Celebrations for the Chinese New Year of the Fire Monkey are already in progress in Melbourne with the excitement building up to Chinese New Year’s Eve on the 7th February at Federation Square.
Image compliments of www.freepik.com
Throughout February, various locations such as Chinatown, Crown Melbourne, Southbank, Yarra River, Docklands, Queen Victoria Market and the Windsor Hotel will offer plenty of entertainment and ample opportunity to experience a little taste of China’s culture and delicious foods.
Fire and Metal energies prevail this year. The year 2016 is ruled by the Fire element, the Yang Fire type, whereas the Monkey in 2016 is ruled by Yang Metal energies.
The Stem and Branch combination of Yang Fire (2016) with Yang Metal (Monkey) has not occurred in 60 years. The last time it did was in 1956.
In Chinese philosophy, Fire denotes strength, dynamism, persistence, restlessness and excitement. People born during Fire years are expected to be strong, good at self-expression, decisive and positive. They are warm people who love adventure and innovation. Fire ignites inspiration, imagination and creativity. Fire is also associated with the planet Mars, the colour red and warmth.
The year 2016 being ruled by the Fire element can provide business and educational opportunities. The nature of Yang Fire is that it is quick acting, therefore in order to be successful this year, we may just have to be quick in our thinking and decision making, yet still choose the correct path. As it is said, he who hesitates may be lost.
During this Fire Monkey year we could find ourselves with increased motivation or desire to improve ourselves and our positions in life; through our work, exercise, health, diet, leisure and our personal relationships and friendships. The momentum will certainly be felt during this year with the energetic qualities of Yang Fire. So let’s make the most of it and kick off to an exciting year of the Monkey.
The Monkey character in general is witty, intelligent, entertaining, lively, mischievous, energetic, sociable, talkative, enthusiastic, inquisitive, optimistic, competitive, inventive, versatile and restless.
Monkeys need constant variety and mental stimulation. They need to be shown appreciation for their wit and charm. No challenge is too great for these motivated, ingenious intellectuals. They like change and taking risks. As such, they are great as entrepreneurs and at their best, they are exceptional planners and organisers who need lots of variety and challenge. That keeps them motivated and engages their highly active minds.
The Fire Monkey in addition to the above Monkey traits, is very energetic, self-assured, expressive and truthful, a natural leader and innovator. There is a tendency to dominate less aggressive types with a strong competitive drive to be at the top of his or her chosen field. Fire Monkeys are successful and prefer to be running their own businesses rather than being employed by others.
We have two examples of Fire Monkeys within our Golden Lion community:-
Si Hing Michael Dobrunz will be celebrating his 60th birthday later this year. Michael began his Tai Chi journey in 2002 at the old High Street, Berwick location. He quickly embraced the Tai Chi way of life, attending multiple classes and beginning grading classes as soon as he could and becoming involved in Tai Chi competitions in both Australia and overseas. He won many gold, silver and bronze medals for his performances for many years running. Today he is a kind, patient and valued Tai Chi Instructor with the title of Si Hing. He continues working hard, practicing and training towards his next level of 2nd Degree Black sash. His cheeky Monkey side can be seen occasionally and he loves to hear and tell jokes.
Keri Boyd is a Tai Chi student and is another Fire Monkey about to enjoy her 60th Birthday this year. Keri has been attending Tai Chi classes at Berwick since 2008 under the instruction of various Instructors and Masters. She is currently training hard to reach her next goal of 5th Level Blue belt. Keri’s happy and smiling face is well known and loved in the Golden Lion community.
Some well-known people born in the 1956 Fire Monkey year are Jerry Hall, Tom Hanks, Kim Cattrall, David Copperfield, Christoph Waltz, Carrie Fisher.
Wishing all members of the Golden Lion Community, their families and friends a Happy, Healthy and Safe Year of the Fire Monkey. Enjoy the positive qualities of Yang Fire, of joy, passion, entertainment, change and excitement.
Dagmar Trewin, Tai Chi student