitating. They can watch someone do something, and then do it better than them. While Snakes do this by becoming the teacher, Monkeys do so by adaptation and cleverness, which is part of the shapeshifting trickster image. If you show off in front of a Monkey, they may just make a fool of you, and they are not afraid to make fools of themselves. Monkeys have powerful imaginations and are extremely intelligent and innovative people. The Monkey imagination is beyond visionary. Monkeys can climb high in the trees and see far out beyond the branches. This imagination, being Yang, is creative, and Monkey ranks as one of the “artistic” types. If Monkeys can sit still, they are capable of being great artists. If not, Monkey Qi expresses profound intelligence, the ability to learn and change the way things are done. Monkey Qi scans, schemes, plans, and looks for solutions. When confronted with a problem or danger, the Monkey will look for options, ways around; they want to sneak past danger and with sleight of hand fool the Tiger. I was once sitting in traffic with my Godmother, a Wood Monkey, and we hit a traffic jam. Her immediate response was to google alternate routes and look up traffic reports. My response was to sit there; it never even occurred to me that there was another option, for the Tiger response to danger is to pounce forward like a freight train, while the Monkey is the acrobat, nimbly escaping obstacles. Monkey Qi is resourceful. Monkeys can find, utilize, and manipulate resources to their advantage unlike any other sign. They can be amazingly productive when put to these kinds of tasks, and they demonstrate the Human capacity to create and make tools for survival. This is an immense social and professional skill that I envy, for it is completely beyond me. Monkeys are incredibly capable beings, able to learn and master many skills. They tend, however, to be Jacks of all Trades and Masters of None. When depleted, this capacity for imagination and innovation turns to fantasy and delusion. Monkeys are masters of creating and living in fantasy worlds, what we can call “storylandia.” Their scheming can generate many versions of reality, and at their worst, Monkeys buy into them and can spin out in alternate realities, which they find fascinating, entertaining. Monkey Qi tends to indulge fantasy because it is fun. Again, this is a playful act, so Monkeys can test the limits of sanity and bounce back. Monkeys demonstrate the fact that nothing is real or solid in the way you think it is. There is no true relative reality; everything relative is empty of inherent meaning. Insanity comes from taking the relative world too serious; when we see the transparent nature of everything, we are likely to go crazy, but Monkeys think it’s funny. Push this too far and you get Heath Ledger’s Joker. Monkey defines adaptation, resilience, and responsiveness. Physically, they are one of the most resilient signs and can bounce back quickly from the most serious illness. They are likely to flirt with death and danger and then make fun of everyone for getting morbid. They heal fast, and respond quickly to their environment. Monkeys can perceive the energetics of an environment with incredible precision, although they are not very intuitive and tend to make lots of stories about what they perceive, which may or may not be accurate. Monkeys can be very nervous, anxious, and paranoid. They constantly perceive themselves in a situation of danger or threat, and their tendency towards fantasy can produce panic, worry, and fear. The active nature of Monkey Qi will create danger and threat where there is none, which is an unconscious result of the Monkey playfulness. They may create stories and danger just to have something to do, something to overcome, so that they can have cool stories to tell their friends. The Monkey resourcefulness can turn cunning, crafty, manipulative. When depleted, they may use their intelligence to mess with social situations, turn friends against each other, gossip, tell stories, make drama. Monkeys can be very deceptive, and pretend/act in mischievous ways for fun. They can use their abilities to dominate others intellectually and their wit can turn ruthless. If Monkey perceives the game of the world as cruel, then Monkey Qi can even turn criminal like the Joker. Finally, Monkeys can be very avoidant. Rather than deal with things head on, like the Tiger, they will dance around issues for a long time and never confront the tough decisions. Of course, I’m a Tiger, so that’s my bias. Confronting things head on can be disastrous, and the Tiger impulse can leap over their actual situation. Monkey Qi responsiveness, when not avoidant, knows when to duck, when to avoid confrontation, for it senses when the danger is coming. Monkeys often lead incredibly interesting and exciting lives. Their impulse for fun and adventure often takes them to wild places. They always have interesting stories to tell and love to regale you about that time they almost died when there were in the place doing the thing. Because of this impulse, Monkeys often dance between this world and the next. They have powerful desires that propel them towards materialism, and at the same time, their instinct tells them the world is a game. Monkeys fluctuate between materialism and austerity. If they can reconcile this dance, they are capable of profound wisdom. They reveal the cosmic joke, the Play of Consciousness. Reconciling the Monkey dance, again, has nothing to do with putting Monkey in a cage. Monkeys need not punish themselves with harsh discipline because they are erratic. Monkey needs only to climb high into the tallest tree and see beyond to the enormous context of Space. Our Nature is something like Space, which hosts all duality equally. Harsh order and discipline is exalting one side over the other, which only creates more Chaos, which is what Monkey comes to show us. This year has shown us many of these qualities, demonstrated at large in our culture, politics, and environment, which the media has blown out of proportion. Sometimes it appears Monkey paranoia and delusion has gotten the better of people. This tends to happen in Fire Years, especially in the case of the Fire-Metal conundrum, which continues with the Fire Rooster. The Wisdom of the Year has been telling us all along that our plans for a stable, happy, bright, productive future are foolish. Everything we build is a castle in the sand. We need not fear the tide. The world seems to be going in a dark direction and that’s because it is. This darkness however is not morbid. All kinds of unnatural structures are decaying and falling apart, and the more we cling to them and make stories of how we will keep building the tower higher and higher towards perfection, the more painful it feels when Fire Monkey comes along to kick over your sandcastle and laugh at you. Rather than get angry and thrown gasoline on the Fire Rooster, which is another delicate transition which I will explore in the next blog, try relaxing. Open to the what the Fire Monkey has shown you. The Wisdom of the Monkey is not a threat and the sky is not falling. Destruction must occur for there to be new growth. I was hoping that we would, “feel the Bern,” for the symbol of Bernie Sanders represented so much needed pruning, healthy destruction. But such is Time; our Freedom creates the auspice of what potential is available, and Trump was available. Trump represents destruction, which while necessary, will probably be unhealthy. In my next blog, I hope to offer some insight on how to make use of the next year, so that this destruction can offer us the transformation we need. I hope you enjoyed this exploration of the Monkey, and I hope it has shed some light on the past year. Stay tuned for my New Year’s exploration of the Rooster!   The Lunar Year of 2015, the Wood Goat Year, was one of the best and most interesting times of my life. I learned a lot about the nature of the Goat in this strange adventure. Liu Ming’s advice for the Wood Goat was my guiding force throughout the year, from the last public New Year’s talk that he gave. Reflecting on it now has brought me great insight.
In the Wood Goat Year, I found myself in the great unknown; the Wood Horse Year compelled me to stomp on everything in my life, end the only loving relationship I’ve ever had, sell everything I owned, and move to the other side of the world in search of “spiritual freedom.” I moved to Thailand to train with my teacher and to be part of an intentional spiritual permaculture community. A month after my move to Thailand, the Wood Goat shift reset everything, and the impulse and impatience of the Wood Horse flipped, reflecting to me the broad and healing lessons of the Goat. This shift put my life into a context I had never experienced before. I found myself alone in community (a long story) and very aware of it, adrift in a foreign land, and very quickly, all my fantasies about being a great Yogi disappeared. The naïve vision of enlightenment I had perpetuated for years expanded to include so many things about life I thought I could ignore—career, finances, partnership…I assumed that if I followed the spiritual path that these things would just sort themselves out. Yeah right. The Goat Year showed me that not only would they not sort themselves out, but that these “worldly” aspects of life were an essential part of my Path, which as it turns out is all inclusive. This shift coincided roughly with the beginning of my Saturn Return, a time for “growing up” that comes along every 27-31 years, and that is still kicking my ass. After a lot of personal honesty, transparency, and self-reflection, I returned to the US resolved to find a Partner, establish a Career, and set myself up for the long-term, in-the-world, householder path to liberation in one lifetime. So here I am, slowly trying to establish said goals. Astrology has been an immense help along the way, which I began studying in earnest during my travels (previously it had only been a hobby); it gave me a language to understand the cycles I found myself in. As I study, contemplate, and meditate, I realize more and more that our lives are these cycle, and that we have a lot less freedom than we think—karma is not individual; we flow along in ever widening rings of influence. The Goat was a fantastic symbol for me during this transition, for the Goat represents many of the values that I came to value, which do not come naturally for Tigers. I hope to share these values with you in this blog. Humans and Goats have been living happily together for a long, long time, at least 30,000 years. The Goat is very happily domesticated. The symbol of the Goat in Chinese Astrology is tied intimately to the Goat’s longstanding relationship with both nomads and agrarian humans. The Goat is most notably a symbol of sacrifice, specifically to the Ancestors. Humans have been ritually sacrificing Goats for a long time, probably since before they were domesticated. This may sound grim for the Goats, and it probably is from their perspective, but as a symbol, this sacrifice is more about being honored than about being killed. I have seen many Goat related rituals, and believe it or not, they are very well taken care of, until their throat is slit. There is a very important Star in Polestar Astrology called Yang Ren—the Goat Blade. In Tantric Iconography, Ḍākinīs are often depicted holding a hooked blade, used for draining a goat of blood very quickly—this is Yang Ren. It represents a place in our life where we are fated to make a big sacrifice or loss. The kind of experience you look back at and say—that was tough, but I would not be who I am today if I had not gone through that; such is the nature of the Goat. The Goat spoken of in Chinese Astrology is the wild mountain goat, the big wooly ram, and the domesticated goat. Despite the masculine image of rams butting heads, the Goat is decidedly Yin, and represents the opposite of aggression. The Native Element of the Goat is Yin Earth, which it shares with its opposite the Ox. Four Animals share the Native Element of Earth, and each portray it in different ways. The Goat’s relationship to Yin Earth demonstrates amazing ability of Goats to be surefooted in all terrains. If you google mountain goats, you will find some incredible images of goats scaling shear vertical cliffs. This is not a Yang skill. It must take incredible finesse and delicate balance to do this. This image portrays a central theme of Goat Qi—adaptability. Goats are masters of adapting to their environment, and they have happily adapted to wherever humans have taken them. Yin Earth is all about balance, nourishment, support, solidity, groundedness, alliances, abundance, mothering, nurturing, and so on. The Ox represents these qualities in the continuity of Earth, for the Ox is the steadfast container and maintainer of Tradition. The Goat