Dr. Mao Annual Forecast
Year of The Rabbit 2023

Welcome to 2023, the Chinese Year of the Rabbit!

Based on the Ancient Science of the I Ching

By: Dr. Mao Shing Ni 

​

The Chinese calendar is based on the lunar calendar, which means that a new year always begins on the first day of a new moon. The 2023 Rabbit year officially starts on January 22.

​

The Chinese calendar is also called the Xia calendar—named after the Chinese dynasty over four thousand years ago. It is based on the I Ching, an ancient time and space orientation and forecasting system that evolved from observing the consistent, cyclical cosmic pattern that makes yearly, seasonally, and monthly phenomena in nature recurring and predictable and led to the development of forecasting and predictive modeling of cycles in individual human life, societies, and climatic changes.

This system underlies the astrological birth chart of the Four Pillars of Destiny which tracks the year, month, day, and hour of one’s birth presented in five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. The relationships between the five elements predict a person’s lifecycle. This knowledge can help one maximize positive expressions and minimize negative outcomes in one’s life.

Each new year is a new beginning that brings hope for better times and things while letting go of the past that may have been challenging and difficult. Want to know how to improve the outlook in 2023 for your health, personal relationships, and financial conditions? Read on…

​

In this annual forecast, you will find a general prediction of changes in the world in the new year and how they may affect you personally. If you are interested to know specific steps to take in each area of your life, such as health, relationships, and personal finance, I invite you to join me at the annual College of Tao retreat, which is taking place this year from April 18-23, 2023, in Temescal Canyon Conference Center in Los Angeles. For more information and to register, visit collegeoftao.org.

To have a deeper understanding of this year’s cosmic dynamics, I would suggest that you read my book, Live Your Ultimate Life: Ancient Wisdom to Harness Success, Health, and Happiness, to learn how the understanding of the Five Elements can improve all aspects of your life. Discover your Personal Element by taking the quiz here.

​

Before going further, I’d like to revisit last year’s forecast. In my 2022 forecast, I predicted that “…be on the lookout for the Saber tooth tiger lurking in the bushes and potential for political conflicts remains great within the US and geopolitically with Russia and China.” And “On the macro-economic front, the Fed is about to raise interest rates to cool inflationary pressures which will have an adverse impact on the stocks and bond markets, digital currency as well as temper the rise in real estate…”

The geopolitical conflicts bore out in 2022 with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It’s yet another proxy war that the US is engaged in with Russia, with the vast majority of financial and weaponry support coming from the US. Moreover, the US deepened its conflict with China by banning all high-tech chips exported from China, including manufacturing such products in China by US companies.

​

It was also not a pretty year for investors as the Fed’s series of interest rate raises to cool the economy and inflation has had a very negative impact on all fronts as stocks indices such as S&P500 were down nearly 20%, and the tech-heavy NASDAQ lost 34%. Digital currency, such as bitcoin, lost a whopping 64%, while real estate, such as S&P US REIT Index, was down roughly 26%. Even bonds were not spared as indices such as the S&P US Treasury Bond index was down 10%.

The elements of Water and Wood mark the 2023 Year of the Rabbit. You may wonder, wasn’t 2022 also a Water and Wood year? The answer is yes, and the difference is that the Tiger was a strong Wood element and 2022 was a strong Water year, whereas 2023 the Rabbit also corresponds to Wood and the year is also a Water elements year, but yet, both are weaker versions—meaning the Tiger tendency of aggression gives way to a softer diplomatic Rabbit. Therefore, 2023 isn't a repeat of last year but rather a continuation of the declining strengths in both elements, which isn’t all negative.

Water and Wood are two elements in harmony—water nourishes wood, enabling its germination and growth. The year will be characterized by more diplomacy instead of war, more peace, and harmony instead of conflict and fighting, and more focus on the arts, culture, and entertainment. Ceasefire may be in the headlines, but it doesn’t mean wars and conflicts disappear altogether; rather, it may simply go underground, and the tension shall persist, although more subtle.

​

The Year of the Rabbit will usher in an increase in social, emotional, and romantic connections, which is natural as pandemic social-distancing restrictions have all but lifted, and people return to getting together in person. It bodes well for the hospitality, travel, and dating industry.

​

Wood element symbolizes creativity; therefore, 2023 should see bursts of arts, music, and entertainment activities, increased innovation in technology, engineering, banking, and growing creative solutions addressing environmental, mining, and climate changes. However, the absence of the Fire element, which generally drives optimism, economy, and investments, coupled with high-interest rates, may result in a recession.

​

It’s not only helpful but imperative to heed the predictions of the I Ching, the ancient oracle, so you can avoid needless pitfalls and maximize positivity in all five areas of your life: physical, emotional, relationships, finances, and career/work in 2023.

Keep reading to discover more specific steps for the upcoming Year of the Rabbit!