Where Are We Now? Midsummer!
We’re currently in the Summer Solstice qi node in a Yin Wood Snake Year, just past true summer solstice. In terms of Chinese timekeeping, this is the most yang time of the year—and this year, that peak of light is happening inside the long, coiled body of the yin wood snake.
Snake is yin fire in nature, which means: what is concealed begins to stir… and when it emerges, it can do so with striking force. So this season—summer fire within the fire-natured year—is especially significant.
We’re in the part of the year when the main themes of 2025 reveal themselves. Why? We’re well past wood season (Spring) in a wood element year, and we are starting to make meaning of that chunk of time. Now, midway through fire season which is snake’s native element, we’re experiencing a time of unveiling, skin-shedding. Dormant dynamics burst into view. What’s been unconscious rises up into awareness. Summer is the time of the heart, snake’s organ.
This is the wood snake’s paradox: gentle, cautious, even meek on the surface… but that doesn’t mean nothing is happens in a snake year. Quite the opposite. Things move in quiet, sometimes destabilizing ways, sometimes with sudden changes seeming to come out of nowhere, but they are timed with seasonal and lunar rhythms. For instance:
Lunar New Year launched in a Tiger month—wild, fast, overwhelming. That first lunation had so much motion, upset, urgency. In the political realm we saw an overwhelming number of presidential declarations, many of which dissolved right away. Those that didn’t have a force to be felt much later.
Last month was Horse—we saw new, explosive global action, like the military moves in Iran.
This month is Goat—a time for opportunities for group engagement and collaboration. Ok, congress came together and got something big done this week (whether we agree with it or not). We see the movement of the collective. Use now to access your group.
If you missed my Lunar New Year talk, you might want to watch it now. It’s still relevant—and perhaps even more illuminating now that some of the year’s storylines are ripening. (This is the link to watch.)
What This Means for You
Now that we’re deep in the Fire season, and the yin wood snake is coiled around our calendar, what’s been hiding may strike. This time of year reveals what’s been dormant. We may find a sudden urge to resolve old heartaches—or inflame them further if we’re not careful. But this is also a powerful time for clarity, connection, and courage.
Snake time brings revelation. Big feels from the depths of the heart. The heart lets us hear the its whisper. Whisper? Maybe it comes as a shout or a cry. Were we unskilled in listening before? Moving too fast?
We don’t have to understand things for them to be meaningful. How do we experience value and meaning in circumstances beyond our control? These are what we designate space for, honor, and name. In so doing, we maintain our dignity, our sovereignty. We can let go of having it all figured out (whew!) to engage this process. Just open the space: that’s it.
I know: it feels raw. For me, too. In this fire season, we can go to the heart—the organ of fire season and also the organ of the snake. Be with what arises personally. Maybe something that felt minor suddenly matters. Maybe a hidden desire or wound shows itself. Maybe what you thought was stable... isn't. This is not a mistake. It’s snake season.
So what do we do?
We go through. 🐍
We let it emerge. We don’t force understanding. We sit with it, even if it’s uncomfortable. Snake is still. Snake watches. Snake metabolizes experience with slow, transformative fire. If it is time to strike: you’ll know.
When we don’t know what to do?
We rest. That’s wisdom too.
Purple Star Club: You’re Invited:
We have a new WhatsApp community called Purple Star Club. Join here.
I’ve created this space as a little constellation—a place where we can gather to look at what’s unfolding in the world through the lens of Chinese Polestar Astrology, seasonal qi nodes, and other old tools that still work.
It is where we can talk about stuff like this post.
We’ll share memes, questions, insights, and observations about what’s happening out there in the public square—and what’s happening inside ourselves. This space is for serious engagement and playful exploration. Come as you are. 🐍🪩📿
Feel free to introduce yourself, share reflections, ask questions—or just enjoy the ride. If you see a meme, article, or dream that feels right on time, bring it to the circle. Let’s learn and laugh together as we trace time's coils. 🔭💫
Welcome in.
—Anne
Ritual Health 🐝
📍Berkeley · Albany · Mill Valley