2020 Year of the Yang Metal Rat – Geng Zi
Welcome to the year of the Yang Metal Rat – Geng Zi!
The Lunar Chinese Year has arrived in advance of the Solar New Year on February 4 when our Feng Shui, Flying Stars and Four Pillars/BaZi calendar begins. If you haven’t yet updated your homes and businesses, there is still time to prepare for the Yang Metal Rat.
The Yang Metal Rat, poetically known as ‘Rat on the Crossbeam – A Vision of Brick Walls’ is the first of twelve Chinese astrological signs and leader of the procession into a brand new 12-year cycle and era. Rats are the beginners – they straddle the midnight hours of 11pm to 1am (both night and day), the late winter season, northern compass direction and the changeable element of Water.
For this reason, Rat years signify a period of creativity, conception and planning. Seeds planted under cover of darkness in Rat years are destined to germinate in the light of day at some point in the future. Like deep, still Water, life quickly regenerates far beneath the surface with barely a ripple to suggest endless possibilities of renewal. That is the power of fresh starts and new beginnings the Rat brings to the table and a glimpse into what you can expect in 2020.
2020’s Metal Rat represents an elemental shift from the last two years of consolidating Earth energy to a more inward but transformative phase of alchemy associated with Metal chi. This energy is sharp, structured and perceptive and like the inquisitive Rat, cuts through the nonsense and noise to accomplish tasks. Details matter under this influence as the Rat greets 2020 with a plan and intends to effect change at a fundamental level. This Rat can handle pressure but teaches us that knowledge is power and careful planning is the key to strategic execution. We’ve been preoccupied with expanding over the last few years and perhaps haven’t focused enough on organizing, revitalizing and cherishing what we already have.
Whether you are a friend or foe of the Rat, he’s been carefully taking notes and preparing lessons since 2008 when the last (Earth) Rat ruled the year. And you’ll have to travel back 60 years (1960) to the last time the Yang Metal Rat held court to discover how this industrious and shrewd animal plans to guide you in 2020.
As we embark on another new adventure in this cycle of time, there is comfort in knowing that together we weave a rich, full and colorful tapestry of life and emerge wiser and stronger for the journey.
Wishing you a magnificent year of the Rat,
Diane Gallin
