Trends for the Year

Personal Trends - Everything we have been dreaming of and desiring can me made manifest during Dragon Years; but we we must be willing to take the required action. Action is the operative word. As important as introspection and mindfulness have been during the Year of the Rabbit, our actions and deeds are in the forefront during this Year of the dragon. We have spent some time contemplating our lives and now it's time to press forward and bring our desires into fruition.

During the course of the year, you may feel that things are a bit out of control. You may feel that too much is expected of you. In some ways this may prove to be true. However, along with the increased demands many possibilities for greater happiness and satisfaction will present themselves. This is life happening around you in all its grandeur. Stay the course and keep an open heart. Miraculous things are possible during magical Dragon times and you may discover that you can do much more than you ever imagined; and you can be much bigger and more powerful than you ever imagined.

It is important to be attuned to the important relationships in your life. Your family and friends can be your greatest allies and supporters as long as you are willing to reciprocate. Be as mindful of their needs as you need them to be to yours.

Take the time to celebrate joyful events and the many successes that are possible. Especially as they pertain to people you are closest with; whether they be personal relationships or business related. This is also a good time to show gratitude to caregivers, healers and teachers who have serve you; such as physicians, chiropractors, massage therapists, trainers, yoga instructors, meditation guides, etc. Heroes need to be honored during Dragon times and these are the quiet heroes in our lives doing their work sometimes selflessly, and always consistently, and devotedly.

Remain alert and connected. Give in to the spirit of exploration and this could be one of the best years of our times.

Politics - The United States Presidential elections are in the forefront this year with the economic situation still remaining the area of greatest concern. There will be a lot of ambiguity as the two leading parties attempt to define themselves. In truth neither party truly represents the best interest of the voters. It will be up to certain inspired individuals who stand on a high moral ground to bring about necessary changes. Dragon years are a time when the few can have a greater influence on the many.

As we have seen during the Rabbit year even the most powerful despots can be brought to their knees. Those remaining leaders who have not learned a more enlightened way of ruling, and are not willing to change may be facing a similar fate as those that fell during the Rabbit year. The Dragon supports strong leadership but the ruler must be willing to exhibit compassion and understanding for the needs of the people they rule. To rule is not enough. Real leadership is required and the successful ruler, in the time of the Dragon, must also be a champion to the people.

This will also be true in American domestic politics. True leadership ability will become the criterion for political success. Politicians will be held more accountable to their campaign promises and to their responsibilities to constituents. Old school politics will be challenged from many directions. The issue of accepting financial support in exchange for promoting the donors agenda will be frowned upon in a bigger way than in previous years. Secret arrangements will be exposed. As old strategies prove themselves ineffective, true leaders will need to emerge. More honesty and transparency will be demanded at all levels of government. Politicians with the ability to perform and deliver necessary change will be revered and rewarded on many levels.

Finance and Business- Another year has passed and there has been much movement up and down without defined improvement in domestic as well as global economies. Although most financial news has been dominated by the collapse of economics in certain European regions the challenges are being rightfully viewed as a global dilemma. As difficult as things may seem many solutions exist and will begin to emerge into view in this coming Dragon year.

In earlier times commerce was community driven. One tribe traded their goods and resources for those of neighboring tribes with different goods and resources. All tribe members benefited from profits realized from such trading. As commerce became more sophisticated things changed. Commerce and business became ego driven. That is, individuals learned to control various aspects of transactions and were able to realize profits which made them rich and increased their personal power.

At first this was beneficial. It provided incentive to broaden commerce and trade. Increased commerce and trade led to cross cultural exchange and to the growth of ancient civilizations. Unfortunately the excesses that became possible actually contributed to the demise of some of the greatest civilizations in history. As certain individuals became more successful in commerce they became so powerful that they were able to control their markets with unfair advantage. These unrestrained increases in power and wealth led to even more corruption in the way business was being done. Eventually markets fell into the control of these few and powerful individuals or conglomerates. In time markets that were once free markets subject mostly to the pressures of supply and demand began to decay. Disputes over control of these markets often resulted in wars. But the worst of it is that large majorities of the populace became too impoverished to participate in their own economies. In simple terms the unfair advantages of the merchant classes destroyed their own customer base.

