Fostering Positive Habits during the Jia Chen/Wood Dragon Solar Year

Posted on January 29, 2024 by Derelle Ball

“Both success and failure are largely the results of habit!”

- Napoleon Hill -

During the solar year of the Jia Chen/Wood Dragon (from 4 Feb 2024 until 3 Feb 2025) anyone with Chen/Dragon present in their personal 4 Pillars Birth Chart will experience the energy of self-penalty.  This is where the presence of 2 or more Dragons increases the probability of the individual impulsively choosing to say or do something that may be detrimental to their health and/or wellbeing, most likely in the form of a new habit.  Of course, you also have the option to use the Dragon energy productively by purposely choosing to initiate and commit to beneficial and positive habits throughout the year.

If you’d like to check whether or not you have Chen/Dragon present in your 4 Pillars Birth Chart, please visit this article:

https://centaineconsultants.com.au/blogs/news/what-is-my-4-pillars-birth-chart

Did you know that more than 40% of the actions you take every day are not actual decisions, but subconsciously driven habits? 

A habit is basically a series of choices you consciously make at some point in time and then stop thinking about as you continue to enact them subconsciously in your daily life.

Habits are made up of patterns of behaviour that become routine and relate to all sorts of things such as your relationship with food and exercise, your work ethic, your relationship with money, your personal and professional goals, how you relate to yourself and the people around you.

The basal ganglia is part of the brain that stores habits and helps convert a series of actions into an automatic routine response.  Remember the first driving lessen you ever had?  Over time, your brain takes note of repeated actions needed to get from point A to point B in your car, and many of the actions become habitual and take less conscious thought processes to achieve.  Your brain has effectively mapped an express pathway of neurological activity enabling you to subconsciously follow many of the routine procedures connected to driving.

Habits are the brain’s way of recognising repeated patterns of action and behaviour that become a routine leading to a known result.  Certain cues or triggers let the brain know which pattern of behaviour is most efficient along the pathway to the end result.

This is great if you have developed a positive habit that supports your health and wellbeing, however can create issues if you have developed a negative habit (pattern of behaviour) you now wish to break.  

Examples of negative habits to avoid:

• Continually living beyond your means
• Regular negative self talk
• Holding onto a negative relationship
• Impulsively speaking/reacting before checking your facts
• Adopting an unhealthy food, drug, alcohol or non-exercise related habit

In order to create a new habit, you first need a fixed end result you are aiming to achieve.  It may be in relation to wanting to achieve a certain feeling or to achieve a noticeable change in your body or an educational goal, a financial goal, a relationship or communication goal and so on.  Whatever the goal or end result is, you first need to know exactly what it is.  The next step is to consciously consider the practical steps you need to take in order to achieve your goal.  It also helps to give the goal a time limit – whether it’s wanting to achieve a certain outcome within a week, a month, a year and so on.

During the process of forming a new habit, your brain will respond to repeated patterns of action/behaviour you commit to following in regard to your specific goal and it will look for cues to let it know its on the right track.  A handy trick is to first visualise how you will feel once you have achieved your goal, then commit to the process and stay focused on the end goal and the steps and time frame needed in order to transform your goal into a reality.  It helps to have visual and/or written cues and reminders around you to help maintain focus on the end goal.  This is where vision boards or keeping a diary can come in handy.  It can also help to seek other people and groups who have already achieved what you are aiming for and enhance your experience via the inspiration and motivation gained by hearing and seeing what they have achieved. 

These days, there is a Facebook Group and podcasts out there on just about every topic you could possibly imagine, and it takes very little effort to search for a group of like-minded individuals who can help support, inspire and motivate you towards your goals.

If at this point you are feeling keen to begin a new habit with a specific goal in mind, I recommend you familiarise yourself with the S.M.A.R.T goals system for fine tuning the steps that need to be taken.

In the world of marketing there is a Rule of 7 which says a prospective client needs to ‘hear’ and/or ‘see’ the advertiser’s message at least 7 times before they will consider the product worthwhile purchasing.  Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube have taken this concept to a whole new level by bombarding us regularly with information and images targeting your search history and purchase history profile. 

You can use this concept in regard to forming a positive new habit, by committing to following certain actions and routine patterns of behaviour over the next 2 months that you know are needed in order to achieve your goal. 

So, if you happen to have Chen/Dragon showing somewhere in your chart, embrace the Jia Chen/Wood Dragon solar year as an opportunity to break free from detrimental habits and cultivate positive ones. By understanding the science of habits, setting clear goals, visualizing success, and seeking community support, individuals with Chen/Dragon in their 4 Pillars Birth Chart can navigate this period with self-awareness and resilience, ultimately fostering personal growth and well-being.

Australian Feng Shui Master/Consultant, Derelle Ball can help you enhance the health, wealth and nurturing Feng Shui potential of your home with a detailed user-friendly Feng Shui Report.  For further information click: Off-Site Residential Feng Shui Consultation.  

Posted in 2024 bazi, feng shui & astrology, fostering positive habits, self penalty, year of the Dragon

Debunking Feng Shui Myths: Why the SE Corner Isn’t Necessarily Your 'Wealth' Location →

← Traditional Chinese Lunar New Year Celebrations