2023: The YEAR of The Water RABBIT
Chinese New Year of 2023 began mid-January on the New Moon of Sunday 22nd and is the beginning of the traditional Lunar Chinese calendar. The size of the Chinese population makes their calendar the most followed in the world. New Year begins a new zodiac animal cycle, the Year of the Rabbit. Chinese tradition also employs a Solar calendar. Using the Solar calendar, it’s Sunday 5th February but the New Moon day of 22nd January is the official Lunar New Year celebration day with street celebrations.
2022 was the Year of the Yang Water Tiger and oh what a dramatic year! Now in the cycle of the twelve comes the calmer and more community-minded of the animals, the social Rabbit. He is a discreet animal, prudent and very honest. In work and productive fields, he is serious and persevering. The motto of the Rabbit is “it’s no good hurrying, you must start with punctuality”. The Rabbit is a great friend to all who are with him. He/she seems to exude a mysterious presence and this causes the Rabbit to sometimes be quite an elusive presence. He’s known to be solitary and enigmatic and at times quite subtle.
The RABBIT’s QUALITIES and MYTHOLOGY
People born in the Year of the Rabbit are kind, loving people, and dislike hostile actions. They give others an impression of being frail because of their gentle appearance, but in fact, they are strong-minded and have very strong wills. They pursue their ideals all their lives in a precise and orderly way. They do things slowly and deliberately because of their caution. There is little need to worry about them. They are nimble, clever and good at avoiding harm to themselves. They are talented and like artistic ventures, such as painting and music and are generally active in these areas. They are also very hospitable, good hosts and warm-hearted companions. Many dislike embracing others in public places, however. They know about the art of saving face and giving consideration to both sides of a question. There’s a bit of Libran balance and beauty in them.
The Rabbit the Chinese say will live up to one thousand years and turns completely white at the age of five hundred years. The Taoists maintain the Rabbit is the mixer of the elixir of life and is the servant of a magician. He is considered to be the most difficult sign to describe because there is an element of complexity and infinity about him. He is very sensitive to the underlying currents and sensations in the air and in people. His intuition is very important to him. It’s useless to discuss logic with a Rabbit as he/she listens to the ‘vibrations’ and not the words, facts or figures. Frustrating for logical science heads and brains.
In Medieval times the Rabbit was seen as bad luck on journeys yet the rabbit also has a history of being a good luck omen. In Pagan times he was worshipped as the sacred animal of fertility and involved in the rites of Spring. The rabbit’s paw is traditionally associated with good luck and it seems to have come from an 18th-century belief that rabbit’s paws kept rheumatism at bay. In China, the Rabbit is a sign of longevity and has always been associated with the Moon and thus is feminine and Yin. The oldest Chinese traditions maintain the rabbit came from the Moon and if you look at the Moon, many people actually see a rabbit in its features at Full Moon time.
Rabbit people are usually relatively careful when it comes to their finances. They use much of their money for possessions such as their homes, art, furniture or cars. They love hunting for antiques, and arts and crafts, and will tend to make sound investments in these types of things. Nice possessions make them feel really comfortable. Their homes and offices usually are clutter-free. They have really good communication skills and are best in positions of management. They are very diplomatic and well-organised. They can also make great painters or musicians due to their sense of beauty and their love of creativity.
WHEN A RABBIT IS IN LOVE
The ideal partner for a Rabbit is one who is loving and kind-hearted and always fulfils their partner’s desires. They are affectionate, attentive and tender people and never forget a birthday and are very sensitive to the needs of their partner. Rabbits blossom in love and diffuse an aura of happiness through the family. But they need active or constant warmth or they can fade away. There’s a need to feel secure and loved. They are faithful by nature but have trouble if it gets too passionate and if conflict abounds. If there is too much conflict they will leave, but if that is not possible, then they become ill as a reaction. Rabbits detest partings and hope that they will not have to depart, but look for something to restore the relationship they try to cherish.
