Lunar New Year Is Bringing A Vibe Shift — Here's How It'll Affect Every Star Sign

surreal composition featuring a red poppy a golden snake golden bangles a crescent moon and a butterfly
Lunar New Year Is Bringing a Jarring Vibe Shift Getty + Design Leah Romero

Shed your old skin, and regenerate. That’s the new directive this January 29, also known as Lunar New Year. The seductive and transformational Wood Snake takes the wheel, infusing our lives with its serpentine sultriness until February 16, 2026.

Lunar New Year corresponds with the annual new moon in Aquarius. This makes a lot more sense than resetting the calendar on January 1. New moons are days for planting seeds and setting intentions. Aquarius is the sign of hopes and wishes. We’re naturally thinking 'what’s next?' during an Aquarius new moon.

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So, what is next? If 2024’s flamboyant Dragon fomented a revolution, 2025’s calmer Snake calls for a softer evolution. Dragon is ruled by combative Mars, and Snake is governed by harmonious Venus, bringing a palpable shift. In the Western zodiac, Dragon connects to rambunctious, action-star Aries. Snake’s equivalent? Sensible, sensual, and sophisticated Taurus. This is definitely a new vibe.

The downshift could feel jarring, as if someone pulled the emergency brake on a speeding train. Action could temporarily come to a screeching halt, but this pause is a blessed opportunity to review your game plan. Serpents are much more strategic than Dragons. Instead of breathing fire, they observe their prey, then strike. Embrace the power of delayed gratification, and roll up your sleeves. It will bring a sweeter victory during the year of the Snake.

While Snake Years are industrious, your work ethic could be outmatched by your seductive powers. Billie Eilish, a 2001-born Snake has fearlessly evolved toward darker and more erotic themes in recent years. Interestingly, both Taylor Swift (1989) and Ye (1977) were born in Snake Years, and their venomous interactions have been catalogued through award shows, lyrics, and recorded phone calls. Bad blood rivalries could get vicious this year, so think before you start puffing up like a mad cobra.

You might need to start a special fund for the decadent temptations that are dangled during a Snake year. Quiet luxury that’s expensive as it looks is on trend during this value-focused year. If you’re building a wardrobe, think 'investment pieces'. Save up for timeless classics—pieces that you actually won’t need to shed like an old skin.

Careful though. The charmers will be out in full force, peddling their snake oil. Beauty can be blinding during Snake years, too, so don’t get swept along by superficial attractions.

While the Snake undulates in every direction, in 2025, there’s only one way to go: Up! Years ending in 4 and 5 are ruled by the Wood element in Chinese astrology, which are periods of growth and resilience. Like trees arching for the sun, Wood years encourage us to strengthen our roots and rise higher.

Perhaps we should listen to Viola Davis, a Wood Snake born in 1965, who wrote of her transformational journey in her memoir, Finding Me, 'My biggest discovery was that you can literally re-create your life. You can redefine it. You don’t have to live in the past.'


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