Year of the Fire Rooster: Get organized, have a plan and spread the love
Did you benefit from the high-energy of the Yang Fire Monkey in 2016? Or was the Monkey’s unpredictable and mischievous energy in too much for you? Are you ready to see the back of that crazy Monkey and say hello to the hard-working and loyal Rooster?
You may already be feeling the energy slowly shifting in new direction. This time of year, I begin to anticipate and open myself up to the energy of the new year. At the end of January (January 28th) the Rooster will strut in confidently, squawking at the Monkey, instructing him to leave (that Monkey has done enough mischief for one year). The energy will shift from unpredictable and impulsive to more orderly and controlled. The five element energy of the year gears down as well, moving from yang (big) fire to yin (little) fire. Yin fire energy is about warmth and generosity, rather than the big visibility and successes of yang fire.
Roosters are all metal
The Rooster is a metal animal. It is one of the four zodiacal animals that are pure elements, which means that the Rooster is the most metal of all the animals. The other animals that are pure elements are Rat: water, Rabbit: wood, and Horse: fire. What does a 100% metal animal mean? It means that Roosters embody a lot of metal characteristics: talkative, good communicators, loyal and hard-working. Metal energy is also about having a sense of control, planning and getting organized.
So what happens when you add a little fire to the metal?
The heavenly stem of 2017 is yin fire (Ding) and the earthly branch is Rooster (You) according the interactions of the Wu Xing or the Five Elements fire controls metal. Energetically fire melts metal. Remember that the stem of 2017 is yin fire, and the Rooster is all metal, so the Rooster will feel a little heat and warmth, becoming more malleable. The yin fire will soften the Rooster’s normally verbose and cocky nature. Hopefully this mix of elements will mean a more controlled and even-tempered year.
My mantra for 2017: Get organized, have a plan and spread the love
Overall my theme for 2017 is to embrace the warmth of yin fire and work with the metal energy of the rooster. Here are three things I will be doing to align myself with this year’s energy:
Getting organized and having a clear vision of what I want to do this year. The Monkey was great for me (as a Rat) lots of changes and movement in my business, but I felt like my head was spinning. I’m artistic, and a left-brained person, so with all that productive energy it was doubly challenging for me to stay focused. I loved that the Monkey energy kept throwing awesome ideas and successes at me, but it caused me to grasp at things that were not necessarily in-line with my vision. Metal energy will be good for me and this will mean that I definitely need to stick with my vision and stay focused.
Have a plan. The metal energy of the Rooster is all about communication, working through ideas methodically and with purpose. I have intentional and deliberately written out my goals for 2017. I have gone through a specific process that channels my energy into the right actions. Using Feng Shui and the bagua map, I aligned these goals with specific areas of my life. The process involved exploring where my energy goes, defining my purpose and desires, and creating a powerful vision for my new path. If you want to follow what I did check out the link below. I created a Feng Shui planner (add link to course) and mini-course that is easy to follow and walks you through each step.
Increase the earth element. The earth element is all about nurturing, grounding and stability. We all need more of this in our life. I will embrace the yin fire of 2017; sharing warmth and generosity with others. After a year of yang fire, I don’t feel the need to add more fire, instead I want to find balance and harmony. Following the nature of the five elements: fire creates earth, and earth in turn, creates metal. By adding more earth into my life I am completing the elemental cycle of 2017 and supporting the metal energy that I am craving.
How to add more earth: You can add earth on an intentional and energetic level, for example, I will spend more time with my family, I will connect with the earth by walking and meditating and I will support, nurture and guide others when they feel disconnected. You can also bring the earth element in your home by using crystals, plants with soil and the colour yellow or brown.
Year of the Rooster is continued in next month’s blog post: Fire Rooster Energy & the 12 Animals