represents these same qualities in the refinement and reform of tradition, for the Goat is the Wisdom of Beauty, Justice, Symmetry, Order, and Harmony. The Ox preserves and the Goat renews; it recognizes what has gotten old and stuffy and seeks to reinvigorate tradition. Unlike the Tiger, which seeks to break the boundaries of tradition and liberate people from order, the Goat seeks to refine order to higher degrees. The Goat wants tradition, but it wants tradition to serve the people, so it wants a bloodless and peaceful revolution. The Tiger, the Horse, the Dragon, the Monkey, the Dog—all will potentially shed blood, but the Goat will not. Don’t mistake the butting heads for aggression; I have lived with Goats, and this is an innocent and playful act—it’s more about being flustered. In short, the Goat represents the virtues and difficulties of the dreaded word—politics. Goats are the idealists, the most astute and aware of social circumstances. The Goat defines the herd animal and instinct. Having lived with Goats, watching them every day, they clearly have a hive-mind. They run, jump, eat, and play together, and as soon as one takes off in a new direction, they all bounce along after each other without hesitation. When a Goat is lost from the herd, it gets seriously distressed, but when it’s with the clan it is as happy as can be. At a deeper level, the herd mentality of the Goat, and of Goat Qi, derives from a sense of inclusion that expresses an even deeper truth about the interconnected nature of everything. Goat Qi represents interbeing, interdependence, the intimate Web of Life, the symbiotic relationships that define Nature. Of all the Twelve Characters, the Goat is said to be closest to this interbeing—they feel it on a deep, embodied level. Goats see the way everything, people and nature, is connected. And so, the impulse of the Goat is always for the herd, the greater good. They seek to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of others. The outer symbol of ritual sacrifice also communicates an inner one—the Goat is willing to give up its own needs so others can thrive. They are the most egalitarian of all the Signs. Of all the Twelve Characters, the Goat is said to be the most artistic and aesthetic. The Goat feels connected to everything and wants everyone else to feel this way too. But this interconnected web is beyond words and cannot be described. So, the instinct of the Goat is to express and communicate what is beyond words—in other words, Art. Or better yet—Qi. The Goat wants to communicate the direct experience of Qi—the dynamic flowing way in which everything relates to everything else. The Goat seeks to make the world beautiful, harmonious, balanced. Because Goats feel the deeper way in which everything is connected, they get flustered when the surface does not match the depths. They, therefore, seek order, to refine the outer expression to remind others of what lies beneath the surface. Goat Art is aesthetic, classical. Tiger Art defies convention while the Goat defines it. They are therefore in a constant dialogue. Goat art expresses order, symmetry, tasteful arrangement, and elegance. Feng Shui, the art and auspice of placement, is a very Goat like endeavor. The Goat is the natural outcome of the Horse. The Horse manifests, constructs, and brings the World in to being, and the Goat is sort of like the interior decorator (Feng Shui is not interior decorating, by the way). They take the raw, and sometimes messy situation of the Horse and make it orderly, expressing the harmonious relationships of Qi in space. As we go through these key words, remember this basic impulse—to communicate and express our connection beyond words. This is the heart of Goat Qi. The Goat also represents sustainability and social welfare/responsibility—it represents the fact that we’re all responsible for each other—always have been, always will be. In Buddhism, this principal is called Sangha. In general, Goat Qi is soft, peaceful, gentle, introverted—Yin. It is impossible not to smile when watching goats. They are freaking adorable and fundamentally goofy creatures, kind of like big puppies. Within three hours of birth, kid goats are jumping around, happily bouncing with amusing playfulness, looking for a cliff to climb, nibbling on everything. The Goat Hour, from 1 pm to 3 pm, is basically time to “herd up,” as Ming called it. Since Goat Qi is associated with the herd, with social order, cooperation, compromising, harmony, justice, fairness, and so on, Goat Hour, then, is the time to work and be with others and cultivate friendship and teamwork. This is the time to get together and do things in groups and to refine and adjust the productivity of Horse Hour. Once we create something, we must step back and adjust our creation to accord with social context and welfare. Building a table is useless if we do not sit down to eat, and what good is eating alone if your friends are hungry? Goat Hour is also the time for art and aesthetics. It is a time to paint, write, sing, or just stare out into the landscape and contemplate your humanity. If you were born during this time of the day, you are also part Goat. So, the first Key Terms are easy-going, sweet, gentle, agreeable. Goats have a naturally relaxed slightly silly/goofy disposition. Earth Characters by nature, especially Yin Earth, are what we refer to as “chill.” Yin Earth is stable, slow, grounded. Goat Characters don’t get worked up easily and are happy to go with the flow, follow the group. Goats tend to be ordinary nice/kind people. Everyone can be a nice person, of course, and the Goat symbolizes this quality in all of us. By respecting and acknowledging other people and their needs, by recognizing we are part of a herd, we naturally become kind, generous, nice—self-centeredness is not part of Goat Qi. The depleted version of this, however, is intolerance and crankiness. When Goats find themselves alone, isolated, or if they’re raised in a poor community environment where their instincts are stunted, Goats tend to be fussy, cranky, moody, and even intolerant of others. At their best, the political vision of the Goat is all inclusive, and the flipside of this is well-known the world over—we tolerate our in-group and hate the rest. The possibility for political unrest is most strongly demonstrated in the Monkey/Tiger dynamic, but this begins in the Goat with the desire to create order, which in the cycle of time turns almost immediately into its opposite. Well know comedian Louis CK, a Fire Goat, is the perfect example of Goat crankiness and tolerance. His comedy communicates the positive and negative qualities of Goat Qi very well. He is an astute social critic, and despite his crudeness, his view is very inclusive—he excepts and celebrates everyone and at the same time makes jokes about how much he hates people. Furthermore, his show, Louie, especially in its last few seasons, was extremely artistic and poignant. So, then, the next important Key Word is aesthetic/artistic—both visual and musical. Not all goats are necessarily great artists and musicians, but this instinct to make the world beautiful and to express the ineffable must come out in some form. For some Goats, it may come out in the way they dress—always matching, trendy. In others, it may express through poetry or playing guitar. For others, it may be in their career as a graphic designer. And of course, Goats make natural painters, artists in the classical sense. Michelangelo, Mark Twain—both Goats. The gentle demeanor of Goat Qi goes hand with another very important quality—cooperation. Goats seek cooperation and compromise on all levels and generally hate confrontation, like the Rabbit. Goats want everyone to get along; they are peacemakers who offer up solutions and treaties. They will often compromise their own needs to make others happy, which depletes them in the long run. If they keep compromising and cooperating to make others happy, Goats will eventually turn cranky and get unbelievable stubborn, hence the butting heads. Goats will dig into their position and compromise can turn to entrenched argumentation. Goats must commit to self-care and speak up about needs. Otherwise, they will be nice, nice, nice and then explode. The Goat, who naturally seeks communication and understanding, can turn completely flustered and uncommunicative. Normally, they are quite eloquent, but when depleted, they just start butting heads and can hardly get out coherent thoughts/sentences. They fear confrontation, and so they tend to let things build until things turn to head butting and stubbornness. On the flipside, Goats are the masters of persuasion and charm. Goat Qi can eloquently and poetically express grand principals like harmony and justice—rhetoric, political and personal, is a Goat affair. Their natural insight into social dynamics and structure offers them a social capacity unknown to many signs. They can read a group and know how to inspire and work up a crowd by invoking universal human principles. Goats tend to be very quiet, introverted, but are prone to make dramatic speeches when provoked. The calm, quiet, easy going nature of Goat Qi can also turn impatient. Goats tend to be fussy perfectionists. They want everything to go just right. So, they may try to engineer their life, relationships, situations. Roosters and Rats tend to fuss over what, to the rest of us, are unimportant details, but the Goat fusses over the whole situation. If a Goat throws a dinner party, they don’t mind so much about how the table is arranged, but they will be certain to sit you next to someone who will change your life. They may work very hard to create the right social environment for magic, and if it falls apart they may obsess over what went wrong, while the Rooster is still making sure the silverware is in the right place. Goats are part of the “social trine” of the Chinese Zodiac, along with Pigs and Rabbits. The social aspect of the Goat is all about generosity, encouragement, and social support. Goats need a herd; they need friends, family; without support they wither, get depressed, and feel hopeless, anxious, fearful. Alone, they worry and fret. Around others, they thrive and are the most supportive, encouraging, and generous people. Goats don’t need a big herd per se, small family, a few close friends is fine, but they can also get along in big groups, as longs as that group represents “clan/tribe” for them. Alone, they will naturally seek to create tribe. They make naturally family people, parents, grandparents, friends, and so on. Goats easily take on social support roles, even if it only for a select few. Goats have a deep spiritual capacity to recognize relationship and interconnectedness. All the great spiritual traditions teach that we’re all connected, that everything is everything, and so on—you’ve probably heard it all before. This realization that we’re all One is a Goat realization, so it is easier for Goat Characters to see this. Compassion and generosity, therefore, come naturally to them. This is not the case for all signs—Tigers, Snakes, Dragons all need education in this regard, for their independent nature can disregard and struggle with the need to connect with other humans. 2015, the Wood Goat Year, showed us many of these Goat themes. Political awareness and social welfare were high, and across the globe people began to speak up for the marginalized, underprivileged, minorities, and so on. This began an important trend which exploded a bit in this Monkey Year (next blog)—as a society, especially in the millennial generation, we will not stand for bigotry, intolerance, sexism, patriarchy, inequality, and oppression any more, dammit. The Goat Year set this in motion. It brought forward all the ways in which our cultures, especially in the USA, are divided. The transition from Goat to Monkey is delicate and sort of went haywire due to the elemental nature of Wood going to Fire. I’ll say more about this in the next blog on the Monkey. Personally, the Goat year was very healing for me in many ways. Ming’s advice for Tigers was essentially to heal, which the gentle and supportive nature of Goat Qi encourages. All these Goat qualities of relationship, social support, and service all came forward in my life. The Wood Goat was a reset button for me. I re-valued my life, and started all over again. After my year living abroad, I found myself back in the States, somehow practicing Chinese Astrology, which I never expected. If you had told me ten years ago that I would end up being a Chinese Astrologer, I would have laughed. I also made the decision to pursue Chinese Medicine, which brought me here to Portland and started a whole new chapter in my life. Looking back, I am very grateful for the Goat Year. As a Tiger, I admire the qualities of the Goat and the rest of the Social Trine. In the next blog, I will review the past year and explore my opposite—the Monkey! It has been a hell of a year…stay tuned.  