Welcome to Lunar New Year
Around the world, it’s time to celebrate the end of the old and birth of the new, in Asian astrology. It’s Lunar New Year.
Watch my YouTube predictions here.
If you are a Premium Member, send an eCard now, choosing from the 12 signs here.
Year of the Rabbit
Lunar New Year begins on Sunday, January 22nd, 2023, and runs until Saturday, February 10th, 2024.
This time round it’s Year of the Rabbit. 2024 will be Year of the Dragon.
The World in Year of the Rabbit
The toughest economic cycle in decades ends in 2023 and by 2024 the world will have found a way to deal with the pandemic and the Climate Emergency – until the next round of changes.
Families in Year of the Rabbit
As I told my friends Sarah Vine and Imogen Edwards-Jones on their Daily Mail podcast, 2023 is about family change. Your family tree (and some famous family trees, around the world) will require life gardening. Pruning, trimming and maintenance. Some family trees must let branches go. The winds of change are blowing hard in 2023 in Asian astrology.
Your Japanese Sign
Discover your Japanese sign here.
All the Asian signs are based on a 12-year Jupiter cycle and also Babylon’s original lunar calendar, but differ in subtle ways.
Curious About Tibetan Astrology?
Discover your birth Buddha here with H.E. Tsem Rinpoche ordained by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
The Thai people adapted the 12 Chinese signs, using the same 12-year cycle but replacing the dragon with a water serpent. Many of the original Babylonian lunar calendar signs were replaced or adapted along the way, but around one quarter are exactly the same.
Find out more here.
Confirm Your Asian Sign Here
If you don’t know your Asian sign, check the Travel China Guide here.
You will need your time, date and place of birth to accurately obtain your Asian zodiac sign, as the dates change from year to year, based on the lunar cycle.
Your Sign in Year of the Rabbit
Rat
New friends in 2023-2024 have noticeably different accents – and may even be bilingual.) Their experience of life, or their network overseas, could be the beginning of something big for you, taking you into undiscovered territory – spiritually, intellectually or globally. Rat, their background will be so dramatically different to your own, that you’ll feel as if you’re on a major learning curve about life, every time you get together this year.
Ox
If you are wedged into a position with your bank or accountant, which makes you feel trapped, you could break free in 2023. Your financial or business world is structured a certain way now. If you want to stage a revolution, that’s understandable – but make sure you are not going to affect anyone else, more than you must, in the process. A thoughtless revolution will cost you in 2023. Nevertheless if you genuinely feel the time has come for change, you may well decide to push a financial, business or property issue further, Ox.
Tiger
Sometimes, Tiger, you have to confide in somebody. You will share a big secret in 2023-2024. This is particularly true if that rather confidential matter keeps making you feel stuck or marooned. Some issues cannot be shared, and some subjects are only fit for your diary. Yet there are some secrets you must trust others with now.
The outcomes related to this confidential matter depend on how carefully you think about the results. Tiger, this can lead to an endless number of conversations with yourself, but it’s productive.
Rabbit
Rabbit, this cycle in your sign can produce relationships that appeal to your need to escape. To live in a holiday from reality. This means an unfathomable phase in an old partnership, or a new association, with others do not understand, Rabbit. Now, the marriages, affairs, sexual partnerships and common-law marriages which turn up mean nobody should judge too much, least of all you. In an all-too real world, your mysterious love life in 2023 is another universe.
Dragon
This is a crucial career year, Dragon. If you are retired, unemployed, housebound or just have full-time home responsibilities, all of the above applies to your own daily routine, and usual domestic life. This is a brilliant chance to create a new way of experiencing and appreciating your working life. Your health, medical condition, stamina, life force and well-being are also in focus now. Dragon, some kind of change in your own body, or in your own lifestyle is part of the story.
Snake
The old family situation no longer works for you in 2023-2024, Snake. Alternatively, the family change may be forced on you, by circumstances beyond your control. It’s actually not possible to hang onto the old set-up at this time, because you will either feel tremendous pressure to change, or you will reach a point where you try to push your own agenda. Alternatively, it may be you who is confronted, as what appeared to be a fixed state of affairs in your life is affected by other people. Snake, you will see that the change you have chosen (or the change forced upon you) has opened up all kinds of new possibilities, later on.
