2022 is a Yellow Earth energy year. Each year, one of the 9 energies visits the center sector of the bagua, or energy blueprint. This year, it’s the Yellow Earth, represented by the number 5.
This Yellow Earth energy is at home in the center of every space, from homes and offices to countries and continents. It will influence world events, economies and environments. It will also affect the lives of people and influence each of The 8 Elements™, and their health and relationships, finances and careers.
In the original ancient Chinese diagrams of The Five Elements, Earth was positioned in the Center and surrounded by the other four elements - Wood, Fire, Metal and Water. Traditional Chinese medicine is based on using The Five Elements to bring the energy of the person into balance. They knew about the body’s innate ability to self-regulate, heal and restore itself to a healthy state and that this is achieved though supporting homeostasis.
Element Energy
Yellow Earth is neither yin, nor yang. It's both! Yin and yang is beautifully depicted in the tai ji symbol (pictured). This symbol, popularized in the ’60’s, represents the oneness before duality (closed circle), the balance of opposites (inner symmetry and polarity of dark and light) and the more modern addition of contrasting dots, symbolizing the complementary presence of “the other” within.
Yellow Earth is one of the three Earth elements. The other two that you might be more familiar with are Mountain Earth and Mother Earth. Yellow Earth is represented in nature by fine granular materials like sand, silt and clay found in deserts, quarries, marshland and in the beds of large lakes and marine basins.
Feng Shui means "wind and water".
The Storm
It takes a storm to produce these fine grains of earth. Over millennia, the natural forces of wind and water, erode and pulverize rock into these tiny grains of sand, gritty particles of silt and fine powders of clay. They serve vital purposes and can also pose great threats.
Sand is a granular material composed of fine rock and mineral particles found in desert sand dunes, beaches and ocean floors. It has a variety of compositions based on the type of rock it originated from and the intensity of the climate and weather that created it. Sand is defined by its grain size. Grains of sand are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand that is formed from weathering by wind and water erode rocks over long periods of time. The resulting sediments are then transported downstream where they continue to break apart into smaller and smaller pieces until they become fine grains of sand.
Silt is a granular material composed of fragments of weathered and eroded metamorphic or sedimentary rock in glaciated mountainous regions in arctic conditions and dust storms in the hot climates of deserts. The size of the mostly quartz grains is between that of sand and clay. It’s a common material, making up 45% of the mud, occurring both in the soil and as sediment suspended in water in river deltas. Silt is sometimes known as rock flour or glacier meal, and the gray or white silt suspended in water is sometimes called rock or moon milk, while the fertile black silt on the banks of the Nile river is known as a symbol of rebirth.
Clay is a fine-grained natural soil containing clay minerals. It’s the oldest known ceramic material used to make pottery and clay tablets in ancient times, as well as, earthenware and stoneware, porcelain and brick, and in more modern times in cement production, chemical filtration and as a heavy metal binder. Clay expands when it absorbs water and hardens when dried and fired in a kiln.
Well the landslide will bring it down.
Landslide, Fleetwood Mac
Quicksand, Dunes & Landslides
When these sediments are saturated in stagnant water and suddenly agitated, quicksand can form. Pockets of this colloid may look solid, but less than a 1% change in the stress level will cause a sudden decrease in its viscosity. While it’s impossible to completely sink below the surface of the quagmire, people have found themselves waist deep in this thick muck. They are cautioned not to make continuous and frantic movements in their attempts to escape as their struggles can cause them to be sucked down even faster and deeper. Instead, they are instructed to make slow movements with their legs until they can rotate their body from a vertical to a horizontal position.
Dry quicksand can be found in deserts with high winds. They are formed when the bulk density of loose sand is reduced by dry blowing air, making it yield more easily to weight or pressure.
Dunes are most common in deserts, although they can also be found along sea shores, streams in semiarid climates and in glacial outwash areas. These changing landforms are constantly reshaped by driving wind or water that take the form of hills or mounds of sand with ripples and ridges.
Landslides can occur after an earthquake or heavy rain. They are caused by the violent earth shaking reverberations or the sudden liquefaction of the soil.
The Yellow Earth energy can feel like falling into quicksand, disappearing into a sandpit or being taken for a ride by the landslide that will bring you down. I tell my feng shui and coaching clients that this energy feels like walking waist deep through mud. It can be a real struggle to make any forward movement. The key is to avoid these obstacles that can delay our journey. And if we do activate them with our presence and energy, our “wind and water”, to have the presence of mind not to panic and thrash about, but move slowly and calmly to safety.
The Missing Link
At every class I teach I’m asked about the missing 5 in the line up of the personal feng shui elements, The 8 Elements™. In listing them from Water to Fire, it seems like I just skip from the Soft Wood 4 to the Hard Metal 6. And I do! This is because, Yellow Earth 5 coverts to Mother Earth elements for males and and Mountain Earth elements for females. Remember: the 5 Yellow is both yin and yang!
The energy for the year is determined by the male cycle. So, in this Yellow Earth year, boys born in 2022 or before February 3 of 2023 will be Mother Earth elements. Since the cycle of energy for males is descending and the one for females is ascending, the element for females is almost always different. Girls born during this year's feng shui solar calendar will be Water elements. The only time males and females have the same element in the same year is when the energy cycles synch up every nine years during Hard Wood years.
