Malvin Artley has been a practising astrologer for more than 10 years. He is an
accredited member of the American Federation of Astrologers.
Malvin is the author of Bodies of Fire: An Exploration of the Lesser Chakra System. He has authored numerous articles and was a member of the faculty of the University of the Seven Rays, a non-profit organization dedicated to the teaching of the Trans-Himalayan tradition as expressed through the books of Alice Bailey, Helena Blavatsky and others.
His primary focus over the past 25 years has been on the sciences as they express occultism and with bridging work between the two. His
special interests are the human subtle energy system and all
the chakras, or energy centres, physics and technology, astronomy and all
aspects of Chinese occultism. He has done extensive work with Chinese
astrology and the cycles they use and seeks to synthesize the great
Western and Oriental systems on such matters.
Malvin lives in Adelaide, South Australia. He also works in the engineering trades and sends out periodic emails about astrological happenings and developments. Click here to subscribe to Malvin's periodic letters.
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Chinese New Year 2007
The Year of the Red Pig
Malvin Artley, our regular esoteric commentator, is as accomplished in the mysteries of Chinese Astrology as he is in the esoteric secrets of the West. As the Chinese New Year approaches, Malvin looks at the meanings of the Chinese Year of the Pig in 2007. This year, we see that “there is no turning back” from the decisions made last year. Really, once Fire has done its work, it is pointless to look back over old ground and fruitless as well. We see also that “there are still obstacles to overcome, but that determination will bring the desired result.” We have to stick to our guns, in other words, move forward and not look backward. The Chinese New Lunar Year begins on February 18, 2007, in association with the New Moon in Aquarius, but the effects for all of us cover the whole of the twelve months ahead.
Happy Chinese New Year Everyone!
This letter will be a bit long, but it is necessary in order that we get the full meaning of what this year means and what it will bring for us. Let's begin by taking a little step back in time...
Chart Name: CHINESE NEW YEAR 2007
Date/Time: 18 Feb 2007, 0:14 am (AWST -8:00) [4:14 PM UT 17 Feb]
Adjusted: 17 Feb 2007, 11:45 pm (LAT -7:31:39)THE CHINESE CALENDAR
Solar Period (Fortnightly Festival Period): 1 Spring commences (N); Autumn commences (S)
Sleep can be a blessed thing.
As the dusk began to give way to night at the station, the Red Dog settled down for the evening. His belly full and his mind still racing from the day's events, he looked forward to a rest with his mates and a night spent dreaming of what might come on the morrow. This particular flock of sheep had been quite difficult that day and all the dogs at the station had been worked hard driving them in for their annual shearing. The job was done, though, and the rest was well deserved. They had even had time to take a few dips in the dam at the station and to chase away a couple of 'roos who had ventured too close to the housing. They had fun chasing the 'roos, but to be kicked by one wasn't particularly pleasant, and a couple of his mates in the past had met their demise that way. There was no love lost between the Red Dog and the neighboring kangaroos. Still, it was fun to run them off. Just after he had settled, though, the hair stood up on his back and the sheep began to get restless and mill around in an unsettled manner. The Red Dog sat up and drew the air in through his nose. No, it couldn't be smoke, he thought. Just then he heard the phone ring in the station house and, before he new it, the farmer and his family came running from the house and turned on all the lights, shouting and rousing all hired hands at the property and the dogs. Fire! There was a large grass fire that had started a kilometer away and the wind was bringing it toward the station. There was no time to waste. The sheep had to be moved, or everything would be lost. The Red Dog's instinct for sensing danger had served him well.
There was a cleared paddock about several hundred meters beyond the dam where the grass had been eaten down to stubble. The sheep would be safe there-certainly safer than where they were. Getting there was a problem, though, and they may not get the sheep there in time. What to do?-and then a brilliant idea flashed through the station owner's mind-run all the sheep through the deepest part of the dam and soak them in case they got caught in the fire. At least, then, they might have a chance. They had to go around the dam anyway to get to the cleared area beyond. They may as well make use of their resources there. Anything securing the future is justified. So, it was done. The hired hands opened all the gates and the owner set the dogs upon the sheep, herding them toward the waters of the dam. Now, it is difficult to move 200 sheep in the best of circumstances, but when they are nervous about an approaching fire and reluctant to take a swim, life gets even more interesting. The hands and the dogs had their work cut out for them.
