The Dragon in the Year of the Wood Snake 2025

Dragon Pic by @elliespinelli

Who is a Dragon?

Years: 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012.
Month*: April
Hour: 07.00 am – 09.00

Day: you’ll need a Chinese Calendar.

* Caution: the start of Chinese months can be as early as the 4th & as late as the 9th, depending on the year.

What is a Dragon?
The Dragon is yang earth, the most egotistical of the branches as well as perhaps the most powerful. Putting aside conventional rules of animal compatibility, many of us are either fascinated by the Dragon or suspicious. Or both. Shameless mischief-maker Vladimir Putin and Trump tribute act Boris Johnson are Dragons. So however is Marianne Williamson, whose Presidential ambitions may be over but whose influence continues to grow. It was she who wrote Nelson Mandela’s mantra:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are weak. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.”

These are powerful people. Be aware however that the Dragon is not always issued with a moral compass. He or she may take a lifetime locating it. Indeed they may have spent lifetimes already.

The Dragon is just as charming and affable as (s)he feels like being at any given time, but like the Pig, the Horse and the Rooster, they suffer the self clash which makes them unsuited to working with their peers. Dragons often live alone and enjoy their own company. Sometimes they claim to even when they don’t. Often what he experiences as joy is a subtle experience that others find puzzling. The Horse for instance who likes to dance on tables, may consider the Dragon a high maintenance prima donna. Even his ally the Monkey, contrasts his own goonish delights with the impassive Dragon and can make no sense of it.

And yet the Dragon delivers. Sometimes awkward and gauche, the Dragon can appear incompetent and yet still win. Steadfast Dogs whose workings lead to a logical answer detest this about the Dragon and may sabotage him. Put simply the Dog thinks the Dragon goes on a bit. The Ox and the Sheep share something of this attitude but are more passive about it. If you are a Dragon, know this: you are likely to induce jealousy. However gracious you are, they know the level of your self-esteem.

The Chinese ideogram for thunder is a Dragon under a raincloud. And all over the world rainclouds speak of plenty; drenched is good if you’re looking for growth. The Dragon month is April, the time of sudden change. Dragon times are the tense moments before a storm breaks.

The Dragon does not naturally co-operate or share confidences. He will however work with those he considers his inferiors as long as they are very clear about the pecking order. This is the central weakness of the unbalanced Dragon. King Lear was a Dragon, probably Sersei in Game of Thrones too where Othello (and Jamie Lanister) may have been a Tiger and Hamlet probably a Snake.

The Dragon’s traditional partners are the hands-on Monkey and the plotting Rat although these three may not mix socially. They need a task to cooperate upon, otherwise they find it hard to connect. Socially the Dragon will often seek out the Rooster and the Horse both of whom can act as pr or spokesperson. Alone or teamed-up, the Dragon is just as creative as he wants to be. She can magic up wealth and as rapidly squander it. Neither Horse nor Rooster are much help to them in this regard although a benevolent Rat and a diligent Monkey can be.

Dragon and the Snake form the House of Magic#. Dragon is the Sorceror, the Snake his apprentice. Merlin was a Dragon and his story illustrates the other central weakness of the Dragon: that he can be beguiled by the glamour typical of the Rooster. This coupling takes the Dragon off track. In a Rooster year the Dragon may forget carefully laid plans and go off-piste, tempted – typically – by wealth or sex. In a Pig year they may have to re-think their approach to life ready for the boom times of the Rat year that follows. In an Ox Year there are break-ups.

Note to Employers: A Dragon employee is the best there is if the task suits him. It had better suit him because he will do precisely what he feels like either way.

Final Note: As I said the typical Dragon has to seek his own moral bearings. Which means that unbalanced Dragons are the worst: take predators Philip Green, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein. Who’d have thought these three shared ba zi charts?!? Or that they could justify the unjustifiable for so long? Of course as these guys show, the Dragon has the luck of the Devil – technically this is called fiu gong and calls for a preventative calculation.

