Happy Year of the Pig

Year of the Yin Earth Pig;

Earth pigs are sensual, lethargic and social characters. They tend to be attractive, popular and enjoy others even though they can hold some strong and hardened opinions. They generally have material fortunes and live in comfort and luxury. From the exterior they appear prosperous and healthy but may have a tendency to be plagued by some issues of chronic dampness.

All of these aspects translate into the qi of a yin earth pig year. We can expect a sense of mutual beneficence to this year, where there is a sense that there is something for everyone. This is quite a shift from the sometimes hostile feel of last year, which was a yang double earth dog year. It’s nice to be invited to parties instead of being barked at! Both the dog and the pig bring a sense of loyalty and hominess with them, putting a sense of family and kindred to the forefront. While the dog was more about protection and establishing who you trust, the pig is more generous and sharing with a sense that we all should be able to support each other; stronger together.

The pig’s native element is water, so an earth year brings some inherent contradictions to the energy of the pig. There is more constraint placed on the pleasure seeking pig, and also a penchant towards material exuberance. The change from the previous year of a double earth yang dog - territorial and barking to a more enticing and nourishing aspect of a yin earth year that the pig brings in should feel welcoming. Ideally, the dog year will have brought a sense of safety as a result of the strong need for protection. If this was accomplished, the pig year offers liberation and one can move on to acceptance and generosity. The year of the pig is perfect as the last year of the Chinese zodiac because it is about the realization that everything fits together, everything is part of a cycle and each phase is an invitation to take on the next evolution. If you aren’t able to flow with the energy of the year, it is more likely you will experience the darker side, the afflicted aspect of the earth pig year – the shadowy side of the energy that would translate into jealousy and/or greed that is really based on an inner fear. If you find yourself falling into this, look inward. It is an invitation to release that fear and realize a new perspective being offered by the generosity of the pig.

This very indulgent energy in abundance can bring its own kind of downfall as well; too much nourishment turns into gluttony and excess damp. Therein lies the general caution for the qi of the year; don’t be greedy. Accept with humble gratitude of what is offered, but taking more than you can use will just bring you down. It is a way of materially taking on dampness; things may begin to own you instead of you owning them.

The positive aspects of a pig year are about uncircumstantial generosity - it just sprays things out. It is both a coming part and an acquisition by everything being joined. You can look at it either way – centripetal and centrifugal forces simultaneously. And because this is a yin year, it will be about substance, opportunities of material gain and not just actions. Generally all other signs do well during a pig year. The only sign that has some trouble are snakes because they don’t particularly like parties and aren’t really inclined to engage that much in the material aspect of life. They are dubious of too much generosity and excitement.

The qi of the year is about giving more than receiving and embracing a sense of harmony because the pig realizes that it is normal to want to help others. This is an important part of being in a society - it is the reciprocity of qi. The relationships that we have in our lives are the circulation of qi in the world. Like the tai ji symbol; all is in constant transformation. It is the living reality of the concept of paying it forward; a constant movement that allows the flow of life to nourish us all. The pig year is the embodiment of this energy flow.

Some days of celebration in the Chinese/Taoist Calendar:

2/19/19 Lantern Festival (end of the Lunar New Year celebration), eat a pomelo, the scent cleanses

4/5/19 Good day to leave an offering to honor your ancestors

6/7/19 Dragon Boat Festival (a celebration of yang)

8/15/19 A day to bring peace to lost souls; this is a Taoist tradition to help lost spirits find peace. It is common to say a prayer with some incense and leave a few grains of rice and something aromatic like an orange out as an offering. This year the prayer is for souls of mothers that died to protect their children or had to leave their children.

9/13/19 Autumn Festival

10/7/19 (9thday of the 9thmonth in the lunar calendar) commemorates ancestors, similar to passover. It’s like a day of resurrection and completion of the 9 palaces; life lessons.

1/17/20 A day to honor the kitchen spirits; burn something sweet to send sweet messages to heaven and the messengers will say good things about you!