For the next several hours they worked furiously. Two dogs were placed at the opposite side of the dam to keep the sheep in line when they came through and three dogs drove them into and through the dam. It took over an hour to get them all through, but eventually all the dogs and the hands, along with 200 soggy sheep were well on their way to the cleared paddock-and none-too-soon either, for the fire was in site of the station houses now and all hands had to be rushed back to hose everything down once the sheep were safely locked in. It had been a big night, and everyone was exhausted, especially the dogs, but the station and the sheep were safe. As the Red Dog made his way back to the station, he was even too tired to chase off the 'roo he saw in the distance. It would have to wait until morning, he thought. All he wanted to do was to take another dip in the dam to cool himself down and settle down for a much-deserved sleep, and sleep eventually did overtake him. Danger averted, as dawn broke at the station the Red Dog was awakened by the sound of the station owner's approaching foot steps. Wagging his tail and rolling onto his back to greet him, the Red Dog was too tired to do much else. “Rest, boy.” The station owner said. The owner knew to take rest when it is needed, for even the finest machine will break if it is run too hard. “You lot did well last night. No moving sheep today. Sleep all day if you want, but if you get a chance, the 'roos are gathering around the dam.” “Roos! “, the Red Dog jumped up. Tired or not, no 'roo was going to get the best of him and, with that, the Red Dog and his mates set out about their entertainment for the day. They could all take their well-deserved rest after a little bit of fun.
—000—
Why am I starting with the story for last year when this year is about the Red Pig? – context, actually. Without understanding what went on last year at a subjective level the story for the Red Pig would have little meaning. I recently gave a talk on the coming lunar year and began it with a show of hands. I asked first how many people had enjoyed a happy year in 2006. Only a few hands in the audience went up. I then asked how many people had a difficult year. Better than three quarters of the people in the room raised their hands. In talking with a great many folks over the past year, most have stated that they would be happy to see the back side of 2006, the Year of the Sleeping Dog. As I stated in the last new moon letter, “.....there is a point to be made here with regard to why 2006 has seemed to be a time in which so many people have felt stuck or bogged down in personal matters and seemingly unable to advance from a higher perspective and to somehow be able to make their dreams in life materialize. The main reason for that has been the persistent and sometimes overbearing influence of the Earth Element throughout 2006. The 'count' [out of 12 possible, and we will look at that more next time] for Earth has been as high as 7, 6 for a couple of months and never lower than 3, which gives reliability at the lowest count and a soul-defying stubbornness at the highest. This month that count of 6 or 7 is in effect for no less than 8 time zones – a third of the world – and will be strongly felt in eastern Australia. Hence, we will continue to see that certain people or sectors of society will still be unwilling to move from entrenched positions and too insecure to change.”
The Elemental Influence
Firstly, in explaining how last year played out, the stage will be set for getting an idea of how this year will go. Last year, as we saw, the Element Earth was in the ascendancy. It ruled the year in many ways, even though Fire ruled the Year Pillar. Earth is associated with the planet Saturn in Chinese astrology and Saturn, as we know, is intimately tied up with the notion of karma and restriction. People felt like God was out to get them in general. The seers I have talked to over the year all said something similar – a lot of old 'stuff' is being pulled out of people's psyches at the moment in order to bring about an accelerated healing in the world. What has exacerbated the 'karmic overflow' is that there has been very little Metal available for people this past year. That will be a little better in the year of the Pig, but not by much. Happily, the Earth will be toned down to a greater degree and the Element 'count' will be more balanced. Metal is the Element that gives one 'intestinal fortitude' – the ability to stand up and be counted in the face of life's trials and challenges. It rules the 'animal spirit' – 'guts', in other words. It gives us the strength to speak and live our truth and to prove our mettle. It has been in short supply and people have felt as though they have been pummeled by life and unable to move forward with things as a result. That brings us to how we look at and interpret the Four Pillars diagrams, like the one at the head of this letter. It is important that we get a feel for this, for it tells us how the year will work at a subjective level.
