Can you feel change in the air?

According to Chinese tradition, time is divided into twenty year periods, each with a dominant energy, and we’ve just shifted into a new one. It’s a Nine period, which is shorthand for the Fire element. The previous period, from 2004 to 2024, was an Eight, an Earth element. In 2004, Chinese businesses incorporated the number eight into as many things as possible, from business names to car registration plates. It was THE lucky number for wealth. But that’s changed so watch out for plenty of nines cropping up in Chinese businesses. It’s taken very seriously.

It might all sound a bit esoteric but a lot of Chinese philosophy makes a lot of sense. Like the understanding about different kinds of energy, and that we can do things to encourage a sense of flow in all aspects of our lives (thanks to practices like acupuncture, feng shui, tai chi, chi gong, and Traditional Chinese Medicine). I especially like the Five Elements (Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal) which represent the type of energy in absolutely everything. According to Chinese astrology, for instance, I’m a strong Water person, which means I’m prone to overthink things – Water is about reflecting and depth. New ideas are affiliated with the Wood element (like new leaves and growing shoots) and Fire is their full expression, putting them in the spotlight.

So we’ve moved into a dominant Fire period and that influences everything. Fire is a volatile element, not a problem when contained but which can easily get out of control. It can also be quickly snuffed out. There’s a treacherous quality to it, flickering one moment, blazing the next, always changing. It’s the energy of fame and celebrity (the spotlight), of joy (the lightness of laughter), of intelligence (being bright), of fashion (that spotlight again), and of explosive brilliance (the lightbulb moment). So I’m sorry to tell you that the focus on the celeb culture will continue for the next twenty years.

I’ve been mulling over this Fire energy for a while. The impact of the coming change began months ago. There was something shocking (explosive) going on at a number of levels. Not just in events like the ‘sudden’ Hamas attack on Israel and the brutal response or the ‘sudden’ collapse of Chinese property giant Evergrande, which threatens to destabilise global finances, but also closer to home, in the ‘sudden’ breakdown of relationships, some I’d thought of as rock-solid. There was a burn-the-house-down quality to people splitting up. The suddenness was the shock, and I kept thinking of the way a flickering candle can fall and become an inferno in moments.

Few things are sudden, though. Things fester below the surface for a long time until they reach a stage when they can’t be concealed any longer. Fire energy brings them into the light, like the eruption of a volcano.

So I’m thinking the bright and sometimes volcanic energy is something we should be mindful of over these coming years. We have to be more intelligent, to understand where there are problems and deal with them before they become unmanageable, flaring out of control. While a Fire period might sound wonderful for a budding author seeking the spotlight, it’s also a great energy for narcissists, always clamouring for attention. So, Trump might just get what he wants. The clarity that Fire symbolises means things are brought out into the light, and that means all kinds of things, from awful secrets to fantastic inventions. Look at me, it screams (the flashing red light). But also, beware, beware, beware.

No one can predict the future. Not even Chinese astrology. But we can get a feeling for what kind of future it might be. As someone living in a timber house, I’m a little nervous about the literal meaning of prominent Fire energy as well as the continuing effect of the warming of the oceans on our climate. But I’m also a lover of laughter and seeker of joy, both of them Fire attributes, so here’s hoping it’s the dawning of a new age of enlightenment. With lots of laughs.

What changes have shocked you recently?