When does the energy of the new year begin in Feng Shui for 2025?
For some, the energy of the new year begins to seep at the Winter Solstice on December 21st when we celebrate the return of the light and the lengthening of the days. This is the darkest point of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and from this day on each day becomes just a little bit lighter and a little bit longer as we expand slowly but surely towards the Summer solstice on June 21st which marks the fullest expansion of the energy of the year in the Northern hemisphere.
In the East the new year is celebrated at the first new moon of the year which is marked in the Chinese lunar new year calendar (consisting of 12 animals and 5 elements in a 60 year cycle which describe metaphorically how the energy changes each year). Because this is based on the cycles of the moon, it is a moveable feast. this year it is celebrated on January 29th which marks the beginning of the Wood Snake year.
Others believe it begins as the first shoots of spring pop their heads above the ground signaling the reawakening of Mother earth. In Celtic tradition this is marked on February 1st/ Brigid’s day/Imbolc. In Ireland we celebrate Brigids awakening from her Winter slumber as she passes over the land on Brigids eve, awakening and enlivenening the plant world which follows her lead, sprouting its new shoots above the ground, marking the return of new growth for this year.
In the 9 star Ki/I ching astrology system the new year is marked on February 4th, the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Each year over a cycle of 9 years the 9 energies/stars “fly” from one house to another. In 9 star ki this marks a shift in energy globally based on the element/star which moves to the central position. This year this is the 2 earth star, making 2025 a 2-earth energy year overall. Each star/element moves into a different energetic “house” which moves each of us individually into a different year energetically over a cycle of 9 years. This offers each of us opportunities and challenges based on our own elemental signature (our 9 star ki elemental signature is set based on our birthdate and represents our constitition like a birthmark).
On Saturday February 1st I will be running our annual new year, new beginnings class. We will discuss these various systems in terms of the insight they offer us on the nature of the year ahead: The wood snake and the 2 earth energy year in 9 star ki.
We will learn how to calculate our own 9 star ki, what each elemental number/star means and how this influences how we interact with each other and how we approach life on an individual level. The energy for this year tells us that this is a very important year for connections and community. Understanding our own innate nature and how our energy is for this year is important in this context.
We will look at the annual flying stars for this year (the house each of the 9 stars occupies for 2025). This has general information for us in terms of the “season” we are in this year: In much the same way as we cycle through the seasons this 9 year cycle represents a cycle of creation (seed), gestation (sprouting), consolidation (bearing fruit), maturation (ripening), dissolution and dormancy (releasing the fruit and leaves and drawing the energy in and down into the roots) and then beginning all over again.
It is most important to understand how our energy is influenced as we enter each house in the context of how our personal element is impacted by the element of the house we will occupy this year. Some elements are supportive, some can have the potential to feel stagnant, others are challenging etc. Being prepared for this and making adjustments accordingly is helpful here.
The annual movement of energy influences the Feng Shui of our built spaces and we can tweak the feng shui/dynamic balance of energy by making specific placements withing our home and workspaces to support ourselves through this time of transition.