You will notice that there are four vertical columns, one each for the Hour, Day, Month and Year. Under each heading we see that there are three boxes in each column, and that each box is assigned an Element. The Element at the top of each column is called the 'Master' Element for each column, and that Element rules the qualities associated with that particular Pillar. Once the count is taken of all twelve boxes and the Elements are tallied and weighted, one can get a view at a glance of how the various aspects of life will be affected, whether for an individual or a group of people. To give a quick synopsis of what each Pillar represents, we have the following:
Hour=friends, children and creative output
Day=the Self and one's partner
Month=the immediate family, aunts, uncles and first cousins/also local government and service organizations
Year=the world at large, extended family and ancestors, society, our work in the world and national governments
So, when we look at the Year, we are looking at the energies that will be extant for the world at large and that will shape the social fabric for the year to come. It also governs the blessings the Ancestors bestow upon us for the Year and where that will be most strongly expressed. The Year Master for both this year and last is Fire.
Extremes of Climate
The next thing we need to consider is that Animals 'run' in pairs in Chinese astrology, and the Dog and the Pig happen to be one such pair, that pairing ruling family, home and hearth. People have had to make big decisions around the home and family in this Dog Year, and with all the Earth in evidence, there has been a lot of unfinished business with which to contend. In the Five Element system, Fire 'feeds' Earth, so the energy of the Year Master has served to accelerate the energy of Earth and has thus produced a huge karmic clearing throughout the world.
Excess Earth also produces extremes of climate and puts a great deal of stress upon the land. Australia has been in the grips of a major drought and fires have raged over the past month or so. The Northern Hemisphere has been gripped by bitter cold and extremes of precipitation. There were also large fires in the North during the Northern summer. Families and intimate relations have been stressed to the breaking point in many instances and there has been little in the way of security at an emotional level. The Dog and Pig are the last two animals in the Chinese 'zodiac' and in that we see that there is always something finishing prior to the start of something new when those two animal signs are in evidence. We have all been dealing with a large amount of 'unfinished business' this year, some of it being very ancient in its origins. In the Year of the Red Pig we will garner the accumulated wisdom from the year about to pass.
Generating Cycle
Finally, in considering the Four Pillars, the Elements all interact and have an endlessly repeating cycle of their own. They both generate and control one another. The generating cycle goes like this:
Wood fuels Fire, which produces Earth (ash), which when smelted, gives us Metal, which when heated enough, produces Water (liquid metal), which when evaporated, forms clouds and falls as rain, enabling Wood to grow. And the cycle starts all over again.
We see implicit in this cycle the idea of heat. Fire is the master Element, for without it, nothing transforms. So, we also see that Fire governs transformation. Hence, both this year and last will be and have been years of transformation and growth-hopefully.
The controlling cycle works as follows:
Wood covers and binds Earth, which absorbs, shapes and governs the course of Water, which can cool or even put out Fire, which can melt Metal or render it too pliable to be of use. Metal, when strong, will cut Wood, and the cycle endlessly repeats.