Horse
Over and over again, you’ll meet the same relationship scenario in 2023-2024. This can make you a seasoned expert on the way you and your partner, former partner or future partner operate together. Just because you’ve seen it all before (or you keep seeing it, every single day) does not mean you have to give up. Horse, further progress and experimentation, are possible – if you are willing to try. If you are single, you also need to bear this in mind. So, you wonder why either of you need to go through all this again – yet there’s a point to it.
Goat
2023-2024 is about a duet or duel in your life, Goat. Can you change the other person? No. Can you change the set-up? No, again. This will change your attitude towards this two-way street, in a way that improves your entire life.
Begin with the idea that you cannot alter the other side, or your other half – but you can alter your state of mind. This, Goat, is what makes you feel genuinely okay – even happy! This kind of creative thinking and hard work will not only help you to manage a ‘repeat, repeat, repeat’ situation with that person, but actually reshape you within.
Monkey
During Year of the Rabbit, your friends will coax you into the same situation on a regular basis, leading to karma and closure too. Monkey, this situation is certainly karmic in nature, as the Asian sign cycle of 12 years always describes time-warps which are meant to teach us an important truth.
Groups of all kinds will also be the focus for this kind of time-warp effect now. Your involvement with a band, club, team, association, charity, cause or Twitter means saying and doing the same things, all the time. So…change within and gain.
Rooster
Here’s something amazing about this Year of the Rabbit cycle; entire groups of people can be thrown back together, 12 years later, to sort things out – financially, in business, with property or charity. Once again, the issue will be debts or credits from other Rabbit cycles – favours, promises, debts, forgiveness, or even cash returns! There are no accidents in Asian astrology, or in life. If fate seems to be pulling you inexorably towards this closure – take it seriously. It adds up.
Dog
Dog, your own decision to choose how you’re going to feel about your finances in 2023-2024 is the key. You may literally be facing the same people, saying the same things – or doing the same things – so it’s a very good time to examine your values. The Rabbit cycle in 2023-2024 is about cash, possessions, business and property – but it’s also about your value system. So, what you will happily sell out for, and what you will point-blank refuse to compromise on. It’s about your own personal stock exchange, and what makes you feel richer.
Pig
2023-2024 is about independence for you. The freedom to make progress when you want to, in a direction that suits you, will matter enormously now. Pig, you may even find that you are part of a larger trend, where people en masse decide to leave their old set-ups behind and go to the next level. Out of this could come lasting change.
Surf with the waves and stay ahead. New ideas, new inventions and advances in technology are very likely to change the picture for you at this time and help with the independence you need.
Read More About Your Asian Sign
Your Asian zodiac sign shows a different side of you, based on the cycles of the Western planet Jupiter, from the old Silk Road stargazers.
Lunar New Year is the correct term (not Chinese New Year) as the lunar calendar in astrology is far older – it comes from ancient Babylon.
Professor Li Shinhui, former director of Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences’ linguistic research institute, published a paper in the Kashgar University Academic Journal confirming that the Chinese calendar is actually Babylonian in origin.
So it’s really Babylonian New Year – but Lunar New Year suits everybody.
Send a Lunar New Year Present and Card
If you are a Premium Member, you can send a complimentary Lunar New Year eCard with your friend’s Asian sign, and a gift membership from as little as $7, which includes your friend’s personal astrology chart.
All images courtesy of Canva.com
34 Responses
Hi Jessica
Totally off topic question. In respect to the forecast that King Charles may not be crowned according to yourself and historic other astrologers since his birth in which I also note that he was proclaimed king upon the death of his mother, which was in a Void-of-course moon. Then I am interested to know what Prince William’s astrology tells you, and specifically around the coronation date.
I guess I am just trying to look into the future in these most unusual times. Strange and mournful times in fact.
Kind thanks
Actually, it is on topic, as 2023 is the year of family tree upheaval. The most famous family in the world is experiencing it. I don’t use the void-of-course moon, but I know Debbi Kempton-Smith swore by it. I’ve filed predictions on this website, and to the media, about Harry and Charles, but in brief, the issue is not the moon; it is the Pluto Return of the Church of England. Archbishop Welby will be at the centre of a storm from March 2023 involving the coronation.
