January 5 takes us into the month of the Earth Ox. It’s the end of winter and the last month of the year of the Rat in the Chinese solar calendar. Although the new year of the Metal Ox is still a month away, we can feel its influence taking over strongly in January, with the monthly flying stars mirroring the annual flying stars of the Ox year in the Feng Shui chart, offering us a preview of the year ahead.
After a watershed 2020, the year of the Ox will be a year of rebuilding and recovery. The Ox, as one of the four Earth signs in Chinese Astrology, helps us transition from one element (Water) to another (Wood). As much as we may yearn for growth, it may not happen until Wood, the element associated with growth, appears in 2022, the year of the Tiger.
A Yin Earth sign associated with Saturn, the Ox brings more stability to the world and the discipline and tenacity to do the work required. The Rat, one of the four cardinal signs known as Peach Blossom stars in Chinese astrology, is by nature highly social. Whereas we’ve seen how difficult it was in 2020 to get everyone to shelter at home, we’ll be more willing to do our part for the sake of the collective in the year of the Ox.
The year of the Metal Ox, which begins on February 3rd this year in the solar calendar and celebrated on February 11th or 12th according to the new moon / the lunar calendar, has Yin Metal as the heavenly frequency that we can use as cosmic guidance for the year ahead. Yin Metal is softer, reflective, and more refined compared to 2020’s Yang Metal, which can be aggressive and swift. Intelligence is a quality of Yin Metal, as compared to Yang Metal’s association with physical force. Of course, Metal, whether Yin or Yang, is by nature cold and sharp, and both intelligence and physical force can be used as a tool to protect or to harm.
Yin Metal also relates to small, delicate metal objects such as metal jewelry and needles, an apt imagery depicting 2021 as the year of vaccinations. Pay attention to March, a month with particularly strong Yin Metal energy, as a critical month in the timing of vaccine rollouts – we may see the vaccines become more widely available to the general public. We may also hear more divided opinions and new discoveries on the subject.
Yin Earth in the Ox represents Mother Earth and her qualities: nurturing, resourceful, and resilient. Earth element’s energy is centering and inward, bringing more stability and grounding as opposed to the Rat’s Yang Water element, which, like ocean waves, knows no boundaries and can be destructive when not properly contained. The presence of Yin Earth highlights deeper interests in healing and sustainability – of the self and the environment. With hidden Yin Metal and Yin Water in the Ox, we’ll also be more compelled to explore the reasoning (Yin Metal) and wisdom (Yin Water) behind every action.
Those born in an Ox year (1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009) will be encountering the Grand Duke Jupiter / Tai Sui, the god of the year who will support you as well as throw you curveballs along the way. In Chinese Astrology, the year you encounter the animal sign of your birth year is poised to be a life-changing year, the beginning of a new phase. This is the year of stepping up to one’s highest potentials. A Grand Duke Jupiter year usually coincides with transiting Jupiter returning to one’s natal Jupiter in western astrology. I’ve found that the impacts of a Grand Duke year can be highly positive and rewarding or they can also be quite upsetting, depending on the aspects Jupiter makes to other planets in one’s natal chart. For example, if natal Jupiter forms a Grand Trine to other planets in the natal chart, then a Jupiter return will activate that Grand Trine, which can manifest as lucky breaks and unexpected windfalls.
The Chinese zodiac signs most compatible with the Ox are secret friend the Rat and zodiac allies the Snake and the Rooster. Those with these signs in their chart can expect a more supportive year – a good time to forge ahead with plans that may have been delayed during the year of the Rat. *Keep in mind, however, that there may be other signs in your chart that clash with the Ox.
The Ox year will pose more challenges to those with the Sheep, the Dragon, or the Dog in their chart, especially to those born in year or day of the Sheep, the sign opposite the Ox. If you have one of these signs in your chart, 2021 will be a year of hard work, with big changes in store for the Sheep. Keeping an open mind is key as progress is very much possible but may come with some twists and turns.
The Ox is a “nobleman” to those born on a Yang Metal, Yang Wood, or Yang Earth day or in a year that ends with 0, 4, or 8 (for example: 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020 are all Yang Metal years while 1984, 1994, 2004, and 2014 are Yang Wood years). Having one or more nobleman stars in one’s natal Four Pillars (Bazi) chart is considered very lucky as that person will always have supporters and helpers in their life. Although not everyone is blessed with a nobleman star in their natal chart, one can still benefit from nobleman help and guidance when their nobleman star appears in the year’s sign or their luck pillar. If the Ox is your nobleman, this is a good year to meet mentors or invest in personal or professional coaching as the help and advice you get will contribute greatly to your growth.
The most favorable elements in the year of the Ox are Fire and Wood, which have been lacking since 2018. Those who have either or both Fire and Wood elements in their natal charts are less likely to be affected by external factors in the year of the Ox than those whose charts are lacking these elements. Those with Fire or Wood as their day master (self element) stand to benefit financially as the Yin Metal in the Ox year’s heavenly stem is the wealth element of those born on a Fire day, while Yin Earth contained in the Ox is the wealth element of those born on a Wood day.
In 2021, just as in 2020, it’s critical that we cultivate inner joy to stoke the Fire within. Fire, associated with the heart, is the element needed to transform Metal into something useful. Fire also produces Earth, the element we need to stay centered in the mind, body and spirit. A strong and open heart can help defeat grief and pessimism brought by the overabundance of Metal in the year’s heavenly stem. Get some sunshine, immerse yourself in activities that make your heart sing, and cook your food to add Fire into your system.
*Contact me here to schedule a strategic reading if you’d like to learn how the five elements affect you personally. Understanding what the elements represent in your life will help align your intentions with your highest potentials and the right timing. The reading will teach you how to read the elements so that you know what to anticipate each month. The knowledge you gain from the initial reading can be used as a tool to plan your actions strategically. With your newfound awareness, you will be able to do the right thing at the right time.
**Click here for part 2 of year of the Ox outlook based on the Feng Shui of 2021. Instead of the usual monthly update, part 2 offers a look at the annual flying stars and ruling trigram as foresights to what we can anticipate in the year of the Golden Ox.
Image by Jonas Koel/Unsplash