According to the Chinese lunar calendar, 2025 is the year of the Yin Wood Snake. Looking at the meanings of Snake and of Wood gives a picture of what 2025 may hold.
In Chinese philosophy and medicine, there are five elements: water, wood, fire, earth and metal. These elements are used to explain change and movement in both the cosmos and in the body. In this system, the wood and metal elements are described as being yin or yang. These are opposite forces that interact and are meant to create balance and harmony.
Some words used to describe Yin energy are passive, inviting, adaptive, flexible, gentle, and tentative. Words which describe Yang energy are active, expansive, repelling, impulsive, judgmental, and aggressive.
One way to think of Yin Wood is to think of bamboo as it blows in the wind: strong but able to bend. Yang Wood brings to mind an oak tree, sturdy and deep rooted not greatly affected by strong winds. This is the year of the Yin Wood Snake so the energies of both wood and snake will be more subtle. The transformation and personal growth that is predicted for 2025 will be more easygoing and flexible.
Since ancient times, the Snake has been associated with wisdom and fertility as in the creative life force. It is a symbol of rebirth and transformation as it sheds its skin in order to grow. Snake is also associated with immortality and is depicted as an ouroboros: a snake eating its own tail. This represents eternity, infinity, the totality of existence, and the cycle in nature of birth, death, and rebirth.
Snake is also connected with healing through the link to Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine. He carried a staff with a serpent wrapped around it which today is a symbol used in many areas of modern medicine. It has been confused with the caduceus, which was a staff entwined with two serpents and wings at the top carried by the messenger god Hermes. Often thought to be connected with commerce, it is actually a symbol of the kundalini energy lying coiled like a snake at the base of the root chakra waiting to rise in the body as we become enlightened.
This year of the Yin Wood Snake will present opportunities to grow and change by renewing oneself, shedding the old, and being open to creative new possibilities. Questions you might ask:
- What do I need to let go of in my life?
- What am I willing to walk away from? (People, things that no longer serve me.)
- What can I declutter? Old clothes, paperwork, “things”
- What bad habits can I release?
- What unrealistic expectations can I let go of?
- What am I holding onto emotionally from my past that is time to release?
Since Snake is associated with wisdom and the creative life force, it would be wise to use this year to also delve into creativity in whatever that means for you. What would being creative look like for you? Taking risks? Doing crafts? Using your imagination? Writing stories or poetry? Thinking outside the box? Finding solutions to challenges in your life?
Our natural state is one of being co-creators with the Divine, the Source of All that is. What can you do each day to connect with that energy?
- recognize and use your gifts
- go within and do some “soul work”
- be a conscious steward of the Earth and all of creation
- make a vision board to intentionally create the life of your dreams
- try different healing modalities including using your own innate healing power
So, in this Year of the Yin Wood Snake, a year of growth and transformation, look for opportunities to connect with the yin energy in order to balance any yang energy you may be feeling. Take time to be more creative in ways that delight you as that will encourage even more expansion and change in your life. Create the life you want to have by releasing that which no longer serves you (especially your thoughts and beliefs about your story so far!). Find ways to use the energies of both the Wood element and the Snake to bring about the growth and transformation promised in this Chinese lunar New Year of the Wood Snake.
Written by Peggy Neligan, President Emeritus MCNJ