Happy New Year, Jessica. I was born in a year of a Rabbit, and now it is returning to me again. Your horoscope prediction is on point. I will tie the knot on the 10th of November, 2023. However, your horoscope indicates affairs and escape from reality. Is there anything in my chart that shows secret affairs, and is the chosen date for marriage 10 Nov 2023 (10.30 am Sydney time) a long-lasting marriage with a Virgo partner born on 3 Sep 1978?
Happy Lunar New Year. Thank you. You have a Libra stellium in your Seventh House so are picking up the Libra weather (affairs, marriage) of 2023-2024. The really big one is the South Node entering Libra in July 2023. Think back 18-19 years to detect the karma. You owe, or are owed, from that time. It may have been a previous partner. Have a look at your Libra stellium in Modern Astrology 2050 which is free to you. The journey with your Virgo partner is about balancing the scales. You don’t say if you are straight or a lesbian. That is quite important, as Libra is about equal marriage (gay, lesbian) but sexism, men and women (straight). It’s about justice and fairness, expressed through the law, but also your personal laws. I can’t comment on the Virgo in your wedding as there is no time or place, here. It is likely he/she also has Libra factors which would line up with your own. Congratulations on the forthcoming nuptials.
Waving back to beautiful Scotland. I am sorry you had a rotten 2022. You are a Sun Taurus with stelliums in Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Pisces and Aquarius. As you are so heavily Taurean I am not surprised 2022 was hard work. You had transits in Scorpio (opposite) and Aquarius (square). The financial, property, charity or business weight-lifting stops in July. The nodes leave Taurus and Scorpio. Even sooner than that, you have a terrific light at the end of the tunnel in May, when Jupiter with all his solutions, opportunities, growth and rewards moves into Taurus. You could save or make a lot of money from that point, and it would be effortless. A rotating, circular, stuck situation involving a brother, sister and/or cousin also ends in March. March is big on your calendar. This is also when you find the barriers to friendship and the obstacles with groups, vanish. As you go towards the end of March you will realise that power is with the people, and they are your people. This may be Twitter, a university reunion, a good cause or a punk covers band. The fact is, they need you, and you feed them. Long-term this will change your life if you apply yourself to it.
Well, I guess we are about to through some mind-blowing changes into the future.
Do you see the end of the royals and if not, what story does astrology tell you about William this year? Could it be that we see him as king?
For myself I am old school and would prefer Charles to finally and firmly get his inheritance. He has waited a long while and it will not be that very long for William to wait after all.
Kind thanks again Jessica
Thank you. There is no suggestion the monarchy ends, but the Commonwealth and the United Kingdom will transform from March 2023 until the year 2044 and with it royal leadership. William’s best window to become king is now until May 2023, then again from 2026 for many years into the future. The issue for Charles will be the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Church of England. There will be a constitutional crisis from March 2023.
Hi Jessica, this is fascinating, thank you for teaching us. Today is my Bacchus Return (27 degrees Scorpio), according to the Current Planetary Positions on your website. Does it bear any major significance? Thank you.
Happy Bacchus Return. Bacchus is a symbol of how you give and receive pleasure for its own sake. Bacchanalia in Rome was about self-indulgence, feasting and sexual abandon – he is always shown with grapes and wine. In Scorpio, Bacchus is quite at home as this is the house of sexual and financial relationships. Scorpio and the Eighth House are also associated with business, property, retail and the material world. So you can be drunk on profits with this placement, or high on currency highs. By now Bacchus will be making himself known to you. Along with grapes, leopardskin is his calling card.
Hello Jessica-
This is slightly off topic, but I thought it might interest you. There is a graphic novel biography of Pamela Colman- Smith. “The Queen of Wands: The Story of Pamela Colman Smith, the Artist Behind the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck” by Catherine Willett. My coworkers is reading it and says it’s great.
Thank you! I bought the book in December and it’s brilliant.
Thank you for your response Jessica
Hello Jessica, hope you’re having a good weekend!
