For thousands of years the I Ching has provided guidance for decisions about our health, relationships, finances, work, and play. Predictions from the I Ching follow the lunar year and are based on multiple, overlapping cycles that govern the heavens and earth. A variety of stems, branches, directions, and phases also have their say, each creating a trail of portents, probabilities, and possibilities, so let us begin ...
In the Chinese horoscope, December is the eleventh lunar month in a heavenly phase called Tze. It is a time of very strong yang Water Element energy and in Chinese tradition, yang Water beckons us toward spirituality, transformation, and self- awakening. Yang Water is a huge moving force—it is deep and powerful and cannot be ignored.
December’s Water energy will bring a flood of emotions that can either stimulate and elevate our mood or completely overwhelm us. The Water Element also represents nature and nurture—it channels its powerful energy into nourishing seeds, ideas, and provides new opportunities for us to take advantage of. As the year-end unfolds, we must do our best to go with the flow while remaining alert to any possibilities that potent Water energy sends our way.
In the west, Hanukkah has already taken place while winter officially begins on the 21st. Christmas and Kwanzaa are following soon behind and New Year’s Eve closes out the last day of 2021 in the western Gregorian calendar although Chinese lunar New Year Eve will not begin until February 1.
December’s energy is all about Jing―our essence―our very being. In Chinese medicine theory, each of us is born with a fixed amount of Jing that we consume over our lifetime. Stress, illness, substance abuse, and negative relationships deplete our supply but we can replenish it with nourishing food, meditation, exercise, recreation, loving, and serving others.
The holidays are the perfect time to consider that our energy is finite and that our lifetime allotment of energy has its limits. Be mindful of your Jing over the holidays and be careful when indulging in intoxicants. Modulate stress and manage inflammation since something as insignificant as an annoying hangnail can deplete our store of energy although we can replenish it when we act as a source of light and joy to others.
Master Maoshing Ni