The Homecoming
Yellow Earth years signal a homecoming for all of the personal feng shui elements. The center is home to the 5 Yellow energy. It’s where it feels the most comfortable…and most powerful.
The same is true for YOU! After visiting all of the other personal elements' houses for the past eight years, your personal energy has returned home. You will feel welcome, at home and comfortable in your own house. You’ll also feel empowered to BE YOU and fully embody the True You! For more on this read the blog, Welcoming YOU Home.
I'm gonna pull the whole thing down. I'm gonna bring the whole f***in' diseased, corrupt temple down on your head. It's gonna be biblical.
Clyde Shelton, Law Abiding Citizen
The 3 Ds
In feng shui, the 5 Yellow is known as the “Calamity Star”. It brings potential for the dreaded 3 Ds: dis-ease, disaster and death. With its visitation to the center sector this year, the Yellow Earth has the potential to wreck havoc on our lives with the loss of health, loss of property and loss of life.
I know this sounds scary. And it could be. Or, you could choose to take advantage of this energy and utilize it to change your life for the better. Release the old and embrace the new. Bury the old you with all of your past mistakes, bad habits and poor life choices and give birth to a new you. And in the process…a new Earth.
It’s important to reframe these potential losses in a positive way. First, although loss can feel like a negative experience while going through it, it’s not always a negative event for our lives. There are some things we need to let go of to create space for what we’re asking for next, so we can evolve and grow.
And secondly, no loss is permanent. The key to processing and making peace with any loss is to have the perspective of an eternal being. While loss, especially of a person, may feel devastating, no loss is really permanent. And nothing that is truly yours can be taken away from you. As for our dearly departed...we shall meet again!
Dis-ease can help people begin to listen to their bodies and honor its needs. They can heal - body and mind, heart and soul. They can fully recover and restore their health. They can start practicing healthy habits and invest in better quality food, water and supplements. They can become healthier than they ever were before.
Disasters can destroy the old, fear-based, power and control systems in every area of our lives and create a ground zero for us to build something new that honors everyone and all human life. They can bring the whole diseased, death cult and corrupt system down. It could be biblical!
Think of this energy as a death and rebirth. A declutter and clean sweep. A complete life reset. A death of old dreams and the gift of a new beginning. A house fire for your life so you can rise from the ashes like a Phoenix.
The Bone Breaker
In feng shui, the 5 Yellow is known as the “The Bone Breaker”. Breaks may be both literal and metaphorical. We may see the mass psychosis and cognitive dissonance escalate to psychotic breaks. People may go broke when their investments in stocks crash and cryptos fail. Broken arms and legs, especially in children are predicted. Bad break-ups in your relationships are also likely.
On a positive note, we may finally see the break down of the patriarchy and a removal of the broken control systems that have enslaved humans (men, women and children) for millennia. The collective may unite around their shared humanity and stand together in solidarity for human rights and against the "small fringe minority that holds unacceptable views", otherwise know as the "elite" in the governments of the world.
On a sobering note, this inauspicious energy can cause serious illness, especially cancer and severe injuries through accidents. Critical health concerns, conditions or crisis are likely for many people. Those who have compromised immune systems, pre-existing conditions, poor health or who've taken experimental injections are the most at risk.
On the financial front, expect a stock market crash followed by a complete overhaul of the financial system. The Federal Reserve may finally end, banks may close and financial institutions may be abolished. Bankruptcy may be averted by debt forgiveness.
While the potential for divorce is high, being separated from people who have betrayed your trust, denied you the love you deserve or no longer resonate with your values could be a welcomed relief. The last two years have been extremely stressful on all levels, but especially on family relationships and marriages. It has tested the love and loyalty in our intimate relationships. For those who've taken vows of 'til death do us part, this year's energy provides the opportunity to let your relationship die and consciously uncouple, so that each of you can go on with life in peace, joy and happiness.
The new annual energy has officially arrived. And, if you haven't already, you'll begin experiencing changes in every area of your life. All of The 8 Elements will be affected, although in different ways, depending on their unique personal energy. Personal awareness, feng shui remedies and your ability to intentionally reframe any obstacles and delays, setbacks and stalemates, will influence the degree of impact it will have on your life.
This year the energy is doubled in every gua, not just the center. It's going to be strong and you're going to want to be prepared. I highly recommend you get feng shui'd. For FREE Feng Shui advice to remedy the annual 5 Yellow read the Feng Shui Your Space blog, 2022 Feng Shui for the 5 Yellow.
Since the energy is strongest as it comes in and as it goes out, and then again when it peaks mid-year, the shift may cause a lot of things to begin happening that you weren’t expecting or ready for. Observe without judging it as good or bad, positive or negative. Let it be what it is and let yourself feel how you feel. Allow the energy that is being stirred up, settle back down before you make any major decisions or drastic changes to your life.
You're not alone. We're in this together. It's going to be ok.
Ready to read more about the Yellow Earth energy and learn about remedies for the year? Purchase your copy of 2022 Yellow Earth Guide.
☯
For personal energy or relationship dynamics coaching, contact me!
Or, read about my coaching packages.
If you’re ready to get professionally feng shui’d, read about Virtual Feng Shui Consultations.
To read more about The 8 Elements, subscribe to the Feng Shui Yourself blog.
Learn about my other Inner Chi Mastery offerings.
Subscribe to Feng Shui Yourself on Substack.
If you enjoyed this publication, please like, comment and share!
