This New Moon marks the New Year of the Chinese calendar, and 2007 is the Year of the Golden Pig. In Chinese astrology, each year is represented by twelve different animals with the pig being the final animal in the cycle. Concurrent to the twelve-year animal cycle is cycle of the five elements, so 2007 is the year of the Fire Pig. The Fire Pig, being associated with red and gold, is associated with wealth, abundance and fertility since red is a lucky color and gold is an indicator of wealth.

[T]he pig is often seen as a symbol of fortune and good luck. This is partly because of the porker’s portly profile—the corpulent beast certainly appears well fed. But it’s more than that. In a society that for centuries was primarily agricultural, it was considered a blessing for families to have many children. In this regard, the pig is quite a fortunate character, as female pigs commonly give birth to ten or more piglets at a time. Naturally, the pig came to symbolize fertility. The association of the pig with procreational productivity, however, is not restricted to Korea, or even the Far East. Many pre-Christian societies in the West, including the ancient Celts, also considered the pig a symbol of fertility.

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Chinese astrology has never meant much to me, but because we create our reality, the expectation of an abundant year, whether a year of the pig or otherwise, can’t be a bad thing.