We find ourselves facing a similar dilemma today. On one hand the need for free markets are clearly accepted. On the other the unrestrained behavior of leaders in the corporate and financial realms, has shown itself to be unsustainable and detrimental to the health of both domestic and global economies. The pursuit of greater and greater profits has decayed our economy to a level that has drastically reduced the ability of the majority to continue buying things, which trickles down to an even weaker economy. Yet this type of behavior persists.To continue to follow this course will not only fail to restore our economies to any former level of success, but is likely to lead to even worse conditions.

This Dragon year presents opportunities to turn things around. We cannot continue doing the same thing and expect a different result.If we are to experience success in this Dragon year we must be willing to take a hard long look at the morality behind our economics. Continuing selfish and excessive behavior is no longer viable and those who are persisting will face the natural consequences of market response as well as possible legal penalties. Our economies, which are now controlled by the most powerful corporate and financial interests need to become less ego driven and more community driven.

There are changes that need to occur. Again leadership is essential. Since it is unlikely that powerful people would be willing to surrender any portion of their position and standing, new leaders will need to emerge. One broader transformation that can occur is a shift from corporate development of business to development by individual venture capitalists; who are willing to step forward and support projects that will not only present the possibility for profits but will also serve the greater good. This is a more sustainable model that is a hybrid of both ego driven and community driven economics. During this Dragon year we can expect many more alternative and sustainable economic models to emerge. Gifted and creative thinkers in economics who have a more enlightened view of what is possible will need to assume a greater leadership role. Times when business as usual no longer works are times when change is most possible.

The beauty of a free market economy is that any idea, no matter how radical, will catch on quickly if it is proven to work. New ideas and ways to do them are essential for economic success. We will see many new and good ideas emerge during this Dragon year. And though some would prefer an economic recovery, what is actually needed is economic evolution to better and more sustainable ways for moving forward.

 

Arts and Entertainment- This will be the year of the quintessential action and adventure films, as well as films depicting strength and courage. Many will be based on actual events and will reveal more truthful views of situations we are familiar with.

In music Jazz is in the forefront. This powerful, complex and genuine genre is perfectly suited for Dragon year enjoyment and celebration. We are bound to see many artists who are well known for performing other types of music such as country, blues and classical; make offerings of recordings and performances in the Jazz genre.

In visual arts we can expect a resurgence to traditional methods of producing art work such as painting and sculpture and a movement away from technology driven art.

In spite of advances in book technology, we can also expect a return to people reading real books instead of ebooks or audio books. There is real value in reading from an actual paper book since the brain processes information in a more growth inducing manner when it is read from a paper book instead of a screen.

Global Trends - Can be tricky this year. There are still many areas that need to resolve conflicts especially in Africa and the Middle East.There is much that can be done to bring peace to conflicted areas. And once again we have to keep a close watch on the leadership. In time it will become apparent which are a part of the solution and which remain as part of the problem. As it was last year, this is a time when leadership that stands in the way of freedom can be easily overthrown. What differs is the dragon's swift and unforgiving justice. Dragon is un mistakenly on the side of justice.

Unlike last year the focus, this year, will be more on Korea and Iran.

The best way to face any global situation is with love in your heart. Best not to view any individual or group as intrinsically evil. Most bad doers and wrong doers, are motivated by their own pain and their inability to love themselves or others.

Even if you are a warrior engaged in violent actions, best to carry out your mission without hatred or malice. This can only degrade you and can result in your ability to love yourself and others being diminished.

It is also very important during this Water Dragon year to be engaged in activities that alleviate the suffering of those less fortunate. This suffering is usually caused by an inability to understand how willing our universe is to grant our heart's desires. When a person has lived their entire life in poverty, hunger and misery, it becomes difficult to imagine that life can be any different. Hope that is delivered through any genuine humanitarian effort, offers a glimmer of a better life that may set the unfortunate ones on a better path for themselves. They can begin to attract more of the life they desire and less of the life they do not want but feel trapped in.

We must all think of ourselves as heroes, able to do more to help than we have ever imagined. If we can do this in the spirit of joy and celebration than every effort is multiplied. We may face circumstances that are beyond our control during this Dragon year; but this we can do! This we must do!

 

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Copyrighted material. All rights reserved. Yasha Jampolsky NYC 2011-2012