Happy New Year!
It’s been a wild ride over the past year and while I have immense gratitude for what good came from it, I’m also so very glad we’re moving through things and on to something new.
2019 has the potential to be wonderful for a variety of reasons so let’s take a look at the big structural pieces before we drill down to what it all means for you.
The way our calendars work you would think the planetary energies work in one-year cycles. That’s because we focus on the seasons which complete a circuit annually. However, the planet itself works on two-year cycles.
Think of it a bit like breathing out and breathing in. The first year is a creative cycle where old things/patterns/behaviors get transformed into something new and brand-new things come into being. The second year is then about implementation. This is a bit like a farmer watching to see what comes up after all the field prep and planting. Not everything sprouts, what does sprout doesn’t always survive, and what survives may just barely make it, might do exactly as planned, or might thrive wildly.
2018 was an implementation year which I believe can be summed up as “You reap what you sow.” This is not so much about karma, but as an awakening. Actions, or lack thereof, have consequences. For many people opinions had a great deal of weight and were easily disconnected from actions. Life was lived through statements, communication, thoughts and prayers. 2018 stripped this away and exposed the fact that actions were going on underneath and despite the opinions. Cause and effect came into focus for everyone as well as how much or how little the intentions concerning them mattered in the face of results and experience.
Not all of this was bad however the process was not without pain or cost anywhere in the world. From the macro to the micro we are stronger for having reaped the rewards of all we have done, transformed ourselves through this raw experience and become more than we were.
So here we are in 2019 and it’s a creative year. Time for new things, breaking free, and being inspired.
At the same time, it’s also a culmination year. I tend to appreciate Chinese Astrology for its rich understanding of the planetary cycle with its two-year rhythm and twelve-year circuit. Each year has its own astrological sign or energy and this year is commonly translated as Pig, but better understood as Boar. Boar is always the last sign of the circuit and so the coming together of everything which has been learned, gained, and achieved over the past 11 years. These years are a bit like HS or college graduation, but with a mature twist.
Along with all this, Pig (Boar) lands in an earth year this time around, which means yin or female energy mixed in for good measure. So, while this year is a celebration, it’s less frat boys with jungle juice or girls gone wild in the Florida Keys and more woman who just got handed all the items on her wish list, a crew of employees to get everything done, and the power to make the rules. She’s not just going to clean house, she’s going to make sure everything gets set to rights, done right the first time, and things get set up so she doesn’t have to worry about them in the future all while making sure she becomes the priority she deserves, which has been the point all along.
So, what does it make when you mix all these things together? Well, here’s some easy rules of thumb to keep in mind for the year ahead.
Think round, not straight – We tend to think the straightest path between you and your goal is the best and fastest way to achieve something. But there’s a reason we put wheels on cars and not arrows. In a yin year where it’s about culmination and celebration, the point is going to be about the life we’re living while getting things done, not just the goal. So, don’t get overly focused on how to get something done, sacrifice too much to achieve something, or ignore the people around you. Even if you can’t stop to smell the roses, do please notice they are there.
Don’t take or make unnecessary risks – earth years are abundant in all aspects so you don’t need to grasp at straws, jump at every opportunity, or gamble it all on one throw. You still need to show up, state intentions, take action and so on, but don’t try to force things to happen.
Think broad instead of narrow – the energies of this year will resist you trying to laser in on one true love, a soulmate, a twin flame, or creating a deep soul connection. It’s not that they won’t happen, but this is a culmination year. It’s a time for community, tribes, creating family of choice, and being part of the web of life. Overly focused, isolating, insular relationships will struggle in this year of reconnection and celebration. New relationships will happen, but those which are unburdened by extreme need or purpose will have a better chance to thrive and survive.
We should all go surfing – this year in particular is going to be great for those who are centered and grounded in their own lives. This doesn’t necessarily mean they are in a good place physically or even have all their shit together. For those who have managed to discover what their shit is, where it is, or even sweep it all up into one area, this year will support them in making art out of it.
This year will work best for people are able to surf it. By this I mean people who have put in the work to be fit and able to surf (participate in their stated goal), they acquire all the necessary equipment (martial resources), have learned how to use it, and have it with them as the surf breaks (be flexible and open to opportunity). And most important, they work with the waves and don’t struggle against them. Going with the waves can propel a surfer miles further than they could go on their own, while also providing an amazing, joyful experience. Going against them can be catastrophic at worst, frustrating and exhausting at best.
Drilling down a little further into the particulars for this year shows how this will support the individual.
Well-considered actions will be rewarded more than risk taking. The year will feel festive and relaxed, especially in contrast to 2018, but this can lead to inattention concerning budgets and even cause money losses. So, let yourself relax, but stay alert.
Pig (Boar) is a benevolent symbol so all good will and motivations will be renewed and strengthened, while negative intentions and actions will be ignored or shunned unless we’re forced into dealing with them. Pig supports manifestation through strategic vision and business skills. He promotes happiness and responsibility, attachment to healthy family, and a good work life balance.
Teaching, philanthropy and spirituality are particularly important throughout the year, but not as separate from daily living. So, think practical applications rather than grand gestures, focused retreats, or one-and-done fixes.
It will be a year of ending toxic relationships but also of ending loneliness or isolating behaviors. It’s the time of friends, happy relationships, and creating family interconnections.
Because this is an Earth year the celebration aspect can negatively affect those with wonky health issues or who aren’t well grounded. Or anyone “overly” anything in any aspect of their lives. Self-care is key for everyone and especially coming to our personal center point. Most people think of self-care as triage which allows them to keep going in their habitual out of balance manner. Instead, this year will ask us to become like the martial artist who finds and lives in their center at all times. Hence, they can move in any direction at any time because they exist in all of them at once.
Concerning careers, this is a year of abundance. It’s is not a year for martyrs or codependents. Be moderate in giving, discerning about your resources as well as who will be receiving them. This is a year of setting things to rights so attentiveness in financial matters means all the admin details need to be maintained and participated in daily/weekly/monthly. We’ll all be challenged to transform our lives through the good habits we keep saying we want to create.
Deals, connections, and mergers are the thing, but in moderation, no leaps into the void or overly risky propositions.
This year is a gift for intellectuals and writers. It will be the year for manifesting ideas and stories into the world.
Money will flow, but not fast or easily. It will work to maintain the center and moderation. This will be pulling against the wildness of the past two years. So, surfing with the flow will allow for progress and good gains in any financial endeavor. Paddling against the tide could cause swamping and damage.
It’s a time of celebration so when it comes to relationships the trend will be passionate but short connections which do no harm, but are sensual and help us celebrate who we have become. This year is more about family, tribes, connections, and communities so that will be the bigger pull unless a relationship is on track to be about marriage and having children.
The joy of living and pleasure are the order of the day in all things.
So, here’s to 2019. A creative culmination year where we can be grateful for having got this far, take stock of who we’ve become, and unfold ourselves into the opportunities and abundance which is to come. Whew!