Thank you for the post – quick question: how does one reconcile oneself (you’re probably guessing Leo stellium here, hahaha) with Western astrology using the natural house system and Asian horoscopes with everyone in a respective year falling into the same sign for the latter – I’ve just discovered that two of my kids share the same sign as I do, also super interesting – is there more to discover here and does it in anyway compliment Sun sign astrology? I’m only just starting to get the hang of your teachings, so don’t want to confuse myself.
Thanks a lot!
Marls
The lunar calendar and Asian zodiac are based on the moon and Jupiter. A lot of people ignore Asian astrology because they dislike being grouped into just one year sign, with billions of others. Asian astrology works if you use Jupiter, though. I’ve just put down a podcast about that, which should appear on my YouTube channel in time for Lunar New Year, with any luck. So, you are a Sun Virgo and have Jupiter going into Taurus in May. In Asian astrology, that equates to Year of the Rabbit. Taurus rules travellers, journeys, missions, explorers and quests. Jupiter is about expansion, important outcomes, high hopes and potential rewards. Put all that together and you have your big message for 2023.
Hi Jessica, I’m reading a lot of your older blog post lately and came across the one about opositions in the natal chart. I just realized that I have Mercury at 7 Taurus opposing Uranus at 8 Scorpio in my natal chart. Very soon the NN and SN will conjunct this opposion. It’s unclear to me how this could play out or what to look out for. Any suggestions? Thank you.
Good question. I keep meaning to write an astrology book explaining the aspects, but there is never enough time. Until then, it’s handy to be able to explain such things, in the Comments section. You have an opposition from Mercury at 7 Taurus to Uranus at 8 Scorpio in your natal chart. You have spotted that the North Node will soon go to 7,8 Taurus and South Node to 7,8 Scorpio and wonder what’s in store. An opposition within you is like an opposition in politics or sport. You have internal conflict, or are at odds with yourself. Mercury is speech and writing, paperwork and the internet, the media and your ‘voice’ across all mediums. In Taurus, it’s about your own money, house, apartment, charity, business and/or possessions. A very common example is the person who works in a bank, or is very vocal on Twitter about taxation. Mercury in Taurus in the Second House, suggests that everything you own, earn or owe is articulated or written about. Uranus in Scorpio in the Eighth House of joint finance, shared income, family property, sexual and financial relationship – is very commonly about the family inheritance, but also marriage and mortgage. Uranus is a symbol of regular upheaval and radical change, leading to independence. Everyone else has this too, around your age, in large numbers, so your generation is financially unstable, prone to break-ups and divorces which end a lease or mortgage, caught up with child custody and so on. The urge for freedom within yourself, relatives or partners is usually strong and any binding financial agreement which blocks freedom will chafe when you have transits to Uranus. This then triggers Mercury. You end up at odds with yourself, maybe because one half of you does not want to lose money on an apartment you rented (say) but another half of you does not want to be trapped with a partner you do not love any more. The nodal transit over the opposition can only happen every 18-19 years. What happens, on this transit, will trigger those issues I have spoken about, but bring a thematic repetition of the last cycle. If you go back through my book (free to you) Modern Astrology 2050, and the Lunar Node tables, you will see that date. There is your answer. You owe, or are owed, and this spiritual ‘contract’ will play out when the Taurus-Scorpio opposition is triggered. You may also want to see what happens when Jupiter goes to 7, 8 Taurus after he changes signs in May. That will benefit you.
Hi Jessica, I am so very new to this but I have seen proof that your predictions are for real. I have downloaded my chart and I have read through your lessons but I still struggle to predict myself, what this year is all about. I think I have some dates to be concerned about as my husband is an Aries (sun). Please could you give me a little guidance.
