Chinese New Year
It is the 19th of February and that can only mean one thing, the Chinese New Year which this year happens to be the year of the Sheep. (I will explain why I believe this further on)
This is a year of feminine Yin energy, a time of bringing together family and friendships in a healing and nurturing way. This year is important as the energy of the sheep both strengthens and inspires these areas of our lives, it heals and promotes the foundations upon which we build our lives. For as the sayings go `there is always safety in numbers`, and `together we stand, together we can achieve anything` This year it is important to watch out for opportunities coming in that enable you to be a part of your community, or a part of group sharing the same level of conscious awareness, (especially of the spiritual kind).
This is a year where you can get in touch with your softer feminine side regardless of your gender, and a year in which compassion will not be mistaken for weakness. So step forward and be prepared to be counted not for bold heroic actions but for acts of kindness. Be a part of something bigger than yourself that allows for co-operation of likeminded souls, healing and creativity.
It goes without saying that this year is really important for all those born under the sign of Cancer, and will see them stepping up to take on their true roles of nurturer as they support others in an almost parent like style. For those not born under this sign, the values of it are still important as this is effectively a year of family and friendships, where we can afford to allow our sensitive side to show a little more. It is a year of love kindness and acceptance. As well as a year of exploring new and exciting paths of creativity and community based projects.
Are you a sheep? (those born under the year of the sheep would have been born in:
2015
2003
1991
1979
1967
1955
1943
1931
I think I will stop there, but it is important to know if you or someone close to you were born on the year of the sheep as it will affect personality. You may find if you were that you are kind, empathetic, and sensitive even. That you are very creative, and inspired by art. I know I have an aunt who fits all those lovely caring descriptions to a T.
Sheep are especially adept at healing as their gentle Yin inspired empathetic natures make them naturals in understanding the pain of others. But it is also worth remembering if you are a sheep or know a sheep that they can be solitary individuals with a deep ingrained desire for peace and harmony. They can also be late developers and often do not find their true paths until they are at least 40 years of age, but fortunate for them they tend to be young at heart and just keep on improving and developing with maturity. Also it is important not mistake their gentle kindness for weakness or to presume that being a sheep makes them docile or submissive, as nothing could be further from the truth, in the wild, sheep are incredibly resilient creatures, who will survive many trials and tribulations and have learnt to adapt to a multitude of terrain’s. In fact adaptability and survival are two traits that you will find in every sheep.
Lost in translation - Is this the year of the sheep or the goat?
This is a classic case of translation difficulties as there is no specific answer. However it is worth considering that a Ram is a male creature and so it has Yang energy, whereas the year of the sheep is based upon Yin energy. Also we need to consider how in the West these animals fit into our Zodiac. A goat is naturally associated with Capricorn and by its very nature is different to a sheep, just as an individual born under the sign of Capricorn is different to an individual born under the sign of Cancer. If you stop and consider the fire of Yang masculine energy you will soon see that this correlates with our Zodiac sign of Aries, again very different and I believe that this would be much better suited with a Chinese creature of fire, i.e. perhaps the dragon. So having considered this, I would say that it comes down to individual preference but the odds are more stacked in the favour of this being the year of the Sheep. Sadly in the West due to intense farming techniques we have lost something of the true essence of sheep and so this leads some to feel that the term sheep is almost derogatory and naturally want to name it the Ram. And in some ways this mirrors the plight of the Sacred Divine Feminine, with her gentle Yin nature being surpassed with male Yang energy. I believe that we need a perfect balance of the two, and so with this is mind I will be celebrating the Year of the sheep with its female Yin energy!
All that is left to be said is Happy New year to you all, may you each enjoy the blessings of the year of the sheep,
L&L from Maria