Fortunate Sun

Much of what the Water Rabbit year has to offer the Dragon is a clear vision. Trust in that and remember you don’t have anything to prove. Becoming known is a process so let people get to know you. Take some risks with problem solving but be patient, knowing that accolades will add up for later. With the kind of power you have this year, should you mess up, the most powerful thing you can do is tell the truth. Just get it out in the open where it can be dealt with and everything will be resolved. Poof!

In a Rabbit year, here’s what might be a nagging question: if your alliances became public knowledge, what kind of effect would that have on your career and reputation? Maybe a good one, maybe not, but know the answer to this question.

Be aware that potential trip ups this year come from associations that you fail to distance yourself from at the right time. I’m not recommending you abandon anyone, but your best friend Rooster is in the crosshairs of the year and may be willing to win at any cost. Your friend the Rat may be making harmful mistakes in the context of family or power. Take care with being an enabler. Can you be a friend and potentially let a friend make a mistake on their own, standing by to help pick up the pieces? Some people call that support. You don’t have to agree, just protect your neck.

The strongest impact of this Water Rabbit year will be psychological for you. The problems of a Dragon are the things that get in their head; it’s usually not external events. A typical problem is feeling misunderstood, and that may be magnified this year. You may even feel like people are mean to you. In each situation where this comes up, consider whether or not it’s true. Start thinking now about what you might want to do about it if it is. Maybe just let it go. What’s timely now is moving on.

With the 太陽 Tai Yang (Sun) on their side, Dragon is the go to person for problem solving in 2023. You can solve yours too, Dragon, though you might be more involved in others’ affairs than you’d like, possibly taking the role of whistle blower.* Some say that if you see a problem, that implies some responsibility on your part for solving it. Maybe that’s why it’s often your preference to ignore mundane things.

2023 may heighten that tendency. It may be difficult for you to see the point of what you’re working on because it may not be what you expected at this point in your life, or what you think you want. Your past experiences of feeling unrecognized or unappreciated may resurface. “Death by a thousand pokes to the ego”.

Jokes aside, take care of your health. A run of Wood years can wear a Dragon down or shape them to take power. It’s always your choice.

After these last few years, maybe you too are feeling like you’re seeking something that is always just out of reach. Can you extend yourself more in order to grasp it? We’re all due for stretching our capacity to help others. Should your employment make you feel like you’ve passed some peak of potential and achievement, that may be boredom speaking. This is a temporary situation if you will allow it to be. For certain.

In the Water Rabbit year, it’s normal for some endings to happen. Like you, most of us would benefit greatly by moving on from wherever we think we were, whether we’re talking about 2019 or 2022. If there’s meant to some kind of ending for you this year, remember you are the facilitator. In every case, this ending will be an event necessary to make way for a beginning. Don’t try to pretend you are pushed out or held back. You’re a Dragon after all.

So don’t give up, but do move on. Dragons can benefit from travel and movement this year, and can improve their luck by getting out of their usual haunts. That will help you get noticed, probably by those people you have been looking for in the context of work.

Dragons will benefit from exploring a new field or topic that is related to what they already do. Find other ways to shake yourself up intellectually. Seek change and the minor discomfort that comes with it unless you’re okay with missing out on the goodies the Rabbit year has to offer. If you’re having a hard time getting started, look for a Monkey to help you get moving.

Now that the Rabbit has shown up, the Dragon may want cultivate a money saving mind set. If you know your Five Elements, you’ll have some insight as to why, however, the potential financial losses the Dragon faces can be mitigated by staying in their own lane. It’s big enough! Know your friends. Know their friends. Know your enemies and their friends. Defend yourself as needed but don’t pick fights.

Maybe a Dragon’s only weakness is that they shun the supporting role. What the Dragon needs most in 2023 is grace: to give it, to get it, and to be graceful. The yin Wood of the Rabbit is in you and though you may find it annoying, or even think it’s overrated at times, you do know how to be kind. That’s the way to go if you want to support. Nice isn’t your way but kindness can be. I’m sure you know the difference.

Dragons like to play people off of each other. They like to be the one that knows the most about everyone in the room, and during these past few years Dragons may have intentionally or unintentionally hurt others who, this year, are forming their own alliances, potentially without you. Judgements will be made, so make sure your actions generate the approval or disapproval you are looking for. That’s all you can do.

If people are talking about you behind your back in 2023, give them good things to say. I wonder if you’ve noticed how lately your force might be working against you. There are times when it does. While it’s true you are a catalyst, you don’t have to prove it, however much you enjoy that. People are going to find out anyway, based on what you do and what happens around you. Bring your magic gently. That might save you some money and frustration too.

If Dragon is in your day pillar, you’ll want to find out how things are going in your relationship, unless you already know. I say this because Dragons seem to have the super power of ignoring things they find uninteresting or offensive, that is, until they decide not to. A Dragon can negate the existence of rules and things that hold other people back. This is a Dragon’s magic and sometimes, their folly.

If you do have concerns about your partnership, don’t forget that every successful one has weathered stormy times and other hardships – that’s how you know it’s successful. Find out how your partner is feeling about you and the life you share. The most persistent unhappinesses can be worn down by good communication and sharing truth. This is a delicate operation and must be approached with care, because there’s always a way to share the truth without being mean and it usually has to do with wording and timing. If there’s something you need to say, find the right words first. Let the words create a place to go with the discussion rather than ending it.

Lastly, if you’re a Dragon who hasn’t yet learned how to network, in 2023 consider directing most of your exchanges with people toward that idea. Demonstrate and acknowledge to yourself that your time with them is important to you. Do the small talk. Ask about the kids or the parents. Remember people’s names. Take notes if you need to. Take some interest. Before you know it, caring will reinforce your soft skills. You don’t have to like everyone, but you can’t exist without helpers, just like the rest of us.

Until the next episode, that is 甲辰 Wood Dragon 2024!

Job Title: Responsible Party
Allies: Monkey, Rat, Rooster
Best Months: August, September, December
Romance: Requires communication and attention.

Timing for all signs: Whatever you want to accomplish this year will need to be started no later than March. Plan on finishing by July ideally, but no later than the end of August.

*Is that you 1964 Wood Dragon Kamala Harris?