Welcome back to another year of world peace, harmony between humans and creating paradise on earth. Just kidding, we’re not quite there yet. So welcome to another episode of the Matrix, more like it. On the 3rd of February we ‘ll start the solar year of the Wood Snake 2025 and that’s when the fun ride beings. For the lunar calendar it will already have started on the 29th of January; pay attention to the period in between that will give us a taste of the change of energy. It is time to look at the combination of the 5 Elements at play and understand what it is likely to bring to the world. I am Laurent Langlais, astrologer specialised in Bazi, Feng Shui consultant and author and here are my astrology predictions for Chinese year of the Wood Snake 2025
The Chi at play in 2025
First let’s see which Chi or universal energy is at play during this Snake year. A year is represented in Chinese metaphysics by a Pillar and a Pillar is made of a Heavenly Stem and an Earthy Branch. Those Pillars are also called Jia Zi and there are 60 different combinations possible; so 60 types of year. This imply that the same energy comes back every 60 year. In 2025 the Pillar is Yi Si or Yin Wood Snake. The pairing is made of a Stem of Yin Wood (Yi) and a Branch that is the Snake sign (Si).
As a reminder Chinese metaphysics see the Universe made of a universal energy or Chi that takes 5 forms or phases: Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal. The Stems are easy to comprehend as they are made of one of the 5 Elements in a Yin or Yang form. This year the Stem Element is Wood and its nature is Yin. Yin Wood represents the Wood Chi as found in grass, shrubs and generally plants that are smaller and more flexible than big trees, which are yang Wood. The flexibility of the Yin Wood is one of its main characteristic. It is adaptable; so much in fact that it is deemed the most adaptive and survivalist among the 10 Stems. The animal of the year 2025 is the Snake. The Snake is a sign associated with intelligence and most of all ingenuity. It is also adaptable, but in a different way than the Yin Wood Stem. Its nature is to moves toward its goal in a determined but sinuous way. The Snake is willing to take sideways but don’t lose its goal to achieve its vision. While the Snake is a Yin Fire sign, its roots or hidden Chi are: Yang Fire, Yang Metal and Yang Earth.
The Chi we therefore have at work are this year: Yin Wood, Yin Fire, Yang Fire, Yang Metal and Yang Earth. Which Element is totally missing this year? Water in all its form. The strength of Elements for the Yin Wood Snake year 2025 is as follow (in decreasing intensity):
- Fire ++
- Earth+
- Metal+-
- Wood+-
- Water –
Fire is the Element winning this year, Water the Element losing. Fire is getting strong as the Snake is the beginning of the summer season. For Chinese astrology, the summer season ruled by the Fire Element is made of the Snake, Horse and Goat together.Furthermore this year brings Yin Wood and Wood is a ressource Element for Fire. The year does not see any Water Element that would control Fire. Finally the period 9 now bring Fire in the background for 20 years, adding even more heat. This year the Fire Element is therefore getting very strong but will reach overwhelming intensity next year, during the Yang Fire Horse year. 2026 is a very special year in this astrological cycle, mark my world…Let’s note however that the Yang Earth contained in the Snake is the output of Fire and as such diminish a bit its intensity; 2025 is hot astrologically, but not as hot as 2026. Note that the Fire Element also sees Metal contained in the Snake sign, its own wealth Element.
The great loser of the year is the Water Element. It is totally missing from the yearly Chi, which of course let the Fire burn unrestrained. There is also Yang Earth in the Snake that can successfully block the Water when it appears. The Wood Stem will also use this Water during the months its shows up. And while the ressource Element of Water is present in form of Yang Metal, the Fire limits its supporting influence. In other words Water is really weak this year and is seldom helped by Metal.
