2012 The year of the Water Dragon

Happy New Year!
Every year my clients ask me for information about the coming energy shift of the new year, and this year has a big shift from a Yin Rabbit Year to a Yang Dragon Year. So, here are some tips and information that I have obtained from my studies with the Chinese Masters:

According to the Chinese Five Element Astrology Calendar, 2012 is the Year of the Water Dragon. The last Year of the Dragon, which occurred in 2000, was fraught with fear. There was a lot of hand wringing about the collapse of our technological world, the Y2K bug and other millennial prophecies that turned out to be more hype than bite.

The Year of the Dragon is again just around the corner and fear and trepidation are once more an issue. This time it’s the Mayan Calendar and the alleged 2012 Armageddon prophecy. Is the Chinese Year of the Dragon, which comes around every 12 years, truly something to be feared? (actually, 2012 is the Year 4709 by the traditional Chinese Calendar)

Unlike the wicked, fire-breathing dragons of Western mythology, China’s celestial dragon symbolizes potent and benevolent power. Dragons are ancient, majestic, wise, and intelligent, and Dragon years are considered particularly auspicious for new businesses, marriage and children. Dragon years also tend to boost individual fortunes and the world economy.

It’s also true, however, that all five of the Chinese Dragon years — Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water — tend to magnify both success and failure. So while they can mark huge achievement, disasters can be equally immense. The Year of the Fire Dragon (1917, 1976, and 2036) typically wreaks the most havoc. However, the Year of the Water Dragon (1992, 1952 and 2012) is noted for its calm, visionary intelligence, and balance of right brain creativity with left brain logic.

What influence might the Water Dragon, which rules from January 23, 2012 to February 9, 2013, have on the powerful energies already anticipated?

In general, 2012 is characterized by strong energy and powerful forces – symbolic of the Dragon – that when marshaled in the right direction can result in positive change. The elements of the year are Water and Earth. Energetically the Water element is dynamic, creative and forceful, and represents the movement for social, political and economic change. The Earth element encompasses generosity, encouragement and strength, and represents the desire for stability, community and goodwill. In essence, the trend will be towards a continuing restoration of the economy and financial systems, and focus will be on providing for the less capable.

Health: the Water element corresponds to the kidney-adrenal system while Earth corresponds to the digestive system. Therefore, the emphasis for the year is to move and exercise more to strengthen your cardiovascular system and musculature, and lower stress and tension so as not to overburden your kidney-adrenal systems. Be sure to stretch and stay flexible to avoid injuries. Practice meditation and stress-reduction techniques to help you relax, and get plenty of rest. Watch out for digestive problems like heartburn, indigestion, ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal bloating, and hemorrhoids. Avoid rich, fatty and deep fried foods, dairy, sugar and excess salt. Instead, eat abundant fresh vegetables – especially root vegetables like yams and sweet potato, fruits, nuts and seeds, fish and poultry, and mild spices like ginger, cayenne and cardamom.

When channeled properly, water is useful for irrigation or power generation, but when it is out of control its potential as a force of destruction is immense. When water wants to move but earth refuses to budge, an inevitable tension is created. While a desire for revolutionary and sweeping changes may be in the air, the mood of society may turn cautious and conservative in seeking safe harbor. This is true of relationships too – learning how to positively channel your strong feelings and emotions can help you harmonize with others. On the nature front, powerful, unchecked Water energy may also foretell flooding and earthquakes.

Business: The Dragon year is generally good for starting and launching new projects, initiatives and ventures by articulating and getting others to share your visions, but remain conservative in your actions and projections. In the five-element creative cycle Water produces the Wood element and therefore we may see consumers fulfill a pent-up demand for wood industry products like fashion, textile and apparel, furniture, forestry and lumber. The Earth element creates the Metal element and therefore representative industries will be busy, including technology, heavy equipment and machinery, computers, and precious and non-precious metals.

Representative industries of the Water element including shipping, transportation and beverages, may see only a slight uptick despite a second canal opening in Panama to accommodate the super container ships. Likewise, Earth element industries such as agriculture, mining and construction may also see a minor lift. Finally, since this year has none of the Fire element, it does not favor its representative industries of finance, stock markets and power plants. The European financial crisis does not help the confidence in the financial markets either.

If you subscribe to the dawn-of-a-new-era theory of 2012, then it’s easy to see how the influence of the Water Dragon will increase the likelihood of success for progressive movements gaining momentum all across the globe.  Energy conservation and green energy-producing technologies, curtailing Global Warming, challenges to multinational corporations, attention to world hunger and the renewed health of the oceans and sea creatures will all likely fare well. If your expectations tend more toward disaster, then you might expect tsunamis, hurricanes, monsoons and other weather extremes to be in the headlines.

But of all the Dragon years, the 2012 Water Dragon is most likely to bestow the Chinese Five Blessings of harmony, virtue, riches, fulfillment and longevity, adding even more weight to the growing belief that 2012 will be about breakthroughs, not disasters.