We’ve made it to number eight of twelve as Snake Qi turns to Horse. Before we move on, however, I think we need to back up and look again, briefly, at the idea of Character. For it is too easy to get simplistic studying these primary symbols. The Character of our Year is fundamental in our Qi Display, so these twelve symbols are important to study and understand, especially at an energetic level. We want to understand the impulse that lies at the base of these patterns, and I hope that I have been able to communicate this so far. The impulse of each Character is beyond words. These impulses generate identifiable patterns. But we must ask—patterns of what? Time. Each Qi Character communicates a felt pattern in time; in Astrology, Qi is time. Time/Qi is movement itself, rhythm, not a thing moving—just movement, and we only know movement because of duration. This duration is a spectrum we call light. Qi can be called light/energy, visible because it moves at different frequencies. Time flows in a circle. This circle is very lopsided; the Twelve-Animal cycle of Time is like a whirlwind, a tornado. At some parts, it spins fast; at some, it spins slow; some parts are big messy gusts of wind, and in some parts, wind funnels into a point, and so. We are a swirling together of many patterns of wind/movement; the pattern of the Year, Month, Day, and Hour are primary among many others. The Qi movement of the Year is the deepest flow of Time relative to Earth, technically related to the 12-year Jupiter cycle, the largest object in the Solar System besides the Sun, and it therefore represents the deepest part of our experience. The impression made at the time of birth, when we first breathe in the Qi/ “wind” of the universe outside the womb, imprints a deep, deep pattern on us that we become and express our entire life. That moment is an incredible shock, which is probably why we cry, and it leaves a lasting impression. The Qi of the Year is the deepest, and the Qi of the hour is the most “up front.” The Hour imprints a surface expression, which then dances with the deeper expression of the Year. These two together are primary. The Month and Day also imprint on us, but these patterns have more of an effect on our constitution and life cycles in relation to the seasons. We must remember that we are complex. The image of the Year is basic, simple, and profound. As I write these blogs and you consider your Character, remember that these images are fundamental and only a doorway into the complexity of your Astrological makeup. I encourage people to identify with the Year, but you have Four Pillars, and Solar/Lunar Indictors, and a Fate Chart, etc. The wisdom of the Year encourages us to find out what we have in common with others rather than on what makes us a unique snowflake. So, we move now into the Pattern of Horse Qi, part of my own Character, and it is appropriate that the Horse is an ancient symbol of the Wind, Prana/Vayu, Qi, Lung (in Tibetan). In Tantra and East/Central Asian Shamanism, the image if the “Wind Horse,” the Lungta, is an allegory for the Human Spirit of Awakening. The symbol of the Horse is an ancient and powerful Shamanic symbol central to the cultures of Mongolia, China, and Tibet. To understand the Symbol of the Horse, we must understand the role of the Horse in these ancient cultures as a symbol of freedom and expansion. The Horse, in many ways, shaped their history, mostly due to warfare. The Horse spoken of in Chinese Mythology is the Mongolian rather than the Arabian Horse, which any equestrian person will tell you are very different kinds of horses. The Chinese attempted to train the Mongolian horse to work for a long time, but no amount of breeding and whipping coerced them to plow straight furrows, for they had no attention span and were wild in nature. Eventually, the Chinese would discover the ox/water-buffalo from the south, which revolutionized agriculture. But what of the horse? Mongolians and the famous Genghis Khan would bring down the horse as an instrument of war. The Mongolian Horse and the bow and arrow allowed Genghis and his grandson Kublai to dominate Asia. When the Chinese first saw Mongolians riding horses into battle, arrows and swords flying, they discovered the true power of the horse, which had been abandoned in China as a plow animal. The first depictions of the Horse were a lot like the Dragon and many of these elements would make their way into the depiction of the Dragon, for the Horse road so fast it appeared to be flying. They let the reigns down, put on a war saddle, and the Horse came to life. With just a little direction, rather than strict control, the Mongolian Horse became the most productive tool in the Chinese military and aided in the great expansion of the Tang Dynasty. Emperors and Generals bred them successfully for war throughout Chinese history, and they were always associated with martial arts and warriorship. The image of the War Horse represents the Horse’s native element—Yang Fire. The Fire Horse is an explosion of force, a wild stallion, uncontrollable yet capable of immense power and control if directed with skill. Like fire, the Horse represents a powerful tool which can be either creative or destructive, depending on use. The true impulse of the Horse is to run free, wild, explode out, which is why Horses and Tigers get along, for the Tiger represents a similar explosion of force. The Tiger, Yang Wood, is an immature, childlike impulse, while the Horse, Yang Fire, is the teenage, adolescent, angsty, rebellion, leaping over boundaries and running wild. Each elemental version of the Horse, then, represents a relationship to this impulse. The impulse of Yang Fire is to energize, catalyze, activate, stimulate, transform, overpower/overcome, surprise, rebel, destroy, and excite. All Horse Characters have this lying in their nature. I was born on a Metal Horse Day, so this is part of my Character, albeit not as potently as the Year/Hour. Hopefully, then I will be able to share some personal insight into the nature of the Horse, which I must say is an important part of me. The Metal Horse, of which I am in part, and of whom I know many (1990), the “Horse in the Stall,” has a fundamental difficulty with this explosive nature—Fire “melts” Metal, leading to a kind of self-conflict and doubt. The Metal Horse wrestles between freedom and control, but their Metal exteriors makes them capable of control and self-discipline in a way the Fire Horse is not. The Fire Horse is a pure wild stallion, and traditionally in China they would have been sent with Fire Tigers to the military as cannon fodder. On the opposite end of the spectrum the Water Horse, the least “horsey” Horse, is more like a Clydesdale, or the Budweiser Horse, the explosion extinguished, happy to be trained and trot around. The symbol of the Horse has a lot to do with the animal itself. Horses are big, physical, all muscle and tendons. The Mongolian horse has a huge ass and hind legs which makes them powerful runners and jumpers. This physicality represents a kind of embodiment, so Horse Qi is by nature very embodied—the impulse of the Horse is to feel, be, and do immediately, rather than think. Horse’s opposite, the Rat, has the opposite impulse—Rat Qi tends to think and scheme, while the Horse represents what Ch’an Buddhism calls “no-mind.” No-mind represents embodied action without thinking and planning. Horse Qi is “doing,” but without great pre-meditation, like a Ch’an Monk sweeping the courtyard or raking stones in the garden. Horse Qi lends itself to the non-conceptual state. Horse Qi is the Wisdom of Manifestation. If the Rat represents everything splintered into pieces, needing to be organized and put back together, the Horse represents the final manifestation of this in the cycle of Time. Everything manifesting and functioning efficiently. Horse is D.I.Y. and manufacturing—the strength to work and put things together. The Horse is all about working and doing, like the Ox, but they are the Yang version—muscle, speed, and power, and they can burn out, while Oxen can slowly plow forever. Horse Qi is also the outcome of the Snake. If Snake represents a kind of cynical, piercing emptiness, capable of disembodied depression, the flipside of this, Big Yin turning to Yang, is a kind of straightforward, logical, no-nonsense practicality. The Snake questions whether the world even exists, and the Horse just gets to work. Emptiness roaring back to form. Why think about emptiness when there is stuff to do? The Horse represents an “edgy” balance, part wild, part trained, and this gives the Horse a certain regal dignity; they allow us to use their strength, but if they want they can leap the fence and take off. The Horse’s strong, independent nature, when set to orderly tasks, is extraordinarily successful. For the Horse, stuff is to do things with, and they tend not to need anything unless it represents “work,” even if that work is spiritual. Horse Hour, from 11 am to 1 pm, or High Noon, is the full height of the Sun. It is the time of day when we are at our peak and most productive. It is the time for work, labor, getting stuff done. It is Yang Fire, the bright, burning heat of Summer, when light is the most active, warming, moving, catalyzing. If you were born between 11 am and 1 pm then you should also consider yourself part Horse. So, the first Key Word for the Horse is social, gregarious yet independent. Horses in the wild are social animals, running in packs. Having a social life, seeking social interaction and engagement, is very important to the Horse Character. Like the Goat, the herd instinct is part of the Horse, but the social nature of the Horse is much different. Despite the herd mentality, Horses seek to be independent, and so the social impulse is often somewhat competitive. Horses are showman, like Clydesdales. They want to socialize, but they also want to run free and impress everyone with their speed and strength. They tend to be gregarious, sociable, fond of parties and having fun. They can, of course, be introverted, but the direction of Yang Fire is outward moving. Horse can enjoy solitude, but their inward expression moves out. At their best, Horses tend to be blessed with a “sunny” disposition. They can be bright, open, cheerful, optimistic. Yang Fire tends to look on the bright side of life. The Horse disposition tends toward innocence, which often attracts people to them. Their sunny optimism lends naturally towards humor. Horses are often jokesters; funny is key to the Horse mentality; such is the term “horsing around.” All the Horses I know like to play and horse around. They’re natural comedians. On the flipside, the independence and social qualities of the Horse can turn anti-social, even criminal and violent. At their best, Horses are not loners, but the nature of Yang Fire is hot-tempered, angry, rebellious. Their anger can lead to outbursts, which are often thoughtless. The tendency to do/act without thinking can have consequences. The bucking bronco can stamp on people, situations, relationships, and so on. If their attempts at sociability don’t go their way, they can ride off into the sunset, never to be seen again. In general, the independent, wild quality of the Horse should/can never be held in. Like the Dragon and Tiger, any attempt to box in or control a Horse will be met with disaster. If restrained, they become bitter and exhibit destructive behavior. Horses can be “tamed,” but inside, their nature is wild. Self-discipline for Horses is like harnessing a wild animal. The Horse nature is fast; they do and act quickly without hesitation. With training and proper direction, Horse Qi can be put to work and is associated with strength and industry. Horses have an immense capacity to get shit done, to be the “work horse,” as we say. Horse Qi represents the all-American virtue of productivity—just get me back to work. For many Horses, life is about work, and without something to do, they get restless, bored, and feel useless. Horse restlessness can be profound; they need to direct themselves to tasks, projects, whether that is learning, reading, building, exercising, organizing, etc. Horse Qi represents craft and trade work, D.I.Y, practical and functional art. Tiger or Monkey may represent abstract art, but Horse art you can sit in, or do something with, like pottery, the dying virtue of the craft-guilds. Ming used to jokingly refer to Horses being kind of like lumberjacks/carpenters/handy-men. Home Depot could be called “Horse Depot.” Horses express themselves through creating, manifesting. If they do not create, they stagnate. Of course, not all Horses are handy-men (handy-people?), but they all express some fundamental need to manifest/create. On a deeper level, this work mentality comes from embodiment, vitality, and physicality. Horses