Tips For Every Chinese Zodiac Animal As We Head Into The Year Of The Ox

This article was a collaboration between Anjie Cho and Katie Hess.

It's time to celebrate the Lunar New Year and welcome the year of the Ox in Chinese astrology. The type of relationship that your zodiac animal has with the Ox can give some clues as to what the year ahead might have in store for you.

Whether this is a challenging year for your animal, an auspicious one, or somewhere in between, there are always ways to make the most of your situation. Feng shui and flower essences are two powerful energetic tools that people have been using for thousands of years to shift and enhance the energy in their homes and lives.

To celebrate the transition into the new year and support us in 2021, we rounded up an astrological forecast, a feng shui tip, and the best flower essence for each Chinese zodiac animal.

The Ox is your bff, so this is an auspicious year for you! As a Rat, you like to be busy and your focus can be pulled in many directions, so remember to stay steady, keep things simple, and embrace the calmer energy of this year

Add a square rug or square artwork to the center of your home to represent the earth element, which will help you stay grounded and centered.

Lupine will help keep you feel confident, stabilized, and stress-free and keep you from getting pulled off your center.

This could be a challenging year for you, but remember that challenges often open up new possibilities for growth. Make time for self-care, take breaks, and don't work too hard. You can also carry a Rat figurine, or spend time with friends born in the Year of the Rat, for extra support.

Add something red near your entry door for protection and luck as energies enter your home.

Fern helps you sink into a deeper level of self-trust, knowing that you have the ability to intuitively know your path forward, even when you encounter challenges.

This will be a neutral year for you. It might feel slower than you're used to, so take advantage of the calmer energy.

Make sure your front door and entryway are clean and clear of obstacles so that opportunities can find you easily.

Tap into your natural boldness with black bat flower, which will help you to communicate clearly and ask for what you want.

After a challenging last year, this year will feel more supportive. Remember to laugh, have fun, and prioritize simplicity over complexity. 

Keep a vase of fresh flowers in your home to encourage joy and positive chi. Make sure to keep the water fresh and replace them once they've wilted.

Daisies can nudge you to enjoy life, laugh more, and brighten up your days. If you find yourself complicating matters or getting stuck in overanalysis, this flower can remind you to keep it simple.

This year won't be quite as lucky as the last, but it's still poised to be a good one. The Ox's hardworking energy will help you to feel ready to get things done and stay on task.

Clean out a closet or cupboard that you've been ignoring to invite in fresh, positive chi.

Pride of Madeira brings you firmly back into your embodied self, helping you to embrace all sides of yourself, including the ones you typically keep under wraps.

The Ox respects your wisdom, so tapping into it will serve you well this year. Use your keen intuition, and notice when you sense compatibility and collaboration and lean into those relationships in order to maneuver with more ease.

Decorate with the color black to invite in the water element, which represents wisdom and intuition.

The Night-Blooming Cereus flower grows in the desert and blooms only one night each year, giving you tremendous energy to shed old skins of limitation or fear and blast yourself into a greater version of yourself.

Last year was challenging for you, so you might have started some projects that never got finished. Now is a good time to align yourself with the hardworking energy of the Ox and finish what you started.

Is there an item in your home that needs to be repaired, but you keep putting it off? Now's the time to fix it!

Tap into the fiery drive and passion of the Red Bird of Paradise flower to dissolve overwhelm or stuckness and finish what you start.

Because you clash with the Ox, this may be a more challenging year for you. When you feel tested, tap into your inner strength and determination, and remember that you can ask for help. Hang out with friends born in the Year of the Rat, or carry around a Rat figurine.

Invite in the uplifting energy of oranges. Keep nine fresh oranges in your living room in a bowl that you love, or use a room mist with orange essential oil.

If you start to feel like you're on overdrive, pushed to the edge to go too fast or too far than is comfortable, tap into the energy of Bird of Paradise to soothe tension in your body. 

This is a good year to see what you can learn from the Ox's hardworking energy. Stay on task, stay focused, and resist the temptation to look for shortcuts.

Keep your desk free of clutter so that you can concentrate on what's important.

Pomegranate flower will help you tap into your natural curiosity and vitality, and be unaffected by other people's energy and stress so you can stay focused.

This is a supportive year for you because the Rooster and Ox appreciate each other's focus and determination. You may be able to accomplish a lot, but don't get caught up in working too hard, and make sure you take time for yourself.

Add a potted plant to your living room to encourage growth, healing, and vitality.

Giant Spider Lily will help remind you to think outside the box and find ways to grow and expand without needing to grind or hustle.

This is a good year to focus on channeling your inner peacemaker. Gentle insistence and open presence, rather than fighting with a big bark, will help you bring your goals to fruition.

Add a throw pillow, piece of artwork, or another accessory in a calming, healing color like green or blue to your home.

Embrace your own divine nature, and allow your inner diplomat to lead with the help of the Night-Blooming Water Lily.

You are more fun-loving than the steady, determined Ox, so you might find yourself needing some extra support this year. Find ways to stabilize and ground yourself. Carrying a Rat figurine or spending time with friends born in the Rat year will also be helpful.

Use a pink salt lamp to connect with the grounding earth element and invite softness.

Tap into the Hong Kong Orchid flower to help you invite gentleness and warmth into relationships and attract opportunities.