2/10/24 Chinese Lunar New Year, Aquarius season, New Moon in Aquarius
The Dragon is free to roam at night, attracted by the familiar crackling of Chinese firecrackers, staying in the dark, lulled by the melodic frogs of prosperity. These firecrackers are mildly startling compared to the ones lit and thrown into the sewage hole outside our home, remember that? Remember the exhilaration of detonating them as the cars drove by? The “Happy New Year” Chinese characters above our garage stayed there all year round, each day a wish for prosperity, each day no better than the next.
The demon Nian (Year/Time) either looms over us spewing condescending thoughts of hurry and more and not enough, constricts us into believing Time is of essence, scaring us into action, even making the Dragon believe love is meant to be pressing, urgent, and must be executed immediately with Death looming ever present. The metaphor of the Demon of Time, though, is that time is timeless, reminding us to stay present in our heart/mind (Xin), dedicating 110% to being fully Committed to Stay, Here, Notice, Release, Be Present Now, in our center; like in Wu Ji stance.
The baby Dragon that was born innocent in a fit of fear and frustration in the Dragon’s nest nearly three years ago near a river was a mirror of the noose that had wrapped around its neck, of being pulled out rather than coaxed out, of the constrictions all around it making it feel it was not strong enough, of being cursed to not overstep society’s boundaries on it. Once cracked of its egg shell, it quickly flew through lands that only a mythical creature can traverse and not lose itself. It flew high above the canyon, up to a bridge, became a bridge, turned into a two-legged human and walked across, trying to return to the Earthly plane; a vision while lying on the forest floor being a metaphor not understood until maybe now.
Coming back to Earth proved emotionally painful and mentally confusing as the Dragon wondered how all its insights and adventures could be explained and be of use, how the expansive power of love felt could be shared. The Dragon does not know how to speak the human language of the mind and has realized the language of the Heart in a human form is limited. It does not know that emotional pain always exists, that trauma and Nian are not friends, that the human mind always plays tricks, that childhood egos and hurts play out in the adult world.
As a respite, on the cusp of this Aquarius and Pisces moon, it remembers Earthly enjoyments and its belly is satisfied by a fresh dim sum meal served by familiar women in red and the one who has been its company in many adventures for three complete cycles of seven.
On this foreign voyage through these turbulent waves, the Dragon dreams of resting and healing as it pulls hundreds of small twig nails off its skin, small wounds embedded from this life, totally unaware of the many wounds it has sustained as resiliency appears as Earthly success and caring for others. It has grown scales of rainbow light that have magnetized those it cares for but there are too many thorns beneath this garment. It is time to shed old scales, seeing during this New Aquarius moon that there was once a tattoo on the right forearm of the character Xi (happiness) that has since almost faded, covered over by even older transparent scales that peel off easily without pain, revealing the antique thorn underneath of emotional pain and past hurts. Life has made its outer skin tough, and yet it remains soft, gentle and insecure on the inside just like the shaman has described the Dragon.
If in the past the Dragon always felt alone in its quest to save the world, even if ancestors and angels were its company; now, there are earthly Angels that surround it. From a caring hand and look of concern, to an always open hug that says “lean on me”, a hidden angel in the CD box of a totaled car, a “let me take care of this?” right hand person, one with listening ears who creates a different world from what it was born into, strangers on a Sunday night offering help and kindness, gentle eyes of vulnerability, the laughter with an Aquarian friend from the remote mountains of Mexico who has always thought differently, insight from a wise eighty year old fellow Dragon who creates art and words from Ether, and so many others who care.
The Dragon retreats to its island cave, praying for An Mian, peaceful slumber, to please be its company, and breathing its next Dream, for it and for others? It now waits to be invited in, to learn to be human…
The Demon Nian and the story of Lunar New Year