need to move and use their bodies. They need to run, hike, workout, anything to get moving, or else they get restless. Horses by nature are also very “outdoorsy,” for this physicality cannot stay indoors too long. Horses yearn for the great outdoors and open plains and need to connect with the eternal blue sky. On an even deeper level, this embodiment represents the Horses profound capacity to feel. Despite their strong exteriors, Horses are very emotional, but they tend to express emotion more through doing rather than saying. Ming once joked of “Horse love,” which was a Dad letting his Son use his tools. The Horse may be affectionate, but they often show rather than tell and not always through touchy-feely means. Horse Qi may not be all hugs, and if a Horse Dad makes his Son a swing-set, this is pure love, because he made it for him. The thoughtless, active, and embodied quality of the Horse can be sort of accident-prone. Horses can have a carelessness that tends to “not notice.” Physically, this can lead to self-injury, knocking things over, spilling coffee on your lap, falling off your bike, and so on. Mentally/emotionally, Horse may have difficulty noticing and acknowledging other people’s feelings, and they may say and act carelessly, and stomp all over others. The reverse of being accident prone is cleverness. Horse Qi represents what is now called “MacGyver” ingenuity—the ability to problem solve in a kind of practical way, throwing a bunch of stuff together into makeshift solutions. They can take something broken and find ten ways to put it back together. Or not. Horses can also be very clumsy. This ingenuity also express the virtue of thoughtlessness, which is the ability to work efficiently through embodied skill. All the “Zen and the Art of…” books represent Horse Qi. You practice and practice and practice archery, each time getting in your own way because you keep thinking. And the thousandth time, you relax and release the arrow without effort. Watching master craftspeople, chefs, dancers, anyone who embodies a skill, is a Horse Qi ballet. This cleverness also lends itself to a kind of eloquence and talkativeness—think Mr. Ed. "A horse is a horse, of course, of course, and no one can talk to a horse, of course." Horses make great orators and speakers, or they just love to chat. Horse Qi can put their cleverness and ingenuity to work anywhere, including speech, and they love to impress people with this clever eloquence. This eloquence comes from a kind of direct honesty. Horses are honest because they don’t overthink. And so, their rhetoric can be very profound; they just say what others feel. This often creates a kind of magnetism. Horses are attractive people. Their strength, cleverness, and ability are what most people seek yet never find, for Horse Qi is full manifestation without complication. This capacity can lead to arrogance and stubbornness, but horses are arrogant without realizing it. Horse stubbornness is a kind of know-it-all showoff bravado, but it does not show off because it thinks it is better than people—it just loves showing off. They need to do something with all their strength. Horses have a hard time not giving people advice, telling people how to do things—they know best. Horse stubbornness is demonstrated in the old cliché of men not wanting to stop and ask for directions or call a repairman (repair person? Geez, how gendered is our language?). The Horse personality is consistent and simple. Like the Ox, they tend to remain constant in their thoughts, actions, lifestyle—they’re not prone to major changes in terms of personality. You may not see a Horse for ten years and no matter how much they have changed, they seem like the same old person. They may be wild, adventurous, world traveling people, but nonetheless, they seem consistent. Some Characters, like the Snake, are a mystery. The Horse, being the outcome of Snake, is no mystery. What you see is what you get. Horse Qi is not about plumbing the depths. Which is not to say they’re not deep. The Horse Character does not play games; they do not mislead, misdirect, or manipulate; they just are and do. All that would require too much thinking. The Horse symbol is one of power, majesty, freedom. The Lungta, the Wind Horse, symbolizes the human spirit of adventure but also aggression. The Horse is raw, dynamic power and strength, pure vitality; it rides hard and can burn out in a blaze of glory, dying with honor on the battlefield. The Horse characterizes the wild shamanic nomads of Central Asia, Mongolia, Tibet, and Northern/Western China. It is the wide-open expanse of the great plains and eternal blue sky. Freedom is the impulse of the Horse, dancing with the edge of restrain. Horse Qi is a turning point in the Zodiac. From here, the Horse turns to Goat and the cycle begins to resolve itself. The rest of the Zodiac represents a kind of completion, a return to source. I hope you enjoyed this exposition of the Horse.  In the last Blog, I tried to communicate the ineffable nature of the Dragon, which may have been confusing, and I’m afraid the Snake may be worse. The Dragon may be ineffable due to its unlimited potential, but it is the Yang version of potential, meaning it is the result of full manifestation, EXTREME YANG, and is therefore easier for us to understand in this Yang culture. As a culture, we get “doing,” but “being,” on the other hand, is a mystery. The Snake represents this Mystery—the Yin to the Dragon’s Yang.
Yin is manifestation, the condensation of everything into apparent form, which turns into Yang, the expression of form through movement and dynamism. As Yin expresses into Yang, it opens, expands, and rises to Heaven, becoming more and more transparent, heading back towards the un-manifest. Dragon Qi symbolizes the height of this expression and movement—all of manifestation integrated, directed, and flying free, Yin going all the way to Extreme Yang. Yin-Yang Theory teaches that Yin and Yang turn into one another and that Extreme Yang gives way and turns into Extreme Yin, which is symbolized in the Chinese Zodiac by the Snake. The Snake is EXTREME YIN, the flipside of the Dragon. In the Dragon, the entire Zodiac is manifest and expressing. In the Snake, the entire Zodiac is in seed/potential form having been expressed fully and then having disappeared, leaving behind a complete, open, and transparent vacuity. Snake is the Emptiness, Potential, and Openness that hosts all Form. Snake Qi is the empty spoke in the center of the turning Wheel. Pig Qi, which is where we began our exploration of the Zodiac, while similar, is Snake’s opposite. Pig Qi expresses Yin Water, the dissolution of everything at the end of the cycle. Snake is not a dissolution, for dissolution is a gradual process. Snake is not gradual. Snake is the sudden and extreme flip from Yang to Yin, sort of like the popping of a bubble, or a Snake striking its prey. Dragon Qi expands until…pop! This sudden flip from everything to nothing is said to represent Yin Fire, the native element of the Snake. Even in the appearance of complete emptiness, total vacuity, there is Yang, a spark, an ember, a warmth pulsating, undulating in the Void. For all Emptiness is pregnant with unlimited potential. Emptiness is said to contain all potential. Every possibility is inherent in Emptiness; the entire universe resides in and emerges from space. In Tantra, Space is called the Inexhaustible Treasury. Everything comes from Space, yet Space is never altered, stained, harmed, or destroyed. It is Indestructible— “Vajra,” immaculate and pristine. Of all the Twelve Animals, Snake is said to be closest to this pristine, open, spacious quality of life. Snake, Yin Fire, is the warmth, the radiant nature of Life present in the Void. Yin Fire also represents the nature of Snake Hour, from 9 am to 11 am—the time of day after the Sun has appeared and begins to slowly warm the Earth. Snake Hour is bright and transparent; it is the gap between the great manifestation of Sunrise (the Dragon) and the productivity of Midday (the Horse). Snake Hour is said to be a time of revelation, transparency, and reflection, where we process and gather ourselves before being productive. If you were born during this time of day, then you are part Snake. Yin Fire is the slow smoldering transformation of a simmering fire, like a crock-pot as opposed to a BBQ. It is the catalytic force of alchemy and cooking—stimulating, energizing, yet still, pulsating, warming, consuming, mesmerizing; it is internal rather than external vigor. The Snake is a symbol of the Heart, the Shen, the still, warm beating center of things, awake and alive, yet passive/yin, for the Heart beats without effort. The symbol of the Snake is immensely old and traces itself back to China’s “Shamanic” roots. The Snake symbol is universal, and its expression is similar across cultures. Unlike some cultures, the Chinese conception of the Snake is not evil or sinister—it is Yin. It represents the unknown/unknowable world, the subterranean, the submerged, the unconscious. There is no “evil,” in the Chinese view of Life, but Yin does have a dark side, and the Snake can be a symbol of darkness. This darkness, however, is the basis for transformation. We cannot truly transform unless we consider all our dark places; we must turn up all the rocks and look at the creepy crawlies beneath the surface. Snake is what lies beneath the surface. In this sense, the Snake is like the Rabbit, but taken to another level. The Rabbit is submerged in the unconscious subterranean world, but the Snake is that world; it sees through it unattached, where the Rabbit innocence is potentially lost in the static of the ethers. Snake Qi sees through the nature of appearances, and so Snake Characters are said to lead lives that are uniquely self-reflective and insightful. It is in the Character of Snake to reflect, to mirror, to question, and to peak behind the curtains. The impulse of Snake Qi, Big Yin, is sinking, gathering, descending, internalizing, seeking stillness, silence. Like Snakes in the wild, Snake Qi seeks to be hidden, unseen, to blend in with the environment. Snake people, therefore, have a natural inclination to “disappear,” to hide, to renounce, to recede from the world by blending in with the surroundings. A Snake might look like a vine on the tree, so it is there, present in the world, but it is not the vine, not what it appears to be. Snake Qi is by nature not what it appears to be; it is unknowable and ineffable. Big Yin defies all labels and definitions. Emptiness, by “definition,” is beyond conceptual elaboration, as the Buddhists say. As I mentioned in the last Blog, the Snake represents the inner open capacity at the heart of the Zodiac to become any of the other 11 Characters without being defined by them, while the Dragon actually is all 11 Characters embodied. This unknowable quality is said to be the source of an unmatched charm. Snakes have the capacity to become anything and anybody without being attached, for they represent all potential. They have all the Capacity of all 11 Characters available, like the Dragon, but they are not defined by nor do they take pride in what they display. They are mystery even to themselves. Their instinct is to hide, but they can hide in a crowded room, because they are inwardly unknowable. You can “know” a Snake for years and still not know who they are. And this is not deceptive, because they aren’t anybody (no one is really), and this is their power. Snakes are a mystery, to themselves and to other people. They cannot be known. Remember this as I get into the Key Words. We may use words to describe Snake Qi, but Snakes are not these words. The Snake symbolizes the reality that no one is what they think they are, nor are we how others perceive us. We are all a mystery. You can never really know another person—not really. We are all symbols to each other. In China, the Snake is the Sorcerer Philosopher and symbolizes the process of Alchemy and inner transformation, for the Snake sheds its skin. It is always in the process of becoming something else. They also represent what Liu Ming called “striking force,” like Muhammad Ali (a Snake), an aspect of the Fire Element, the ability to remain perfectly still and then strike, act, seemingly out of nowhere like a snake paralyzing its prey. Social-political pundit John Oliver, a Fire Snake, the Natural Snake, is a great example of Snake Qi. On camera, he is charming and yet venomous; his ability to see through appearances to the reality of situations and then strike with deadly force is mesmerizing. Yet, if you watch interviews with him outside of his show, he appears to be a completely different person. He claims not to be a journalist, not to have political motivations; he completely embodies his role and is unattached; he is not what he appears to be, which is not to say he is deceptive. On