(223) Fortunes for year of he black snake
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By Janet Shin
According to the saju calendar, the new year began on Feb. 4, the onset of spring. It is identified as the year of the black snake.
Ancient people classified times, years, months, days and hours into 60 combinations of heavenly and earthly energies. These are generated by the 10 heavenly stems and 12 earthly branches. Since they have the propensity for either yin or yang, the number of combinations reach 60 as it’s 10 times 12 divided by two.
The stems grow from heaven to reach out to Earth to bear fruits. The Chinese characters to symbolize each stem portray growth and the development of plants. For example, “gap” illustrates how seeds bud and “eul” shows the image of blooming leaves and flowers. Meanwhile, the earthly branches are described by the names of animals, which ultimately represent humans and they are the fruition of universal activity.
Among the 10 stems, “gye,” the heavenly energy, signifies a ritual for worship of the heavenly gods. When it comes to the classification of the five elements, gye represents yin water in color black. On the other hand, the zodiac sign of “sa,” the earthly branch of 2013, stands for snakes and fire energy in terms of the five elements classification. Therefore, people call it the year of the black snake, while I anticipate it as a year of conflict between the "water’’ heaven and ``fire’’ earth.
In regards to the snake, the sixth earthly branch, it is a symbolic animal of "samsara’’ ― the eternal cycle of birth, death and rebirth ― as it is born again after shedding its old skin. It also implies abundance and fecundity. It has often been regarded as a deity of one’s family since people believed that it protected their wealth and crops. So there was a custom not to capture or harm snakes once they entered the house, as people might end up losing the property and even family members. Some folklorists consider 2013 as a more fortunate year because it is when the snake ascends to heaven after transforming into a dragon, in comparison to 2012, which had been revealed as a year of depression.
I have explained about "sa," or the zodiac snake, in my book "Life’s Secrets" as being a complete yang energy where everything is active. The relevant occupations are finance, press, broadcasting, distribution and the circulation of money. People born in the year of the snake are energetic in their profession and show clear positions in their expression. They are usually talented. They adapt themselves well to the environment and do their best to promote themselves. Even though they might fail once in their lifetime, they will recover soon. As stated in traditional zodiac translation, snake denotes the fortune of literature and study.
Sa includes some earth, metal and fire elements. People acquire sa energy when they are born in the year of snake (1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989 and 2001), the month of April and at the birth time of 9-11 a.m.
If we look back on history, as we may learn from it, gye-sa years came after critical situations such as war to be settled and gave rise to the naissance of new culture. Resplendent art and literature were triggered in those years.
2013 is the 60th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice. When the Japanese invaded Korea in 1592 during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), the situation became a little quiescent and Korean soldiers even defeated the Japanese army in 1593, although their laxity provoked another invasion in 1597. If we go back further, the compilation of the annals of the Joseon Kingdom started in 1413.
There are some auspicious signs of favorable changes as they represent a certain atmosphere of quickening. Nevertheless, it is yet going to be a year of confusion and chaos as it literally implies the conflict between water and fire. There will be antagonism between the poor and the rich, east and west, and employers and employees. There are continued restless situations of the North Korean nuclear issue, concerns of global warming, religious and border disputes, and the threaten of economic recession around the globe.
Information: Are you interested in learning more about the ancient Chinese teaching about the “Four Pillars of Destiny”? For further information, visit Janet’s website at www.fourpillarskorea.com, contact her at 010-5414-7461 or email janetshin@hotmail.com.