2015: The Year of the Sheep

This gentle and graceful sign has much in common with the community oriented emotional Hard Wood personal element.

Sheep are polite, patient and peaceful creatures that co-exist in harmony with others and their environment. They are content to live a simple life in quiet pastures, by still waters, surrounded by natural beauty, where they feel safe, comfortable and mutually supported by their friends and family.

Sheep are kind, caring and compassionate. They are attached to their families and tend to be happy homebodies. They create beautiful homes and blissful lives that are calm and stable. They are quite fond of art and beauty in all its forms and are comforted by the familiarity of being among their collection of treasured personal belongings.

Sheep are thoughtful, generous and accommodating. They work well with others and are successful and productive in collaborative endeavors.

Sheep believe in the goodness of people and life in general. They avoid conflict with friends and family at all costs, to the detriment of their emotional and physical health.

Sheep are timid in nature and weak-willed. They like to be taken care of by others. They give up their personal power to let others take on their responsibilities and give up their authority to allow others to make decisions for them.

Sheep are chronic worriers and can be shy, pessimistic, moody, indecisive, obstinate and overly sensitive. They have a tender, easily bruised ego and can get their feelings hurt quite easily.

Sheep are deeply emotional and sensitive souls. They can be a bit closed off and fenced in. It takes a while for them to open up and let people see who they really are. Even then, they keep their walls up and hold back pieces of themselves or are vague until they feel safe enough to let others in. They want to be sure they won't get hurt and need to have their trust earned before letting anyone inside their green pastures.

Sheep seem to be puzzled about the purpose or meaning of life and confused about how to go about creating a life worth living. They value their belief in God and faith in humanity. Deeply religious, they have a tendency to adhere to strict doctrines and dogmas and devote themselves to their shepherd and his flock of fellow worshippers.

Sheep remain calm and composed even when overwhelmed and frustrated. They do this by focusing on the small details of daily life. They refuse to look at the bigger picture and see what that means about where their life is headed.

Sheep are relaxed. They know that all is well. The sun comes up every morning and the grass keeps growing.

Sheep are fun-loving and creative. They like to plan fun things to do with family and friends. They enjoy using their creativity to problem solve, decorate their homes and express themselves artistically.

Sheep are emotional extremists. They hide their true feelings and hope things will get better on their own. Stuffing their emotions, not being honest with themselves and not speaking their truth eventually leads to anger and resentment and ultimately chronic fatigue and illness. Because they wait until they are fuming mad to complain and make demands, people are shocked at their sheepish friend’s sudden outbursts of rage.

Sheep are cautiously optimistic. It may take them a while to come to a decision but when they do they have detailed plans and a system in place to carry them out.

Sheep are predictable. They have very basic needs and a lot of common sense. They are able to focus on small tasks and accomplish one thing at a time. Putting one foot in front of the other with sure steps they work their way slowly toward their goals. Instead a quantum leaps forward in their personal or professional life, they look to make solid measurable progress.

Sheep are followers. They are docile animals that live in flocks. They have a herd mentality. Safety in numbers.

Sheep rely on their peeps to protect their interests. Because of this we may see likeminded people join together in large groups to take a stand for something they believe, stand up to the establishment or stand together against something they feel needs to be changed or resolved. Other expressions of this energy are protests and marches, strikes and walk outs. Because of this we may also see huge numbers of sheeple being led astray by charismatic leaders or wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Sheep are easily led. It is important to remember that you can be teachable without becoming programmed. You can learn from and be inspired by great people without becoming their followers. You can be a part of something without becoming subservient to it. You can be contributed to by an idea without allowing it to dominate you or rule your life.

Sheep years provide a sacred space for healing body, mind and soul. Opportunities arise for mending broken hearts, nurturing sick and tired bodies and tending to the emotions that have gone unexpressed for years. Whatever has been upset, hurt, damaged and neglected can be addressed, healed and brought back into balance and harmony this year. The key is to acknowledge overlooked shortcomings and forgive yourself and others for everything from life threatening failures to perceived flaws.

Sheep years give us the opportunity to practice the art of allowing. Sheep are considered the most feminine of the 12 Chinese zodiac animal signs. It is the ultimate yin or “receptive” energy sign. You will learn how to receive graciously and explore your feminine side. Look forward to enjoying more love and sensuality, more thoughtful and unexpected gifts and more safety, security and creature comforts.

In the Year of the Sheep

• Relax.

• Turn your attention inward. Know thyself. Be authentic. Express yourself.

• Be gentle with yourself. Take care. Show yourself some compassion.

• Think positively. Speak with kindness. Be sincere with your expressions of appreciation. Tell the truth.

• Find your footing. Take your time. Set your own pace. Work at your own speed.

• Give the people and things that are important to you, your full attention.

• Do what makes you happy and fulfilled. Don’t wait until it’s a good time. Do it now! Be happy now!

• Your strength lies in nurturing your friendships. Collaborating with others. Learning how to communicate well with your family and community, as if your life depends on it.

• Let go of your story. Or if you can’t find yourself in the story of your own life, write a new chapter in which you are the leading man or leading lady in the Story of YOU!

• Simplify and beautify your home. Redecorate. Get feng shui’d! Practice the art of graceful living.

• Simplify your life. Release the relationships and things that do not support the person you are today. Let it all go!

• Have less. Do more. Use your resources wisely. Be more efficient and productive with your time.

• Create a sacred space for healing, reflecting, journaling, meditating. A room or a corner of a room. Put your favorite things there and visit it once a day.

• Cultivate beauty in your home and life. Make your garden grow. Bring the life energy of plants and the colors of nature inside. Beautify yourself, inside and out!

• Take time for you. Take pleasure in the small things, that bring joy to your heart and spontaneous happy smiles to your face. Make leisure and little luxuries a part of every day.

• While you are counting sheep each night, count your blessings. Count them one by one.

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