The remaining Elements of Earth, Metal and Wood are in neutral situations. Wood in particular is in a schizophrenic situation. It shows up in the Stem and therefore is stronger than in a year during which it is absent. However it lacks its ressource Element Water to get stronger. It is also used by all the Fire and the Metal in the roots is trying to chop it down (or rather combine it off). So while Wood shows up, it cannot gain much strength. It nevertheless sees its wealth Element in form of Earth. Talking about Earth, it is definitely strengthened by all the Fire and the beginning of the Summer season. It is however used a bit by the Yin Wood Stem but as we’ve just seen this Wood is not in a strong position. It also gives some of its power to Metal, Earth being a buffer inside the Snake between Fire and Metal. Earth is therefore in a neutral position. Finally the Metal is strengthened by the Earth and due to the fact that the Snake is the birth sign of Metal. It is however weakened by the Fire, the Fire-Metal combo being this paradox within the Snake sign. The Snake is the birth of the Metal Element; it is not full yet.
The Yang Metal contained within the Serpent forms a combination with the Yin Wood of the Celestial Stem. This is the only Chi combination of the year and it is one of the keys to understand how this Wood Snake year is going to unfold. Which gives me the perfect transition to the predictions.
The meeting of Metal and Wood. Pic by https://unsplash.com/fr/@abbysavagecreative
The Wood Snake year dynamics
First let’s notice that we are talking of a Yin year. The Yin Chi can bring at times contraction and less vitality than the Yang one. Economically, Yin years are more inclined to induce recession while Yang years are more prone to expansion. That being said, the Snake is an odd animal as it is Yin on the surface but contains Yang Roots, aka hidden Chi within. Therefore a Snake year is not that Yin and has an endless ability to bounce back. Figure of speech for a Snake, let’s say to crawl back. The mix of Yin and Yang Chi and the Wood-Fire burner should keep us away from a recession or lasting financial crash. The year 2026 will be more unstable but we’ll cross this bridge in due time. The lack of Water is however going to affect some specific industries.
Call me cautiously optimistic but I’d say that on a whole this Wood Snake year 2025 should be more peaceful and less dramatic than the series we’ve been through since 2020. It is a bit of a breather in the cycle. What I particularly like is that both Yin Wood and the Snake are adaptable and capable of evolution. It is therefore a better time for compromise and middle ground and also to keep moving forward regardless of circumstances. The Yang Fire contained in the Snake and the beginning of the astrological summer season are also normally reasons to rejoice. Astrologically it is good news to have some Wood showing up during the summer season and Fire, in Bazi astrology, brings hope. The absence of Water could be seen as a sign when there is no rain on the parade, so to speak. Dramatic events which I’m gonna details will still occur; but I am confident that it should be an easier year overall. Now let see events in details
Conflicts and politics during the Wood Snake year
For the Yang Wood Dragon year 2024 I predicted an escalation of conflicts and boy did it manifest. Russia-Ukraine and the Israel-Palestine were big focus of ongoing conflicts during the year 2024. The Dragon year was about headbutts and unmovable blocks. During the Snake year 2025, the equation is luckily quite different. The idea of compromise and finding a way is carried by the Snake sign and even more so by a Yin Wood Snake. There is also this very interesting dynamics between the Yang Metal contained within the Snake sign and the Yin Wood that is the Stem of the year. As I’ve already mentioned it is his is a key to understand the power dynamics on display during that year. You see, while Wood and Metal clashes, Yang Metal and Yin Wood have a special relationship. They form what is known as a Celestial Stem combination that can at times produce Metal. The movement is that the Wood bends and then take some of the quality of Metal and lose some of its own. In mundane words this means that negotiations will likely be imposed in several conflicts by powerful forces, and those negotiations lead to compromises. This should translates in the effective end of some conflicts under the pressure notably of the US. As an astrologer I am confident that we will see this Snake year the end of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, under the pressure and patronage of the US. Trump’s bullish style included. Now for an acute prediction, when could the peace between Russia and Ukraine being signed? What is fascinating is that the career area of both Putin and Zelensky both combine into Metal together. Zelensky Ox in his month of birth forms a combination with the Rooster in the month of birth of Putin. What complete the combination is the Snake sign of this year! This is another strong indication that a deal can be reached in 2025. The Yin Wood favours Zelensky more and the Snake sign Putin more so it’s about compromise on both sides. Based on the Bazi of all 3 players involved including Trump and when I see astrological movements, I am thinking that the Dragon month of April and that Snake month of May are the best candidates for a peace treaty, even if both are full of tension. If this window is missed, September is then the absolute best month for this to work and it might take that much time…
