Be a Dragon, My Friend
Embody the traits of the dragon and draw luck in the upcoming 2024 Lunar New Year 🐉
I grew up with a fascination for all things spiritual and the many cultural beliefs of the world, despite the fact that we don’t celebrate the Lunar New Year in my country.
Before I was 8, I already knew I was a pesky little water monkey. 🐒 I have fond memories of playing my favorite RTS game at the time, a city builder based in ancient China (it’s this; thank me later).
February 10, 2024, marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year.
Enter the Wood Dragon.
It’s also my mom’s birthday, and she is a rat sign. A happy coincidence I didn’t realize until I started writing this post — the dragon, monkey, and rat are one of the zodiac trios in affinity with each other. 🐲🐭🐵
In Chinese culture, the dragon holds a revered position. It is the only mythological creature among the zodiac and is considered a symbol of power, strength, luck, and authority.
And this got me thinking — what can we learn from the dragon to make 2024, you know, less sucky?
That’s why in this post, I want to outline a few ways we can achieve balance between our destructive and wise nature, drawing inspiration from the dragon’s traits.
Understanding the Chinese Zodiac
Before I get into the dragon specifically, here’s a brief overview of the basics of the Chinese zodiac for anyone who’s unfamiliar with the topic:
The Chinese zodiac follows a 12-year cycle, and the last time we were under the element of the dragon was in 2012.
Each year is under the lucky mark of one of the zodiac signs, which come in this order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
There are five elements of nature in Chinese astrology, each of which is associated with various traits:
- Wood: 2024 is under the star of this element. Wood represents growth, flexibility, and expansion. It is seen as a symbol of vitality and new beginnings; thus, it’s associated with the spring season.
- Fire is a burst of passion, energy, and transformation. Naturally, it is associated with summer and, much like western fire signs, carries qualities of leadership, dynamism, and the spark of inspiration.
- Earth represents stability, nurturing, and grounding. It’s the warm days of late summer and early autumn. Earth is a stabilizing force that provides a solid foundation.
- Metal, sometimes referred to as gold, is the element of strength, discipline, and efficiency. It is the element of autumn and is linked to qualities of precision, organization, and the ability to cut through obstacles.
- Water is the element of adaptability and introspection. It is associated with winter and all qualities related to intuition and depth.
There is a lot more to this, and, for anyone curious, I suggest looking up Wuxing and reading up on its principles. For now, let’s focus on the dragon.
The (non)Apocalypse of 2012: Is the Cycle Repeating?
The last time we were under the Star of the Dragon was in 2012.
For me, it was the year of the apocalypse that didn’t happen.
Among the spiritual books that I was hooked on as a child, many mentioned the prophecy of the Maya calendar.
Perhaps the world as we know it didn’t explode in a fiery pit of doom. But transformation means the death of one thing as we know it so it can take on a new form.
In my experience, 2012 was a year of radical endings and unpredictable new beginnings. I had just started my first year at the National Art Academy. I had moved away from my family, completely alone. Experienced friendship loss, which, to this day, hurts more than any romantic breakup ever could.
It was the year when I learned what depression was — I realized I’d been living with it for months.
Stepping into 2024, there isn’t much of that energy left. Not everyone believes in astrology, but to me, patterns and cycles are easy to notice. Anything that was left unaddressed in the past has the habit of boomeranging back to us (usually at the most inconvenient times).
One thing I won’t allow to come back from the pits of 2012 hell is the overconsuming grief I felt for people who didn’t value me. Loving unconditionally shouldn’t have to transmute into self-torture.
Fortunately, we can all learn from the dragon’s fierce independence and self-reliance. In 2024, more than ever, I hope to be the confident leader of my own heart.
Hyperindividuality shouldn’t lead to isolation, but over the last cycle, I’ve learned that if I really want something, the only one who can get it done is me.
From Destruction to Creation
The proenix and the dragon are two different creatures of legend, but they both have something in common: their ability to control and transmute with the power of fire.
Fire is an element that differs from the rest.
