Qi Cycles for 2022 – An Introduction

WuYun Liuqi 2022

 An introduction to the energies of the coming year

This is an overview of the heavenly and climatic energies for 2022. I will provide more detailed information via podcasts and posts as we get into the year, but for now I hope you find the broad outlook helpful.

Heavenly Host/Guest Qi Cycle for 2022

Generally, we’re in for a bit of a rough year, there really is no other way to put it. In the heaven’s we have an alignment of energies between the host and guest qi for each period, which on one hand I like to think of this as being harmonious, which it is, but it also can lead to excess in any one of the elements. If we then look at the climatic energies, this is where we see the drama begin.

Let me start by recognizing the tragedy that unfolded at lightning speed in the final days of 2021 in Boulder Colorado as it unfortunately starkly illustrates the energies of the first qi period that begins with the Chinese New Year on February 1^st. The first qi period each year is under the influence of the Jueyin energies, which is congruent with the shift from winter into spring. Everything begins to come out of the dormancy of winter and there is great growth and movement. Along with this natural tendency of spring, we know that wind is the natural phenomena associated with Jueyin. Remember in the heaven’s we have both the host and guest qi being Jueyin and we can start to see the potential for excess wind. The kicker is that the climactic guest qi for the first period is Shaoyin – fire, wind and fire in excess moving very fast and we see events such as what occurred in Boulder at the end of December.

Climatic Host/Guest Qi Cycle for 2022

That is just a snapshot of the energies that will be showing up in our environment and patients as we move into 2022. From a more macro view, 2022 is the year of the yang water Tiger (Ren Yin) and according to the Huangdi Nei Jing the year is ruled by the energy of Shaoyang or ministerial fire. In the second half of the year, we see an influence of the Jueyin energies, but the overall tone of the year is governed by the Shaoyang. In short, we have an excess wood (wind), characterized by heat. It is important to note, the element most vulnerable to the excess, in this case earth and water, can take revenge. This can manifest as sudden changes in temperature (hot to cold) and moisture (heavy rains). Looking back at the climate for Boulder in the last week of December, it was abnormally warm and dry with high winds, which lead to the rapid spread of fire, only to be followed by snow and freezing temperatures within 24 hours of the blaze.

Leading up to writing this piece, and recognizing the 60-year cycles of the Chinese calendar (the sexagenary cycle), I reflected on the energetics of the 1960’s. I was an infant in a household of much older siblings and even though I was too young to grasp the extent of social change and unrest that was occurring, the revolutionary music of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, the Who, the Byrds and others is indelibly stamped within my psyche. It was a time of change, unrest, and conflict. The Vietnam war was raging on, in 1962 Russia and the US were in conflict that led to the Cuban missile crisis, there was significant unrest and conflict in Paris, the world experienced natural disasters associated with flooding (Hamburg, Germany), and extreme wind events in the pacific northwest of the U.S. – the list is long, but I think you get the gist. So how do we objectively assess the energetics of the coming year and find some form of alignment and balance within the potential harshness of the wind and fire energies?

My first thought in response to this question lead me to observe where I see the fire and wind energies around me personally, then in my patients, students, and community – these areas are where I feel I can have the most tangible impact. We know fire and wind are not inherently “bad” but when out of balance things can get a little wild. In a nutshell I like to think of fire as creativity, the brightness of spirit, warmth, and joy. The flipside being restlessness, anxiety, instability, and irritability. With wind, I think of creative and positive change, movement and wide-open spaces and its’ flipside as erratic, ungrounded behavior, unwanted change, and energy that is trying to find some space. Combining these two concepts together and we have a myriad of possibilities, both positive and negative. The key is to contemplate these concepts and observe where you might be seeing positive or negative manifestations of them and supporting the positive and as much as possible mitigating and soothing the negative.

I will be sending out and posting more information about the qi cycles for 2022 on the Chinese Medicine Resource Center website (thecmrc.com) closer to the new year and beyond.

In the meantime, to quote one of my favorite astrologers C.A. Brooks of the 12^th House, let go and wear loose clothes!