THE RABBIT’s CAREER – What type of occupations suit the Rabbit person? In work, the Rabbit likes or gravitates towards careers in literature, art, music, design, public relations, counselling, advisory occupations and law and they also make very good secretaries. With their prudence, tact and diplomacy they are suited to any profession that is about making harmonious situations. They don’t always rise to the top, mostly because they are not given to pretension so they do not push themselves forwards and so personal life and family matters more to them than being at the top. The more stable professions suit Rabbits best where they can be recognised and appreciated and they dislike vagueness in professional life. Rabbits easily know how to avoid conflicts and tend to be in professions which are neither cut-throat nor upwards moving careers.
WHAT’S THE RABBIT YEAR ALL ABOUT?Â
The year is always made up of two parts, the Chinese animal sign and the year element. The Year of the Rabbit is made up of two elements with the Yin Water element sitting on top of Yin Wood.
According to the cycle of birth and destruction which governs the inter-relationship between the elements, if the two elements are in the birth cycle and have a supportive relationship, then the year will have more harmony.  2022 was also Water over Wood, the same as 2023, but it was not peaceful with the war between Russia and Ukraine, and this is because of the nature of Yang Water and the Tiger element of Yang Wood which are more aggressive elements. Yin Water is the most moderate and humble of the Five Elements system. A person born on a Yin Water day often appears to be polite, patient, humble, accommodating, and tolerant and very intelligent.  They are moderate on the outside but persistent and full of willpower and strength inside. They normally behave as friendly and easygoing, however, Water is by nature a powerful and intelligent element, so Yin Water people are often clever and possess strong enthusiasm, devotion and willpower and can take dedicated actions to meet their targets and accomplish their goals. Usually, they listen and accommodate others’ opinions as they do not like to argue or quarrel. This means the chance to do this in 2023 is magnified many times. However, instead of open fighting, Rabbits prefer to pursue their agenda in secret. Hence Yin Water people are often secretive so the Yin Water of the year makes for a year where there will be secrets, and events playing out behind the scenes where not everything is revealed. But it will definitely surprise you later with some significant accomplishments. A classic example of a famous Yin Water person is King Charles. His image fits quite well with the Yin Water quality of being polite, humble and patient. He did make some noise in the international world scene and he is very intelligent and very active in environmental protection and the preservation movement. As British king, he now has to temper that even more.
The HISTORY of the YEAR
The Chinese Calendar Works on the Sixty Year Cycle and the 1963 year was also a Yin Water Rabbit year. The 2023 Water Wood elements configuration in the supportive cycle will help to resolve conflicts and bring more harmony to international relationships. The main difference between 2022 and 2023 is that Yin Water is by nature represented by the morning dew and the Rabbit is by nature a flower. The picture is of a small drop of water appearing on the petal of a flower in the early morning, so it’s more moderate and peaceful. And we can expect the conflict between Russia and Ukraine ought to come to an end bringing more peace and less tension between East and West. However, it doesn’t mean conflict and war will just disappear. Only that the fight may go secretive and underground. As such there will be protests, assassinations, coup d’etats, and even terrorist activities. The most famous assassination in western history was the murder of President John F. Kennedy 60 years ago in 1963, the previous year of Yin Water-Rabbit. What happened back then will give us clues to the 2023 year (more later…).
WHAT ARE The HEALTH ISSUES FOR 2023?
In traditional Chinese medicine, the Wood element represents the liver. It’s also responsible for growth and activities and motion in all our limbs. So there’s a tendency for people to be more keen to move around and get involved in exercise and sports. Note that last year under Yang Wood the Olympic Games went ahead and the Gym industry revived. The Water element on top is related to the kidneys, urinary system and the sex organs. However, this Water sitting on Wood is weak, so it’s still important to take supplements such as Omega-3 oils to support the Water aspects.
Both Water and Woodwork against the Earth element, which is our stomach and digestion system, and a clash between Yin Water and Yin Fire is a sign of Heart attacks, Myocardial problems and Strokes.  So it’s very good to take Fire element supplements such as CoQ10 to support Earth and Fire, to improve blood circulation and body energy. Take antioxidants to regulate our Earth elements which also relates to our body cells. Antioxidants include Vitamins A, C, E, Selenium and Carotenoids. One top antioxidant is Astaxanthin which is derived from kelp and microalgae. Food sources include all berries, pecans, kale and dark chocolate.
Richard Giles, Astrologer and Feng Shui practitioner –  [email protected]
