Humboldt Acupuncture

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR of the WOOD SNAKE 2025!

The Chinese New Year begins with the new moon on January 29, 2025. The intensely wild ride of the Dragon of 2024 is behind us, and we welcome the down-to-earth, wise and intuitive Snake! In this ancient and insightful astrological system, the spontaneous and fearless Dragon is followed by the cautious and patient Snake. The Wood Snake is Yin, to the Yang of the Wood Dragon, so this year we are well advised to cultivate our intuition, using that information to chart our course cautiously, yet moving quickly at the perfect moment, like the Snake. Now let us respectfully learn about the Wood Snake, the ruler of the year, so that we may live in health and harmony and thrive with joy this year and beyond.

The Dragon year of 2024 has ended. How was that for you?? Some people were deeply challenged, and some people began enthusiastic new chapters and projects. Now, we all get a fresh start. The Snake is well-known for shedding its skin for a fresh start! Projects begun in the Wood Dragon can continue in a more rooted manner this Yin Wood Snake year. New healthy activity can commence.

Chinese astrology, medicine, and Feng Shui have their roots in the ancient tradition of what we call Taoism. The Tao is the basis, unity of life. (Can "Tao" be translated as "God"? "Dharmadhatu"? These are great philosophical and intangible questions for the mystical and mysterious Snake.) The Tao, unity, gives birth to Yin and Yang, female and male, cold and heat, night and day, the 4 seasons, etc. Yin and Yang give birth to the complexity of the 10,000 things, and yet there is always the unity of the Tao. Astrologically, there are 12 animals, and 5 elements (wood, fire, earth, metal,and water), creating the 60 year cycle. Now, we have a Yin Wood Snake year. Each astrological animal is associated with an element, and Snake is associated with fire. The fire of Snake, and the element wood are in harmony, as wood fuels the growth of fire. This year has intrinsic harmony, rejoice!

What do we know about the mysterious and enigmatic Snake? In the 12 animal pantheon, many animals have a job or role to maintain order in the farmyard, as China was an agrarian culture. Snake does not have such an obvious role, Snake is a mystery. Snake is associated, in many cultures around the world, with Wisdom. Snakes live on, or in, the Earth, and they are very sensitive to vibrations. They are secretive, and cautiously keep their home safe and discreet. If you see a snake, it will generally be moving itself to a safe location. It would rather be lying on a safe warm rock in the sun. And yet we know that snakes will strike very quickly when necessary.

And what of people born in the year of the Snake? Snakes have a sublime beauty, and people born in Snake years are often very beautiful with a charismatic charm. Patient, calculating, mysterious, intuitive, the Snake person will conserve energy, then act quickly when the time is right. Secretive and brilliant, deeply thinking and creative, the hardworking Snake taps into a mysterious source of inspiration. Bob Dylan is born in the year of the Snake, (and actor Timothee Chalamet skillfully portrays his youthful snakiness in the new movie.) Other Snakes are John F. Kennedy, Pablo Picasso, Mao Tse-Tung, Dean Martin, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Muhammad Ali, Greta Garbo, Audrey Hepburn, Edgar Allen Poe.

This is a Yin Wood Snake year- what does that mean? Wood, by its nature, spreads and grows. Being a Yin Wood year, growth and movement won't necessarily be as extraordinarily fast-moving as last year's Dragon, but more slow and steady, if we choose. Yin Wood is more flexible, like bamboo, bending in the wind. And Yin Wood is the deep hidden roots of a tree, balancing the tall Yang branches that reach for the sun. The tree draws strength from Yin roots which absorb sustenance, nourishment and moisture from the earth. Wood is also related to wind, as trees blow in the wind. The wind will blow, but perhaps less intensely than last year's Yang Wood Dragon. Be flexible and maintain connection to your roots, and stay hydrated! Liver is related to Wood, so use moderation in alcohol consumption and show your liver some love.

Each Chinese astrological animal has an element associated with it, and Snake is Fire. Snake month is late spring to early summer as we are warming up, and Snake hour is 9-11AM, after the bright dawn of Dragon hour, as the morning warms up. Fire, in terms of Chinese medicine, is associated with the Heart. The Heart, known as the Emperor/Empress of organs, is where our Shen or Spirit resides. When we use our intuitive sense, we "listen to our heart", and act accordingly. The emotion associated with Fire is Joy, and when we are on the path of the Heart, we are following our path of enthusiasm.

Fire, native element of Snake, is also associated with the sun, our burning ball of fire that illuminates our beautiful planet so we can see and be seen. Snakes, with their sublime beauty, are associated with art. Use your intuition and create unique and beautiful art! Be elegant, mingle occasionally, support the arts and music. The richness of a society is judged by its art. This is a good year to woodshed, keep a low profile (like a snake), focus energy on creative projects.

Snakes are associated with Wisdom. It is important this year to create a quiet introspective place, examine the mind, cultivate peace. Wisdom is not coming from external information. We are barraged with all manner of information, some devised to infuriate, and it is not healthy to be in a perpetual state of outrage. Be aware like a snake, eyes open, present in the moment, sensitive to vibrations. Use that information to determine your reality. If you are fed information via media, telling you that what you know you see with your own eyes, is actually something different, well, don't buy it. Cultivate your own truth and wisdom. Snakes can be solitary, nurturing truth, wisdom and beauty, but with isolation, be wary of drifting into melancholy or depression. The Wood element this year helps move us steadily in a positive and beneficial direction, courageously flexible and resilient to adversity.

Chinese astrology has a 60 year cycle- the last Wood Snake year was 1965. People born in 1965 and turning 60 are completing one cycle, and have the wisdom that comes with experiencing every energetic combination. We honor and respect those with the wisdom of experience. And we learn about the cycles of nature and investigate previous Snake years. Snakes, as we know, can strike quickly. Pearl Harbor and the attack on the World Trade Center were both during Metal Snake years. Interestingly, Snake years have been consequential for Russia: Tsar Alexander 2 assassinated 1881, revolutions in 1905 and 1917, Stalin's first purge 1929, Nazi Germany invaded 1941, Stalin died of stroke 1953, Soviet bloc disintegrated 1989.

Astrology is not a predictive science, we are not resting our political hopes (or fears) here, or using it for sports betting. Actually, while snakes can be lucky for some people, generally this is a conservative year, one to be cautious with gambling. The cunning Snake will bring innovations in AI and further speculation in crypto. Use caution. This is year 4722 in the Chinese calendar, and the centuries have seen many despotic emperors come and go. Use the Snake as guide, keep a low profile and trust your intuitive sense for safety. Cultivate wisdom. Quiet and silence is the antidote to the barrage of hypnotic dystopian disinformation.

Shed thy skin early and often! We move away from old habits that no longer serve us. Maintain clear communication to avoid mistrust. Stay calm. Don't panic! Spend time in Nature to nourish your soul. (Personally, I find joy on the beach with my dog searching for driftwood that looks like a snake.) Keep your lamp trimmed and burning.

Happy New Year of Wood Snake, may you have Joy, good health and prosperity!
Gung Hay Fa Choy!
Peace and Love,
Jeffrey Haloff

And let acupuncture help you maintain balanced health! Call for an appointment.