Brought to mortals by Prometheus, Agni’s presence on Earth, the flames of Surtr engulfing the planet at the twilight of the gods.
Every culture has its own perspective on the myth of fire’s enlightening and destructive nature. The dragon is a bearer and master of this element. It can choose to wreak havoc with its fiery breath or learn to control his indomitable spirit.
Much like this mythical beast, we can cause chaos in our surroundings with our untamed nature. However…
…Has anyone in life caused me more suffering than my own destructive thoughts?
Or is it just me? Nothing in life has held me back as much as my own brain. For a piece of flesh swimming in an overrated soup bowl, it sure has a lot of influence on me.
It took multiple stages of understanding, realization, and acceptance to get to this conclusion — in order to create the life that I crave, I have to stop entertaining my destructive thoughts.
Reading Stoic philosophy has helped me develop a sort of resilience against the demons of self-deprication. It’s no miracle cure, but it’s gradually steering me down a path in life that I wouldn’t mind traveling on.
But building your dream reality takes…
The Courage to be Ambitious
I’m a journaling girlie — I like writing, planning, organizing, creating to-do lists. The “doing” part, however, is where I usually ghost all responsibilities. I don’t want to be like this, but being entirely self-driven is one of the most difficult things I’ve tried to do.
New Year’s resolutions aren’t my thing, yet since the year began, I’ve become overcome with determination to DO.
In less than three weeks, I’ve:
- Launched my own blog (finally!)
- Started a gaming YouTube channel (leave me alone, it’s my special interest).
- Started practicing yoga daily.
- Started reading two massive books and have already read more than I did in 2023 (which was my flop year for reading).
- Started painting again.
Basically, I’ve got a bug of inspiration that won’t leave my head. Since 2012, I’ve been in this awfully off-beat tango with depression and anxiety. After years of treatment, there’s nothing much left for me to do about it; the world is just stressful, and me and cortisol don’t vibe too well.
And here’s why now, more than ever, my passion for creativity has engulfed me entirely.
Burning With a Passion
The legendary martial artist and modern-day philosopher Bruce Lee was born in the year of the dragon (1940). He was also a fellow Sagittarius! ♐️
When I was a little girl, my father practiced martial arts, and I learned about Bruce Lee’s life and beliefs early on.
As an embodiment of his sign, Bruce Lee’s life was a testament to the transformative power of the relentless pursuit of passion. He was devoted to self-improvement, physical and mental discipline, and the mastery of his craft.
While I was writing my draft, I asked myself a question that I recommend anyone reflect on:
What is the biggest mindset shift that you’ve experienced since 2012?
Other than simply growing old and becoming wiser (just kidding, we are all just children roleplaying adulthood).
To me, shifting my focus from the future to the present has made the biggest difference. This doesn’t mean giving up on ambition; quite the contrary. It’s about this:
What are the actions I need to take today that will help me fulfill my goals?
Fully committing to the pursuit of excellence is the way of the dragon.
Every day, I make a conscious choice to channel energy into my passions constructively. Maybe this is too much of a fluff piece and falls into the category of “chase your dreams, monetize your hobbies!” But no. What I’m doing is focusing all of my knowledge, curiosity, and energy into creating. However, instead of hoarding my treasures like Smaug, I release them into the world.
Will someone read my writing? Will anyone watch my videos? Does anyone care about human-made paintings in the age of GenAI?
Who cares? I want to create, and nothing can stop me! If I don’t breathe out the fire, it will burn me inside.
To celebrate the Lunar New Year and channel the spirit of the dragon, take a moment to do this:
- Reflect constructively, what was 2012 like for you? What occurred, either positive or negative? Take a look back, because these are the patterns you might see repeating themselves this year.
- Mindset shift: take back your agency; this is not the time to let self-doubt consume you. Life is genuinely short, and the world is in turmoil. There’s enough suffering already; break out of the shackles holding you back.
- Cultivate your passions with ambition and courage. Good things take a while to develop. You don’t plant a seed and hope to see a tree by tomorrow.
Meanwhile, this is the energy I’m entering the year of the dragon with:
Thanks for reading!
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