Thank you. Yes, I like to make predictions about news headlines and give dates, so I can prove astrology works to people who are not familiar with it. Thank you for becoming a Premium Member. You are a Sun Scorpio with stelliums in Scorpio, Libra, Sagittarius, Virgo. The years 2023 and 2024 will reshape the financial and sexual relationship with your Aries husband, so give this more time than you normally might. You two will find that life as it was 18 or 19 years before, either with each other or other partners from that time, plays a part. Remembering what you are owed from that time, or what you owe (spiritually) will really help you as you figure out a new approach to your duet. The duet is about balancing the scales between you, so that life is fair and square. You are strongly Libra so your ‘scales’ with him matter a lot to you. There is karma around the bank account, house, apartment, valuables, your legacy to him, his legacy to you – which ends in July 2023. Until then you may find life is rather stuck or circular when it comes to all that you earn, own or owe in connection with your husband. There is a reason for that. The repetition helps you contemplate and come up with a new point of view. As I said, from July it’s over (on a purely financial level) but from that point forward, your focus goes to the mechanics of the marriage itself and by 2024 both of you will have made some long overdue decisions. The Tarot can help you, on this website.
happy Chinese Lunar New Year Jessica.Looking forward to your posts and predictions this year
Thank you. Happy Lunar New Year. We’ve just released a forecast on my YouTube channel here.
Happy Lunar New Year. The You Tube forecast was very well done – loved it!
Ah, thanks so much. I will pass that on to Asporea, who produced it. Happy Lunar New Year.
Hi Jessica!
Just wondering when the Asian Yearly Scopes will be up for 2023!
Thanks
GV
They have been published GV and are also on YouTube. Thank you.
Jessica — My horoscope for January 23, Monday, states we (or is it only me!) are in Mercury Retrograde. A check of the Swiss Ephemeris says that ended back on the 19th. Comment please.
If you read the Ephemeris with Mercury Shadow (pre and post) you will see how Mercury Retrograde actually works. Have a look on Search too; I am always asked about this so over the years have filed a few explanations. A really good way to check is to look at Mercury matters (the internet, travel, transport, the mail) and spot the chaos. We still have chaos. It ends, 7th February.
Dear Jessica Adams,
Thank you for all of your insight on the Lunar New Year of the Rabbit – it is much appreciated indeed.
I was just hoping to ask you a question in regards to my natal chart if possible. I am currently needing to make a decision in association with returning home from hospital. I’m not sure I am to be ready to be discharged or if I choose to do so will it be likely that I may require a remission? I have read this weeks weekly horoscope to notice Venus is due to enter Pisces to which I have quite a stellium present. May I ask as to how this may be interpreted at all? I have been feeling a mix of emotions recently and undecided as to where to channel my energy in recent weeks.
Thank you for your consideration of this message and I look forward to hearing from you with any information of support or guidance you may wish to offer.
Take care,
Kindest regards,
Bea x
Happy Lunar New Year Bea. I know you are always dealing with this question of home versus hospital. We are back to your Leo stellium in the Fifth House again. This rules the bedroom, courtship, fertility, pregnancy, infants, children, teenagers and young adults – the next generation. Have a look at that, because it is very important to own your choices and preferences. I have seen Leo stellium readers over the years who do not want children (no, not at all) but realise their parents want grandchildren, their boyfriend wants children and so on. They have also ended up in situations which make motherhood unlikely or impossible – and not situations they wanted, like debilitating illness. I have no idea if this applies to you, but I am honour-bound to mention it. When it comes to your chart, the Leo stellium dominates. The other big stelliums are Gemini and Pisces. Gemini is dormant at the moment but from 2024, and especially 2026, you will be studying and/or writing in a way that changes your life, sets you free and involves the cutting edge of new technology online and in the media, publishing or education. The Pisces stellium is very present now, and in fact, Saturn in Pisces from March 2023 until early 2026, suggests you will be structuring your world, from the inside, so finding a new way to operate with your subconscious, soul or spirit. Your psyche. This side of yourself is heavily submerged, but it runs your life, as you ‘live’ in your Twelfth House of seclusion, psychic ability, spirituality (sometimes religion is involved), therapy and counselling. You can find out more about this in the Pisces stellium section of Modern Astrology 2050, which is free to you. This is hinted at with Venus in Pisces, as there will be a new person (even a new spiritual presence) once this happens, ahead of the really big change, which is Saturn entering Pisces in early March. As your subconscious steers your life so much, I suggest you look at that Leo stellium too and figure out if you are navigating your ship, without realising you are the captain. Does your journey reflect anything down below, about courtship, the bedroom, or motherhood which is hidden from view?
