Issue 38: Happy Lunar New Year 🐲🏮
We enter a year of opportunity in the year of the Dragon plus tips on Feng Shui by a local expert
Hey friends!
Lunar New Year is fast approaching, and we’re so ready to welcome some dragon energy 🐉 In last year’s issue, we chatted with Johnny Lee about traditional Chinese foods. This year, we are bringing some feng shui tips to your inbox.
Drawing from ancient wisdom, the influence of celestial bodies has historically guided predictions about patterns and personalities. This principle extends to the Chinese zodiac.
Although we enjoy astrology and its guidance, remember that you choose your path, and each challenge presents an opportunity for change and growth. As we enter the new year of opportunity, challenges, and possibility, let’s remember these wise words from the late but great Bruce Lee (a fellow dragon🐉) on growth:
Man is constantly growing. And when he is bound by a set pattern of ideas or way of doing things, that’s when he stops growing. -Bruce Lee
Much love from dragon and horse duo,
Marissa and Akina
Feng Shui for the New Year 🪟
With the Lunar New Year around the corner, we met with Ellen Wilkinson from Ellen’s Realty to provide us with some feng shui tips. We loved her refreshing take on this.
Wilkinson: “I’m Chinese, and the Chinese people go into detail because there’s so much to talk about, but we, as common home buyers, just need to know common feng shui.”
According to Wilkinson, feng shui is really simple – it all comes down to feeling. When you go into a house, do you feel comfortable or enclosed? Do you feel good or heavy? Even when looking for a new home, Wilkinson says it’s about practicing common knowledge.
If a home is located at the bottom of the hill, it’ll be more prone to flooding, or if a bathroom is right across from the kitchen, then the smell may trail to the kitchen. These are all examples of simple feng shui.
Wilkinson: “The Chinese people make feng shui very mysterious, but much of it is scientific and common knowledge.
“Pay attention to how you feel and if your house is bright enough or if there’s anywhere that makes you feel uncomfortable. If so, then maybe you should make some adjustments.” - Ellen Wilkinson
Simple Feng Shui Tips
2024 is the Year of the Dragon 🐉
If you were born in 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, or 2024, this year is your year. According to The Japan Times, the year of the dragon brings forth a person’s ability to harness the creature’s intelligence, leadership, and abilities to pursue their dreams with creativity, passion, courage, and confidence.
💭 Interesting Facts About the Mythical Dragon
An excerpt from The Chinese Zodiac and Other Paths to Luck, Riches & Prosperity by Aaron Hwang
“Plainness disagrees with Dragon. Thus, his kind no longer dwells much on Earth. As the sun rises to the firmament, so, too, does Lord Dragon. Deepest seas, open air, and solid stone are all one to him. Child of Heaven and Earth, he strides on clouds as surely as mountains, parts mountains as easily as clouds. He flexes his length, and both horizons cannot contain him. He contains within him implausible multitudes, the horns of ox, the claws of tiger, the whiskers of rat, the body of snake. Every animal lives within him. His roar shakes volcanos, his command brings rain, gold and jade drip from him like menial sweat. What challenge, then, can Earth present? He must reach above and clutch the radiant sun, or touch the stars that sparkle like gems. Why shouldn’t he? What is he not capable of? Higher!”
Characteristics of the Dragons:
🌊 Primary Associations: transcendence, infinity, confidence, leadership, yang
🌸 Season: late spring
🌎 Inherent Element: Yang Earth
🐲 It’s the only mythical creature out of the 12 zodiac animals. The dragon’s command brings on rain.
Linked with imagination, dragons are naturally bored by the mundane and are realistic. They push for the extravagant, outrageous, and fantastic. They care little for practicality and are drawn to creativity and pursuing fantastic visions.
💭 According to the zodiac, each animal lives within the dragon. The dragon takes each animal’s strength – horns from the ox, eyes from the rabbit, the horse’s legs, the goat’s beard, the monkey’s wit, the rooster’s crest, the claws of the tiger, the dog’s ears, the pig’s snout, the whiskers of rat, and the body of the snake.
🎍People born in the Year of the Dragon are believed to be most compatible with Rooster and Monkey signs, while they may have challenges with Dog signs.
Famous Dragons:
Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel (1904)
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929)
Bruce Lee (1940)
Louisa May Alcott (1832)
Anna May Wong (1905)
Shakira (1977)
Week to Weekend Reads
Food writer Su-Jit Lin’s personal essay about her favorite dish and how it connects with her immigrant chef father. (Longreads)
Want to wind down without the wine? Here are 15 Best Non-Alcoholic Drinks For A Relaxing Alternative. (Good Trade)
Are you looking to cook up something for the Lunar New Year? Try this braising method. (Epicurious)
A late person’s guide to being on time (The Cut)
Celebrating mixed Asian identities with Joysauce.
Have a Good One!
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