Happy Chinese New Year to all! On February 10, 2024, the Green Wood Dragon Year returns after 60 years, starting a new cycle and bringing important changes. How to harmonize the astral energies of the Green Dragon with Feng Shui in our homes.
Keywords for the year of the Green Dragon: charisma, idealism, enthusiasm, change, growth, competitiveness, tirelessness, courage and risk. Equivalent zodiac sign: Aries.
Symbol: Pine
Happy Chinese Year of the Green Dragon! – Photo by Yung-pin Pao from Pixabay
Under the combination Dragon + Wood element (Green Dragon) are those born from February 13, 1964 to February 1, 1965.
Those born in 1976, 1988, 2000 and 2012 also belong to the sign of the Dragon, but their combination with the Earthly Branches is different and they are subject to other energies of the cycle of the 5 elements or 5 phases.
The corresponding sign of the zodiac is the sign of Aries (Western Astrology).
The Chinese dragon, whose Chinese ideogram is 龙 (lóng), is the incarnation of the concept of yang, the fertile and creative spirit, male, and as such also represents the family genetic lineage (similarly to the genius, the spirit of the family of the ancient Roman religion, which in private altars was represented by a snake). According to René Guénon it is the Far Eastern symbol of the Logos (the cosmic rule, the Tao in Chinese tradition). The Dragon was the symbol of the emperor, the “son of heaven” and the Han Chinese call themselves “the descendants of the Dragon”. For the common man the Dragon was a benevolent and auspicious creature, connected with rain and fertility. The Dragon is related to the east and its Element which is Wood, in contrast to the White Tiger linked to the Metal element and the west.
As explained in the Chinese astrology article on Tai Sui, the Chinese calendar is set on the sexagenary cycle of Jupiter-Saturn, considered by all astrologers to be of fundamental importance, which consists in the fact that every three conjunctions (about 59.6 years, shortly after Saturn has completed two revolutions and Jupiter five) the new conjunction occurs almost in the same point of the zodiac band. Although Chinese astrology is separate from astronomy, the numerological symbols connected to it remain the fundamental interpretative key of the Chinese calendar temporal successions. This New Year, therefore, marks a particular time in the Chinese calendar because it represents, with the return of the Green Dragon after 60 years, a new beginning and the end of a cycle. Since the Green Dragon itself, in turn, symbolizes the change connected to the spring equinox, this year is under the sign of double change and therefore it is legitimate to expect great novelties at all levels.
The Year of the Green Dragon is therefore a time of change, ambition, power and courage.
Bronze Feng Shui Dragon Outdoors – Photo by sherisetj from Pixabay
Dragon-kite – CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=857433
The most favored signs in 2024 together with the Dragon are the Monkey (1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016) and the Rat (1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020), which in Western tradition correspond to Leo and Sagittarius respectively.
The most unfavorable sign in 2024 is the Dog (1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018) but the Sheep and the Ox (Libra, Cancer and Capricorn respectively) may also encounter some difficulties.
HOW TO HARMONIZE THE YEAR OF THE GREEN DRAGON AND FENG SHUI AT HOME?
The Earthly Branch corresponding to the Dragon is the fifth, chén (辰), its azimuthal direction is 120° and the corresponding element in Wuxing is Wood. This means that, whatever our sign, to prepare our home well for the energies of the new Chinese year we must favor the direction (120°) and its reference element (Wood) which also coincides with the element of the Dragon.
Going into more detail, the 120° direction should be understood as a 30° angle between 105° and 135° within the Chinese Compass (Ba Gua); therefore our direction in 2024 will be southeast.
Considering that the very strong element is Wood, we will have to take care of the energy chain of the Wood-Fire binomial with particular attention to Fire which will be the outlet of Wood if it is too abundant under the impetuous push of the Dragon.
We then identify on the Ba Gua which areas of our home fall in the Wood (east and southeast) and south (Fire) directions and check whether colors, materials and shapes harmoniously follow the sequence of the cycle of the 5 elements, weakening it where we notice that there are excesses or taking advantage of the energy of the Dragon if we are lacking as a Wood element. In the southeast we do not miss plants, rectangular objects, or vertical interior design elements, using materials in fabric and soft wood. In the south instead we try to use pointed shapes, glassy materials, light and bright colors, in order to allow the development of Wood energy towards the realization in the Phoenix sector. We lovingly take care of the development of plant life in our homes by placing vigorous growing plants in the southeast, supported by water, and succulents and thorny plants with bright blooms in the south, creating a Zen corner or rock garden.
For the Chinese New Year 2024 in particular we “charge” the direction at 120° with the classic symbol of the Green Dragon combined with the energy of Wood. These are the general indications, while as already indicated in other sections of the site, for each house it will be necessary to provide care suitable for the specific characteristics of the environment and its inhabitants.