What the year of blue snake has in store for us in 2025
- Joonyoung Kim
- Jan 28
- 4 min read
the national traumas inform us about who we need to be
Published on 2025-01-27
The Humanity calls for wisdom & shrewdness
It's an official freebie
I'm coming from a part of this world where we celebrate the beginning of a new year twice a year, one according to the "normal" calendar and another one according to the mysterious lunar calendar. I'm not sure about you, but I've encountered January 1st this year, feeling like 2024 hasn't entirely finished with me yet. In December, I was mostly in shock, unable to get over how quickly (and wildly!) 2024 went by. January was the time I actually got to catch my breath and spend some time reflecting and planning. So the lunar new year, referred to as Seolnal in Korea, is a huge mental relief with permission to have another go at starting the year fresh. It's a freebie do-over. 😎❤️
What the Blue Snake stands for
The Year of the Snake 🐍 is spelled 을사년 in Korean or 乙巳年 in Chinese. 을 or 乙 refers to the color blue in the sexagenary timekeeping cycle traditionally used in the Sinosphere. Blue symbolizes harmony, prosperity, and advancement. But the character 을 or 乙 in the traditional metaphysical philosophy of 오행 or Wuxing is also linked to the Wood element, which symbolizes growth and vitality.
사 or 巳 refers to the Snake in the 12 earthly branches cycle (commonly referred to in the West as the Chinese zodiac signs even though it's not exclusively Chinese 🤷♀️). In Buddhism, snakes are regarded as embodiments of the holy presence of compassion, crawling around in the lowest places on earth to serve as a beacon of wisdom for ignorant humans. (wink wink) Their ability to shed their skin has made them representations of healing and rebirth as well. And many cultural traditions honor snakes in a coil or biting its own tail as a symbol for eternity. I personally find snakes quite repulsive, but obviously what they stand for is just all around amazing and highly regarded.
Hence, 2025, the year of the Blue Snake, is supposed to bring all of the above goodness to us, right? 🤞
What The national trauma says about who we need to be
I'm also coming from a part of this world where the sitting president (I dare not mention his name here and spoil my content) declared martial law against the public out of the blue and failed at it miserably when the National Assembly swiftly gathered and overturned it within hours. He was then impeached, arrested, and finally indicted this past Sunday.
As people struggled to wrap their heads around the madness we were witnessing and living through, many psychologists and mental health professionals were asked to share their two cents on what might have led the president to act out as such. They all categorically described him as demonstrating the textbook behaviors of someone who suffers from paranoia, delusional disorder, anger management issues, pathological lying, narcissism, and inferiority complex. It is also a widely spread rumor that he's severely alcoholic and makes a lot of decisions impulsively while in a drunken stupor. All of this explains why so many of his policies are so poorly thought out and executed, including his own attempt at insurrection! The silver lining here is that we're not dealing with bad leadership. We're actually dealing with a clinically madman. Whew! On the flip side, we have a political system that allows someone like him to slip through and become a president. Yikes....
It's not just Korea
Add to that what's happening across the Pacific Ocean with Trump elected for the second term with an outright belligerent penchant for fascism & white supremacy. And what's happening in Gaza. And What's happening in Ukraine. The list of the global collective generational traumas we're experiencing goes on.
It feels like political turbulences and social instability, and the following shock, anxiety, fear, helplessness, chaos, and shame we've all been experiencing are eternally looming over the masque of seemingly calm and normal everyday life. Grim, yes. I hear you. I'm with you.
So, naturally, I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be an effective leader and the qualities they need to demonstrate. These are the qualities not just our leaders need to have, but we all need to demonstrate to stay resilient, healthy, sustainable, and competitive—to survive together. This increasingly hostile and nonsensical world desperately needs more of them, and we must continue to hope for them.
Get on the reptilian vibe and ride it like your life depends on it
Thankfully, they are exactly what the year of Blue Snake energetically and spiritually brings us: harmonious growth guided by wisdom, shrewdness & insight.
Amen to the Blue Snake. We must fully welcome it. I firmly believe we all have what it takes to cultivate and demonstrate more of our own Blue Snake-ness. We can shed our scars & wounds from the past like the old skin to make way for new growth. We will all slither through what may lie ahead with wisdom and shrewdness as our armors. Let's ride that energy hard in 2025. That's what I wish and hope for you and me this year. 🙏
Hugs❤️,
Joon
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joonyoung Kim is a Productivity and Leadership Coach based in Korea. Through her 1:1 coaching program Redesign Productivity, she helps leaders & entrepreneurs rethink productivity and leadership with more resonance, balance, and creativity so that they can create a more meaningful impact in their personal and professional worlds.
She enjoys working with clients from across the Asia Pacific in various industries, including luxury retail, consulting, IT & entertainment, to name a few. She is particularly passionate about working with women leaders and entrepreneurs.
She's certified by the International Coaching Federation, Co-Active Training Institute & Leadership Circle, and she coaches & trains in English or Korean on Zoom across time zones.
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