Chinese New Year 2014 is here. The Chinese calendar – called Sheng Xiao – has 12 cycles. Each cycle lasts for one year and represents an animal which includes Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.
Welcome to 2014 – the year of the Wooden Horse.
Chinese New Year falls on January 31st this year. The shift begins on the 31st and will continue until the 4th of February.
The Horse represents summer and a very active energy. According to Chinese astrology, people born under the horse zodiac are very active and energetic.
The fire of the horse has been long awaited by many people and represents an economic and mental shift in a very positive direction. The horse will help to eliminate the fearful state that the world experienced from 2008 to 2012, then disappeared for the first half of 2013 but retreated back into again in August. The good positive energy of the horse should hold for the entire year. It has been said we can expect a lot of good economic movement and growth for 2014 – (let us all hope this turns out to be true!)
The negative aspects of the Horse year are confrontation and fighting energy that comes with this year. The Horse does not back down easily and therefore current global conflicts are very unlikely to be resolved. It has also been said that peaceful resolutions to difficulties will be harder to achieve this year – (oh my, this does not sound good.)
The Chinese calendar defines the zodiac of a person. 2014 is the Year of the Wooden Horse and people who are born in the years 2014, 2002, 1990, 1978, 1966, 1954, 1942, 1930, 1918 and 1906 belong to this zodiac sign.
It is called the Year of the Wooden Horse because in the world of Chinese calendars the heavenly stem of the year is wood which sits on top of the horse in the Ba Zi chart (Chinese Astrology) The wood is also called wind and supportive to the fire causing the fire to be extremely strong throughout the year. (This is why some references to the year call it the Year of the Wind Horse.) The fire of the Horse is very good for the economy so expect housing and the stock market to be on the upswing. People will start feeling better about the future.
From a Feng Shui perspective, to prepare for Chinese New Year and be able to celebrate properly it is a good idea to make sure that your home is clean and ready for January 31st. Try to complete any organization projects prior to this date. Do not clean, sweep, or vacuum on the 31st as this could take away the good energy of the upcoming year.
The things a person does on the actual day of Chinese New Year sets the tone for the entire year. This would mean it is good to refrain from having negative thoughts, arguing, or doing things you do not want to have follow you through the coming year. It is thought that placing a piece of red paper with the words “happiness” and “harmony” written on it and placing it on the front door is a good thing. The concept of this is that it collects the good energy and as the door is opened and closed and it will bring this good energy into the home.
However you decide to celebrate the coming year ahead, whether you take the Chinese customs to heart or just enjoy the fun of the festivities surrounding it, plan to have a nice Year of the Wooden Horse this year.
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