Year of The Metal Rat
Happy Chinese New Year!
About the year of the Rat:
The Chinese name for the influence of qi that we call Rat is Zi, which means seed. This qi provides the spark of yang qi that is required to initiate a new cycle. Meaningful change is possible during the year of the Metal Rat though it will have a delayed start.
We often feel that the start of the New Year on January 1st is the beginning of new energy and change. We may set resolutions for ourselves and we often start working on goals and changes we have desired. This year however, not only will the new year starting on January 1st be a false start to this new Qi, but the first couple weeks of the Lunar New year will provide a second false start. The reason for this is that the qi is still too yin to support the activity that comes with starting a new year. When the Solar New year begins on February 6th, we will have a more grounded start as the qi will be able to take root as the yang qi comes into alignment to move us forward. Thus, we need to conserve our energy, give things time to warm up and mature, and then come February 6th, we can allow this qi to move us forward. This perspective can allow us to be more kind to ourselves as we look at our intentions for the year and allow our goals to be a work in progress as we 2020 gets underway.
About the Rat:
The Rat is wise, analytical, strategic, resourceful, and kind. These qualities of the Rat will bring us success this year. What is required of us is to work diligently, while relying on intelligence and heart, we must pay attention to the details of our plan. We must remain brave and courageous to find our way through the challenges that are around us. The qi and power of the Metal Rat will guide us safely through the difficult terrain that lies ahead.
Advice to the 12 Animals in a Rat year:
One of my favorite teachers I had the opportunity to learn from in school studied and taught Chinese Astrology. I always looked forward to her advice for each of the 12 animals during the New Year. The following is the advice she has to share for each of us this year of the Rat. There are many resources online to learn more about what each of the 12 animals can expect this year ahead. The following is what my teacher, Narrye had to say:
RAT: One aspect of your genius is the art of concealment. You’re not comfortable making your plans public until all the data is in and you’re sure of the potential for success. But this year the tribe is out of options and has its back against the wall. People will come to you for advice. Remain calm. Be like Nicodemus. Team up with a Dragon who can provide leadership, and an Ox who can carry the workload. Your intelligence and wisdom will prevail, and success is assured.
OX: This is your year to gather strength for the heroic tasks that will be required of you in 2021, the Ox year. For now, be a steadying influence during the Rat year, helping to keep us all focused and calm. Your unflappable ability to stay on course, combined with Rat’s wise counsel and resourcefulness, is just the medicine we need. Your stamina and loyalty inspire trust and hope for the future.
TIGER: Being of Wood energy, you have an affinity for beginnings. The last two years of upheaval, and the chaotic ending of a cycle, have left you frazzled and irritated. It has been impossible to get the rest you require. (Note—tigers in the wild typically sleep for about 15 hours a day. This is necessary to support their immense displays of power during relatively short periods of being awake.) But now, with the stirring of yang qi hosted by the Rat, you smell action. You are one of the zodiac members that respect Rat’s wisdom, in spite of the fact that you could easily crush Rat with one paw. This respect, and your trust in Rat’s ability to concoct a successful plan, are just the things that help soothe your rattled nerves. So, this year you can begin to yawn and stretch. It’s not time to come into full power, and you must patiently wait out the Ox year. Keep storing your qi (think about that required 15 hours of sleep), because you will need to be fully restored by 2022, the Year of the Tiger.
RABBIT: Like the Rat, your diminutive size means you must rely on something other than physical strength to keep you safe. The problem is that your superpower is sensitivity, and the Rat’s is an analytical mind. You feel; Rat thinks. Sometimes you two get conflicting information and this results in misunderstanding and disappointment. But you basically want the same thing, which is a peaceful path back home. So, take a page from the Rat’s book this year and devote yourself to gathering data in support of your long-term goals. Yes, it’s ok to use your preferred method of intuition and feelings. Just stay calm and avoid conflicts.
DRAGON: This is an important year for you. Dragons are powerful, lucky, ambitious, charismatic, and confident. But, according to Chinese philosophers, the Dragon’s talents have no value unless their power is directed to benefiting others. This year you have an opportunity to align yourself with wise advisors (Rat) and use your considerable charisma to become the leader we all need right now. You have a choice: you can be egotistical and selfish, or you can dedicate yourself to the greater good. Choose wisely.
SNAKE: Snakes are reflective, mystical, wise, and philosophical. They are also somewhat solitary and evasive. The recent Pig Year may have felt deeply offensive to you. This year will be better. You and Rat share an appreciation for concealment. To you it is a way of cultivating power. The best use of your qi now is to find a quiet place to meet regularly with a few like-minded friends, and study philosophy over endless cups of tea. Next year, the Ox will hire you to fill a major position of influence. Your intelligence and inventiveness will be valued and appreciated.
HORSE: Ok, now we have a problem. Rat signifies the seed stage of a cycle, while you signify the peak of the cycle, just before things head into decline. You can see the conflict, right? Rat’s caution, endless perseverating, and insistence on gathering all the data before moving ahead with a plan, is infuriating to you. With your awesome physical presence and brave heart, it’s just not in your nature to hold back. Your usual approach, which is to charge courageously out of the gate and run until you have a heart attack, will not work this year. Best thing to do is find some friends to frolic with, munch on the best quality alfalfa hay, graze in the sun, and get fat. Enjoy your time off.
SHEEP: Since you are probably exhausted from the endless demands placed on you during last year’s Pig party, you can enjoy a rest period this year by allowing the Rat to take over the details. You and Rat share an appreciation for thoroughness, and you sometimes mistake this common interest for compatibility. But you have different agendas. You are primarily concerned with harmony and teamwork. Rat is devoted to success. If you’re going to stay in the game this year, retire to a backseat position and implement strategies to calm your anxiety.
MONKEY: You are the third leg of the Rat/Dragon team. Rat provides data and astute planning. Dragon provides leadership. You, Monkey, are in charge of the magic. Together, the three of you are unstoppable. Your irrepressibility, resourcefulness, wit, and uncanny imagination can be put to good use this year. And, it will all be enormous fun for you. The excitement of nipping in and out of dangerous situations is actually restorative to you. And with Rat and Dragon in tow, you just can’t lose.
ROOSTER: Your superpower is the ability to delay gratification in pursuit of your long-term goals. This is likely to be a frustrating year for you, as the Rat, who is your intellectual equal, moves into a position of power. Your natural tendency to be critical (never mind that you are usually right), is not well received. Your best tactic is to bide your time this year, knowing that in the Ox year you can say “see, I told you so.”
DOG: When Dogs are depleted, as you most certainly are this year, they become anxious, worried, and controlling. Of course, your motive is always to care for and protect your tribe. Loyalty and hard work are your superpowers. But during a Rat year, these qualities are misread as annoying interference. This would be a good time to back off and go curl up in your cozy bed by the fireplace. Don’t worry, we’ve got this.
PIG: Pigs, the ultimate Taoists, accomplish everything by doing nothing. Having hosted the end-game festivities, you can now retire and write poetry about the good old days, while the rest of us create a new society. In four years, you will be called on again to assist the Rabbit in some small but elegant celebration marking the eternal cycle of life. Meanwhile, retirement is looking good.
-Written by Kim Kuhn, DOM