If the generating cycle forms a circle with the Elements placed equally around it, the controlling cycle inscribes a five-pointed star within the circle. This, along with the above, gives us all we need for a basic interpretation of the Four Pillars. I have had requests from some readers wanting to know how it all works, and this is how. There is a lot more to it, of course, but the preceding will give us the basic outline for proceeding with our interpretation for the year to come. At a glance, the Element 'counts' for Australia last year, month by month, were as follows:
|
| Wood |
| Fire |
| Earth |
| Metal |
| Water |
|---|
| Jan |
|
3 |
|
3 |
|
3 |
|
1 |
|
2 |
|---|
| Feb |
|
2 |
|
4 |
|
4 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|---|
| Mar |
|
0 |
|
3 |
|
5 |
|
2 |
|
2 |
|---|
| Apr |
|
1 |
|
3 |
|
3 |
|
1 |
|
4 |
|---|
| May |
|
2 |
|
3 |
|
5 |
|
2 |
|
0 |
|---|
| Jun |
|
1 |
|
3 |
|
7 |
|
1 |
|
0 |
|---|
| Jul |
|
3 |
|
3 |
|
3 |
|
1 |
|
2 |
|---|
| Aug |
|
2 |
|
3 |
|
4 |
|
2 |
|
1 |
|---|
| Sep |
|
3 |
|
4 |
|
3 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|---|
| Oct |
|
2 |
|
1 |
|
6 |
|
2 |
|
1 |
|---|
| Nov |
|
4 |
|
1 |
|
5 |
|
0 |
|
2 |
|---|
| Dec |
|
2 |
|
1 |
|
4 |
|
1 |
|
4 |
|---|
| Jan |
|
1 |
|
2 |
|
7 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|---|
At a glance we notice several key points about the year that was. Earth was strong all year, as we have seen. Fire was strong and steady for two thirds of the year, being weak the last third. As a result, all the other Elements were weakened except from October through December (remembering that we are talking about the period from the new moon of each of each month). Since Fire produces Earth, Earth was doubly strengthened all year. There was little in the way of Water to control the Fire, except in April and December. Hence, we had a dynamic wherein we were heavily under the subjective influences of Mars (being the Fire Planet) and Saturn (the Earth Planet) for the biggest part of the year-in old terms, the two malefics. The Year Master did its work in grand style, aided by the surfeit of Earth, and we thus had a scenario wherein there has been a massive work of psychic clearing going on throughout the year. It has been a period of brilliant spiritual opportunity and the stage has been set wherein we can now walk into a much brighter future with far fewer encumbrances than would have otherwise been the case. Venus (the Metal Planet) was in abeyance, as was Mercury (the Water Planet), so it was difficult for people to see their way out of situations, or to feel the love in them, and there were only scattered times wherein Jupiter (the Wood Planet) gave us any feeling of expansiveness and openness.
Window of Opportunity
However, there was an interesting scenario at the December new moon (from 20 Dec-19 Jan). At that time there was a window of opportunity that allowed people to make some important choices about their direction and future. Fire was weakened, meaning it could not produce much Earth. Mars and Saturn subsided. The heavy karmic currents were shut down long enough for people to see their way clear of things. The light of intuition (Water) shone through and held the clearing fires at bay. The time for decisions had come (Rat on the Crossbeam month). Notice there was only a count of one for Metal. Although the decision could be made, the time for acting upon it was still to come. January saw a resurgence of Saturn, so people felt stuck once again, but some important issues were seen in their true light as a result. Now, as we enter the New Year and the month of the Tiger (which is always the start of the lunar New Year), the time for action upon December decisions is upon us. That brings us to the Year of the Red Pig and the opening of a new chapter on things.
In part two of this article, Malvin Artley continues his exploration of the Red Pig 2007.
 Read part two of The Chinese New Year, the Year of the Red Pig
1 Daytime=if the eclipse occurs between sunrise and sunset
2 Nighttime=if the eclipse occurs between sunset and sunrise (your time)
Quotes and text are taken from the software The Imperial Astrologer, courtesy of Esoteric Technologies. www.esotech.com.au Graphics and koans courtesy of the same. All text in the program is by this author.
 Malvin Artley is an accredited member of the American Federation of Astrologers. His primary focus over the past 25 years has been on the sciences as they express occultism and with bridging work between the two. His special interests in those fields are the human subtle energy system and all the chakras, or energy centres, physics and technology, astronomy and all aspects of Chinese occultism.
He sends out periodic emails about astrological happenings and developments. These letters are sent out as a gift and a service. If you wish to be added to or deleted from the mailing list please let me know. If you feel inspired to pass them on please do so, but do so without alteration or charge. They are sent to people of many persuasions, not just astrologers. Blessings. Click here to subscribe to Malvin's periodic letters.
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