Welcome to the year of the Yin Water Rabbit! The Chinese New Year is on Sunday, January 22nd, 2023.
The Chinese New Year is a Lunar New Year because the dates of celebration follow the phases of the moon. The lunar calendar paves a sequence of Chinese zodiac animals.
How is the Chinese zodiac different from Western astrology?
Well, Western astrology emphasizes the day and month that a person was born, where as the Chinese system regards your birth year as the most important factor in determining your fate. So basically, the year you were born will determine not only your personality traits as per the zodiac animal it is associated with, but also the major life events that will occur in your lifetime.
The importance of the zodiac to the Chinese culture is that the animal signs have been used in folk stories for generations. Each year is broken down into 3 categories. One of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, one of the 5 elements and either yin or yang. In this year we have the rabbit, the water element and yin.
Water is associated with your kidneys in Chinese medicine, which is a yin organ. The color black is also associated with the kidneys. Think deep dark ocean, almost black. And the emotion that comes to mind is fear, think of a child’s fear of the dark or fear of the deep dark sea.
The rabbit represents new life and spring. Spring is associated with the liver, the wood element, the color green and the movement of qi. Think about how in the spring you need that burst of qi/life force to get the early green saplings to emerge from the earth. It is also the time for new beginnings, hormones swirling through the air and the excitement of getting out of hibernation after a long winter of full yin or internalization.
Yin is symbolized by deep rest, the evening or night, the moon, female energy, inner reflection and stillness. The Mother is the epitome of yin and therefore represents feelings of being held, nurtured and feeling safe.
So, how do we put all of this together to get a sense of how 2023 will look? Well, since water is so yin in nature, a year that has both water as its element and yin as its descriptive characteristic, we can say that this years energy will be soft, gentle, quiet, wise and somewhat safe. Doesn’t that sound amazing after the last few peri-pandemic years? Also, as prosperous and vital rabbits tend to be, we can see a great year for new business ventures with many opportunities opening up for us. 2023 will be quite profitable especially if the means to the money are through ways that benefit nature such as healthcare, non profit supporting the environment, animal rescue or human rights. Also, due to the yin nature of this year, woman run businesses with prosper this year.
Health wise, the rabbit represents strong life energy. In combination with its spring energy and wood characteristics, we can expect transformation and an upward movement of qi expressing vitality. Unfortunately, the liver is associated with stress and frustration so it is extremely important to take action so that it doesn’t affect your digestion and therefore overall wellbeing. It will be essential to start a breathing or meditation ritual, engage in light exercise such as yoga, walking or swimming.
Being that this year has many aspects of yin, it is a good year to actually do less and rest more. Preserve your qi or life force by taking naps and making sure you get adequate sleep at night. As far as foods that will be beneficial, try to incorporate more fermented or sour foods. A great way to do this is by using apple cider vinegar. I love to drink a mug of a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with warm water before meals as well as on cooked veggies. This will improve digestion and help your liver detoxify your body.
Also, there is no rest that is better than the acupuncture nap you receive during a treatment. Even if you don’t fall asleep, your body goes into deep relaxation with acupuncture therefore allowing deep healing and rejuvenation.
