February 21, 2020. Happy Lunar New Year! Yes, this is a late post, but I wasn't able to get all the research and photos from our celebration together within the couple days after the official New Year. So, I figured I'd take my time to really gather as much as I could and share just before the end of the first lunar cycle of the lunar year! Many people don't actually realize that the festival actually lasts more than one day. I learned that the Lunar New Year festivities start in the middle of the last lunar month of the previous year and lasts until the 15th day of the first lunar cycle of the new year (the first full moon). We were lucky enough to get to celebrate on the actual date of the Lunar New Year this year (January 25, 2020) in Little Saigon by my Aunty's house in Westminster.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Lunar New Year, I'll give a brief overview. The Gregorian calendar was created with 12 months, starting with January and ending in December, so every new year that you may be familiar with is celebrated on January 1. The Lunar New Year is a little different in that it is lunisolar (meaning it is determined not only by the moon, but also by the Earth's course around the sun.) The Lunar New Year is calculated to be the second new moon after the winter solstice. This is why the Lunar New Year never falls on the same date each year, but typically it falls somewhere around the end of January or beginning of February.
Year of the Metal Rat
We are still currently in the first month of the lunar year of the metal rat! I grew up in Japan so I was always aware of the twelve Chinese zodiacs and their stories but I only recently learned that there are different elements in Chinese philosophy that also play a roll in the lunar calendar.
There are five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water) and twelve animal zodiacs (rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig). Each element has a twelve year cycle, so once the cycle of zodiacs starts back at the beginning (rat), a new element is assigned.
2020 is a really big year in many ways, it's the start of a new decade and the start of a new twelve year cycle in a new element (metal).
What does the year of the metal rat symbolize? The rat zodiac symbolizes intelligence, wealth, prosperity, and resilience. This is definitely reflected in the Chinese myth of the zodiac origin story race when the rat tricks the ox into letting him ride on his back across the river, only to jump ahead of him and take first place.
Metal represents strength, stability and power. This metal-rat pairing is a positive one giving us a vision of great success this year! This combination holds so much power that it is believed to be able to turn around any unfortunate event.
Each zodiac also has a fixed element--the rat's element is water. See the chart below to see how Chinese philosophy rates metal and water as a positive pair:
Generating interactions:
- Wood fuels fire
- Fire forms earth (volcanoes, ash, etc.)
- Earth contains metal
- Metal carries water (buckets, pipes, etc.)
- Water feeds wood (trees, plants, etc.)
Overcoming interactions:
- Fire melts metal
- Metal penetrates wood (chopping, sawing, drilling, nailing, screwing)
- Wood separates earth (tree roots breaking up soil/rock)
- Earth absorbs water
- Water quenches fire
The Chinese Five Elements Philosophy is super deep, if you're interested in learning more about it click here.
I thought these interactions and compatibilities were super interesting and reminded me of what I knew about the Roman/Greek astrological elements (fire, air, water and earth).
Compatible/encouraging interactions:
- Air fuels fire, fire moves air
- Water nourishes earth, earth can help direct water
Incompatible/challenging interactions:
-Water extinguishes fire
- Fire burns up earth
- Water and air creates hurricanes and storms
- Air upsets earth in tornados and dust storms
Like any relationship, there is a need for harmony, so even the elements that are 'incompatible' or have challenging interactions can lead to a great pair if they balance each other out well and are aware of and honor their differences.
Nature-Inspired
I have been theming my yoga classes and my journals based on the moon cycle for about four cycles now. Throughout these past few months, I have noticed that I have been much more aware of other aspects of nature as well. I'm excited to add the elements as a new, additional focus in each of my classes. The element will be the one paired with the star sign that the moon is passing through that day. I've already started playing around with this and I love the additional layer of creativity that it's bringing in. It adds that extra bit of imagery to make it easier for myself to find cues to help my students feel into their practice a little deeper. This is how I'll be using the elements to focus movement in my classes and personal practice:
-Fire: intensity, heat, core work, strength
-Air: lightness, change, shift, play, experiment
-Water: smooth, fluid, deep sensations, flow
-Earth: grounding, connection, heaviness, stability, stillness
I'm excited to share what my new moon intentions are and how this new addition to my teaching style will really help me guide my students to unlock something new within themselves.
Only a couple more days left of this cycle, I encourage you all to really reflect over these past few weeks. What did you learn, what did you feel, how did you grow? What do you need moving forward, into the new lunar cycle? Leave a comment below or find this community on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube and join the conversation there. <3
Namaste,
Keila