Happy Chinese New Year
January 29 – February 17
Year of the Dog

Approximately one-quarter of the world’s population will be welcoming the lunar year 4704 on January 29. The New Year’s celebration in China traditionally continues for 15 days of feasting and fasting, celebrating with friends and honoring ancestors, and following ancient rituals designed to chase out the stale energy of the old year and welcome in the fresh energy of the new.

Because the Chinese calendar is based on lunar months, the New Year is celebrated on a different date each year. The date always falls between the end of January and the middle of February. In 2005, for example, New Years Day was February 9, and in 2007 it will be celebrated on February 18.

Chinese astrology uses two different cycles when naming years. The first is the animal zodiac. We are all familiar with the progression of boar, rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, and dog from the paper placements found in almost every Chinese restaurant. Legend has it that many centuries ago, the Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year (or, depending upon the source, on the day that he was departing from the earth). Twelve of the animals came. The Buddha named a year after each of them and said that people born in each animal’s year would share some of the characteristics of that animal’s personality.

"Take advantage of the Fire Dog’s gifts of abundant energy and opportunities for personal and professional alliances, but make sure to balance your activities with rest and a bit of inward focus."

People born in 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, and 2006, then, are thought to be honest, loyal, and faithful to those they love. They are also said to be somewhat territorial and stubborn. If you were born in a dog year, 2006 should prove to be a year in which recent obstacles will be removed and you will be given the opportunity to achieve your personal and professional goals.

The second cycle at work in Chinese Astrology is that of the Five Elements. The Chinese see energy as continually moving through a cycle of five distinct components, the elements of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Each of these five components has a yang (outwardly expressive) nature and a yin (inwardly reflective) nature. This results in a progression of 10 aspects—Yang Wood, Yin Wood, Yang Fire, Yin Fire, etc. These aspects have also been traditionally applied to the lunar calendar. Thus, we have the 12- year animal zodiac cycle running concurrently with the 10-year elemental cycle.

Taken together, these two cycles give us information about what we can expect from the coming year in general, regardless of our own birth year. In 2006, we will experience the influence of the Yang Fire Dog.

Chinese Medicine also uses the Five Elements and concepts of Yin and Yang to diagnose and treat illness. An acupuncturist or herbalist realizes that optimum health requires a harmonious expression of the five elements and an appropriate balance of yang and yin. My first job as a practitioner of Chinese Medicine is to assess the alignment of these factors in my client and to create a treatment plan designed to restore Five Element and Yang/Yin harmony.

Fire energy is very easy to understand when we think of different examples of fire. We are drawn to the warmth and glow of a campfire, to the comfort and intimacy of a lit fireplace on a winter evening. That is the yin aspect of fire. On the other end of the spectrum is the yang aspect of fire – a forest destroyed within hours or a house that burns like a tinderbox when a fire rages out of control. So the fire element is about heat, light, and volatility. People who have a lot of Fire energy tend to be very charismatic, with a great sense of humor, and put a high value on their personal relationships.

If I apply this picture of Yang Fire to the canine world, the image that immediately comes to my mind is the Jack Russell Terrier - small, bright, energetic, devoted to its master, and always ready to make us laugh. While Jack Russells typically have an overabundance of energy, they, like dogs in general, seem to have an innate ability to know when they have had “enough.” We have all seen this - a dog will run and play very hard, then stop almost in its tracks and lie down for a nap. This, I believe, is an important lesson for us in 2006. In this year of bright fire energy we need to stay aware of our own need for the occasional rest period so that we literally don’t “burn-out!” Take advantage of the Fire Dog’s gifts of abundant energy and opportunities for personal and professional alliances, but make sure to balance your activities with rest and a bit of inward focus. This will help to ensure that you end the year in good health, ready to meet the challenges of 2007—the Year of the Boar.

For more information: The website www.fortuneangel.com goes into great detail about Chinese astrology. You can figure out your personal elemental strengths and weaknesses based on the date and time of your birth, and map out auspicious dates for accomplishing specific goals based on the current year’s astrology. I can’t guarantee its accuracy, but if you can tolerate the pop-up ads it is a fun and thought- provoking site. To learn more about the expression of the five elements and yang/yin in people, you may want to read Between Heaven and Earth by Harriet Beinfield and Efrem Korngold, schedule an appointment at my office for a consultation, or return to this website to read future articles.