Year of the Wooden Snake

Wednesday January 29 was the Lunar New Year. According to the Chinese zodiac, 2025 is the year of the wooden snake. The year of the wooden snake is about introspection and renewal. It’s a year involving letting go of toxicity. Inner work and personal growth are favored.

 

For readers who don’t know, Dark Paganism is a self-centric philosophy that focuses on honoring and cultivating the Self. We find meaning by looking inward rather than outward. Therefore, from a Dark Pagan perspective, 2025 as the year of the wooden snake is obviously exciting for it ties closely in with Dark Paganism. 

2025, the year of the wooden snake, has the potential to be an auspicious year for self-cultivation and personal growth. Don’t miss out on the boost you may receive this year in your Dark Pagan efforts.

Dragons and Wolves

There are several festivals this month that I find meaningful and exciting. 

Chinese New Year
Today, February 10, 2024, marks the Chinese New Year based on the lunarsolar calendar. It's often referred to as the Lunar New Year in reference to other Asian cultures. In the Chinese calendar, the Chinese New Year usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice. 

The Chinese calendar assigns an animal sign from the Chinese zodiac each year using a 12-year cycle. The calendar also cycles through the Chinese five elements of earth, wood, metal, fire, and water.

The combination of animals and elements results in 2024 being the year of the Wood Dragon. 

What will a year of the Wood Dragon bring? In Chinese mythology, dragon characteristics include creativity, individualism, power, charisma, and confidence, while the wood element emphasizes morality and ethics. This combination of characteristics could prove interesting, to say the least.

Lupercalia
February also means the return of the annual Roman festival of Lupercalia, which occurs between February 13 and 15. 

I ended my blog post about Lupercalia last year with the following, 

Lupercalia isn’t about the sacrifice of animals. Or naked individuals whipping others with goat skins (which is okay if you’re into that and it’s consensual among all participants). The eternal spirit of Lupercalia is a recognition of the goodness of the physical body and the enjoyment of our carnal desires.

The modern Lupercalia is a time to release your inner wolf and howl at the moon.

I still find Lupercalia to be an important and meaningful festival.

2023 Year of the Black Rabbit

“Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.” - John Steinbeck

The New Year is celebrated differently in different cultures. According to the Lunar calendar, the first day of the new year begins on the second new moon after the winter solstice. In 2023, this new moon lands on January 22nd. Countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, celebrate the New Year based on this calendar. 

This New Year’s festival traditionally honors deities and ancestors. While there are different customs, a common theme is for Chinese families to gather for dinner. Families also traditionally use this time for house cleaning to sweep away misfortune and make way for good luck. 

The Chinese zodiac also designates an animal and one of the five elements yearly on a rotating cycle. In addition, each element has its own color designation. For 2023, the element is water, making the color black and the animal (except for Vietnamese and Malay zodiac) is the rabbit. 

Hence, 2023 is the year of the Black Rabbit.

The rabbit isn’t as lucky as some animals in the Chinese zodiac. However, years with the rabbit can represent prosperity (think about how fast rabbits multiply) and hope.