The Year for Transforming in the Way of the Shaman
Welcome to another New Year. This Chinese New Year of 2025 begins Wednesday 29th January on the New Moon and is the beginning of the traditional Lunar Chinese calendar. The New Year begins another new zodiac animal cycle, the Year of the slippery, creative and philosophical Snake. Chinese tradition employs both Solar and Lunar calendars and at the Solar calendar it begins 4th February but the New Moon day of 29th January begins all the official Lunar New Year celebrations and festivities.
2024 was Year of the Wood Dragon and what a full-on eventful year that was! Now in the cycle of the twelve comes the most interesting and fascinating and maybe the most terrifying of all the animals of the Zodiac, the supple and dynamic Snake. Its considered that the Snake possesses quasi-magical powers, so he/she is a sensitive one and very intuitive. Those born in the Snake year are considered intelligent and philosophical people who give out a calm and peaceful demeanour and love stability. When motivated they will move heaven and earth to achieve what they are after.
SNAKE QUALITIES and MYTHOLOGY
Chinese say Snake is one of the great animals of the planet and is a sign of creation, dreams, and magic. The Snake is the companion of sorcerers and seers, and its symbol is the circle, and thus it pertains to the infinite and to all esoteric knowledge. In the eastern cultures the Snake represents Kundalini energy which is the subtle energy that circulates from the base of the spine to the top of the skull connecting all the vital centres in the body. The awakening of Kundalini energy is one of the decisive steps in spiritual unfolding that arouses your more subtle powers and develops extrasensory powers such as clairvoyance and telepathy. It offers you the insight necessary to understand the world from a greater level.
In all older traditions and cultures the Snake is a creator being. In Hindu traditions it’s the Naga serpents who make and control the world energy. Naga is the Sanskrit word for a deity or class of entity or being, taking the form of a large serpent, and found in both Hinduism and Buddhism. The Naga primarily represents rebirth, death and mortality due to its casting off of its skin and being symbolically “reborn”. In Australian Aboriginal mythology its the Rainbow Serpent who moves across the landscape to create the world. For this reason the Snake year is important for First Nations progress in 2025. Serpent is a word of Latin origin from serpens, serpentis, (something that crawls or creeps, a snake) that is commonly used in a specifically mythic or religious context. Snakes have been associated with some of the oldest rituals known to humankind. Serpents are represented as potent guardians of temples and other sacred spaces. Thus, they are natural guardians of treasures or sacred sites which cannot easily be moved out of harm’s way. At Angkor Wat in Cambodia, numerous stone sculptures present hooded multi-headed Nagas as guardians of temples or other premises. A favourite image of Angkorean sculptors from the 12th century AD onward was that of the Buddha, sitting in the position of meditation, his body supported by the coils of a multi-headed Naga that also uses its flared hood to shield him from above. Even in the USA the symbol is used. The flag of the American Revolution depicts a rattlesnake coiled up and poised to strike. Below the image of the snake is the legend, “Don’t Tread on Me.”
In Mayan/Aztec culture Quetzalcoatl was a snake like entity sometimes depicted as biting his own tail. The mother of Quetzalcoatl was the Aztec goddess Coatlicue, “the one with the skirt of serpents” and also known as Cihuacoatl, “The Lady of the Serpent”. Quetzalcoatl’s father was Mixcoatl “Cloud Serpent”. He was identified with the Milky Way, the stars and the heavens in several Mesoamerican cultures. In our Western Culture we generally fear the snake and its appearance strikes terror into so many people. Fear of snakes is a common occurrence is cultures that do not understand the snake’s role. Most snakes do not attack but only defend their territory or bite when trodden on. In Australia 95% of people who get bitten are attacking or inadvertently interfering with the snake at the time.
Snake people are not outwardly emotional, they are more contemplative and private. They usually act according to their own ideas and do not follow others’ views. They can appear cunning and reticent and work very modestly in a business environment. They can plot and scheme to make some things turn out exactly as they want them to. They are not always great communicators and can become too possessive when they set their minds on getting a partner. Snake people mostly are too easily stressed and need to avoid hectic schedules or noisy atmospheres. They need calm and quiet to thrive and succeed. They must have sleep, relaxation, and plenty of peace to live a long, and healthy life.