camera, he becomes a role and then sheds his skin. The Snake succeeds when they have fooled everybody into thinking they’re a certain way yet secretly they remain unattached and beyond everything. Bernie Sanders, a Metal Snake, is another great example of Snake Qi with his vision, wisdom, insight, and ability to see through social structure to the heart of things. He, too, displays the striking force, delivering political statements so penetrating and direct that he inspires millions. He is fully in the world yet not “of it.” He cares deeply but is unattached, which is why I think he has maintained his unrelenting integrity for so many years without losing heart. The Key Terms for the Snake are, again, how they appear, but not actually how they are. You may know or be a Snake and not identify with these labels, and that’s fine. No person is truly their Character; it is merely a pattern, a tendency of our Qi to display. Snake Qi is symbolic of the idea that we can all transcend our limitations through detachment. The first Key Term, then, is deeply reflective. In many ways, it is not easy to be a Snake. Snakes are natural mystics in a non-mystic world. Snake Qi can be called penetrating insight. Without trying, Snakes have the tendency to see through things, through the nature of appearance to essential qualities. Since Snake Qi is naturally open and empty, it is natural for Snakes to reflect on life and on their situation, for their Qi display is in direct contrast with what society tells us. With training, this can lead to insight. But if Snakes are told from an early age that the world is solid, that people are real, that situations are concrete, and that they must “be somebody,” then they will fake it and pretend, while internally they may experience deep depression, resentment, and even fear. As it turns out, Reality can be frightening to glimpse. Imagine finding out that up and down are meaningless—this is called vertigo. My teacher calls this the “round world,” as opposed to the “square world.” In the round world, i.e. in Reality, we don’t have a leg to stand on; all concepts are relative, and nothing has any inherent meaning. If you do not grasp at solidity, then this realization liberates you, and emptiness becomes the source of much giggling. If you grasp, emptiness inspires terror, nihilism, and possibly suicidal tendencies. Snakes may feel that the world is meaningless, that everyone is a fake, that everything is make believe non-sense. And they may feel crazy because they see this and no one else does. Depleted, Snake Qi can turn to paranoia. If they are not taught to trust their insight, their vision into what lies beneath the surface, they can get into trouble. Seeing signs, hearing voices—all very Snakey, like Rabbit Qi in this sense. The truth is that there are voices—the universe is full of psychic static, and people project their thoughts and emotions all over the place with little discretion. While Rabbits tend to feel the emotional, energetic, embodied quality of this static, Snakes tend to see into the more “psychic” mental dimension of things. Snake Qi is transparent and clear, and Snakes are probably the most distant from the rich direct experience of the senses, embodied in Snake’s opposite, the Pig. Snakes can easily be disembodied and live in a flat mental world, which can turn to nihilism. They may mistrust the display of the world. On the other hand, this transparency offers insight. If Snakes go with their insight, they become wise. The Snake is synonymous with wisdom. On the surface, this wisdom comes from a natural observant quality, which comes from the Snakes impulse to lie still, wait, and watch. Snakes tend to observe and attend very closely to details, which lends to profound intelligence. On a deeper level, Snake wisdom is both visionary and philosophical. In Buddhism, wisdom is identical to śūnyatā, emptiness; they are synonymous. Emptiness is another blog, but at the deepest level, Snake Qi represents this side of reality. Snakes can be too smart for their own good, capable of immense calculation and planning. Of course, everyone can be intelligent, but Snake intelligence encapsulates the concept of genius. This kind of intelligence often goes hand and hand with depression. Snakes have the opposite of “ignorance is bliss.” Rather, Snake intelligence tends to obsess about how messed up the world is and about messed up they are themselves, leading to cynicism/skepticism, and very often depression. This depression does not need a cause, for Snake Qi is by nature depressed, sinking, and dark, energetically speaking. So, Snakes can appear moody and brooding. The Snake tendency towards depression can turn to self-loathing, however, especially if their intelligence is not put to more creative outlets. Intelligence can easily turn to hatred either at the world or at themselves. When Snakes are not successful, when they do not find an outlet for their vision, they can turn bitter and negative, criticizing everything and everyone, picking apart their own faults as well. Because of their visionary and creative qualities, Snakes make natural artists. Snakes want to leave the world behind. They want to follow their vision to the end and lose themselves beyond the horizon. They want to disappear. Snake Qi is a vision quest, a spirit journey into the unknown, the underworld. In their imagination, Snakes see through this world to others and realms beyond. They may even have tangible visions in their waking life. So, Snakes can be a bit weird, although others may never know, for Snakes are the best at hiding. Snakes must find a way to express this weirdness, especially through art/creativity. The challenge for the Snake is to go out into the beyond and come back. They must bring their vision back to the ordinary world and share it with others. Snakes are often inventive innovators, and Snake years often produce breakthroughs in society. Without art, the Snake has no way of communicating Reality as they experience it, whether through painting or poetry or film, Snakes communicate the dreamlike nature of reality, such as Pablo Picasso or Edgar Allen Poe (both Snakes). Snakes tend to be solitary and reclusive. All the Snakes I know, either by year or hour, tend to seek and enjoy time alone (of course everyone can), and some even dream of being hermits. Snakes take great pleasure when no one knows where they are or what they’re up to. Furthermore, they tend to be rather evasive, which is both positive and negative. The Snake tendency towards evasiveness can be a skill, knowing when to duck, avoid, and do nothing. To others, this evasive quality can appear distant, aloof, avoidant, and secretive. You’re never quite sure about them—think Snape from Harry Potter. Snake Qi is also very discrete, which again can appear both positive and negative. Spiritually, it is a very good idea to be discrete, humble; showing off and making a big flap about yourself can create many challenges. Snakes tend towards the opposite; they tend to be quiet, never revealing their real experience to anyone, even when that experience is profound. Being discrete is the Snake form of camouflage, hiding in plain sight. Since Snake Qi is Big Yin, and because its impulse is to disappear towards stillness and silence, Snakes are naturally calm, patient, and slow in their display. Chill is the word. Snake Qi is the opposite of scattered, and in its depleted state it can turn to laziness and lethargy. But in general, Snakes are relaxed and calm people; they have a big open capacity to host other people’s craziness. This calm nature can be called meditative. And many Snakes I know have a natural inclination towards meditation as an expression of their Qi, which also has an immense capacity for trance. The Yin Fire nature of the Snake is also hypnotizing and trance inducing. Think Snake charmers. Snakes have an alluring charm because of their mysteriousness. People want to figure them out, and Snakes love this, because they love avoiding and evading people’s attempts to figure them out, to pin them down. Snakes can play with this, and so they have a certain social capacity. They make great actors and can become anyone, like method acting. They can use this capacity for social advantage, which we call “Yin Power.” Yin Power is essentially manipulation, which is not inherently bad, although it can be used that way. It can be used for good too; like many Snake qualities, manipulation evades judgment…we’re just not sure about it. Ming once told a story of a friend who learned to speak Chinese by simply becoming the teacher, imitating his mannerisms, dress, body language, and so on. Monkeys have this capacity too. Rather than learn the language, this person just became someone who already knew it—very Snakey. Snakes can embody a social role for years, at work for example, even if it is not who they really are. They can work for years as a salesperson, and then one day become a carpenter. This changeability may sound bad, but not for Snakes necessarily, for they are unattached. Snakes can love and be fascinated by material things, and then sell everything they own without a second thought. Snake Qi loves to shed its skin, to change appearances, to transform, to drop attachments and move on. In the Chinese Tradition, the Snake, like the Rabbit, is associated with the practice of Inner Alchemy, refining our experience backward to Source. The ability to become anything, take on any form, when depleted, can turn helpless. Depleted, Snakes can feel empty, without inner and outer resources, unable to manifest things in the world. The tendency to not take the “real world” seriously, can appear to others as lack of ambition, but Snakes don’t really have ordinary worldly ambition; their ambitions in life tend to reflect a deeper impulse, which is most often just to understand this strange world of appearances, this ephemeral dance we’re all born into; Snakes are perplexed as to why everyone takes the life game so seriously. I mean why bother? Why bother constructing wealth and systems of value when everything falls apart? Of course, if a Fire Snake chooses to be successful, they can outdo everyone and make us all look like fools, but they would never believe in what they’re doing. Hopefully this does not sound too negative. But negativity must be available in the cycle of time. We must remember that in the Chinese View, there is no real negativity/evil, but there is Yin. And all Yin Characters represent the necessity of darkness in the cycle of time. Darkness, depression, destruction, and so on, must be available in Time, otherwise everything would grind to a halt. Of course, not all Snakes are depressed, but they do represent that tendency. The Snake symbol is rich and deep. In the collective imagination, Snakes conjure up primal, primordial, shamanic images, like Ouroboros, the Serpent eating its own tail. If you want to understand Snake Qi, simply look to these images, for they all speak the wisdom of the Snake. I hope you enjoyed and were thoroughly confused by this exposition of Snake Qi! Stay tuned as Snake turns to Horse.  Chinese Astrology and culture has a long-standing love affair with the Dragon, the mystical culmination of the Celestial Zodiac. During Dragon years, everyone in China tries to get pregnant. In the Chinese mind, the promise of a male Dragon son represents a potential for greatness unmatched in the other signs. For the Dragon has always been a symbol of the Emperor and the power of Heaven.
