2024 - The Yang Wood Dragon Arrives!
By Karen Abler Carrasco
On February 10th, 2024, the Yang Wood Dragon year arrives, bringing its mythical power, with shock and awe, to the world. Have no fear, because the Dragon is the rescuer, the super hero of the Chinese zodiac. It is the embodiment of altruism, with the psychic power of farsightedness and the brilliant understanding of the inner workings of all things. From their lofty, etheric realm Dragons see everything, down to the finest detail. They see precisely how everything on Earth is interconnected and thoroughly interdependent. With their benevolent desire that all things work for good, they initiate immediate and efficient action to restore a holistic harmony of the highest possible order. The Dragon prefers to do this with great compassion and tolerance, up to a point. However, dishonesty, incompetence, and corruption are always called out and banished. Here is where the Dragon’s famed power and strength reside--it can cause shocking changes even while it is supporting and upholding the healing way forward.
There is an important distinction between the qualities of the Dragon sign and the way Dragon energy manifests in a year’s destiny. A Dragon personality may be seen as charismatic, willful, confident and successful, having great fortitude and strength. This does not mean that these qualities are automatically gifted to us with the year’s flow. Rather, Dragon years compel us to draw upon our OWN reserves of strength, will power, initiative and compassion to weather the turbulence Dragons create as they overturn every tired routine and stagnant excess. Dragon years dredge through the muck to reveal the truths hidden below and blast those truths out to the entire globe. This is the super hero’s work--revelation, revolution, and resolution, for the highest possible good for the greatest number of beings. Thus, simplistic predictions of “great prosperity and good fortune” in the Dragon years must be reworked to include the fact that these happy results will only be bestowed upon those who work intensely to gain inner and outer alignment with cosmic harmony and social justice for all beings. 2024 will require us to stand strong and optimistic, like dragons, in the face of rapid, shocking, critical changes.
The element for 2024 is Yang Wood, and, as this is also the Dragon’s native element, we have a big, bold double Wood year ahead. Get ready to GROOOW!! Wood energy is expansive, visionary, uplifting, optimistic, and constantly reaching out in trusting exploration of the NEW. In Chinese symbology the “home” of the Wood element is the East direction. It brings rebirth and the bright, dawning clarity of a new day. Wood energy is highly intuitive, yet deeply rooted in reality. It strengthens our ability to initiate and manifest youthful ideals, new technologies ready to sprout, synchronistic networking that branches farther out, and inspires solutions that bridge the gap between opposing forces. Wood energy perfectly supports the Dragon’s desire to uproot any decay that prevents total harmony and balance among all creatures. This year we will see, with honest clarity, what kind of work we humans need to do to weave ourselves back into the sustaining Web of Life.
The last Yang Wood Dragon year was 1964. Recall the turbulent events of that year: waves of riots demanding equal rights swept across the U.S. and President Lyndon Johnson signed the ground breaking Civil Rights Act, prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Voting rights for all were upheld. China exploded its first atomic bomb, joining several nations holding nuclear weapons. The VietNam war, and the resistance to it--both peaceful and violent, escalated drastically. “Beatlemania” and Bob Dylan led a revolution in popular music. The injustices of the old status quo were suddenly intolerable to a majority of the younger generation, and they were emboldened with Yang Wood Dragon energy to take a brave stand for positive change. How will the return of that energy manifest in 2024?
This is a year to boldly step into your own unique power to expand your good fortune. Aspire to be more, bigger, better, happier. Speak your truth, bring your heart’s desires to the fore and ACT on them. Success favors the well-rooted confident reach this year, with sparkling opportunities branching out in every direction. Choose from them with intuitive insight and courage, as these are the qualities being blessed with success now. Health, wealth, romance, friendships, travel and any creative endeavor--every aspect of your life can reach new levels of joy and innovation this year, with focused intention. Resist the temptation to be overly distracted by the outer turmoil. The rapid Yang energy flow of this year can carry you swiftly to wonderfully happier circumstances when you have faith in the growing good fortune ahead.
From 2020 to 2029 we are repeating the astrology of the 1960’s, which brought transformative change. This year, the Yang Wood Dragon’s breath blows the winds of fearless Truth across the globe. Let this fresh air pass through your branches with ease. There are more of us desiring and striving for peace, security and global well being, than there are those trying to hold on to a harmful and disintegrating power structure. This year, fresh green Hope arrives, and it has wings, fangs and claws. Trust that your own inner strength, developed in preparation for these times, is formidable enough to climb up and enjoy the exhilarating ride that is 2024!