Zelenski Bazi, courtesy of Bazi-calcultor.com
Putin Bazi, courtesy of Bazi-calcultor.com
Trump cockier attitude lately (if that’s even possible lol) is very reflective of the Yang Metal wanting to assimilate Yin Wood Chi that I’ve described. His talks about annexing Canada, the canal of Panama and of Greenland are all perfectly illustrative of this dynamics that start to unfold. They will remain hot topics during the Snake year. Notice how he wants Greenland, that in the name is a connection to the Yin Wood energy (green colour) despite being icy! Furthermore Greenland has incredible mineral ressources in the soil (like Ukraine by the way, cough cough) and could be a good place for some doomsday bunkers. Call me crazy but I think one of those projects might indeed succeed, due to the nature of the year and especially this Metal assimilating Wood dynamics. The Fire of the Snake is disruptive still so it’s not a done deal yet. Trump like others before him however has tasks to do for the puppeteers pulling the strings and this job is the next phase of a greater technocratic plan. One phase of the plan they are to initiate is the move toward a one world government is part of this projet and it starts by the merging of different countries. Of course someone who pretends to put his country first and above all is not the usual suspect to advance a one world government…and that’s the beauty of it, so to speak. Trump was placed (pardon elected lol) to put to sleep truthers and enemies of the deep state whom for some now think they’ve won the battle…It is exactly the time when we must be even more vigilant especially with Musk on board and his transhumanist wet dream. But at least World War 3 is for now not on the menu anymore.
The Greenland annexation project is imho the more likely to work this year. To develop on this Yang Metal-Yin Wood combination, the challenge it brings is overall a tendency for the strongest to impose something to the weaker. It speaks about possible occupation of territories. Of course here the forces at work could go either way in the middle East and it’s muddier than the predictions for Russia-Ukraine. Beyond this, we will also see some countries trying to occupy some other. Expect claims around borders and territories to be rife this year and some borders to be possibly redefined. Immigration and movement of people is a recurring them during this Snake year 2025 and the tendency is this time to limit migration and reform laws in that sense. Movement of independence and revolts will likely emerge in several places and contribute to change things, but the repression will be strong with the Yang Metal at play. I especially expect the youth to revolt as Yin Wood brings this energy, or younger countries to be more agitated. Protests are bound to emerge this year wit the combination of Yin Wood and all the Fire. They will advance things but their success will depend on the month during which they are initiated. With the flying stars of the year, Northwest, North and Northeast are places were conflicts are more likely to emerge. It is a year that will see social unrest and challenging unfair laws. Class actions and righting some wrongs will be in the air during the whole year. Overall the tendance is about two opposite forces negotiating still and while the Snake year should undeniably brings some advancement in diplomacy, we’ve got to pay attention to the undercurrent of iron fist in a velvet glove it also brings.
Greenland is…not that green. Pic by https://unsplash.com/fr/@anniespratt
It is this same influence at the heart of the year that will manifest one of the most insidious and dangerous trends. The program of control and surveillance of citizens will move up a gear. AI surveillance, the inevitable digital identity, control of movements in the name of security etc. Expect developments in all these areas, but often disguised, under the Hegelian principle of creating problems in order to provide ready-made solutions. Like for example the “need” to protect minors on the internet and therefore the end of anonymity by creating an access pass. Because who would now want to deprive themselves of the internet? Or digital identity deployed to combat illegal immigration. If you were in the 3-doses-of-gene-cocktail-to-get-a-donught, you will love what will be deployed to monitor and “protect” us in 2025. Not everything will be implemented overnight, but it is the year where such projects are firmly planted, until culminating in 2029, year of the Rooster. Such is the insidious nature of the Snake and especially the controlling nature of the Yin Wood Snake, which under its shimmering colours will close its embrace on our ribcage. Let’s remain vigilant.
Have a coffee break on me and then come back to read part 2. You don’t want to miss it as I give the meaning of life in the 12th paragraph.