Happy Chinese Earth Pig New Year!

February 5th marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year, the year of the Earth Pig. These zodiac signs are determined by your birth year, not your birth month, and always come in the same order, with the pig as the 12th and final sign of the series. Each time your zodiac sign rolls around it cycles through a different symbolic element in a certain order as well: metal, water, wood, fire, and earth. Since the Chinese New Year is based on the lunar calendar, the date moves around a bit. If you were born in January or February especially, you will have to double check your sign. Click here to find your Chinese zodiac sign.

This New Year it is time to leave behind 2018’s Dog Year, a period that was characterized by territorial behavior and blind loyalty to the pack. As the year of the Pig, a carefree, fun, and easygoing animal that gets along well with all sorts of other barnyard species, we can look forward to the return of a more socially open and welcoming time. Pigs also represent good fortune and wealth, so this is great time to start a new venture or invest some money. This is also an Earth year. Just as the earth literally breaks down and absorbs whatever falls to the forest floor, Earth years are a good time to pause, process, and integrate past events. Earth is also stabilizing and grounding, so this is an excellent time to set down new roots or start a garden. Happy New Year!