Live a Little, Get Around

Being opposite the Dragon on the compass, in this Wood Dragon year of 2024 the Dog is the 歲破 Sui Po or the Year Breaker. The Dog is the recipient of the focused attention of the Dragon. Is that good?

Some people say that as long as there is energy is focused on you, it’s good even if it’s a clash. They say that when there is no energy or no dynamic flow for you it’s worse than a clash. One teacher told me “junk food is better than no food”, and that’s true but thank goodness no one is asking you to live that way this year Dog. This year is a year you are nurtured and rearranged at the same time.

The clash of Dragon and Dog is a clash between two 戊 yang Earths. It’s like two mountains crashing into each other. In any year, this particular clash indicates that there may be blockages and obstacles for everyone. Seeing as how it’s a Dragon year, they may pile up a bit more for the Dog. Ask Prince William who is a 1982 Water Dog what that might be like. It’s probably painful and difficult but also brings some opportunities you didn’t expect to arrive so soon. Good things will be happening too.

For Earth, Wood is power or empowerment. Now the clash of the Dragon and Dog is focused by, or focused on, Wood or power itself. Who has it? Who is in charge? Who can survive it? It’s a year for Dogs to explore power and anger. That’s probably the biggest risk for you right there. Being a Dog, you may have a talent for ignoring the things that are troublesome as long as they are not overly threatening – for you. I want Dogs, Dragons and everyone to think about how you might use your anger, which is a microcosm of the collective anger, to redistribute power. Decentralize power. Organize the decentralization of power.

The conflict between the Dragon and Dog brings with it themes of winners and losers, borders, boundaries, walls, showdowns and ultimatums. The outcomes are predictably unpredictable. Many conflicts may play out on a physical level so if you don’t want that in your life, don’t start it. * If you seek the root of these disputes, you’ll find the usual disagreements about belief systems and the tension between tradition and evolution.

Due to their massive presence and powerful nature, Dogs are used to being unintentionally offensive. This year you may find that happening even more often than usual. Know your audience. Some will eat it up, most will not. Let’s just say it’s not an asset and leave it at that. Dogs will especially benefit from appropriate conduct regarding women this year. Bad behavior will come back to bite you. Just be kind so you don’t have to worry about it.

A Dragon year often brings a darker outlook for the Dog, perhaps not merited by the events of the year. This may or may not manifest as depression. Don’t worry too much about labels, just check in with yourself or someone you trust about your behavior. Are you not yourself?

Learn to take care of yourself if you haven’t already. Stop accepting what authority figures have to say unless it makes sense to you and the people you care about. Apply that to your boss, your doctor, the police, the government. Don’t trust that everyone has your best interests at heart. This is one of the most important pieces of advice I can give to you. Don’t accept your fate blindly. Facing it will be so much more meaningful. It is possible to maintain your influence but not your control.

The flow of 2024 means movement for the Dog. Go with it. For most of the year, Dogs will benefit from being unattached to staying in any one place for an extended period of time. If you’ve got a Dog in your Day Pillar or Year Pillar, you may be moving house. If you have a Dog in both day and year, I expect big life changes are in store. Maybe you’re crossing borders. You’re going to benefit from travel so why not go big? You’ll probably be spending some money anyway.

If you’ve got a Dog in your month pillar, maybe you were laid off last year or that’s a concern for you. It’s reinvention time. You have the knowledge, skills and depth. This is a good time for some Dogs to start their own businesses.

If the Dog is in your Life House, maybe you have life long issues with displacement or bullying. How might you want to change that pattern? This is the year to do it.

In any clash there are both good things and bad things happening at the same time. It can be confusing and exhilarating too.

The 戌 Dog is the Great Consumer in 2024, a title which goes along with Sui Po. In Dog and Dragon years, the clash of Dog and Dragon often has to do with losing or getting money. 2024 has that potential for the Dog more than usual. To mitigate spending, some people renovate or repair their homes or spend money on things they’ve been wanting or needing. Some donate money. You might do that in April and/or October. When it comes to finances, your money element is a more important indicator than the general timing of months. If you don’t know what your money element is, a Ba Zi reading can tell you; it might not be Earth. These nuances are important for forecasting.

In spite of being clashed by the year, or maybe because of it, Dogs will probably find themselves in a position where people are wanting to give them responsibility for important matters. Ask yourself if it’s finally time to do the opposite of what you might have done in the past. If it would normally be your way to say yes to any position you saw as important, maybe don’t. If it’s been your way to decline responsibility as much as possible, maybe take some on. What’s important is you thinking about how you want to succeed and what that looks like. Do you think you need empowerment? Do you want it? Don’t let stubbornness get in your way.

A challenge for both Dog and Dragon this year is potentially being cracked open by anger, however, when you are cracked open, it’s easier to change. Nobody likes this. It’s unpleasant. For both the Dog and the Dragon, anger (and the collective anger) is very much a part of your reality this year. Both Dog and Dragon have a special advantage in that their own anger literally has the power to move mountains. If “enemies” team up, this is what can happen. Hint hint.

Just because you are clashed, don’t count yourself out Dog. When big changes come they can be good too, even great. In any given year, regardless of all these rules about clash, the most flexible one wins.

The Dog’s Calendar for the Wood Dragon Year

丙寅 Fire Tiger Month
February 4th-March 5th
Get a running start knowing things will slow down in April.

丁卯 Fire Rabbit Month
March 5th-April 4th
You’re still assisted. Don’t lean too hard on the Rabbit.

戊辰 Earth Dragon Month
April 4th-May 5th
A peak of blockage. At the same time, you might team up with a powerful “enemy”.

己巳 Earth Snake Month
May 5th-June 5th
Could be some worries about next year. Be flexible.

庚午 Metal Horse Month
June 5th-July 6th
In a flow now. Let things come through you. Striving doesn’t work.

辛未 Metal Sheep Month
July 6th-August 7th
For good luck, be kind to women and everyone else.

壬申 Water Monkey Month
August 7th-September 7th
Success begins to show itself.

癸酉 Water Rooster Month
September 7th-October 8th
You might attract money this month. Someone could be jealous about that.

甲戌 Wood Dog Month
October 8th-November 7th
Where the Wood meets the Earth. Lacking compassion, big moves are quite risky.

乙亥 Wood Pig Month
November 7th-December 7th
Cooling down at home.

丙子 Fire Rat Month
December 7th-January 5th 2025
Your contribution or words are the missing element. Open up.

丁丑 Fire Ox month
January 5th-February 3rd
Time to go over the year. How’s your report card?

*As I’m writing this I’m thinking about how in my life these words will mostly be metaphors for my experience of 2024 and how in others’ lives these words embody events I can’t even imagine. Why am I so lucky? Good choices help, but they can’t turn back a missile.