Year of the Rat – Summer Solstice
It’s the time in the world that it is and the consensus is that what we observe is that it’s rough out there. A world in a mired, chaotic situation – the extent of that chaos and our relative safety within it dependent on what country, locality, and personal situation we find ourselves in.
In the system of Yin/Yang the solstice and the longest day of the year marks the height of Yang. Yang is relatively hot. And – It will get hotter, but the days will not get longer. It may be the hottest summer ever recorded.
2020 is the “Year of the Rat”. Rat years mark the start of a brand new cycle in the system (every 12 years it starts with the “Rat” )
I thought I’d have a lot to say about the “Metal Rat” this year – after all – because it’s my birth year and element, and my character is said to be related to the quality of the year. But I’ve not said so much. I’ve been observing and surviving like all of us. Is there some good in this that I can see that might be not obvious to others? After all, the Covid-19 thing really took off right with the onset of Chinese New Year at the end of January. Much ink has been spilled about that, I’ll give perhaps a differing perspective.
The image of the Rat in Asian culture is of a power that is clever, but small. It’s as powerful as any of the rest, but the Rats work as a group to undermine old foundations. Sometimes they may not all survive. But together they do it. Unlike the Rabbit energy where nobody wants to be seen as a ‘leader’, the individual Rats all have different ideas and perspectives. They might as individuals actually want to be seen as the “big Cheese” if you will. But their stamina is limited unless they have a common dream, and if that is maintained, all is possible. The dream is coming into manifestation in the new cycle. What is your part? Don’t know? Welcome to the club. Maybe the time is given to us to look within and re-invent old ideas.
A new vision can actually be put out and maintained by the end of a year like this. The time is always is dependent on the context of what to do with this energy, that comes around and around every 12 or 60 years. It all looks unable to change, until it does.
The ‘metal’ part of the Metal Rat, which gives a certain refinement and precision to the Rat, makes this particular Rat and this year a little less nervous and a little more capable of calculation and clarity. Technologically capable. Capable of cracking the code of a virus by the end of the year, certainly. No promises. We need to communicate what we discover through personal insight and education as soon as we have something to share.
If anything can be universally recommended, it’s probably that it’s a great time for anyone, anywhere, to look within and find stability. And then out into one’s general environment to establish a steady and stable routine. And to be positive and keep in mind the solid premise that – this too shall pass! – and may even have a deeper purpose. In adversity great strength can be forged, and presumptions and maintenance of power based on deep insecurity will not work out well.
If there is one piece of advice I’d offer in all this, especially if you are feeling particularly bogged down and trying to find the inner purpose thing, it would be that a perfect remedy for this period is to embark on some kind of study and re-education on a personal level. In whatever field or endeavor you have an appetite for or maybe useful for career, etc.
Face the computer or TV toward the wall – isn’t it the same news anyway generally? Enroll in a class, pick up some new books new paintbrushes, read a book about understanding racism or solar energy, or Chinese dietary therapy and the use of herbs, whatever.
We have the means now to communicate easily between all people of the planet, let’s do it. Look freshly at the many ideas out there to collectively make some change happen.
The Qi is there for this. And as the knots unravel inside, the digestion is better, the sleep is better, the blood tests improve. The joy of moving and exercise becomes less of a chore and more of an enjoyment of the relatively clean skies we now have.
Time for the COVID-19 update, reset, and recalculation. Don’t jump ship, it can get much better, but probably not immediately.
Make your lockdown experience less like a prison and more like a retreat, while you find your piece of wisdom to share with the rest of us when the time ripens. My studies tell me that the end of the Year of the Rat is when the fruit really can happen, put off big decisions until then if it’s possible.
So – stay cool this summer. 😎
Hope to see you for a relaxing acupuncture session, or a tele-health appointment if you are out of town or laying low.
Take care,
Ken