How the Year of the Wood Snake Influenced My Awareness

Let say goodbye to the year of the Wood Snake, and I'll share with you how the Wood Snake influenced my awareness.

The Wood Snake in 2025 was about introspection, wisdom, and transformation; a time for slow, strategic growth and shedding of the old skin. 2026 is the year of the Fire Horse which shifts dramatically to dynamic action, passion, independence, and fast momentum, demanding bold moves, social engagement, and outward expression. Transitioning from quiet change to accelerated progress. The key contrast Snake's subtle internal focus versus Horse's fiery outward and fast paced energy. The Horse also symbolizes power, freedom, independence, and journey, acting as a spiritual guide. 

Does any of this align with you? Do your life experiences seem congruent with this or any of the Chinese zodiac?

How can I sum up this last year, 2025, the year of the wood snake?

Well, it really started in 2023 when my career started to turn upside down. This was the year of the Rabbit: peace, prosperity, and hope, bringing characteristics like calmness, kindness, and ingenuity, with a focus on healing and quiet contemplation after challenging times. Let me explain. I thought I got a pretty great job as a Director of Care in a LTC facility up in the Kootenay's. My husband and I found a place out in Winfield after I had been working for about a month. Although it was a bit of a distance to travel for work, the house was cabin-like and out in the woods. I wanted to be in a scenic place surrounded by nature with a lot of calm.

As I worked the job, something continued to smell and feel off. The energy was heavy, dark and devious. But I kept thinking it was only my imagination. "Maybe I was simply off." I wanted this job so bad. It was a great leadership position for me, and I dove into it full force loving every bit of it, initially. Yet, the staff was off. Authenticity and truthfulness wasn't there. I had experience after experience that made me question SO many things. I just couldn't put my finger on it, but then I found out that there were six previous DOC's in less than two years. That was an alert right there. No one told me this upon hiring. There was also something seriously wrong with the health care licencing it received. If they were so safe, why did they keep delaying the replacement of the ceiling lifts or manual lift that continued to break down. It was a hazard to both the HCA's and the patients. Then I started to dig. I started pulling out the policies that were created and started to look at the specifics. Although dates were changed to the current year, the policies were old and never revised. The more I dug into this and shared them with management, the more they questioned my ability. It was very clear that the moment I shared these things with management, the less they liked me. Not soon after, I was relieved. This was such a blow. It was absolutely unexpected. I was dumbfounded and discombobulated. 

I can't forget to say this, though, there was reptilian blood there. If you don't know what I am talking about, then this post may not be for you. Again, my imagination says that "maybe I'm just seeing things", but it wasn't the case. It was also part of that town.

As I mentioned, being relieved from my position was confusing, and it really messed with my headspace, no matter what went on. Why, because prior to this position I worked for a College as a Vocational Instructor in 2022. I was given a lead position and a lot of freedom to recreate educational PowerPoints, add to them as I saw fit . . . etc., but I realized that the work I did was way over the 35 hours per week. The college called this 35 hour week, "work-life-balance." Yet, the majority of us theory instructors and clinical instructors were working longer hours without pay. Even in the team meetings this was addressed, but the Lead to the HCAP program and the Assistant to the Dean said nothing and did nothing. It was as though they didn't hear us. But most of the instructors were apologetic in regard to working free overtime. They'd say "it's okay" and "I don't mind." However, when discussions were private, they actually did mind but didn't honestly share their views for fears of being fired (or rather pushed out of the system). As well, previous instructors were simply giving A marks for the students to pass the course. I gather this looks better for the college. You can see this on the learning management system called Moodle. I didn't simply give them an A grade. I actually marked it by the grading criterion or rubric and it caused a lot of problem for me via students and the Lead. Anyway, as is who I am, I was vocal about this problem, besides others, but the management didn't like it at all. They also expected that I move without a contract and that was a downright "no."

But there was something else that happened in 2022, that started to shift my perspective about who we really are and what our purpose is here on planet Earth. You can read about it here.

So by late September of 2023, after the Director of Care position, I started to reconsider my entire nursing career. I was an advocate, have always been, supporting the underdog, but also supporting morality and ethics - what was right. If something was not right, if someone was not treated well, if I could sense inauthenticity, cover ups and lies . . . I would address it. But the healthcare system did not like this. In any event, I took 5 months off and by February 2024 I felt I should give my career another year. Most likely because I needed to justify the amount of money I spent financially in the nursing program completing a Bachelor and Master's degree, besides relocating myself to another town for four years. I didn't want to give up.

