Happy Chinese New Year! If last year was pretty intense for you as it was for me, there is good news. According to Chinese astrology this year SHOULD be calmer! My friend Jacquelina sent this to me, the best explanation of the Year of the Sheep or Goat that I have come across. So have some fun and read this article by Karen Abler-Carrasco.

Deputation by Peter Eckersley

Deputation by Peter Eckersley

‘Finally! The galloping horse comes home to rest and transform into a quiet sheep, grazing within the comfortable bounds of her beloved flock.  Is anyone a little saddle sore? Longing for a warm, scented bath, a home-cooked meal and some quiet time in a soft bed?  Good news, everyone, the gentle, generous Sheep Year is here to provide that!

‘The speeding Yang Wood Horse Year of 2014 brought both invigorating new growth and disturbing upheaval to the terrain of our lives.  Many outdated structures and beliefs got trampled, while fresh alternatives and daring choices beckoned on the horizon.  Most of us endured some uprooting of old routines or even radical shifts in the direction we thought we were headed prior to riding that wild horse.  The trick was to steadfastly trust our lightning-quick intuition and Cosmic Help all year long.  Some of us spontaneously jumped into new work and play, some of us coped with unexpected or uncomfortable lifestyle shifts, and some of us just sat by the continuous stream of change to wait for calmer waters.
‘That slower pace is with us this year.  On February 18th, 2015, we begin the Yin Wood Sheep Year.  This year, the exuberant upward and outward propulsion of Yang Wood will reverse itself and turn downward and inward in its Yin form, allowing us to catch our breath, find our footing and take the time we need to adjust to the budding new life being offered.  The new realities we encountered last year, like young bare branches stretching out to the sky, can become sheathed in the soft foliage of refined details and newly flowering skills and priorities.  This year, Yin Wood will offer deep roots into our innermost selves, where the essential nourishment of personal comfort and security reside… ‘