(To the Western mind, the Chinese preference for male children is, of course, problematic. A Fire Dragon daughter born in a small fishing village would have been considered too much trouble and would have most likely been “given back to the ancestors,” i.e. thrown down a well, and many Chinese families today still choose to abort Horse, Dragon, and Tiger daughters, especially the rebellious Fire types, for they are considered disruptions to society.) I have been looking forward to and dreading my exploration of Dragon Qi. I was born in a Metal Dragon hour, so I am half Dragon, for the year and the hour form the primary image of someone’s Qi Character/Signature. Therefore, I am excited to explore and share with you part of my own Character. Like the Tiger, studying the Dragon has been a great source of personal revelation, and I hope I can offer some of the insight gained from my self-reflection. When I first began studying this tradition, I did not account for Daylight Savings (a bane of Astrologers) and thought I was born in Snake Hour. Eventually, it occurred to me that some weird rule made up by Germans during WWI about setting the clocks back an hour was probably irrelevant to the Immortal Currents of Fate, so I shifted my chart back an hour and had to reassess my Character and Fate. An argument can be made that whatever the government writes down is your fate, which is a very Chinese idea. But, I have now done many readings in which the chart adjusted for Daylight Savings is clearly more accurate, including my own, so I stick with the adjustment. I had convinced myself that I was half Snake, and it took a lot of self-reflection to accept the Dragon. I have always been quiet, introverted, and gentle. The powerful dynamic image of the Metal Dragon did not seem to fit, especially with my primary Character, the Tiger, which is a potentially catastrophic combination, sort of like strapping a rocket (Dragon) into a slingshot (Tiger) like Wile E. Coyote. But after a thorough study of the Dragon, I have come to accept this side of myself and embrace it as part of my potential, and I will share my expression of Dragon Qi as we go. Although I may be reserved/reluctant in my expression, I am not in my energy, and that was the difference—I was confusing nature with nurture. Since a young age, I have learned to repress/suppress my energy in many ways, and I misidentified my Qi because of this. I now work to unleash my Dragon nature, within reason, for I have a ridiculous Qi capacity that, quite frankly, scares me. The only famous person I have encounter so far with a similar combination is Che Guevara, an Earth Dragon born in Fire Dragon Month on a Wood Tiger Day in a Fire Tiger Hour, which is a bit scary. I have an Earth Dragon friend born in Tiger hour, and he and I are basically the same dude. Fearing my own nature, I have worked very hard since I was young to manage it, because I recognized right away that it was potentially destructive, but like Che Guevara, it is also revolutionary. When I am at my best, the Dragon comes out, and I love this side of myself and, in many ways, prefer it to the Tiger. I dread discussing the Dragon because it cannot be defined. Whenever I do readings for Dragons or Snakes, I throw my hands up and say “?!” As the mystical Yin-Yang culmination at the center of the Zodiac, the Dragon and Snake are defined by being ineffable, characterized by their unknowable quality, but in different ways. The Snake is Big Yin, emptiness, and the Dragon is Big Yang, fullness. The Snake represents the inner open capacity to become any of the other 11 without being them, but the Dragon actually is all 11 Characters embodied. The symbol of the Dragon, then, is a synthesis. If you look at depictions of the Chinese Dragon you will see that it is a composite of every animal. According to tradition, it is said to have the whiskers of the Rat, the face and horns of the Ox, the claws and teeth of the Tiger, the belly of the Rabbit, the body of the Snake, the legs of the Horse, the goatee of the Goat, the wit (or brain) of the Monkey, the crest of the Rooster, the ears of the Dog, and the snout of the Pig. The Dragon is the only animal of the 12 capable of flight, an important part of the symbol, and yet it is rarely depicted with wings, for its ability to fly is super natural. It is the only supernatural animal in the group, and people question its existence. But the Chinese never questioned the existence of Dragons because everyone knew they were controlling the weather and water. Dragons were thought to be behind the clouds, causing storms, floods, and rain. If you could ride to the source of a great storm or flood, then maybe you could see one and earn the title “Dragon.” The synthesis of all 11 into the supernatural Dragon represents infinite potential, which is the first and most important thing we can say about Dragons. Dragon Qi is said to have the qualities, capacities, and skills of all 11 and the power to express all or none of them if they choose, sort of like the 9 on the enneagram. The Dragon can choose to deny its potential, which is why Dragons need a path. Their infinite potential is meaningless to the Chinese unless it is turned away from selfishness and towards self-reflection, dedicated to the benefit of others. Ming used to say that each Character is like a tool box with a specific set of tools/skills, but the Dragon tool box just has a Dragon in it. In other words, we don’t know what Dragons are for. They are a paradox outside the paradigm, and often they are an enigma to their friends and family. The Snake is an enigma even to themselves, but Dragons, while mysterious, are often very self-confident and assured, which is part of what baffles people about them. Historically, the Dragon is a symbol of the Emperor and the Rising Sun to the East, the ruling power of Heaven from an unknown mystical origin. Because of their potential, Dragons were considered great leaders, capable of the biggest most inclusive view with the most compassion. So, it is easy to understand why the Chinese revere the Dragon and the Emperor. There is a mountain of lore around the Dragon symbol, but let’s get into the Character. I will do my best to make this specific, but again, Dragons may be all or none of this, and the uncultivated Dragon may be a mess of everything all at once, unable to make sense of themselves. The Dragon’s native element is Yang Earth, which is also shared by Dragon’s opposite, the Dog. They each express the virtues of Yang Earth in different ways. For the Dragon, Yang Earth represents flight—the ability to break away from the Earth, symbolizing the Dragon’s capacity to see and travel beyond. The Dog represents territory and the ability to intuit, cover, and protect the terrain. Yang Earth represents manifestation, confidence, alliance, leadership, wealth, abundance, balance, caring, and power—yang expressions as opposed to the Yin aspects of Earth (nourishing, mothering, stabilizing, supporting, etc.) By nature, the Dragon has these capacities, but often has difficulty expressing them without training. And of course, each Elemental Dragon has their own challenges. Dragons can have a difficult time expressing their greatness in a mature and grounded way because of the expansive nature of Dragon Qi. If there is one thing we can say about Dragon Qi—it is big, sometimes too big. Dragon Qi is pervasive and expansive. It is Big Yang exploding out into heaven, into the sky, seeking to fly beyond and above all boundaries. In myself, I feel this as an outward expanding “bigness,” hard to put into words. This bigness, in my view, is what tends to give Dragons characteristics we can talk about, which they otherwise transcend. The transcendent quality of the Dragon makes them natural mystics, and often people with Dragon Qi are interested in spiritual occult traditions, especially those with extraordinary cosmologies. The way Dragons experience themselves and the universe is just too big for ordinary views. To me, Bruce Lee was the quintessential Dragon (Metal Dragon born in Earth Dragon Hour), and his life was a demonstration of the mystical power of Dragon Qi. Dragons see through and beyond ordinary appearances like the Snake, but unlike the Snake, their powerful expansive Qi pushes them towards action. Dragons want to go beyond and actualize their potential, and they can go further than any other sign. If a Dragon chooses to leave the world, they will never be seen again; if they choose to embrace the world, they go into it deeply and lose themselves in the service of greatness. So now we get into key words. And like last time, I am going to discuss the key words in charged/depleted pairs. Remember, each positive virtue of a Character has a flipside when we become depleted. The first is strong or powerful. The Yang Earth Character of the Dragon has a strength unmatched by any of the other 11 Characters. Dragon strength is different than say Ox or Horse strength. Ox strength represents the capacity to carry, maintain, and endure, and horse strength represents the power to manifest, work, and accomplish, but Dragon strength is not related to any specific capacity and is better represented by the power of a great storm, the strength of nature unleashed. We marvel at the strength of nature, and we respect and fear its destructive side. The power of water, when harvested by a dam, can generate immense energy, yet uncontrolled, a tidal wave can demolish a town. We do not consider tidal waves evil, yet we mourn and fear nature’s destruction. In the same way, Dragon strength is immense, raw, wild and can be destructive, but like the dam it can be harnessed for good. This strength, the explosive Yang, can turn to profound compulsiveness. Dragon Qi can be overwhelming, and Dragons can be a handful, bundles of energy that need channels in which to flow lest they flow everywhere. Like Tiger Qi, Dragon Qi has an explosive outward moving quality, symbolized by flight, that can propel Dragons toward uncontrolled action and reaction. This compulsive strength can be physical, mental, or emotional and can manifest as patterns of unruly behavior or speech, speaking freely and challenging everyone and every idea as a demonstration of power, especially Fire Dragons. In general, Dragons need an outlet where they can demonstrate their strength otherwise they will destroy themselves. The strength of the Dragon feels very natural and becomes a kind of confidence, not necessarily social confidence but self-assuredness and confidence in view. Dragons know they’re right. Other Characters have this too, Roosters for example, but the Rooster arrives at confidence through analysis. The Dragon does no analysis; we’re born assured and cannot be convinced otherwise. I may whine and complain, but I know why I was born and the world just doesn’t fit into my plan; since I was born I have had a big grandiose vision. The problem is that nothing can live up to the Dragon’s vision, so it is hard for us to come back down to Earth. Dragons feel like they’re the rulers of the universe, masters of destiny, the most capable, the smartest, the best, and so on. With training, we can be, but often, this self-assured confidence is over-confident and all talk, what we call “delusions of grandeur.” So, Dragons are often very selfish and “egotistical” in the ordinary sense. Dragons often feel like royalty, like everything should be given to them, like they’re already awesome and should be rewarded justly. We may even have low self-esteem, but that’s because people just don’t get how awesome we are, so it’s their fault not ours, or so we think. We can be attention hungry and expect others to acknowledge us regardless of what we do. The Dragon can be so confident in their abilities that they never actually work to do anything. Often, we need big reality checks, to “eat humble pie,” and we need to put in the time and effort to master something. And when we do, this natural confidence in our abilities can be actualized and taken to great heights like Bruce Lee. Dragons, therefore, possess a natural charisma. Something about their power, confidence, and ineffability becomes enigmatic and impressive to others. To me, Patrick Steward, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, a Metal Dragon and fantastic Shakespearean actor, is a great example of the Dragon charisma. He exudes a natural confidence. Dragons are a mystery to others and defy labels. At their best, Dragons love showmanship and can be flamboyant and outgoing. I have never been outgoing in an extroverted sense, but when I am “unleashed,” put into a situation where I can demonstrate my abilities, I can be very charismatic and authoritative. Dragons often have big personalities, even if that personality is introverted. The outgoing nature of the Dragon is based on a kind of ambition and adventurous spirit. Grand is the only scale Dragons work with. We have a big, broad, expansive, and inclusive vision, the capacity to see a panoramic picture. Philosophically, the Dragon has a view/insight no other Character is capable of and can fly out beyond the clouds. Dragons seek grand Peter Pan style adventure. Small goals and narrow ideas seem insignificant, unimportant—why bother? Dragons have a tremendous capacity for fantasy and envision themselves to be great magnanimous beings; we take the whole “I want to grow up to be an astronaut” to ridiculous proportions. We may live in a fantasy world in which we are invincible and infallible. I have only ever been interested in big lofty spiritual goals and, sorry, nothing in this world can live up to my aspiration to be liberated for the benefit of all beings. A personal vision may not necessarily be defined, but Dragons feel destined for greatness. Living in the clouds, fantasizing of greatness, Dragons can appear aloof and distant, difficult for others to connect with. On the flipside, we are unrealistic. Nothing can live up to the Dragon’s scale. It is hard for Dragons to sweat the small stuff, to pay attention to details. Dragons are a telescope looking out to the stars, not a microscope. We can be unrealistic with everything—our own abilities, our plans, our expectations of others. Dragons are also dramatic. We can make a big deal out of small things because big