
According to the Gregorian or Western calendar, we've just crossed that "New Year New You" threshold and are cruising through a fresh cycle, perhaps with some resolutions to guide us forward. Sound familiar?
Is January 1st your personal reset point? If it is, that's great! There's nothing wrong with using this system for accountability or motivation. It can be an inspiring time for many to let go of the past and call forth new intentions.
I prefer to embrace this period with a single word that I can revisit each day through small actions. For me, 2025 embodies the essence of EXPANSION. It's an opening and lightening in every aspect - body, mind, emotions, awareness, and geography.
Our little family of four is traveling back west in a week and relocating to Santa Fe so that notion of expansion will also be felt on a very physical level with wide vistas from 7,000 feet above sea level.
The locational astrology of that area will be more beneficial for me, as I have been under the influence of a contractive Saturn IC line for the last five years. Ehhh!
But back to New Years...I'd like to present three of my favorite periods that can also indicate an energetic shift between years. January 1 is one of them but let's look at it from a fresh angle. Hopefully these milestones (and there are many others I'm not mentioning) will offer some inspiration or validation.
January 1, 2025 : Universal 9 Year
According to Numerology, we enter a new collective cycle on January 1st, setting the backdrop for the performance that will be unfold on this annual stage.
Each person also has a unique Personal Number derived from their birthdate but this here is an overarching flavor felt by all.
The year 2025 (2 + 0 + 2 + 5 = 9) adds up to a 9 Universal Year, marking the end of a 9-year repeating cycle. This is significant, representing a conclusion, a peak, and even a celebration!
Interestingly, the first two New Moons of 2025 occur at the 9 degree mark of their signs of Aquarius and Pisces, adding to the significance
Additionally, the number 9 holds within it the experiences and wisdom of the preceding eight years.
Take a moment to reflect back to 2017 and all that the world has gone through in that period. Whew, it's been a LOT, hasn't it?

With the 9 year not only comes an ending but also the void where a rebirth or upgrades will occur soon after. It is an energy that is quite uncomfortable for western society as we tend to struggle with the notion of release or surrender.
This very spiritual year will invite us to embody the wisdom of an old soul or the Hermit in the Tarot deck (the 9th card of the Major Arcana). Here we truly tap into the messages of our hearts and bodies and pour more trust our intuition rather than our logical minds. Very contrasting energy to the action and material-focused energy of an 8 year.
Just a few weeks in and I'm already sensing many areas of collective endings. Think about the natural or "not-so-natural" disasters we've witnessed of late and as devastating their immediate impact, consider the cleansing power in the elements of water and fire coupled with renewed hope of what will be birthed in its place. I know, it's awfully challenging to envision that far out in the midst of tragedy but let's hold space for a higher vibration if we can...
January 29, 2025 : Year of the Wood Snake
The Lunar New Year starts on the second new moon following the Winter Solstice, so in 2025, it will occur on the Aquarius dark moon of January 29. This date varies each year, falling between mid-January and mid-February, but it is always widely celebrated as a significant cycle turns.
Unlike the quicker 9-year cycle mentioned earlier, this cycle spans 60 years, as it combines 12 animals with 5 elements (metal, wood, earth, fire, and water). The rotation of animals is derived from a 12-year Jupiter cycle, which I find intriguing.
2025 will mark the shift from the Wood Dragon to the Wood Snake.
We have an overlap in the wood element both years which fosters a spirit of expansion and innovation. There's my word again - expansion! I'd also throw in flexibility and resilience which are absolutely critical to these times.
The snake symbolizes transformation which is quite obviously happening on a global scale. Some other characteristics I've read about the snake in Chinese Astrology are: wise, intuitive, mysterious, charming and decisive, known for their analytical mind, keen eyesight and ability to handle complex situations.
I find these energies to be accurate markers for our yearly happenings on the planet and even how we as individuals feel when we truly embody these gifts of nature.
Bring on the final layers of shedding in 2025 as we grow into our truest, most powerful selves!
March 20, 2025 : Aries Equinox / Astrological New Year
At last, on March 20, 2025, we arrive at the Equinox of the Northern Hemisphere! This time of growth and new beginnings which aligns with the start of spring and a fresh season with Gaia, deeply resonates with me.
My body is happy to sprout like a little seedling after winter-ing and taking the past three months to slow down and tend to the quieter areas of life, including the physical vessel.
In Astrology, the Spring Equinox always corresponds with the sign of Aries. As this is also the very first sign in the zodiac wheel, it naturally supports the theme of rebirth.
If the wheel displays our growth as humans, Aries would be the infant and Pisces (the very last sign), the elder about to pass on to a new realm of consciousness. We start with an emphasis on ourselves and gradually move towards other and finally, the collective over the course of the Earth's yearly transit around the Sun.

To me, it makes sense and feels naturally aligned with how humans are supposed to function. Not according to a 365-day calendar that demands non-stop productivity but instead, tuning into the seasonal ebbs and flows and honoring what animals and plants already do so beautifully.
Sending you all bright, expansive New Years blessings as we move through the 9 Year Wood Snake themed year. Let's see if by preparing ourselves with this knowledge, we can meet the year and its many start points with loving kindness.
xx Kristin