Today marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year, so you get another chance to tackle a new year’s resolutions, another chance to start over again, another chance to hope for better luck, richer prosperity, and a more lustrous future.

We are now in the dawn of the year of the monkey, assigned to the earth element fire.  If the monkey was not spunky enough, this witty, intelligent, resourceful, curious, and self-preserving animal is deemed with an extra boost of hyperactivity.  This creature, rambunctious like a wild child, more clever than the proverbial fox, has been given the gift of flames this year- a combination of manipulation and energy that is inherently unstable, careless, extremely flammable.

If you are not careful with how you play, you will get charred.  I am sensing that this year will either be extremely fun and fortunate, socially and personally enriching, or it is going to quickly get out of hand, like carefully stacked dominos that fall over in a slight breeze.  I am not sure this is the year to gamble; this is the year to outsmart, investigate, and plan.  Don’t get too carried away with the joke, be mindful of the spark waiting to be ignited like a match at the gas station.  Don’t get out charmed, be careful of the power behind a seemingly innocent game.  Things are deeper than they appear, the dualistic nature will be carefully hidden in the simplest of games.

You don’t need luck this year, you need wisdom, foresight, and a cool demeanor to put up a fair fight with this feisty energy.