Happy Chinese New Year ~ The Year of the Snake
Why do we celebrate a New Year? Most of us celebrate a New Year to refresh our posture (internally and externally), to clarify our intentions, and fine-tune our desires. Some of us celebrate a new year to improve our state of mind, to alleviate bad habits, and make promises to ourselves, and others, we hope we will keep.

Sunday, February 10th, China's New Year, the year of the snake, is a reminder . . . to REFRESH and RENEW our commitments, as the snake is a symbol of wisdom and of healing. The Yin snake offers us the opportunity to tune into our intuitive natures, connect with our inner source and weed out the superfluous.  I believe, the pressures we are experiencing, the illnesses we are manifesting are all due to mental, physical and emotional stress.  

Let this day, of China's new year, remind us of the importance to quiet the mind, turn off the computer, the phone, meditate and read books that uplift the soul. When we nourish ourselves in this way, we heal very quickly.

Decisions have always created tension and added stress to my life, perhaps because I am a Gemini and I see both sides of a situation. The intensity, however, has tripled, due to the acceleration and energetic shift we are going through. In addition to meditation, this is when I am grateful for the I Ching, the book of Changes, China's ancient oracle.

So, on behalf of this auspicious day, I'd like to thank China for birthing this magical, mysterious book. I'd like to thank Richard Wilhelm for translating this relic from Chinese to German and Cary F. Baynes for translating it from German to English.

You see, the sixty-four hexagrams that inhabit this book have brought tremendous solace into my life. Its 740 pages have provided me with insights that have changed my point of view and provided answers to questions I didn't even know I had. This book . . . still . . . has the uncanny ability to dig into the crevices of my crusty heart and nebulous soul and show me what logic alone can not reveal. It has saved me from making expensive mistakes and steered me in directions I had no intention of following.   

Filled with symbolism and metaphors, this constant companion has shown me how each hexagram can carve its message into my bones, and ease the pain that so often erupts when I can't make a decision.  Oh, the times I have taken refuge in this book!

The I Ching has been the catalyst for spurring me on to write my novel, Pushing Upward. Sandra Billings, the 21 year-old heroine, reveals some of those challenges.... But believe me... there have been many more.

People have asked me over the years.... What is the I Ching? How does it work? How does it help you in your life? Instead of going into the relevance of this oracle, and making this newsletter longer than it already is, please go to (www.pushingupward.com). There, you will find historical references and other I Ching reference books you can read and take your time to indulge in.


Adele Aldridge, founder of  http://www.ichingmeditations.com, says:   


"The I Ching is a profound divination tool, used for aligning one's self with those elemental forces, so that one may "swim the way the river is flowing."
The I Ching is based on the premise that everything in the universe arises out of two forces - Yin and Yang -

masculine and feminine forces. The concept of this philosophy is that if you follow the way of nature you will find the right way and right time for action in one's own life. By consulting I Ching we recognize ourselves as part of the flux of nature and know that the universe and we, are one organism."       


Why should we care about Chinese New Year?



To quote Nielsonwire:  

"Asians comprise a rapidly growing segment of the U.S. They are very well educated, affluent, and extremely media savvy. Asians are expected to continue to grow rapidly as a share of U.S. population. Although they will likely be the third race or ethnic group by size (behind Hispanics and African Americans), they will make up a significant share of population over the next few decades. The fusion of Asian culture into the American mainstream will continue to gain importance and will increasingly gain focus from makers and sellers of consumer products, particularly in West Coast markets and those of the Northeast."

So, we need to care.  

Interesting to note . . .  many of the Chinese men, women and children I have spoken to have never heard of the I Ching, particularly the youth.  It was not taught in their schools or talked about in their homes. In other words, this rich resource, that is so much a part of their own heritage is missing from their knowledge base.



Perhaps, my book, Pushing Upward,
The Willhelm/Baynes version of the I Ching,
and Paul O'Brien's new, modern, Visionary I Ching will change that.

Gifts for you for Chinese New Year