Natural Living: Happy Chinese New Year!

The Chinese New Year always lands on the second new moon following the winter solstice and with it brings the start of the spring festival in Asian cultures. This year we will welcome the new Lunar Year on Jan. 28, bringing forth the mighty Fire Rooster and leaving behind the lively energy of the Fire Monkey.

The Rooster represents the 10th year in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac. Like the houses of the zodiac in Western astrology, the animals of Chinese astrology are thought by many to dictate one’s personality traits and in the big picture even impact world events in any year they rule. If you were born in one of these years: 1919, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005 and 2017, you’re a Rooster, but keep in mind the Chinese lunar calendar differs from ours so if you were born at the beginning of the year, double check your sign — you may be on the cusp. If you’re not a Rooster, the energies of the Fire Rooster will still affect you this year.

The Rooster is a grounded, practical and organized animal that likes to plan and take calculated risks if it suits them well, unlike the Monkey who’s full of surprises and is unpredictable. What this means for 2017 is you’ll want to plan ahead and be organized. Start to think about what goals you would like to accomplish and what you want to achieve this year. A great way to put this into action is to do a vision board. I will guide you through the process of making a vision board next week.

The Rooster is often the leader and commands the respect of all the hens, creating a perfect platform for one to take responsibility for the direction of their own life. The year of the Yin Fire Rooster has also been labeled the year of awakenings as the Rooster embodies the hero, the guardian, and the protector of life. Think about the cock-a-doodle-doos that “awake” all the animals in the morning and prepare for this in your life, with hard work and patience great awakening will come.

This is a year of a much needed walk-up call for us all to evaluate what’s happening around the world and in our own environment. We need to assess what in our lives needs to be transformed and how we can be the change we would like to see in this beautiful world. This is also a yin year, which gives the year 2017 a feminine quality, making it important to follow you intuition and instincts.

How you handle the coming year is largely a matter of harmonizing your own nature with this Rooster energy. Preparing yourself for what’s ahead and grounding oneself will help you achieve your goals, while keeping the Rooster energy in balance. Set your intentions for an amazing 2017 Year of the fire Rooster and feel the rewards.

Xinnian Kuaile! (Happy New Year)!