”Kindness is like snow – it beautifies everything it covers”  Kahlil Gibran

Winter is upon us in the northern hemisphere. In Chinese feng shui and astrology the winter season is assigned to the north direction and the water element.

In November, December and January the air is cold and wet due to high humidity.November the Pig month  and December the Rat month are assigned to the  water element in the Chinese calendar. January is the Ox month and,although it has the earth element,this earth has metal and water hidden in it.

So the strength and amount of water is increasing month by month. It reaches its peak in December and is still stong in January. The quality of the fire element, the Sun, is the weakest at the time of Dung Gee/ Winter Solstice.This year we had Dung Gee on December 22nd 2018.

2019  is the year of the Earth Pig

The energy of  2019 shows the characteristics of yin energy.The cold weather is continuing in January with Slight Cold /Siu Hohn as of January 6th, at the beginning of the Ox month.Then with the second chi, Great Cold/Dai Hohn is comingon the 20th January 2019.

The quality of chi in the Year of the Pig is yin. Yin energy is slower than yang energy. As a feng shui practitioner I advise my clients to prepare for slow moving energies in areas of life such as communication, travel and finances in any yin year.For example, if a certain amount of money is due to you it could arrive later than expected.

How to enjoy Wintertime

In this season it is advisable to pay special attention to certain organs in our body which are associated with the water element: kidneys, bladder, urinary organs, ears and bones.In Traditional Chinese Medicine these organs represent the water element just like the winter season .

Thereforeit is not advisable to drink too much water in winter, especially cold water which may have a negative effect on your kidneys and bladder.

It is also important to dress with layers to protect your kidney area, wear warm shoes & socks and ensure that your feet do not get wet. In the winter season plants store the chi in their roots. Similarly in our body, the pulse of chi for winter is stored in our bladder and our feet.

Men should be careful with their sexual energy in the wintertime. It can easily be reduced if they have too much sexual activity during this season!

The winter season’s chi will challenge our bodies to get ready for the next season so aim to manage and store your chi well duringwinter, just as nature does, and you will be well prepared to increase your vitality for spring.

Common sense ways to store your energy and stay healthy this winter:

• Dress with layers
• Go to sleep early and rise later
• Reduce your sexual activities
• Eat more dark colored foods, spicy foods, red meats, and rich foods
• Drink red wine moderately

Enjoy wintertime and the coming Pig year!