You Can Handle the Truth
There are certain runs of years that are more difficult than others, and this doesn’t always have to do with Ba Zi concepts such as being clashed, penalized, punished, combined or drained – although that might be the beginning of it. After 2018, everyone in the world began to learn what it was like to live in a Water cycle in an age of Fire. For the Rabbit, Pig and Sheep the Water element exercises a special fascination that is hard for them to resist. For the Rabbit, the Water element would also be associated with parents; generation and regeneration.
Water can be a cold parent. That’s not always true, but I think Rabbits (and Tigers) are the ones who could be most likely to understand what it’s like to still want a Father’s or Mother’s unreserved endorsement, no matter what bad deeds they have done. Maybe you thought if they could just make you feel their love, that is all it would take for your healing. Maybe now you’re thinking that’s not going to happen. Maybe you’re right. If it’s that simple, letting go of your attachment to what is not true should set you free, right?
What we ignore most in life are the simple truths that would allow us to move forward, but we don’t want to believe them because too much truth might kill us when we cannot find a way to act on it. Sometimes we can’t let ourselves believe what is true as a matter of survival. I think this happens to many of us as children, and then we spend a lot of our present still trying to survive when the trauma exists in the past. As people like to say, the body tells the tale. We could make ourselves ill with not acknowledging the truth for too long. Look at King Charles III, for example, born on a Water Rabbit day.
In a Ba Zi you can see that often trauma, like disease, is a thing that is passed down through generations. Acknowledging the truth of your experience is surely key to protecting future descendants whether they are your kin or not. Each of us has some work to do here, but you can start by getting clear about what you want in your life, and who you want to be. Then you can act. This is simple.
Especially in these times, we construct the most complicated systems, explanations and justifications, then when function is lost we say it’s part of a conspiracy. The truth is simple and usually pretty straightforward. It’s usually not fancy or even dramatic. I think people feel let down by that fact. Why else would we keep going back to the same well. Anyone of us might do that, hoping to find out we were right all along; hoping that it was complexity that made us fail, when the simple truth is that life can be hard at times. What if in the end everything comes down to your choice? Now that’s a scary truth.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for magic, truth could get in your way. If you think that nothing can change, that may be your truth. If you’re looking for absolutes, the Snake doesn’t offer any and this is a lesson for you.
In 2025, Rabbits are capable scholars, learning to accept simple truths, as well as rewriting their stories. You can’t change the past, but you can make different choices now! In the first half of the year, I hope you will be open to the new people coming into your life. I’m talking about friends and new networks. Rabbits know that when you want change, numbers matter. So does persistence. Get involved with making the changes you want at a pace you can handle. Team up to play the long game.
Finding that they finally have the drive and energy to make things right that have been wrong for some time as we enter the year of the Wood Snake, that is what Rabbits will do. Hopefully there is more unionization coming. That’s the kind of thing that can happen when you learn things and have a little time to decide what you’re going to do with your new knowledge. Some of this organization, renovation and reparation will be for you and yours, but Rabbits will also work in the capacity of Nobleman for others this year.
In the system of Ba Zi, a Nobleman is someone who has advice or help for you that will deepen your learning. Prioritize helping those closest to you first – in terms of relationship or geography. After that you might reach out farther. Many of us will find ourselves in “disaster zones” in 2025, even if it’s not our disaster. Help out but don’t overexhaust yourself. You don’t have to be a Rabbit to take this advice.
If your impulse is usually to give whatever is needed, in 2025 I want you to be careful of reinvesting yourself in the same old pattern you’ve been trying to shake. Do help and do give, but don’t participate in situations where your body is telling you something is wrong. Don’t let yourself go up in smoke because you think it would help everyone – your absence is not welcome.
For Rabbits who are not already involved in a course of study, this would be a good year to enroll with a teacher or mentor. Self study works too, but there is a “hidden guru” waiting in 2025 that you might find helpful. You might meet them in April or May, but if they show up sooner, or later, pay attention. There are always experts nearby if you look for them, and this one probably won’t be very well known, so be sure to vet them for yourself.
Study and reading are often the fodder for your own creative works, therefore it’s time to work on the things you want to show off in 2026 now. If you’re a writer, that means publishing in 2026. What 2025 has to offer is a steady flow of your work that can create the polished and elegant work you will be releasing in 2026. That sounds like writing, refining and marketing to me. A similar luck will be available to Rabbit performers and artists, 1975 Wood Rabbit Angelina Jolie comes to mind. Maybe we will see some new work, possibly some of her best in 2026. I might say the same about Kendrick Lamar, a 1987 Fire Rabbit.
As for travel, the year of the Wood Snake is a year for Rabbits to think things through before making reservations. You might find you are attracted to places where there could be typhoons, blizzards, flooding, wildfires or other such natural events. This sounds like an obvious thing one would avoid, but you might be surprised how many people don’t think about the fact that they are booking a trip to Florida in hurricane season.
Rabbits might travel to visit elders or other relatives, possibly in the context of a funeral. If you will be visiting a place where people are ill, protect your health. Watch your step and protect your valuables too if you’re on the road, on the water, on the rails, or in the sky. Wear proper footwear for whatever you are doing. That will be key.
Financially, Rabbits have a chance to catch up with some of their expenses now. If you’ve been waiting for some kind of refund or to be reimbursed, I think that can happen for you in 2025. In the context of helping others in need, avoid lending money as a solution. Don’t make your money easily available to others. Keep track of your income and expenses. If you’re going to put down a big chunk of change on something, make sure that everything is in order as you expect. Keep your balance in the black as much as possible. Avoid risky investments this year.
Overall, for the Rabbit 2025 is a year to shine bright, to learn and to share your learning. Make the breakthrough that you’ve been wanting. Honor your body and don’t deplete yourself. Keep things simple. You’re going to have a lot of decisions to make and maybe you don’t feel like that’s your forte, but it could be in this Year of the Snake. I’m serious.