Yesterday was both Chinese and Tibetan New Year! While they are both lunar calendar based, they don't always happen on the same day. While the Chinese New Year always happens on a new moon between January 20 and February 20, the Tibetan New Year can go later, even into March. They both always happen on new moons.
In the Chinese zodiac, we have just entered the year of the Dog. The Dog is loyal, conservative, just, and quiet. The celebration of the New Year goes back to an ancient story of a village being terrorized by a monster on a certain night each year. One year the villagers got smart and decided to hide away, but one fellow decided to hang back and battle. He painted his door red and lit lots of firecrackers, and that apparently scared the monster away. So each year after, that day was celebrated as the New Year. The red door is the origin of the whole red envelopes thing. Red is supposed to ward off evil spirits and protect you. In fact some people still insist they must wear red underwear every day of the year of their sign. So, for example, if you were born under the sign of the Dog, you would be on day 2 of 365 days of red underwear.
It's the Tibetan New Year, also called Losar or Shambhala Day, that I pay the closest attention to, though. I was in a relationship with a Shambhala Buddhist for about 7 years, and this holiday became an important part of my life. I really began to notice the energetics of it. Similar to the Chinese New Year, it's seen as a spring time/new beginnings celebration. Losar was once celebrated around the winter solstice as a time to pay tribute to nature spirits and actually predates the arrival of Buddhism in Tibet. Because of regular changes in who was ruling who, Losar was moved closer to the Chinese New Year. The zodiac animals are also essentially the same because of Chinese influence, though there are a few subtle differences. In any case, this is the year of the Dog in Tibet as well. Losar is now a time to gather with family and eat and drink. It's also a time to clean up physically and spiritually - sweep the cobwebs out of the house and let go of any unhelpful habits or patterns. People clear up debts and quarrels as well. The time right before Losar is known as the dun season. It's a time of stickiness where nothing is moving forward. It's important to avoid trying to get anything done in this time. It's a time of stillness and internal reflection.
I've been feeling that pretty intensely. My winter has been very "dun." I have felt stuck and motionless. Almost like I can't shift or act on anything. Everything has felt big and scary, and I have almost felt paralyzed. And then came the double New Year spring festival whammy! Boom! Things started moving again. And big time! Most of you know that I help people go solar. Essentially I get paid for referring people, so it's sort of like sales, but I don't actually have to do the contract and all that, though I may shift to that in the future. It's been a slow business. Not sure why. People are still a little hesitant to jump on the solar train. Out of the middle of nowhere, it looks like I might be referring a whole bunch of Marriott hotels. It's an incredibly big deal. It's so good for the planet, and it's so good for me. It's actually potentially game changing for me. We are talking about lots and lots of money. Freaking hooray! I have needed this break for a while.
So, yay! I wanted to celebrate with y'all! My favorite community of badass people on the planet! Happy New Year! Happy Year of the Dog!