2024: The Year of the Wood Dragon
The Lunar New Year is set to arrive on February 10th, 2024; the transition into the Year of the Wood Dragon will begin around February 4th, when the Water Rabbit hands the reigns over to the Dragon. 2024 increases in energy with a new 20-year Feng Shui Cycle that lasts until 2044.
It is said that the Dragon placed fifth in the order of the calendar because it was delayed by a kind-hearted detour to save a village from destruction. When we help others get to the proverbial shore, we earn not just respect but also our own place in the circle.
In traditional Chinese medicine, the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger are spiritual symbolisms for yin and yang. The Blue Dragon (Yang) is a sacred animal that chases away evil spirits and offers protection—a familiar and trusted image in people’s everyday lives. Dragons are also said to bring messages to the emperors from the common people.
The Dragon is a widely used symbol in China. From martial arts to imperial royalty and deeply engrained in folk law, this mythical creature is considered auspicious beyond any other. The Chinese Dragon is a playful creature and is said to be the master of water. Rain is considered to be ushered in by dragons, and ritual and worship of the Dragon are used to bring rain during times of drought.
The Dragon is the only mythological creature in the whole of the Chinese zodiac, implying that under the talons of this totem, we can and should take flight and fight fear.
The Chinese people considered to be the descendants of Fuxi, a powerful elder god in mythology, call themselves the children of the Dragon. He had the lower body of a snake and the top half of a human, a highly intellectual being who formulated the bagua used in divination, feng shui, and qigong in the bagua tradition. It is said that the snake is the earthly form of the Dragon.
Chinese culture is a diverse country made up of 56 ethnic groups, each with its own myths, legends, and customs. However, all consider the Dragon to be the most divine and benevolent of mythical animals.
The Dragon is a symbol of freedom; it roams as it pleases. If manipulated, punished, discouraged, or damaged, its reaction is misery. It is the creature associated with our liver, the commander and circulator of our Qi, and the organ most affected by excess emotions, especially anger, stress, and frustration.
The liver’s health is most affected by the stress of not being able to express itself fully, and it is prone to Qi stagnation for various reasons. It reacts poorly to the constraints of societal expectations that limit what you say or do. When liver function becomes compromised, the digestive system reacts poorly, and metabolic disorders can arise. The liver’s element is wood, making this year of the Wood Dragon even more powerful in nature.
This is a very important time to care for your central nervous system. Even if you do not feel internal stress, you will feel the stress of the environment around you, our planet, and the essential need for new structures that have yet to be created to support the entire collective. The call for change will be electric.
Some ways to support your nervous system include meditation, acupuncture, qigong, sitting quietly in nature, your spiritual practices, cultivating yin, healthy boundaries around external stimulation, restorative yoga, and gentle walks. If exercising is a way for you to relax, I suggest you do that in addition to the options mentioned. High-demand output does not directly support your central nervous system.
Creativity in all of its forms is supported in 2024, but in forms that are NEW, not the generation of old. This can be applied to all systems; think of new birth, like springtime, the time of the wood element. Uplifting your spirit through music, dancing, singing, and art for art’s sake. Basically, any creative expression and movement will be a vehicle for expansion, healing, and positive change.
Strength is a gift to be lent, not a power to be wielded
The Dragon and its counterpart, the liver, want imagination to soar; they want emotions to flow freely. They want to discard the limitations of social cages. The Dragon longs to embrace the power, beauty, and positive force of unlimited imagination. This is a powerful way toward health. When the liver and the stomach work in harmony, we build Qi (stomach) and freely circulate Qi (liver) in a balanced, healthy flow. It becomes a harmonious combination of vitality and creativity.
The Dragon’s transformative power combines with the nurturing wood element, offering opportunities for evolution and improvement, the bursting forth of new ideas, and the birth of new collective change.
The Wood Dragon encourages us to replenish the land by planting more trees and looking after our forests.
All of the contemplation manifested in 2023’s Year of the Rabbit will make way for change and expansion. Our collective enlightening experiences of 2023 will move us to follow a higher path in 2024, a year of great change. You may decide to be a courageous and kind-hearted dragon who seeks to protect and serve humankind.
In the five-element cycle, wood is the mother of fire. In 2024, call in the fire and strength within you that you may not have known you had or in ways you have not yet recognized. Fire is a strong rebirth energy. This will be a time for you and our world to elevate and awaken in presence and form. Often, it is the challenge that gets us there.