# These terms are the brain children of the man who first introduced me to the Chinese Zodiac Derek Walters, still the only Western authority respected to any degree in Asia. I sometimes tell my students that of the many thousands of books written on Chinese Astrology in the West, 99% are either nonsense or derived from Derek’s The Complete Guide to Chinese Astrology. Or both.

2025, Breezes, Hurricanes, Twisters,

The outlook for the Year of the Wood Snake.

Note: There are four (or five) Pillars in your ba zi, each with a different nuance. It is as unlikely that they are all ill-starred as it is that they are all

blessed by any given year. Examine the portents for each and perhaps use that as an indication of how to respond.

Dragon

Hong Yim, Tin Yute Qua Suk Yeung Yan Sui Sha

Relationship Stuff Nobleman Helper Time Out Sacrifice Year Curse

Breakthrough: you are being listened to. For a long time you have done world class work without proportionate recognition. It’s coming. Your longest standing ambitions may be fulfilled in 2025. It should not be too much to trade that for a little inconvenience.

Last year you were in charge but as the Animal of the tai sui, also exposed. Put simply, Dragons had to step up. Imagination, engagement and sheer nerve have been required of you. If you rose to this challenge your status will be significantly different from that of January 2024: you are probably much higher up the pecking order. If you fell back it’s likely you had a pretty hard year. Either way I’m addressing a much changed individual.

This year you are not as vulnerable. The Yin Wood of the Year Pillar will bite a little, expect exploitation but decide to experience it a different way. The Snake is your Nobleman Helper, trust that. Dragons are often misunderstood and often subject to envy. There’s little to be done about this other than to let go and move on with grace.

Good news: the Dragon who is typically most suited to teaching and healing will be the sought after teacher and healer this Snake year. Last year’s transformations should have prepared you for this. But be ready. The Yeung Yan or “Goat Blade” Star will bite if you back slide, the self-delusion of the last little while is no longer for you. This is a time to consolidate learning which is not yet grounded. Your head will clear if you let it. The best way to learn is to teach.

Not so good: the qua suk star implies celibacy. There is however an ascetic streak in Dragon dna and this may be the call to take time out, to ashram, cut back on sensory input and get closer to whatever it is we get closer to this way. Dragons who make that choice may achieve genuine visionary status.

Interestingly another star that attaches this year is Hong Yim which is very much not celibate. 1976 Fire Dragons and 1988 Earth Dragons may be drawn to tantric practice. Possibly not the 1964 & 1952 models. But who knows?

Which brings us to boundaries. Not the Dragon’s strongest suit. Take care this year. Many Dragons have the tongue that kills, the ability to turn love to hate in a beat: especially true if your Day Stem Clashes your Day Branch (for heterosexual men, the reverse for heterosexual woman – there’s not enough space here to explore the queer variations). Watch your mouth.

With the pressure off the Dragon is free now to pursue long standing ambitions. Your best shot is probably in August (the time of the Hungry Ghosts is a happy hunting ground) when all your senses are most acute. Exploit that gift you have for identifying that moment of qing or poignance and turning it to healing. Don’t wallow, seek the light. The darkness needs no explanation, just directing upwards.

If you write, write; if you sing, sing and so on. Just as there are students for you, there is an audience. Art makes our small lives seem as important as they are. Travel is likely towards the end of the year as is a splash of high profile notoriety around Christmas.

Technically your native location at South East 1 (around 120º) suffers a Money Curse. As Dragons in any case suffer the Self Clash, steer clear of this area and give special attention to balancing your books in April.

Lesson: Spiralling up

Best Months: August, September, December.

Worst Months: April, July, October.

Theme: Rising again

Hexagram: 26 Xiao Chu Seize the Day.

Health: = Wealth: = Relationship: 😊

Where to find help: Monkeys, Rats, Roosters.

Who should I be careful with: other Dragons, Dog, Rabbit.

This forecast is prepared by comparing your own Chinese year Animal with the Wood Snake of 2025. Your Year Animal is just one of the four that make up your Ba Zi or Four Pillars of Destiny. A fully-drafted ba zi can indicate possible futures and probable pasts as well as moments of decision. Knowing these moments can heal and prevent heartbreak as well make success and happiness more easily achievable. What is a ba zi?

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