Crowns not Frowns

For the Ox, life since 2019 has been…eventful? 2022 may have knocked the Ox for a time loop – all the way back to 2020. What seemed great then has expired. What’s fresh is the pain of waking up to harsh reality. Even if the echoes of the Metal Rat are loud, you’re not the same person you were then. Permit yourself to recognize the ways you have grown stronger.

Return to those plans and goals you may have put aside. For best results, make sure they fit with what you want now. Some editing may be needed. With all of your creative potential in 2023, maybe you’ll want to keep your nose to the grindstone. That’s often a happy place for the Ox, where they might stay safe from knowing the things they don’t want to know.

An Ox life consists of short bursts of accelerated learning, divided by long periods of fertile stillness. In the Rat and Ox years, when life is more dynamic, the Ox may lose sight of things in their personal life that would normally be obvious to such a sensitive self. While you were preoccupied with external events and your rich inner life, you may have inadvertently conquered new territory. 2023 finds you wearing the Magnificent Crown, again, as you did in 2020. Maybe you’d like to abdicate, however, it’s probably more productive to go with what you can make of it. This situation is lonely but seems to turn out well for you.

Maybe you think you gave too much away in 2022, for no good reason. After all the flurry and the fierceness of the Tiger year, Oxen may be left feeling exposed. Are you angry about the potentially public nature of what you see as your humiliation? The Tiger year tended to pull out every secret and put it in your face. Maybe you felt stunned or pinned in place.

Oxen may be feeling let down by what they didn’t know and what they found out in 2022. Maybe you have some anger tickling at the back of your throat, or is that your authority you tried to swallow coming back out where you can use it? How does it feel to be free? Are you a little nervous?

This Rabbit year brings another lesson, this time about power, that is, the power of reinventing yourself. If you’ve been broken down, that means you could be anything you want to now. Reassemble. Don’t worry too much about the things you can’t control. That’s not the real lesson of power. Maybe your power is mostly about how you can grow things. It’s something like fertility, but not limited to what your physical body can do.

I think the good news about 2023 for the Ox is that, compared to the past few years, there’s just not a whole lot going on. This means you can go back to your talents and pleasures whatever those might be. It’s a good year for writing, so if that’s your thing, get to it. It’s okay to keep your creations and ideas under wraps this year. There aren’t as many opportunities to be heard, so craft and edit until next January, then show us what you’ve got. You’re used to keeping things organized and together but even though it’s not as eventful, 2023 may try to overwhelm you with details. Keep a calendar and a list of things to do at your side if you need help with that. There’s plenty of time.

In a Rabbit year it will be easier for any Ox to change their routines and habits, both the helpful and the unhelpful. Being an Ox, this might make you feel like things are out of control. At certain points of the year, like July, this will feel disturbingly true.

Remember that you endure. These changes you are going through are the kind that take you where you want to be. Don’t be afraid of enjoying it – that doesn’t mean you will be struck by lightning. That is, unless you have a Water Ox day pillar. If you do, you might be struck by metaphorical lightning, in a good way. I think you will experience a profound change, likely involving your values. The Water Rabbit of 2023 will certainly bring a change to your patterns – like a distinct new phase of your life. Let your ethics drive you to make the appropriate accompanying changes.

One thing the Rabbit brings for the Ox is an ease with facing down problems in the open. I’m not saying this is your cup of tea, but that it’s easier for you to access that kind of confronting energy this year. Because it’s the Rabbit, this doesn’t mean you have to come on aggressively, but rather with relentless charm, persistence and tolerance. This is a year that favors the Ox putting an end to an uncomfortable situation so go ahead and confront.

As is the case for anyone going through big life changes, the Ox may experience some loneliness as they set off on a new path. Like the Sheep, expressing your talents through home projects might be a good distraction from being alone. You have abundant creativity.

Get to know who you are now. You’ve been changed by these last years, noticeably. I wonder if you know. You can have a social life if you want one. Are you ready for that? Perhaps you have other things to focus on. Some Oxen have travel to do in 2023, which could also contribute to loneliness. It’s the loneliness of exploration. Maybe you’re doing something that no one expected you to do. Maybe you are choosing to be unpartnered? How scandalous! 🙂

Regarding health, the Ox may be accident prone or need to have surgery this year. It may be possible to avoid these things by giving blood, or catching up on dental procedures you’ve been putting off. Trim nails and hair regularly. Like the rest of us, the Ox will benefit from avoiding crowded indoor venues or places where people are ill.

In that context, you’ll want to know you may be called to take care of an older family member in 2023. You might decide to go, but don’t forget to consider your own health in the context of helping sick people. Take precautions and make the difficult decisions. No public sacrifices are needed even if it feels as if they are requested.

Take precautions to ensure your safety and the safety of your home too. Consider a getting a dog; a literal 狗 dog, not the Chinese Zodiac 戌 Dog. If you wear a uniform for your job, be aware of your environment. Know where the exits are. Should you encounter trouble, there’s always a way out. Not every year offers that.

As for money, it appears the Ox doesn’t have to worry too much about it in 2023. This is probably due to your high level of competency at what you do, that is, you can produce. Your skills will be highly valued this year.

In this Water Rabbit year, it may be that the Ox’s best friend Rat is going through some painful and difficult family events. Given the Rat’s recent behavior toward you, you’ll want to decide how much you want to be part of that experience with them. I suspect you will want to assist, but will you? I wouldn’t call you soft hearted so much as it’s hard for you to resist sadness. Maybe think about that for a minute, then be your caring self.

Those with an Ox in the month may find themselves worrying too much about things they can’t control. This is likely to be in the context of work. Know also that you may need to work alone this year and that is something you are quite capable of.

Lastly, the Ox can be stubborn because they often don’t see the point in changing. This is the year to consider just letting some changes happen.* In 2023 the impatience of going through this reconstruction might make Oxen prone to fits of bad temper. That means it’s time to practice your patience and tolerance. If you’re feeling like other people don’t like you, or that you are offending them, it may just be the energy of the year. Use your common sense.

Job Title: Re-Visioner
Associates: Snake, Rooster, Ox, Rat
Best months: May, September, December
Romance: Time out?

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.

*Read the news about 1973 Water Ox Kshama Sawant for tips on reconstructing yourself.