Have you felt like slowing down a bit and not taking on new projects or adventures? If yes, then you are in tune with the energies associated with the upcoming year of the Yin Wood Sheep. February 19, 2015 marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year, which coincides with the second new moon after the Winter Solstice.
In Chinese culture the sheep (goat, ram) is a symbol of generosity, patience and a peaceful nature. Sheep thrive by living in harmony in their familiar and stable surroundings. It is considered to be the most feminine (yin) sign in Chinese mythology and is therefore associated with receptivity, healing and nurturing.
This year of the Yin Wood Sheep is an opportunity to embrace slowing down, enjoying your own pasture and being quieter. After last year, the year of the Wood Horse, where many came out of the gate at a galloping pace, we are ready for some downtime and quiet grazing in green meadows. This year is an ideal time for us to adapt to the changes that occurred during the fast-paced year of the Horse. We can now grow our roots deeper, enjoy the safe comfort of our homes, embrace our inner work, and cultivate yin energy.
This year, as qigong practitioners, we can use the qualities of the sheep to help guide us in more deeply nurturing ourselves and bringing more harmony into our lives. This is a promising time to reflect on and cultivate patience, tolerance, kindness, compassion, and forgiveness. It is a time to more fully awaken our sense of gratitude for the beauty all around. It is also a time to dedicate ourselves to seeing more clearly who we really are.
Using our qigong practice time to rest the mind in order to make space for reflection, we also can tune our mind, body and other senses into receivers of wisdom from the earth and the cosmos. This way we can more gracefully appreciate all that may be perceived during this year.
I have no other wish than a close fusion with nature and I desire no other fate than to have worked and lived in harmony with her laws ~ Claude Monet
I wholeheartedly welcome this Year of the Sheep and the energy it brings for all of us. I look forward to enjoying this year of nurturing myself, my family, my qigong community and the beauty of my surroundings. Wishing the same for you.
Happy Year of the Sheep, Martha
