As the tumultuous Year of the Dragon winds down, the world prepares for the dawn of the Year of the Snake, which officially begins with the new moon on January 29, 2025, at 1:36 PM Swiss time.
According to the Eastern lunar calendar, 2025 marks the Year of the Wood Snake, associated with green, blue, or cyan colors in accordance with the Wu Xing principle—the ancient concept of the Five Elements.
As the eventful Year of the Rabbit 2023 comes to a close, nestled between two Yang years – the Tiger of 2022 and the forthcoming Dragon of 2024, the echoes of global upheaval persist. The year of the Tiger witnessed a world-altering tragedy, the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, setting the stage for tumultuous events during the Year of the Rabbit. Subsequently, 2023 served as a transitional period, preparing the ground for profound changes.
The Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year 2023 (also known as Spring Festival in China) ushers in the Year of the Rabbit on January 22. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 radically changed the world.
Dear Friends,
Best wishes for the Year of Tiger 2022, may it brings you Peace, Happiness and Prosperity.
Finally, the Year of the Rat has scampered away. Last year, we predicted that the Year of the Rat wouldn’t be smooth – but we didn’t realize just how bad it would be. We have never experienced such a series of unfortunate events on such a global scale.
Blue Mountain Feng Shui Institute was established in 1990 in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A., as the first feng shui school in the world. This year we celebrate our 30th Anniversary!
For the past thirty years, in addition to the United States, we at Blue Mountain Feng Shui have spread its teachings in South American countries, Ukraine, Russia, and other Eastern European countries.
The Monkey year, as predicted, has been very eventful, and it is now coming to an end. Although the remnants of the Monkey energy are tapering off as the New Year approaches, some of it will continue to remain through the transition.
The Year of Stable Luck
The Snake is leaving, but before it leaves, it wants to show its power by swinging its tail so people will remember it. This can be seen through the floods and cold spells in Europe; cold spells and droughts in the United States; the passing of respected people, like Nelson Mandela. And now the Horse Year is arriving.
The Year of the Horse will reflect the gentle, mild temperament of the horse. Natural events will be calmer and less extreme. There will still be political ups and downs, but they will be smoother and less haphazard. The economic situation is in a holding pattern in Europe. While the United States seems to be ready for a recovery, no real recovery should be expected. The economic growth will mostly be in Asia.
There will be some surprising lucky breaks in situations that have seemed unsolvable, like the Korean and Iranian situations. The situation in Ukraine has been intensifying for the last two months. If people can hold on, there may be a continuation of the Orange Revolution in the form of a Soft Revolution, a transformation that does not involve any major disruptions.
This will also be the twenty-fourth year of the Blue Mountain Feng Shui Institute. From the beginning, the BlueMountain emphasis has been on natural principles, and on Feng Shui as a manifestation of natural principles. The other emphasis is chi, the formative energy of nature. The focus was therefore at first, on environmental design. But chi and natural principles by their very nature are not restricted to one area of activity: they penetrate every kind of activity, since no activities are outside of nature. Over the past few years, we have explored the ways in which chi and natural principles work in other fields as well, especially health, communication, and personal cultivation. The emphasis of focus has gradually shifted from environmental design to the wider range of applications of energy and natural principles, and to understanding how they can be applied in any field.
For this reason, the Blue Mountain Feng Shui Institute will become the Blue Mountain Institute, and the focus will be the spectrum of applications of chi energy and natural principles. Environmental design will continue to be one focus. Another focus will be on the direct, simple application of natural principles to health. The third focus will be the application of natural principles to communication and personal growth.
The long-awaited book, Form Defines Energy, after many revisions, is scheduled to be published in May of 2014. In addition, the Institute is developing a series of short videos on Feng Shui subjects, to be posted on YouTube and on our web site.
On the personal level, this will be a very auspicious year for people born in the years of the Dog and Tiger. For people born in the Horse year, too, this will be a year of very positive change. People born in the year of the Rat may have some challenges. People born in the years of the Rabbit and Ox can expect some difficulties, and the need to work harder. However, this particular Year of the Horse is a lucky one. So, even those who can expect challenges will find the challenges easier to overcome. People born in other years will find that their lives will tend to increase stability, and they will be able to advance bravely and calmly through the year. Everyone will find the year better than expected. This is a year of stable luck. As we go forward through the year, we will experience gentle progress.
In conclusion, after the turmoil of the Dragon and Snake years, things will be calmer. But horses are brave, and charge forward, so there will be progress and change. The essence of working with the Horse Year is to approach things gently, and with a quality of low-key humility. Then it will be possible to maintain a balance between the Yin and Yang aspects of the year, and navigate through its challenges with skill and serenity.
Shan-Tung Hsu
