The year of the Wood Horse has been a joyful, eventful year for many of us, but also unsettling and full of sudden changes to the rest of us.
Here’s some good news: the year of the Wood Sheep, which starts on February 4, 2015 in the Chinese Solar Calendar (but is celebrated around the world on February 19 in the Lunar Calendar) will be a much gentler, less dramatic year.
The Year of the Sheep arrives February 19, 2015 and lasts until February 6, 2016.
Mood for 2015
With lovely Yin Wood as the year’s ruling element, expect the mood to be more tolerant and open-minded.
The nature of Yin Wood, associated with flowers, grass, and the color green, is more flexible and versatile compared to the unbending, polarizing views of the Horse year’s Yang Wood element, symbolized by large, solid trees.
The Sheep (also referred to as the Goat or the Ram),the strongest Earth element sign in the Chinese zodiac, brings grounding, which is key in manifesting our dreams.
The year of the Wood Sheep brings fresh energies and along with them, new opportunities and challenges. Here are a few tips to work with the prevailing elements of the new year of the Sheep:
1. Find Balance Between Strength And Flexibility
Stay mindful in your Yoga practice. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yin Wood rules the neck, the spine, and the limbs.
For those working on flexibility, be careful not to overstretch the muscles as Yin Wood, though flexible in nature, can also be fragile and this is a year when injuries can easily happen.
For the more flexible among us, focus on moderate strength building for better stability.
2. Stay Hydrated
There’s not much Water in the year’s five elements, and Wood needs Water to grow. Keep your body well-hydrated by drinking enough water, and your joints lubricated by doing gentle warm-ups before practice and including healthy oils in your diet.
Balancing postures such as Tree pose will help keep your joints happy. And remember to breathe! The breath is of Metal element, which produces Water in the Chinese Five Elements.
3. Create From The Heart
Artists and writers will love the year of the Wood Sheep as Wood is an extremely creative, uplifting energy. Find ways to be more creative in everything you do.
Feed your soul with art. Dance, write, draw, and sing from the heart. Inspiration comes easily, especially when your heart is open enough to see the beauty in everything.
4. Eat Vibrant Foods
The year of the Sheep is a good time to start healthier eating habits, rich in anti-oxidants and plant-based foods.
The Sheep’s strong Earth element can cause sluggishness and an imbalance of it can bring even more serious health issues such as diabetes and obesity as Earth element is associated with the stomach, the spleen-pancreas, and the muscles / cells.
Stay vibrant by eating more green vegetables (Wood), seaweed (Water), and herbs and spices (Metal).
5. Expect Challenge and Opportunities
The zodiac signs most likely to thrive effortlessly in the year of the Sheep are those born in years of the Rabbit, the Pig, and the Horse.
If you’re a Sheep or its zodiac opposite – the Ox – expect a challenging but transformative year ahead as you are being given the opportunity to step up to your highest potential. Go with the flow by taking the challenge, you can do it!
Keep an open mind, nourish your body and soul, and the year of the Sheep will flow well!
Note: Chinese Astrology, commonly referred to as the Four Pillars of Destiny (‘BaZi’), is an ancient Divinational Taoist art based on the principle of Yin and Yang, the five elements of Nature, and the relationships between the elements and animal signs of a particular birth year, month, day, and hour.
Only a few of us were born with a balance of the five elements. The goal of a Four Pillars analysis is to help us gain a deeper connection with ourselves,as well as a better understanding of the patterns of nature, so that we can live in harmony with the ever-changing dance of life.
