2020: Year of Heavenly Rat
The Potential for Collective Transformation in 2020!
MY INITIAL THOUGHTS ON RATS…
I never really liked them much. The thought of rats has often made me squeamish: small bulging, beady eyes; long, leathery tail; twitching nose, twitching body, twitching everything; bony, scampering feet, moving too fast to catch when they’re in my house; and those long pointy teeth, way too big for their little mouth—I’m totally sure they want to bite me (especially when I’m needing them to get out of my house!) So, when I realized we were headed into Year of the Rat, my first reaction was, “This is going to suck.” Then I started doing my research. I started feeling into the energy of rats—my perception was changed! Rats are actually PFA (Pretty Freaking Amazing). Heavenly Rats even more so. Now I’m excited. The shift has already started. The possibilities for lasting positive change are making me giddy. And each of us will be called to do our part to bring these possibilities to fruition—I’m enthused about that too. More details below.
xo Piper
THE IMAGE:
Packs of rats (communities) gathered in inspiration, wisdom, and positive momentum, ready to fell the old, rotting, dilapidated beliefs and structures (within ourselves and within our society). Feeling more freedom, clever rats diligently collect useful resources to design new beliefs and structures to come. There is work to do—Rat is ready for it, especially when joined with comrades. However, when trust is lacking and when fear and fatigue are leading, Rat behavior becomes anxious, nit-picking, secretive, and scheming: biting and fighting ensue. The shift to Rat energy is pushing us all mentally, physically, spiritually. Make sure to take good care of yourself to avoid pressurized negativity and its consequences.
“Starting Saturday, January 25, 2020, we shift to the yearly energy of Yang Metal Rat.”
THE COMMENTARY:
The positive, focused Collective has great power this year.
Tenaciously chewing through the old, broken, misguided, unjust ways of past, there is an opportunity for creating great freedom this year. And this freedom comes from the effort focused on healing and transforming old programs and habits within ourselves, and with each other—ways of acting and thinking that no longer work to our highest benefit, personally and societally. 2020 is a poignant call to personal and social transformation. Gone are the days of effective blaming and finger pointing (if blaming has ever been effective). This year we are pushed to take ownership of our individual choices (past, present, and future) and become the change we want to see.
YANG METAL RAT IS READY FOR THE TASK: patient, intuitive, benevolent, tenacious, persistent, focused, playful, and prosperous.
Sustainable change begins at the individual level (our own habitual thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and actions). It extends to our families and communities through our own more positive behavior.
This said, doing personal work in supportive community has an exponentially positive effect this year. Coming together in like-hearted groups will raise us all up to do the work ahead. Coming together to dissolve our unsupportive, outdated beliefs and build trust (trust of ourselves, of Nature, of God/Spirit/Life, of each other). One day, one action at a time, trust will turn the tables of power in every way.
We will also experience greater stability, comfort, care, and joy in simply being with one another, as well as witnessing and affirming the changes happening before us. Willingness to lean into each other and openly share our authentic, heartfelt selves through the process of growth and change will bring much needed boosts of momentum and compassion to the year.
SIDE NOTE: to all the introverts, the collective focus of the year does not mean you need to be with others all of the time. Mature rats find resourcefulness in solitude. Choose your group(s) wisely and commit yourself to regularly scheduled gatherings as often as would behoove you (once a month might be a good minimum).
With patience, tenacity, persistence, and respect, the work we are each doing together will come to show itself as a rich opportunity to design new beliefs, new ways of being, new structures in harmony with Earth, each other, and all of life—these new beginnings coming into clearer form through our diligent focus in 2021, Year of the Ox.
“The rat symbolizes the resourcefulness and inevitable success of the lowly.”
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
• Inquire within: What old habits and beliefs are ready to be healed, traded in for new, more supportive thoughts, actions and beliefs?
• Ask your heart: “What do you long for?” The heart will lead the way to the change you wish to make.
• Give yourself permission to be imperfect, to grow, change, and play with the possibilities of new and different.
• Commit time and attention to do this valuable inner work.
• Join a supportive community in the area(s) you wish to change and grow.
• Invest yourself in a personal, passionate, and heartfelt cause with others.
• Take the wise risk of trusting more: yourself, others, and the Universe.
• Allow other’s support to have a positive effect in your life.
• Be patient and kind with yourself and others.
• Remember, we are all in this uncomfortable yet rewarding process of healing and growing together.
“If we want to transform our society, we will have to transform ourselves first.”
DESCRIPTIVE QUALITIES FOR YANG METAL RAT:
Yang Metal
Associated with Heaven
Primordial yang chi/energy
Acts of God/Spirit/Universe
Angelic/energetic support
Strength of wise will
Clear-mindedness
Intuitive action
Divine inspiration
Creative impulse
Powerful and quick change
Rats *
Very sensitive, loving, social animals
Clever, observant, and complex creatures
Super resourceful (represent Prosperity in Asian cultures)
Love to be with others—to work, play, groom, and snuggle
Clear communicators
Tenacious, resilient, adaptable, focused, and efficient
Adept at modeling desired behavior… however not easily caught or controlled
Collectors, hoarders and savers (especially when feeling unsafe)
Need to trust and feel safe in order to thrive
Together, rats have amazing power (gnawing and nibbling piece by piece)
Individually, they are wise but more vulnerable and less effective
Charged Qualities: charming, diligent, perseverant, methodical, social, cooperative, discrete, frugal and observant, as well as fun and loving.
Depleted Qualities: complaining, nervous, nit picking, annoyingly analytical, stingy, secretive, scheming, cowardly, overly concentrated (mono-maniacal), and selfish.
Native Element: WATER.
Charged Time of Day: 11 PM–1 AM
Direction: North
Flower: Narcissus
Moon: 11th House
Stone: Carbuncle (Red gemstones: Carnelian, Coral, Ruby, Star Garnet, Andesine Labradorite, Fire Opal, Spinel, Pyrope Garnet, Tourmaline, Rhodolite Garnet, Zircon, Star Ruby, and Rubellite Tourmaline)