Snake year people are often very sophisticated and cultured in their choices for the home. They are elegant, graceful and place emphasis on their comfort when deciding what to decorate with. They are materialistic often needing to have as many of everything as possible. Their years are – 1929/1941/1953/1965/1977/1989/2001/ 2013/2025. They can become bored easily and therefore change jobs frequently. But are very conscientious and diligent at work. They are organised and precise, cautious and alert when doing business. They act confidently, calmly and have a strong sense of responsibility and very clear goals.
Snakes are generally people of refinement who often adore ancient objects, inlaid furniture and delicately coloured Persian carpets, preferably just a little worn. Their taste is faultless, they understand the harmony of colour and shape. Everything in a Snake’s home is designed to be comfortable and put there for a treat to the senses. Though if you look inside his/her cupboards you may find some of them in disarray. Wherever he/she goes they feel they must redecorate to suit tastes. It can difficult to live with a Snake because they have trouble adapting to tastes that are not their own.
WHAT Is The SNAKE YEAR ALL ABOUT?
The ELEMENTS of The YEAR
The Chinese year is always made up of two parts, the Chinese animal sign and the year element. This Year of the Snake is symbolised by two elements – Yin Wood over Yin Fire. So its a Wood year on the Heavenly Stem with Fire as the Earthly branch. According to the Chinese cycle of birth and destruction governing the interrelationship between the Five Elements, if the two elements are in the destructive cycle and have a conquering relationship, then the year will experience more conflict and less harmony. If the two elements are in the support or mothering cycle them there is more harmony in the way the year proceeds. The 2025 year is that way – this is a combination and Yin Wood and YIn Fire, and therefore more attempts to correct imbalances and restore community will occur.
The Pig year of 2019 represented the termination of the Fire element in a cycle and the return of Water element which symbolised fear and depression. Hence the world economy was very affected by the period from 2020 as it was a Rat year (Water) and the COVID pandemic struck creating fear and economic shut downs. The Water element effect continued through to 2024 when it began to turn around and the Fire Snake begins a new cycle of upturning and changes. The Wood Snake will bring an upsurge in optimism moving into the Spring and Summer seasons with Wood and Fire effects and the active Fire Element will continue into 2026, the year of Fire Horse. In fact looking ahead, 2026 will be a double Yang Fire year. So there will be a longer and sustaining recovery to the world economy taking it in a new direction. Fire will regenerate confidence in the economy with international travel and entertainment and prosperity resumed in many sectors of the world economy.
The Snake in Chinese astrology is what is called a “travelling star”. This means the year 2025 will motivate many more people to move around and travel. As the Snake is Fire element, and it clashes across to the opposite Zodiac animal, the Pig (Water element) there will be more movement and activities by sea and by air. As such, there is also the increased chance of accidents in the air and at sea. Yin Wood Snake is Wood sitting on Fire. Within the Snake there are Earth, Fire and Metal elements, so the Water element is totally absent. When there is no water to nourish the Yin Wood on top, it’s like a flower in the dry dessert lacking water. So Yin Wood is like a dying plant indicating a dry and hostile environment lacking in growth. Hence there will be very big environmental issues and very difficult and unfavourable weather during 2025 – droughts, high winds, storms and rain out of season leading to a difficult food growing environment. There’ll be a lack of good weather for both food crops and for animals.
Other Snake years were 1905, 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1977, 1989 and 2001. The issue of personal rights and freedoms characterise Snake years. Also the issue of conspiracies (behind the scenes) with hidden data and the breaking of codes. Checking on those other years shows interesting events. In 1905 – (Wood Snake) Norway declared separation from Sweden. The Sinn Fein party was founded in Ireland. In China Sun Yet-sen founded a secret society to overthrow the old Chinese Dynasty. The International Workers of the World (I.W.W.) was founded. Albert Einstein first formulated the Special Theory of Relativity E=MC2. Sigmund Freud’s first work on sexuality was published.
in 1917 – (Fire Snake) the Russian Revolution overthrew the old system of Czars and Lenin and Trotsky came to power. The Turkish army surrendered Jerusalem. Germany and Russia signed an Armistice agreement. The Spanish Influenza epidemic originated in early February 1918, the last week of the Fire Snake year.
