Year of the Snake
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2025 is the Year of the Wood Snake!
In Chinese astrology, there are 12 zodiac animals that repeat in 12 year cycles. Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Each zodiac year is paired with one of 5 elements: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.
In general, Snakes (born 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001 and 2013) are known to be philosophical, organized, smart, intuitive, elegant, decisive, & attentive. Wood Snakes (born in 1965, 2025) are known to be gifted and creative. They are tasteful, resilient, & have calm personalities.
For 2025:
Look ahead to a year of renewal, financial opportunities, and personal growth. Focus on introspection.
Examine your own conscious thoughts and feelings to help you navigate this year and protect your energy. Remember to rest.
Adopt sustainable habits. What may seem like little progress now will eventually reward you tenfold if you nurture healthy habits.
Start small, and remember to recognize your progress along the way!
Connect with nature. Be conscious of ecosystems. We are all part of something larger.
To honor the land is to let it heal - what are ways you can reduce your carbon footprint?
Develop your creativity. Find new ways to express yourself. Challenge decision paralysis and push through.
Enjoy the process of creating something.
The Year of the Snake is all about shedding negative energy and that which you have outgrown.
It is time for a transformation - to follow your intuition and align with your higher self.
Happy Lunar New Year! 新年快乐
As we leave the Year of the Dragon, I want to talk about the incredible Chinese-American artist Sarah Kinsley, a Dragon. At only 24 years old, she released her debut album, Escaper. Written about grief and the death of a close friend, the album is beautiful, honest, and hopeful. I have turned to her songs many times when facing emotional conflict and turmoil. In Sublime, she sings, “Even suffering forever cannot stop the days… the moment’s fleeting, why not live despite the pain?”
Last Time We Never Meet Again might be my favorite song right now. One verse actually became a topic of conversation in therapy for me:
I hope you get everything you wanted
I hope the universe bends down to offer itself to you
But for myself
I hope I hear your name and I feel absolutely nothing
Let me be free of you
2024 was definitely spent laying groundwork for the shedding and renewal energies of 2025. A year of affirmations and manifesting a life of peace and moving on is perfectly summed up in that verse.
This playlist has a little bit of everything, but I wanted to mention some of the Asian artists featured: Tsin Ting was a famous Chinese singer and Hong Kong cinema dubbing artist active from the 60s to the early 00s. Yumeoto is a Japanese artist capturing the dreamy Stardew Valley vibe. Dolly Ave is a Vietnamese-American singer from Missouri. Hiroshi Yoshimura is credited with creating Kankyo Ongaku, the genre of Japanese environmental music. FEEL is bookended by two songs from the Chinese game Genshin Impact. Liyue is a region in the game inspired by ancient China, & I’ve spent many hours exploring the mountains modeled after Zhangjiajie, which is located in the province of Hunan, where I was born.
Laufey (Chinese-Icelandic) and beabadoobee (Filipino-American) team up on a sultry love song I can’t get out of my head. 吳獻Osean and Joanna Wang are two Taiwanese-American artists I discovered while making this playlist. I am constantly discovering new music and am in awe of Asian artists creating such a diverse musical landscape.
Closing out the playlist is SASAMI and her sick snake album art for Squeeze. In Japanese folklore, Nure-onna is a vampiric yokai with the head of a woman and body of a snake. Call Me Home is a heartfelt song showcasing vocals and raw emotion. SASAMI is a fierce artist that created the album after diving into her Zainichi heritage. I could nerd out about her, but click here for more cool facts about the album.