Overview
Your industrious ways have been wasted for the last couple of years. Restless and misdirected, your confidence and even your physical health may have experienced serious setbacks. Coming into the metal Ox year, you’ve been putting out fires rather than finding a place of advancement.
✨Year of the Dragon is here! Find out what's in store for you!✨
Hopefully, you took the directives of the metal Rat year to heart and have scaled way back. If you did some inventory, unloading obligations and discarding projects that showed no signs of completion, then the metal Ox year can be a little bit better. Yet, expect this year to immediately test you regarding the current load you carry. With the kind of strength and accommodation the metal Ox provides this year, it could be tempting to think of yourself as part of a dynamic rebound. Probably not. You’re more likely to discover that you’re not quite as strong as you think you are or as functional under pressure as the Ox can be. Don’t get cocky. Overextension could lead to serious injury this year.
The point is: If you haven’t done your homework from last year, the metal Ox year will be a dark time with many burdens¬—particularly in the early summer. Go deep with the spring cleaning and abandon every project that isn’t a for sure thing. Simple is best. As long as you’ve lightened your load, then you can get back to work. It’s okay to multi-task sometimes, but don’t make it a habit. Be sure to complete each task thoroughly. If you’re on your best behavior, you can prepare for bigger strides in 2022.
Love
It is possible that your love life will be one of the ways the metal Ox year can serve you well. However, casual affairs are generally unsupported, so if you’re not ready to make more of a commitment, consider taking a back seat until the late fall. You may already be too busy anyway. Your full schedule is one of the reasons why Horses tend to have high standards. Continually restless, you value your independence and need a strong partner to align with your intensity. Your ideal scenario for partnership includes compatible portfolios of interests, activities, and outlooks. You need to have clear standards and a clear vision of how you can complement each other’s life goals.
These needs for standards and practical considerations in partnership are a major part of the metal Ox’s worldview. Be it forming a family or creating a business, the metal Ox is committed to being stronger together. With the proper alignment of resources, this year, you could be one half of a power couple. Give it some thought but don’t rush. These considerations could come across as heavy and unnerving at first. Relax. Ox Qi is all about the sincerity of committed courtship. With the metal element in play, maturity will come easily—be it pass or pursue. If you’re a Horse in partnership, that means your relationship survived the rigors of the metal Rat year. Do not take your partnership for granted or the Tiger year (2022) could deliver you a shock.
Family & Friends
Socially speaking, you’re normally quick-witted and well-received. But the metal Rat year might have left you feeling a bit ego-bruised and isolated. You likely lost your swagger. But if you’re willing to play by the rules this metal Ox year, you’ll find some avenues to recover. Don’t expect quick results. As a Horse, you can be all about fast friends, but the Ox functions more slowly. It will be a slow process to work through the many layers of our thick skin. Lucky for you, you’re fairly independent and typically don’t take things personally. So, you may face some barriers to entry or delays but, unlike last year, your resilience wins out. Even if you’re not receiving immediate affirmation, stick around. Eventually, you’ll find common ground. The Metal modifier of the Ox this year will encourage a big tent which means you’re bound to find a place to fit in.
Generally, you’re interested in looking forward when it comes to your social relationships. Yet, this is the year, the expectation is to look back as a measure of where you are. Expect the past to come knocking and be sure to answer the door, particularly in the fourth and ninth moons. It will be important to be retrospective so you can develop a better picture of what works for you to carry forward. Your habit is to neglect such things—so this can be a good opportunity for you! What are your priorities in friendship? Slow down and assess with care.
Work
Of all the Chinese zodiac, the Horse is the embodiment of work. More than anything else, what you do defines you. While the last couple of years haven’t been terribly clear on how this is supposed to function for you, with the right amount of preparation, you can regain some traction in the metal Ox year. If you spent the winter resting, you should start your spring with a thorough cleaning of the slate and acts of deep consolidation. The more space you make, the more you can expand throughout the year. If you do not simplify, the late spring and early summer moons will steamroll you and you won’t be able to take advantage of the fresh restart available to you in the fifth moon. Done well, late summer will feel like a genuine reward for your perseverance.
Your favorable year is coming with 2022 and the Tiger. Until then, you should treat every project you have like it’s the only one you have. Reputation matters this year and you should cultivate a practice for finishing tasks on time. While completing a project isn’t as exciting to you as starting one (or several!), by adopting a slow and methodical pace to your work, you can avoid the consequences of reckless impatience. Without some discipline, there will be setbacks. Though it feels like a chore, meeting these demands will help you really appreciate the freedom you’ll feel next year and help you prepare to make the most of it professionally.
Money
As your work goes, so go your finances. These two topics are more directly linked to you than other members of the Chinese zodiac. This year, if your means of livelihood can rebound or hold steady, the cutbacks you made in the metal Rat year can feel like one step forward, two steps back. In the Metal Ox year, a little can go a long way as austerity becomes less of an imposition and more a way of life. Thinking back on your more spendy days, you may be amazed at how much money you wasted! Since your work life is still a bit tenuous this year, your discipline for saving and frugal improvisation starts to come out. This is when maturation begins, as you start to see just how much things cost.
Good habits of conservation aside, you are encouraged to develop sweat equity as well. Be the partner that does all the work. Your attention is a most valuable currency and donating your time and your labor to a cause is the best way to show your investment. When you truly care about something, this year can really move you forward. Know your limits but also be generous. Whether it’s via charity work or turning a hobby into some extra cash, if your heart is in the right place, it’s worth your time this year. Pay it forward and you’re certain to feel a great deal of support in return. That’s priceless.