1. Introduction

According to Chinese astrology, LiChun  is the marker for the beginning of the energetic year, which in China, is named after an animal symbol. LiChun means the beginning of spring season, and although it comes around at roughly the same time every year, the exact moment of its beginning it will vary slightly from year to year. The LiChun for 2012 is February 4 at 18:22. This is precise moment the Universal energy will shift to the Dragon energy. Please do not confuse the beginning of the year of the Dragon with Chinese New Years day. This is a common mistake. In 2012, the Chinese New Years day will be January 23. Also note that this coming Dragon year will end on 2013s LiChun , which will be February 4, 2013, at 00:13. In honor of the coming Year of Dragon, this article will share the wisdom of the Chinese Dragon symbol and its associated Yijing tidal hexagram, Guai.

2. Dragon

The Dragon is the only legendary and mystical animal in the Chinese 12 animal symbols systemas far as I know, no one has ever seen a real, living dragon. The Chinese dragon symbol holds different connotations and associations than the dragon symbol of the West. In Chinese shamanism, dragon is an auspicious animal. It stands for transformation, communication, connection, freedom, and the universal way. Dragon is also the rainmaker, has magic powers to change natural formations, and can easily fly between Heaven and Earth. Dragon can penetrate through rock or other matter without hindrance. Actually, Dragon lives in the rock, just as fish live in the water and human beings live in the air.

Having a Dragon animal symbol in your Chinese birth chart suggests you are powerful, mystical, straight forward, healthy, congenial and elegant, and can sometimes be emotional, critical, or unhappy. You have an active imagination and artistic nature, which will help you achieve your goals. You have a tendency to change your mind easily and may give up easily when you encounter some difficulties in your work. It will be very helpful for you to complete your tasks if you can listen to others and think things over very carefully before you take a new step in your life.

You would do well to choose a ­career that stimulates your active imagination, such as in design, construction, art, music or advertising. When you work directly with people, you would be wise to continually cultivate your stability; otherwise, you may waste your time or come across as being untrustworthy. The most important thing for you to remember if you are going to have a lasting relationship is to deliberate your decision, and be very clear that you will truly commit yourself.

I will categorize some general Dragon features here for your further interest.

Personality: You are powerful, mystical, straight forward, healthy, congenial and elegant, and can sometimes be emotional, critical, or unhappy. You are changeable, like clouds in the sky. Your romantic and artistic character needs to be balanced by centering yourself well, which will help you complete your tasks and achieve your greatest goals in life.

Health:In general, you have a pretty healthy life. Please give yourself at least a half hour exercise time every day. Otherwise, you may become uncomfortably heavy when you get to your early forties. Eat well and sleep well to avoid having concerns about your digestion and kidney health.

Relationship: A Monkey, Rooster, or Rat person may be your soul mate, or at least can be your very close friend. A Tiger person will make a great business partner for you. Be careful around a Rabbit person because it is easy to have some conflicts between you two, even though the two of you may sometimes feel as close as siblings. Try to make peace with a Dog personsometimes, you two get into fights for no real reason. You will likely have simple relationships with other animal symbol people.

Career: As I mentioned above, with your imaginative and artistic nature, you can suit yourself as a designer, constructor, painter, musician, engineer, or in advertising.

Finance: You will have good opportunities to make money in your life. You might become very rich if you can be consistent and do want you really like. In general, focusing on increasing your financial power every winter will likely yield the best results.

Color: Yellow or brown is your spirits original color, and thus will always help you feel deeply connected with your spirit. White is the color that will help you connect with your own potential energy and talent. You should wear White colors when you have an important social activity, such as public speaking or lecturing. Green color will help you feel grounded. As black and dark blue are your financial color, it will bring you good luck in your finances to have some black or dark blue color prominent in your office or place of business. Red is the color of your spiritual source. Having red in your cultivation room or in your bed room will nourish you both physically and spiritually.

Food: Green vegetables, soybeans, black beans, fermented foods, sea vegetables, and fish are good for you to eat regularly and in healthy portions.

3. Guai  (Great Transformation)

Dragon represents Yang energy (life energy) that is growing fast and making dramatic changes in a new life cycle. We use the tidal hexagram Guai to symbolize the Dragon. The Chinese character Guai means decide, dredge, dig, burst, and transform. The symbol of the hexagram is made with five Yang lines on the bottom with one Yin line on top. The symbolic meaning of Guai is similar to an overflowing reservoir that needs to be drained immediately, lest the dam breaks. It is a time when we need to purify our old energy and remember where we came from by visiting Nature and connecting with our ancestors spirits, in order to help us see our future clearly. It represents the time or place where you are in power and you exercise self-control, making sure to deliberate and refrain from making major decisions arbitrarily.

Let us discover more information about Guai from the wisdom of the Yijing. The hexagram Guai is made up of two trigrams, the top trigram is Dui (Lake) and the bottom trigram is Qian (Heaven). It is an image of Lake over Heaven. Lake is the symbol for changing old patterns and transformation into new life energy or power. Heaven is the symbol for circulating of planets, motivating or strengthening yourself and being a great person. Combined, hexagram Guai becomes an image of a great transformation based on the power of Heaven  unbroken, circulating and spiraling. Guai is also the image of you in meditation: When you are aware of the powerful Qi that constantly circulates within your body, you can feel great transformation underway in your body. At the same time, you can also bring your awareness to feel your mouth full of aromatic saliva. This saliva is like a great nectar lake that nourishes your physical and spiritual bodies.

4. Conclusion

From the wisdom contained within the Dragon and the hexagram Guai (Great Transformation), we learn to purify ourselves and change the old patterns during our times of great strength. These are the times, when our situation is most favorable, are the times for transformation. If we are able to take advantage of our circumstances, we will not miss our golden opportunities as they present themselves. An unwavering attitude will help us accomplish our tasks, even if we bump into challenging circumstances. I hope you can try some inner cultivation with me at Guai time; it is a time for you to transform your inner power and awaken your deepest consciousness.

References

1. In Chinese inner cultivation, Three Flowers means the Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit); One means Dao, the Great Way.

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Master Zhongxian Wu is the recognized master of multiple lineages of classical Qigong, Taiji and martial arts. He synthesizes wisdom and experience for both beginning and advanced practitioners, as well as for patients seeking healing, in his unique and professionally designed courses and workshops across North America, Europe and China. He is the author of Chinese Shamanic Cosmic Orbit Qigong Esoteric Talismans, Mantras, and Mudras in Healing and Inner Cultivation; The 12 Chinese AnimalsCreate Harmony in Your Daily Life Through Ancient Chinese Wisdom; Seeking the Spirit of The Book of Change8 Days to Mastering a Shamanic Yijing (I Ching) Prediction System and The Vital Breath of the Dao Shamanic Tiger Qigong. Please visit www.masterwu.net for further details .

Acknowledgements: Special appreciation Qi to Dr. Karin Elizabeth Taylor Wu for providing editorial assistance for this article.

©Qi Journal (reprinted from the Spring 2012 issue)