is how we roll. When things don’t go our way, and when things fall short of expectations, Dragons are sarcastic drama queens. The feeling of bigness, too, can lead to being insensitive, blunt, and unconcerned with people’s feelings, except for our own, of which we “make mountains of mole hills.” The power and self-assuredness of the Dragon can be assertive, willful, confident, dedicated, and demanding. Dragons demand the best from themselves and from others and tend to assert and insist upon their opinion, which is both a virtue and a challenge. To be a leader, one must be assertive and able to make decisions, and the Dragon is the most skillful leader and should not be put in subordinate positions. They thrive in leadership roles, but without feet on the ground, they can fly over the little guy. Once the Dragon has developed their heart, their assertive willfulness can accomplish greatness for better or worse, like Che Guevara. If turned toward the spiritual path, this capacity to assert will power, to connect to the Yang expression of Heaven, can be unparalleled. A great example of this is the late teacher and Earth Dragon Swami Rudrananda, otherwise known as Rudi. His book, Spiritual Cannibalism, is a fantastic exposition of Dragon Qi applied to the spiritual path. Rudi had titanic willpower and dedication, and he taught people to essentially “eat” and be nourished by everything as energy, to become what Tantra calls a viśvaboghi, a digester of the universe. Unfortunately, not many people possess Rudi’s willpower and fall short of his example (this includes most of his students teaching today). Not everyone can live up to the Dragon’s vision, but he was inspiring nonetheless. The final positive virtue I will offer of the Dragon is generosity. It may sound like Dragons have a lot of potentially challenging qualities, but we must remember that they have unlimited potential. The Dragon can display all virtues to the grandest scale. Dragon Qi is big and overflows all boundaries, which naturally turns to generosity. The flipside we discussed is selfishness, but the Dragon can give and demonstrate tremendous sacrifice for others. Of any sign, the Dragon is the most likely to die for others or for a cause. I must reiterate again that Dragon Qi is a paradox that cannot be defined other than to say it is unlimited Yang creative potential. The qualities I have discussed are merely an attempt to discuss what happens when Dragon Qi is confined in human Character. Dragons can be anything or nothing if they choose, and they represent a culmination of the Zodiac, everything rolled into one, exploding out. My Mantic Arts teacher, Liu Ming, wrote a book on the stages of human spiritual development called Dragon’s Play. In the book, the Dragon represents the twelfth and final stage of human life, the greatest expression of Yang Qi and human potential—the Rainbow Light Body, Ja lü in Tibetan, Prakāśakāya/Tejokāya in Sanskrit, and Hóngshēn in Chinese. In Daoist and Tantric cultivation, a practitioner of the Way is said to draw all of creation into their heart or navel creating a “cosmic egg/immortal fetus,” an expression of ultimate Yin, the return to Source. The result of Ultimate Yin turns to Ultimate Yang, which is the Dragon, ultimate freedom bursting from the Egg, light flowing freely and consciously into all dimensions, consciously becoming the Universe, which other people witness as a display of Light. The Dragon is the primordial gesture of the Dao itself, the demonstration of Source Qi’s power to become everything, which all humans are destined for. This may sound fantastic, but of course, everyone, every Character has this potential too; it is not limited to Dragons. Dragons are just a symbol of our unlimited potential. Dragon Characters need a path otherwise this potential is meaningless. Above all, Dragons need training; we need a path, but we must never be controlled. Dragons must be left alone to follow their own way, or they will eat you. Dragons, like Rabbits, exemplify the relationship between Character and Fate. An Earth Dragon born in the ghetto with no opportunity to demonstrate their leadership capacity might become a gang leader, go to prison, and be king inmate. A Dragon born without major obstacles and challenges will most like destroy themselves; their strength demands "big" Fate. The Five Dragons each demonstrate a different flavor of Dragon Qi, the Wood Dragon (Laughing Dragon) being the most creative and light hearted, the Fire Dragon (Sky Dragon) the most challenging and explosive, the Earth Dragon (Yielding Dragon) the most grounded and regal, the Metal Dragon (Angry Dragon) the most powerful and articulate, and the Water Dragon (Rain Dragon) the most nurturing and mystical. I hope you enjoyed this exposition of Dragon Qi. Stay tuned as I attempt to discuss the other ineffable Character, the mystical Snake, Big Yin, the sorcerer philosopher.  Hello Astrology Fans! I have finished a month long retreat/training in Traditional Kuṇḍalinī-Hatha Yoga, which I am excited to share, and I am sitting here in a café in Chiang Mai, Thailand, also excited to continue my Blog. I apologize for the long silence, but such is the nature of retreat. When last we left off, I explored the Character of Tiger Qi, which is my own Character. As promised, we now move forward as Tiger changes to Rabbit.
Like the Ox, I feel close to Rabbit Qi, for so many of my friends were born in the Lunar Year of 1987, the Year of the Fire Rabbit. Rabbit Qi opens us into a dimension of experience we have not yet explored, a dimension unique among the 12 Animals—what we can call “intuition.” When studying the cycle of 12, we must remember that each Animal transforms into the next in a meaningful, although non-linear, way. The cycle is a whirlwind, centripetal and centrifugal, a tornado of energy, which flows in a kind of lopsided pattern. If the Ox represents strength, tolerance, and continuity, and the Tiger represents an escape from continuity, through rebellion, creativity, and change, then the Rabbit represents the result of the Tiger’s impulsive revolutionary bluster, which is a kind of raw, open, vulnerable sensitivity, represented by the Rabbit’s native element—Yin Wood. Yin Wood is innocence, spontaneity, flexibility, renewal, humility, gentleness, sensitivity, subordination, and potentiality. While Yang Wood represents a naïve impulsive force to come into being, Yin Wood demonstrates the outcome of that force, which is exposed, raw, tender, but with great creative potential, like a sprout emerging from the earth, ready to grow into a mighty oak. The Tiger represents the brave and daring impulse of the sprout to arise at all into the danger of the world, and the Rabbit is the tender shoot needing protection and nurturing to thrive. The Tiger represents a necessary rebellion against stagnation, and the insight of the Rabbit understands that rules (Ox) must have intuition if they are to be free of stagnation. Revolution cannot be sustained (hence the Tiger’s struggle) and should end with a refreshed look at things, and we call this the Rabbit. The Rabbit sees into and understands the Tiger’s rebellion with a kind of empathy that is beyond the Tiger’s grasp, which is why it is the natural outcome of Tiger Qi. The mystical state (Tiger) needs heart (Rabbit). When this succeeds, the outcome is the Dragon, which is unlimited potential. In the Chinese View, the qualities of the Rabbit are best described by the term “Lunar,” and the history of the Rabbit as a symbol comes from the Moon. The Chinese call the Moon Tai Yin, which just means Great Yin, so Rabbits are obviously very Yin. When the Chinese look at the Moon, they see a Rabbit. Americans see cheese, or something, but the Chinese see a Rabbit. In other words, Rabbits are lunar creatures; they come from the moon and are seen as manifestations of moonlight. Rabbits were, therefore, revered, and it was considered very bad luck to harm or eat them. It is surprising how rarely they were eaten, since the ancient Chinese ate nearly everything else. This says something very important about the Rabbit—that they should be protected and revered for what they offer. Daoist alchemists saw the Rabbit as being/producing an elixir of longevity, a nectar from the bardo of night turning to day, from mist and moonlight. The Rabbit, therefore, became of symbol of the inner world, or Nei, associated with Nei Dan or Nei Gong, the practices of Internal Alchemy. The Rabbit rules the dawn, from 5 am to 7 am, and these Lunar creatures are most active during this crepuscular hour. To understand Rabbit Qi, simply take a walk in the woods at 6 am. The energy is gentle, vibrant, soft, and transparent. For the dawn is a time of transition. Light emerges, and we awake, emerging from the subconscious, and dreams cross into our waking reality. The lunar image of the Rabbit represents their strong need to escape the light of day, their fear of confrontation, a symbol of the delicate, sensitive, and vulnerable nature of Rabbit Qi. And while this may sound “weak” to some, the Chinese Tradition insists that weakness is very important. Some Characters are strong; some are weak, and each contributes something very important to society. Traditional Chinese Medicine diverged from Roman Medicine based on this very principal. Around the turn of the Common Era, the main form of medicine around the world was bleeding, which was a very strong treatment that often killed the weak. Romans responded by saying, “good; the weak are unworthy Roman citizens.” The Chinese, on the other hand, said, “wait; perhaps weak people are sensitive and have something to offer society that strong people overlook.” So the bleeding needles became smaller; the treatments became weaker, and according to some, acupuncture developed as a natural outcome of earlier more forceful bleeding treatments. (Side note—at the turn of the Common Era, the Chinese were already well aware of circulation, whereas the Romans had special chairs that leaned to tip your blood out; the West did not discover circulation until quite recently by comparison. In my opinion, our medicine is still very Roman.) The instinct to preserve sensitive people is a Rabbit instinct, and Chinese Medicine is “sensitive” or weak medicine and proud of it. Western Medicine is “strong,” and sees nothing strange about hack-sawing people’s sternums open and pulling their lungs out. Nor do they see anything wrong with poisoning people as the main form of treatment (pharmaceuticals). In my eyes, the Rabbit is a symbol of Chinese Medicine, for it represents the sensitive, intuitive, and gentle approach to life. Energetically, the Rabbit is submerged in the “subconscious” stream flowing beneath everything, a mumbling dialogue our energy has with itself, a constant flow of imagination, and a smooth flow of emotional response going on all the time. Rabbits are like an exposed wire, picking up on signals invisible to the rest of us. This raw exposed quality has many interesting manifestations in terms of Character, but before we discuss these in key terms, we must look deeper into the symbol of the actual animal itself—think bunnies. The Rabbit or Hare is very small and soft, and they’re not predators capable of defending themselves, so they hide, a symbol of their fragility and paranoia. They are the prey, and anything can come to eat them. They often live in burrows or bushes, a symbol of being beneath, hidden, submerged in the subconscious stream, protected from the light. The burrow also represents the Rabbit’s “nesting instinct,” which manifests in their need for safety and security. They have big sensitive ears, like satellites picking up on frequencies all around them. They live in communal families (Water Ship Down anyone?), a symbol of their social nature and of the importance of relationships to Rabbit Qi. Finally, despite their delicate appearance, they have powerful hind legs and are capable of being absolutely vicious if back into a corner. All of these symbols will become clear as we go through the key terms. That being said, in order to understand the Rabbit, we must understand its social instinct, which we call “dependent.” Above all, Rabbit Qi is vulnerable yet profound in its intuitive capacity, so Rabbits seek safety, protection, alliance, and stability in the form of “home.” When the Rabbit feels safe, secure, and has a tribe/circle of close friends, or a strong protector/partner, or they own their own home, then they shine; they become the Dragon—powerful and dynamic leaders with insight and heart, capable and successful. If Rabbits have strong sibling or parental guardians, they can learn their power early in life. If they are hurt or alone they close off, put up armor, and their intuitive gifts are often repressed and come out as defensive and vicious. Not only do Rabbits need good protection as children, but they need an