The Year of the Wood Horse – that’s what the Chinese call 2014. But what does this mean?
In a webinar last week with Chinese Metaphysics expert, Aleksandra Dorann, we discovered how the extraordinary knowledge of ancient China reveals patterns that influence us all.
To summarise very briefly, the Chinese describe energy and the cycles of nature in the language of 5 elements – wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Every aspect of life can be described in terms of these 5 elements. So shapes, colours, tastes, smells, movement and other characteristics of our world are all connected with one or more of the elements. For example, the fire element is associated with triangular shapes, red and fiery colours, the bitter taste, burnt smell and an ascending direction or movement.
The elements are also linked with the seasons, the human emotions and our internal organs, so fire is the element of summer, of enthusiasm and joy and it links with the heart and the small intestine.
The Chinese also discovered many cycles of the elements, including a cycle that changes every 2 hours, a daily cycle, monthly and annual cycles, as well as 5 year cycles, 20 year cycles and many others. When you study how all these cycles interact with each other you can find out the major patterns that influence us throughout our lives.
Add to that our own individual element makeup and then it gets really interesting. The Chinese discovered that we are strongly imprinted with the energy of the moment when we are born (ie when we first become independent of our mother’s energy). This energy determines many patterns that play out in our lives, in combination with the other energies I have already described.
To simplify this somewhat, someone born in a wood hour, on a wood day, in a wood month in a wood year (such as this year) would have a lot of wood energy. They would behave and react very differently from someone with a lot of fire energy or water energy. Of course we each have a mix of all the different elements, so it is much more complex than my example, but what is fascinating is that the energy of the day, month and year (and other cycles) affects each of us differently, depending on our individual energy make-up.
The Chinese have a system for reading all these cycles and from this they can discern major life patterns for any individual. For example you can see from the energy when a person is open to starting a new relationship or ending one. You can read their major health challenges and when it is easier for them to make money. You can read their spiritual patterns, how they influence their kids, when they might become famous and what kind of areas of work will support their energy.
This is called destiny, but it is not a system of fixed patterns that cannot be changed. In my experience, understanding your destiny helps you avoid or minimise major problems and take advantage of major opportunities. I have seen relationships that would have broken apart saved because the partners knew that they had an energy clash lasting for an entire year. Instead of blaming each other every time they fought, they spent more time apart and waited for things to get better the following year.
You can use this knowledge to turn major health threats into minor emotional disturbances if you take action in plenty of time. You can also use it to help you make decisions about your career, discover your natural potential and guide your kids. It’s powerful stuff in the right hands – and not very useful in the wrong hands!
2014 could be described as a very strong year – aka challenging. The Chinese element symbols show fire beneath wood. Fire + wood creates a much bigger fire. So how does this affect us and what can we do about it?
- Health
It’s not easy to generalise about health but the first 6 months of this year can be more difficult for people with heart problems (including circulation and blood pressure). The most important thing to do is avoid or minimise stress. Lungs and the nervous system will also be under pressure this year, so we can expect more lung-related allergies and respiratory problems and more nervous breakdowns. Since water calms down fire, you can calm yourself and your health down by swimming, taking showers and baths and spending time near water (unless this contradicts medical advice). - Relationships
There is a move towards greater independence in relationships and less blame and victimhood, but there can also be quite a lot of fighting. The good thing about this fighting is that it is clearing out old ways of relating to make way for new and better ways, so don’t panic if you find there is more conflict in your relationship. Try to avoid reacting too quickly and know that there is always a solution. This year is all about new growth and new seeds – it’s just that sometimes we need a forest fire to burn out all the old weeds. - Power
There is a shift away from top-down leadership and a move towards more horizontal power structures. It’s a very good year for joint ventures, networking and collaboration, and you may already be noticing how this is happening naturally. - Personal development
It’s a year of very strong transformation, so a great opportunity to work on yourself. When you experience challenges remind yourself that a new you is going to come out the other side. It will help you to handle the energy of change. - If you were born between February and July (wood and fire seasons) the year could be more challenging, especially the first 6 months. It will calm down in the later 6 months (the metal and water seasons). For people born between August and January it is a bit less fiery. Fire creates nervousness and stress, but the pay-off is for those who make the most of it and decide to master relaxation, meditation and other calming activities. If you can do it this year, when it is more difficult, you will find it much easier in the future. So use it as a challenge and don’t get put off if you don’t succeed very well.
If you missed the webinar with Aleksandra and would like to listen to it – she gives much more detail about this and many other aspects of life – please click here.
Sarah McCrum
Photo by Michele Bergami on Unsplash