In 1929 – (Earth Snake) the US Stock Market Crash happened on October 24th 1929 (‘Black Friday’ was the 25th) and began a global economic decline that pivoted into the Great Depression lasting almost 10 years. The term “apartheid” was used for the first time. The USA Bell Laboratories began first experiments with colour TV. Construction began on the Empire State Building.
In 1941 – (Metal Snake) W.W.II had begun the previous year and the Battle of Britain (the air war) intensified then. The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour in December pushing the USA into the war. The Manhattan Project to develop an atomic bomb began. British code-breakers cracked the German ‘Enigma’ code that year in Blechtley Park with chief Alan Turing.
In 1953 – (Water Snake) Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing scaled Mount Everest. Alfred Kinsey published the first book on Human Female Sexuality. Tornadoes in three US states killed near 400 people. First medical attribution of Lung Cancer linked to smoking. The Korean War Armistice agreement was signed. Arthur Miller wrote “The Crucible”.
The HISTORY of the YEAR
The Chinese calendar operates in a 60 Year Cycle. This means 60 years ago in 1965, we experienced the same year of Yin Wood over Yin Snake. Looking back at 1965, there are plenty of conflicts and civil demonstrations. It was the peak of Vietnam war with President Johnson sending more and more American troops to Vietnam, there was also war between India and Pakistan. There were more civil rights massive demonstrations led by Martin Luther King Jr. resulting in a “Bloody Sunday” clash between state troopers and demonstrators. In March the black activist Malcom X was assassinated when giving a speech at Harlem. Race Riots in Watts district in Los Angeles resulted in 35 deaths and $40 Million dollars (US) of property damage. There was also a coup in the Dominican Republic resulting in civil war. And a coup in Algeria where President Ben Bella was deposed. There was a very large student demonstration in Morocco in March 1965. A bloody coup d’etat happened in Nigeria in January 1966. Peace talks were proposed in Vietnam but Ho Chi Minh, North Vietnamese leader, rejected US offers. In Canada a relay switch triggered by a solar outburst malfunctioned and the entire north-eastern USA and parts of Canada lost power – the blackout affected thirty million people. Interestingly there was a noticeable increase in birth rates nine months later. There was a series of air crashes and sea disasters in 1965 caused by the Fire-Water clash – a typhoon off Guam sank Japanese fishing boats killing 209. An Air India flight crashed into Mont Blanc killing 117 people. A passenger ship sank off the Bahamas and 90 died. Several other air disasters in California, Egypt, and Utah took the lives of over 200. The Fire combination can bring explosions and in 1965 a number of serious coal mine disasters in Japan, Bosnia and India killed near 640 people.
The Positive Events: The African state of Gambia became independent. Lyndon B Johnson became president of the USA. Rhodesia under Ian Smith unilaterally declared Independence for Rhodesia (UDI) from Britain. The UK then imposed an oil embargo on them. Gambia, Singapore and the Maldive Islands joined the UN. In space – Soviet Cosmonaut Leonov did a first float in space outside his spacecraft for 10 minutes. In March 1965, NASA launched the Gemini 3 project with a two person crew into Earth orbit. US Astronaut Edward White walked in space for 21 minutes. The French nation launched its first satellite. In April the US also placed the world’s first space nuclear power reactor into Earth orbit. In July, the US spacecraft Marina 4 reached planet Mars. And in August, NASA’s Gemini 5 was launched with two crew into space. In September and October, Geminis 6 and 7 were sent into orbit in December. The first flight around the world was made crossing both polar regions. In November 1965, the Soviet Union launched the space probe Venera 3 towards Venus, and also their spacecraft Luna 9 landed on the Moon in February 1966. 2025 will see a significant advancement in space exploration and more countries will participate. Edward Heath was elected Leader of the UK Conservative Party. Charles De Gaulle was elected to the French presidency. The first national anti-pollution laws in the USA were passed.
The AGE Of NINE COMBINES NOW In 2025
Classical Feng Shui encompasses the concept of the “Three Cycles and Nine Periods”, spanning a duration of 180 years. Starting from February 4, 2024, a new Period 9 began and will last until February 4, 2044. This transition to a new period brings about a change in energy across many sectors influencing important aspects of our lives such as health, family harmony, career and wealth. As Period 9 now operates, its good to make necessary adjustments to Feng Shui charts. What previously worked may no longer be effective, including the combination charts designed for the past Period 8 – positioning of furniture, colours and elemental balances.