So in 2024, I got hired as a charge nurse at a LTC facility. The Director of Care and ADOC were both amazing, and initially it was really good, but something shifted with head management - the one's 'above' the DOC and ADOC. There was more pressure to reduce costs (besides other things). More requests to work longer hours and shifts, but they would always be without breaks. As a nurse without a lunch replacement, you can't abandon your patients. It's a licensing thing - it's called abandoning your patients. So here, once again, I was working 12 hours shifts (actually longer because nurses have to be there earlier to take shift report) without any breaks including lunches. I was stocking shelves, calling physicians, pharmacies, hospitals, and families . . . and the list goes on. By second week, I was training new nurses. When these trainee nurses saw the workload, they literally ran. A nurse from Alberta, a nurse from Grand Forks. They said "no way . . . this is crazy what we are expected to do." I stuck with it for a while. I liked the leadership position, but being in adrenaline or fight and flight all day was wearing on me. And without the support of the Executive Director and getting officially paid for the overtime work, I finally left, once again in September but in September 2024.

At this point, I told my husband that I wasn't going to apply for another RN position. I raised my hands in surrender and lowered my head in defeat. I searched for the word to describe my feelings at the time. Defeat is what I was feeling.

By January 2025, the year of the Wood Snake, I started to do a lot of reflecting about what I really wanted out of life. It was brutally important because I just turned sixty in December, and I couldn't keep up this type of lifestyle anymore. I didn't want the rat race. I didn't want the hurry and rushed days. My energy was so weak. I was deeply fatigued. I knew I couldn't do a fast-paced lifestyle without getting into a dis-eased state. 

When I look at my past life, I was always on high-drive, filled with adrenaline. Living through developmental trauma, multiple rapes, multiple car accidents, domestic violence, raising boys on my own, drinking alcohol weekly . . .  I was constantly living in survival mode; that genuinely hurts or damages the nervous system. I've done a great amount of healing on this and I have moved forward well from it. However, I knew I was starting to pay for the damage to my nervous system with exhaustion, body pain, tension headaches, TMJ pain, inflammation, and a weakened immune system. Signs and symptoms were showing up more and more, but for many years, I ignored my body and bulldozed through at my expense.

I really had to think hard. I had to think deeply about how I wanted the next stage of my life to look? Should I continue with the adrenaline up and down lifestyle or seek something new like more solitude. Something that had a sense of calm and peace. The current social lifestyle doesn't sell us that type of a lifestyle of calm and peace. It sells us a lifestyle of speed, hurry, and more . . . more adrenaline and chaos. 

So what is it going to be? 

I dropped my guard. I just allowed. Whatever came, came. I started sketching in 2025. It brought me into a place of deep reflection, peace, and serenity. I began to meditate regularly. I thought about the menopausal symptoms and weight gain I struggle with and worked with them (somewhat), but I didn't really begin anything seriously quite yet. I wasn't yet fully committed. (This started in January of 2026 and you can read about it here. Will link later.) I started baking. I grew a garden realizing that it wasn't something that I liked much. I love to grow herbs, peas, cucumbers, sweet peppers, and onions. Although a garden has great benefits and it sounded good at the time, it is time consuming and laborious, and in all honesty, if I can find a local organic farmer, I'd rather buy from them. I would, however, love to grow a flower garden.

During this year, I also deeply reflected on my shadow, and many beliefs about self-care, income, relationships, current values, and, of course, my career as an RN. I was and still am ready to release whatever was/is going to be revealed. And so this healing continues on as usual. It's never about perfection, it's about continued practice.

Anyway, the influences of the Wood Snake, introspection, wisdom, and transformation; a time for slow, strategic growth and shedding of the old skin, was my energy. I embodied it fully. I allowed myself to lean into it completely knowing that it is now more important than ever to embody greater amounts of light as we move forward as a collective.

How about you? Have you reflected on the year of the Wood Snake and how it influenced your awareness?

2026 is the year of the Fire Horse which shifts dramatically to dynamic action, passion, independence, and fast momentum, demanding bold moves, social engagement, and outward expression. This transition could be difficult for some, but I'd just say, go with the flow like the water flowing gracefully in a river. You don't need to hurry. You don't need to rush. You don't need to compromise your nervous system. Allow whatever you create to morph with ease and perhaps some discipline if that's what you need. Remember though, the Horse acts as a spiritual guide. You have a team of light around you, but I love the shamanic aspect of speaking with the spirit of animals. Speak to the spirit of a horse, whether you are next to a live one or imagining the energy of one in your mind. You could be surprised at what is revealed. 

Much love and until next time!