environment that nurtures their intuition. A Rabbit child may be sitting in math class and start channeling spirits from the hills behind the school, drawn to go outside or sing or paint. Instead, they get told to shut up, sit still, and listen. They then internalize and go into their own world, unable to cope with math class. Distracted, they get a D and get told they're stupid. If this happens enough, a Rabbit can close off and not recover their intuition until much later in life if ever. So the first key term is gentle. The gentle quality of Rabbit people is not always apparent, especially with Fire Rabbits, and this has a lot to do with their childhoods, family circumstances, and current relationships. In their nature though, Rabbits are sweet, kind, nice, and peace loving. Most Rabbits I meet, or people born in Rabbit Hour, have a good natured sweetness to them that I find immediately apparent, but sometimes this sweetness is lying under the surface and comes out only after they trust you. Conversely, at their worst, Rabbits turn vicious. Energetically, they are like bunnies, so people think they can do anything they want to them or in front of them. They are more often than not the victims of trauma and abuse. Because of their sweet and timid nature, Rabbits can remain frozen, scared, and take abuse for a long time until it becomes intolerable, in which case they often lash out and end their abuse/suffering in vicious and violent ways. I often say, hell hath no fury like a Rabbit scorned. Ming used to say, “Watch out for those hind legs!” When they’re hurt, Rabbits have a potential for darkness far beyond the other signs. Rabbits are usually quiet by nature, for they are always listening and can’t help it, which is symbolized by the big ears. Rabbits feel at home being hidden, quiet, listening to the ethers. Ming was once interpreting for a Tibetan Lama when a student came back from retreat. The Lama asked, “How was your meditation?” The student replied, “It was amazing; by the second month, my mind was so quiet, I could hear the thinking of the people in the town below me!” This is a very Rabbit response…now I can hear everyone! On the flipside, being quiet and humble by nature can turn to being a gossipy chatterbox. Rabbits can have a profound capacity for talking, which comes from being slightly nervous all the time. Relaxed and in their power, Rabbits feel no need to speak and are natural listeners, but when out of their element and vulnerable, they tend to speak uncontrollably, trying to get a handle on the situation. I recently met a 5 year old Metal Rabbit, who although sweet as could be, was so skittish and nervous that he never stopped asking questions, as if trying to understanding everything and pin down his environment. Furthermore, since Rabbits are socially dependent in nature, they can use speech and gossip as a tool for manipulation, talking people up and down in order to gain advantage. Rabbits hate confrontation of all kinds, but when back into a corner, they can retaliate with the nastiest most hurtful vitriol you have ever heard. The positive flipside of this, then, is that Rabbits can be incredibly sweet, supportive, and loving. Rabbits, by nature, are supportive and caring friends, partners, lovers, and parents. The Rabbit is perhaps the most “domestic” of the 12 Animals. Rabbit Qi seeks to nest, to nurture, and to create a loving and supportive environment in which they and others can thrive. I can’t tell you how many Rabbits I know who have become kindergarten/elementary school teachers. From birth, Rabbits possess a strong social drive to create family and friendship, to bond with others and create tribe/clan, and to belong to and feel part of a group or community. In their hearts, they are not loners, although when in pain they can hide from the world as not to be seen or hurt again. When Rabbits find their home, their tribe, they thrive and become great leaders or successful entrepreneurs. Empowered, Rabbits are among the most authoritative and confident of the 12 Animals, which is how Rabbit turns to Dragon. Early in life Rabbits often seek a stable base to get “security” taken care of. They can often appear very independent to others, but as soon as they have a protector, a guardian, a home base, something to rely on, they lose their independent nature and become dependent so they can let their other gifts, which need support, come forward. To others, the Rabbit can appear deceptive and lazy, but this is a very lopsided “American” understanding—that everyone needs to be a rugged independent individual. Rabbits yearn to let go of their independence to merge with family, friends, lovers, and so on, in order to offer their big squishy hearts. Others often become dependent on them for nurturing and emotional support, which is part of the Rabbit gift. Rabbits have a powerful even mystical connection to objects, especially those related to the home—furniture, clothing, cookware, and so on. They love to “feather their nests” and often collect material possessions. They derive nourishment from things/stuff. A Rabbit will make home wherever they go. Travelling, they may bring their power objects and set up a cozy warm environment in a hotel room for the night (Pigs do this too). This connection with objects is related to the Rabbit’s heightened sense of aesthetics. Rabbits are creative designers with a natural sense of Feng Shui, the auspice of placement. This aesthetic sensibility lends to a deep appreciate of the nature of beauty, which offers artistic depth to the Rabbit sweetness. Rabbits are naturally intuitive and empathetic. We can also call this subliminal or subconscious. Rabbits are like a radar dish; internally they are open receivers. Rabbits can walk into a room and immediately feel everything going on. They can sense everyone’s mood, their body language; they intuitively perceive all the unconscious signals people put out through their “energy.” A Rabbit might actually see your Aura. Obviously, this has positive and negative consequences. Positively speaking, Rabbits have an unusual capacity to feel, to empathize, and their intuition, when properly trained, gives them tremendous emotional intelligence and insight into others/the world. On the other hand, it is very easy to mistake intuition for wisdom—they are not the same thing. There is a lot of “static” in the universe, most of which is just psychic garbage floating around. The subconscious ethers, the invisible world of ghosts and spirits, the hum of negative habitual emotional facilitation that people emit all the time without knowing it—Rabbits feel all of this more than the other signs. If their vulnerability is exposed to too many influences, their intuition can go haywire from too much “noise.” Rabbits cannot shut down their intuition. They really should not live in cities, places where there is too much activity, data, noise, pollution, people, and so on. If the apartment building they live in has too much thinking, they can go crazy and not know why. This sensitivity is often embodied, which can lead to all kinds of allergies. They can be affected by minute changes in the weather. In general, they should live somewhere dull. It may seem unusual to channel a nature spirit, but actually it isn’t. A Rabbit may easily go into a trance and channel a nature spirit, and others may think this is profound, and Rabbits may think so too. But anyone who has seen into the spirit world can tell you that it is absolutely full of useless, dumb, confused, greedy, and hungry spirits milling around all over the place that will appear as anything in order to feed on your Kidney Qi. It may seem “special” to be a trance medium, but actually, you’re just lunch. It is, of course, possible to be a wise medium, but this takes a lot of training, which is the purpose of Daoism. Daoism is basically ritual training to manage the spirit world. Rabbits are natural Daoists, and should receive this training early on, so they don’t become lunch. Practically speaking, Rabbits are often lunch for other people. Just like most disembodied spirits are looking to feed on others, so are most people who are not self-possessed. Rabbits are easy prey to aggressive people looking to dominate and feed on others. Because Rabbits want to merge and depend, they easily attach to the wrong people. Relationships of all kinds are crucial for the Rabbit. They need training to be self-possessed, and they need to be very careful about who they choose to let in. If a healthy Rabbit lets you into their world, you should feel blessed, because they are the greatest support. The receptivity of the Rabbit makes them the most susceptible to paranoia, schizophrenia, anxiety, nervous disorders, and so on. Rabbits can be scattered, twitchy, and they can constantly feel threatened. Rabbits need training in their emotional intelligence from an early age, otherwise they can become “weird,” even crazy. In traditional terms, they are the most susceptible to possession, for they hear the voices of the Ancestors, and can perceive ghosts/demons more than other signs, especially as children. If they have good training, they make amazing counselors, teachers, guides, social workers, and they love serving and supporting others. The Rabbit’s health and well being has everything to do with how they handle their emotional facilitation. An uneven flow of emotion is the ground of all their illness and compromises their immune system. If they undergo surgery, for example, and the nurse says something terrible before they go under, there will be complications in the surgery. If they feel that the surgeon “understands them,” the surgery will go perfectly no matter what happens. It is important to understand that Rabbits do not “think” this way; it is the nature of their Qi. They’re vulnerable. Rabbits possess an amazing social charm; they can be incredibly seductive and sexy, mesmerizing and alluring, and they can appear as a kind of “prize” to others wanting to “catch” them (men and women of course; Brad Pitt is a Rabbit). This skill comes from their social instinct, and at their best, Rabbits bring out the best in others, bringing people together and inspiring them. At their worst, this social skill is opportunistic, and they use their charm to gain advantage over others socially. They can manipulate and control others, especially with their sexuality. Rabbits are by nature one of the most sexual signs (Rabbits can reproduce like crazy in the wild), and they can use their sexual power as a tool of leverage over others as another way to gain security. The need to be safe, if driven unconsciously by fear, can turn Rabbits into superficial snobs who will do anything just to secure a partner or good social standing. Rabbits are by nature full of love; they are diverse and accepting of everyone. They are unique in their emotional intelligence and empathy. And their intuition is a beautiful gift. Anyone born during Rabbit Hour as well has this capacity. Rabbits also teach us a lot about the central relationship between Character and Fate in Chinese Astrology. Rabbits have amazing potential, and yet they’re delicate and have no built in “muscle,” so their blooming in life is very dependent upon the circumstances of Fate. If a Rabbit has good fated relationships with partners, family, and Feng Shui, then they bloom. If their relationships are haunted, then they tend to be held back and can become very self destructive. If Rabbits are hurt or feel unsafe, they will do anything including take their own life. Rabbits have the potential to go darker than any other sign, which most people do not want to talk about, but I will say it again: hell hath no fury like a Rabbit scorned. So Fate for Rabbits is very important. Rabbits also bloom when they have modest or gentle fate. A Rabbit born with big Fate to be president is most certainly an affliction. Free of Fate, Rabbits can definitely go into the category of mystic, for they have a tremendous capacity for self-cultivation. In terms of the Five Rabbits, Wood Rabbits are the most natural and the most vulnerable, probably the sweetest and most sensitive of all 60 signs. Fire Rabbits are the most independent, stubborn, and angsty—the teenage Rabbit. Earth/Metal Rabbits are the most mature, secure, and stable, the least Rabbity Rabbits. And the Water Rabbits are beyond profound, mystical, yet they are perhaps the most troubled and paranoid. Hopefully, this gives you a window into the depth of Rabbit Qi, the stream beneath appearances. Stay tuned, as Rabbit turns to Dragon, the mystical synthesis of the Zodiac. |
Tiger's Play--the View Teachings of Chinese AstrologyThis page is your source for pithy articles on the view teachings of Chinese Astrology. Here, I will share everything I have learned about how to follow Astrology as a spiritual path. Archives
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