Will we finally get a break in the Year of the Rabbit?
In the tradition of the zodiac years, the year of the Rabbit follows directly after the Year of the Tiger, and is believed to be a time of calm after the storm – recuperation, peace, and tranquility following energetic upheavals and disruption.
2022 was the year of the Water Tiger, and it certainly brought plenty of upheavals. From a literal war in Europe and a resulting energy crisis, to soaring inflation and economic downturn, and most recently a swathe of large-scale layoffs across the tech industry, the world can definitely use a break.
What will the Rabbit year bring?
The Rabbit year is believed to be a time when people set aside their differences and come together in harmony: a good year for diplomacy and international relations, and for rebuilding relationships that may have been damaged by past events.
This particular year, which starts on 22 January 2023 and ends on 9 February 2024, is the year of the Water Rabbit: a time during which people are also said to be more empathetic towards the concerns of others and more inclined to go with the flow, or with the crowd. It will be a good year to take a gentler, easier approach: to be more forgiving about rules and regulations, and more relaxed about processes and practices.
However, this calm comes with a few risks. Powerful individual forces or personalities can easily sway groups or events, not necessarily to the positive. Relaxing of standards can lead to sloppiness, and low energy levels can even mean stagnation.
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Keep a balance between neutrality and action
In the wake of an exhausting Tiger year, it can be easy to just withdraw from the fray – to sit back and take a neutral stance on whatever comes, focusing on our own peace and comfort first. This can mean taking steps to protect our own interests, a sound approach given that economic recession looms on the horizon.
The Rabbit year also fosters community and harmony, which makes it a good time to strengthen business relationships and workplace cultures: building new connections, and bringing groups together.
At the same time, though, we need to be careful not to withdraw so much that we fall behind the competition. Tranquility won't last forever, and we still need to be future-ready.
Similarly, we shouldn't let our desire for harmony pull us into following the crowd too far or being too blase about the flow. We've already seen the consequences of that in the cascading crypto collapse. And on matters of great and common global interest, such as climate change, we must continue to take a strong stand.
Can we really get a break this year?
Hopefully so. The reputation of the zodiac years, whether for opportunity or challenge, change or stagnation, is built upon mythology and wishes. But self-fulfilling prophecies are a very real sociopsychological phenomenon, and belief can translate into action that creates reality.
Here's to the power of wishful thinking for a better 2023!