It is funny to see how hard certain people try to remove the Chinese element from a festival that originated from China. What a world!
The origins of the Lunar New Year festival in China is not recorded, according to the Lam Museum of Anthropology. Some people think it originated in the Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BC). The oldest recorded Lunar New Year Festival is far older – 2000 BC – and is Akitu, created by the Mesopotamians, who also used a lunar calendar.
I am afraid that the Lam Museum Anthropology is regrettably misinformed. Some people believe it originated in the Shang Dynasty probably because the Chinese character for the word ‘year’ was found in the oracle from the Shang Dynasty, but that obviously does not mean that the Chinese started to celebrate the Lunar New Year from the Shang Dynasty. The Lunar New Year celebration actually came from the worship rituals practiced in the BC2000s, more than 4000 years ago. Of course the details evolved over time.
It is true that the Mesopotamians used lunar calendar and celebrated the Lunar New Year as well. But that is a different one. They also used a 12-animal system, which includes crocodile, donkey, lion, eagle, etc and is obviously different from the Chinese 12-animal system, which is the one you used for prediction for the Year of Rabbit.
On February 16th 2022, China released a zodiac calendar that came from ancient Babylon via India, 4000 years ago. Professor Li Shinhui, former director of Xinjiang Academy of Social Science’s linguistic research institute, said the lunar calendar originated in ancient Babylon. Its astronomical knowledge spread to India, which adapted the system, before it finally ended up in China “around the 3rd century BC” according to Professor Shinhui. The original paper is in Kashgar University’s Academic Journal.
I was intrigued and searched online to see that zodiac calendar allegedly released by China on Feb 16th 2022. No where to be found. I would imagine that if China had indeed released such a calendar that came from ancient Babylon via India, it would have been big news, domestically, possibly internationally as well. Again, no where to be found in the media.
I did not find the original paper in Kashgar University’s Academic Journal, and I didn’t even find anything about this prof Li Shinhui. But I did notice that you mentioned that he was the former director of a linguistic research institute. I have absolutely nothing against the linguists. But I wouldn’t rely on a linguist’s opinion to draw any conclusion on such a complicated multi-disciplinary issue.
According to various ancient books found in archaeological evacuation, in ancient China there were six calendars: Huangdi Calendar (BC 2698 as the First Year because that was the year when Huangdi won over another tribe and became the Emperor), Xia Calendar (Xia Dynasty, BC2070 to BC1600), Yin Calendar (Shang Dynasty), Zhou Calendar, Lu Calendar, and Zhuan Xu Calendar. Their basic ideas are the same. The difference lies in when to start counting. It needs to be pointed out that calendars did not stand alone. Rather, they were entangled with other elements of the ancient Chinese culture, such as the ritual protocols, the folklore poems, the traditional Chinese medical theory (the core doctrine of which is that humans are supposed to work with the laws of the natural forces, which entails synchronization with the calendar), the Yin and Yang theory, the Five Elements theory, and even the Chinese fortune telling. In other words, there was a whole set of inter-related concepts and notions which were reflected in all the above-mentioned dimensions of the ancient Chinese culture, including the calendar.
And the huge difference between the Chinese 12 animal system and that of the Mesopotamia…
I have absolutely no doubt that lunar calendar was developed and used in the Mesopotamia. But I think I need much more evidence to be convinced that the Chinese lunar calendar was not developed locally in parallel, based on the observation of the natural forces and the farming and hunting experiences etc, but was imported from the Mesopotamia, not to say via India. It is true that the Indian culture had great impact on the Chinese culture, but that happened much later, via the introduction of Buddhism.
Thank you. The Babylonian lunar cycle system which precedes China’s lunar cycle system contains common astrology symbols in both; Sheep, Rooster, Bull (Ox), Goat. Not such a huge difference. Linguists help astrologers decode the origins of the zodiac, and in fact the Babylonians also gave us the core of the Western signs today. If you are still having trouble finding these academic sources, perhaps try the work of Dr. Nicholas Campion, who is an expert on the long history of astrology, from Mesopotamia and Babylon, through to today.