Chinese New Year 2025 - the Wood Snake - What's in Store for You

2025 is the year of the Wood Snake.  

Wood Snake is the Yin counterpart to the Yang Wood Dragon.  Meaning, this year will be similar to 2024, but not as ... intense.  

We'll continue shedding our old skin - habits that no longer serve us; relationships that have grown stale; and firmly-held beliefs that just aren't true anymore.  

The Snake is - in and of itself - a Fire element animal.  It's one of my favorites.  

In Chinese astrology, the Snake is kind of like a shaman.  It's spiritual, mystical, and a channel of divine inspiration (fire element characteristics).  Snakes can fall into a trance and not realize it. 

This is how it was explained to me: 

A Snake year (or month/day/hour) person can spend a long time trying to understand something, but just not 100% getting it. 

Then, suddenly, it's like they receive a download from the Universe, and they have it.  

Snake people make good teachers, priests, under-cover agents, actors, or voices of authority.  

The qualities of Wood are - 

• Renewal - Wood people tend to have at least one time in their life when they have to start over.  And they're good at that.  
• Growth - in the 5 stages of life, Wood is Youth.  
• Flexibility - Wood can bend, but unless the pressure is too high, it doesn't break.  
• Ambition - a sapling wants to grow into a tree; a Wood person wants to achieve something.
• Knowledge - for Growth and Ambition, acquiring Knowledge is part of the Wood person's quest. 
• Mimicry - Wood people are often actors!  (someone with a lot of Wood in their chart --> Brad Pitt)  Wood people have an active imagination and a love of the arts.  
• Gentleness - Wood people are usually really nice.  They forget easily, and therefore generally forgive.  

And of course, the not-so-good qualities of Wood:

• Quick to anger - Wood relates to the Liver and the emotion of anger.
• Naivete - that youthfulness...
• Apathy - they can be so easy-going, it can border on "why bother?"
• Addictive - Wood relates to the Liver in TCM.  Wood people can have an addictive personality.

Famous Wood Snakes:  Ben Stiller, Sarah Jessica Parker, Rob Zombie, Shania Twain, Michael Bay, Andy Dick, Charlie Sheen, Viola Davis, Kevin James, Chris Rock, John C Reilly, Brooke Shields, Martin Lawrence, and Robert Downey Jr. 

This is also the 2nd year of a new-ish 20-year cycle - Period 9. 

(There are 9 total, so the next one, in 2044 will be Period 1.)

The past 20 years, period 8, are signified by the "young male."  This fits, right?  Technology and instant gratification.  Young, masculine energy is independent and sometimes wild, unpredictible.  There's been a lot of focus on accepting people, and yet still a lot of criticism when people do show up as they are.  Sometimes it's just plain noisy!

Period 9 energy is that of the middle-aged woman. 

I've heard it referred to as "Auntie" energy, or the "white tiger."  

This is exciting!  Of course, America is lagging behind some other countries in this arena... But I think we can get caught up.  I like to stay optimistic for the future.  Or else what?  Be sad for the next 4 years?!  

So what does Auntie energy look like? 

• We finally talk about menopause like it's NORMAL
• We finally talk about periods like they're NORMAL
• Leadership based on wisdom, not being part of an elite group
• Flashy looks or snarky comebacks no longer dictate our mood
• Slowing down and breathing; self-care; cooking good food 

Letting go of the old "skin" is scary.  Change is scary!  

I recently gave up something I've been doggedly pursuing the last 4 years.  I was ramming my head against the wall (figuritively), fighting my way upstream (again, figuritively), to seemingly no avail. 

Finally, I gave up.  Which was no small feat.  More like de-feat.  

But then, something strange happened.  I felt .... happy. 

I felt free!  

I got back into writing more.  I started writing a book a few years ago, then stopped because, when I read it, it was shit.  No, really, it was bad, lol.  

But I've started fresh.  Reading what I've wrote in the last month is exciting.  It's not a great book YET, give me another couple years, but it has shape and potential.  

Just an example of how when a window closes, a door opens up.