Happy New Year - Again!
The Chinese Lunar New Year fell on January 22 (start of new moon) this year. It's the year of the rabbit, ending on February 9th, 2024. Serendipitously, it also coincided with Nomad Haven's Intention Setting with the Moon, hosted by our in-house astrologer, Candice Young. She offered a wonderful session about setting intentions along with the moon cycle* the very same week.
The start of the new moon is an invitation for us, specially women, to set both personal and professional intentions that synchronize with the moon's cycle, go deep within and understand ourselves and our bodies better. A new moon is also a time of community and connection, with many other cultures around the world using the lunar calendar with traditions and festivities that start on a new moon, for example, Ramadan in the Islamic tradition will start when a new moon is sighted around March this year.
(*Moon Cycle: moon's monthly orbit around the earth and completion of all 8 phases; Lunar Calendar: about 12 lunar months)
In central London, where our team member at Nomad Haven, Rhona lives, Lunar New Year was a huge celebration, with crowds of all nationalities lining a parade route, lots of food stalls, and other festivities. It was a wonderful vibe, and she ate some New Year delicacies such as sweet creamy buns shaped like oranges, and dumplings stuffed with seasonal fillings.
What's Your Zodiac Animal?
Most of us are familiar with the basics: The Chinese zodiac signs are represented by 12 different animals in the 12-year Chinese zodiac calendar cycle. Your zodiac animal is determined by your year of birth. Find out your zodiac animal here, or have a look at the chart below.
For believers, Oxen, Tigers and Snakes are set to be very lucky this year. Thierry Chow, a Traditional Chinese geomancer says “Gui Mao Rabbit Year is quite a special year – when all the elements in a year are yin,” and “it’s also uncommon to have the combination of water and rabbit. The rabbit represents wood. Water nurtures wood (according to Chinese geomancy).”
She says industries with wood as their main element – like culture, publishing, agriculture and furniture – would benefit. Fire industries, on the other hand, including digital and technology businesses, may suffer as fire is afraid of Water.
“The Year of Water Rabbit is going to be a gentler year. We’ll have time to take a breather. We’ve been in the tunnel for the last few years, and the light is getting bigger now,” says Chow.
For more information on how this year will impact your personal life and career/enterprise (based on your zodiac animal sign), you can have a look at Thierry Chow’s predictions here!
Intention Setting with the Moon
Going back to the monthly moon cycle, in her session, Candice explained how the phases of the moon impact the earth (tide changes), and it also seems to synchronize with women's menstrual cycles.
It's a beautiful way for us personally to connect to the wider natural world. Traditionally, the moon is viewed as having feminine (yin) energy. As Candice mentioned, the moon has to catch the sun's light to shine as the moon produces no visible light of her own, and so her power only comes when she is connected, which is a very feminine attribute.
As women, by following the moon cycle, we can understand our bodies, and our own fluctuating mood and energy levels, and use that information to make decisions for ourselves and our businesses that feel authentic and empowering, allowing ourselves to go deeper within to find our own light, and reflect our light as brightly as a full moon.
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