Feng Shui and Chinese Astrology: May 2025
May 5 takes us into the month of the Metal Snake as the Sun passes 15° Taurus. We’re now in the fourth month of the Wood Snake year and the first month of summer in the Northern hemisphere according to the Chinese solar calendar, with Yang or light ascending and stoking the Fire within. The Snake as a Yin Fire sign leads us into a season ruled by Fire, associated with light and the heart. Fasten your seat belt - the year’s most surprising and exciting month has arrived!
2025 has been a fast-paced year with the Snake as a travel star taking us on a ride, and this month will be even more fast-paced – get ready! Since we’re in the year of the Snake, this is a month we can have 4 Snakes in the chart, which can only happen every 12 years in a Snake year. This month, the Snake joins the day, the month, and the year pillars on May 12 (which is also the Full Moon in Scorpio and Vesak Day), May 24, and depending on where you are, the early part of June 5th, to form a triple Snake day. On these days, we will also have 4 Snakes in the hour of the Snake, which is 9 – 11am your local time (when the Sun, associated with Fire element, is almost at peak.) These are super charged days that may present us with some surprises or big changes in the global stage. *Note that Chinese astrology is based on the solar calendar and solar time, which is where the Sun is where you are.
May by nature is always a fast-moving month. As one of the four travel stars in Chinese Astrology, the Snake triggers movement and change. Lots of us will be embarking on summer travels or going somewhere. Put the dates mentioned above in your calendar as you may want to pay special attention to your environment, your movements, and how fast you’re going.
Days with opposing sign the Pig in the day pillar are also highly sensitive days to watch for this month, especially if you were born in the year or day of the Snake or the Pig. These “destruction” days fall on May 6, May 18, and May 30. These are days to keep a higher level of awareness of your surroundings. Many of us will be busy and rushing from one place to another. Take note what transpires in the world at large. Mindfulness is key as we may not have a moment to chill when these active stars appear. Move with intention and purpose.
Yin Metal in the heavenly frequency of the month, like a mirror, encourages self-reflection and a higher level of self-awareness. Associated with Venus, Metal, especially the Yin, is also the element of beauty, wealth, and luxury. We may be seeking to upgrade our lifestyle and prioritize our creature comforts, especially in the first half of the month when the Sun is in Taurus, a sign ruled by Venus. Since Fire is the element that transforms Metal into shape in the Chinese Five Element theory, the presence of the Metal Snake in the month amplifies the transformative power of the Wood Snake year. Changes made this month can impact us in an instant on a wide scale and will be difficult to undo.
If you’re traveling, you’re already aligning with the force of the the Snake - enjoy the adventure, but give yourself plenty of down time as well. Our emotions and energy may be high and low like Yin Fire in the Snake. Yin Fire is the small light in the dark, but it’s also unpredictable, its light easily extinguished, yet it can also be quickly re-ignited. As the most surprising and secretive animal sign in the Chinese zodiac, the Snake contains hidden Yang Metal, Yang Earth, and Yang Fire, which highlights quiet preparation, cultivation of skills, and activities behind the scenes. This can be a highly exciting or overwhelming month. Understanding the nature of the Snake can help us anticipate potential surprises that the month has in store. Be prepared for the unexpected, but hold your cards close to the heart, and like the Snake, make your moves only when you’re ready.
Most importantly, relax and stay in your center so you can better align with the frequency of light contained in Fire element. Fire awakens the light within and is the key to raising our frequency. This month’s extraordinary light forces can help us ascend to a much higher level of consciousness and spiritual awareness. Tune in to the heart to allow the Snake’s transformative fire to ignite more light within and around you.
What’s ahead for the signs and day masters
This is a highly charged, powerful month to manifest or collaborate with your most important allies if the Snake is your secret friend (those born in the year of the Monkey) or ally (those born in the year of the Ox or the Bird/Rooster).
Travel stars compel us to move and with the Snakes dominating the chart, we will be on the move whether we’d like it or not, especially if you were born in the year or day of the Rabbit, the Sheep/Goat, and opposing sign the Pig as the Snake is your travel star. Since the four travel stars of Chinese astrology have a clashing relationship with each other, those with a Pig, Snake, Monkey, or Tiger in their chart should err on the side of caution especially when driving or traveling this month.
The Snake brings Divine Support to those born on a Water day or year (which are years ending with a 2 or 3 such as 1962, 1963, 1972, 1973, 1982, 1993, and so on.) A year or a month when your Divine Support appears is an ideal time to invest in personal or professional coaching or mentorship as the help and guidance you receive will contribute greatly to your growth.
Those who are Water day masters (those born on a Water day) can benefit greatly from the Snake activating both their wealth star and Divine Support – this year, and especially this month, is a great time to seek financial help, increase earnings, and manifest more wealth. Be mindful of burnouts as the Snake will give you your busiest month of the year. Those who are Earth day masters may find themselves on an intense learning path with the Snake activating their Resource star - a great time to invest in trainings and workshops! Those who are Wood day masters will have the most productive month of the year - a good month to teach, write, or speak in public with the Snake activating their intelligence star. It’s a highly social time for those born on Fire days as the Snake represents your friends and family and your networks, while those born on Metal days may be given more opportunities to work closely or negotiate with the powers that be - a good time to work on career growth or increasing you influence. These are just a few of the ways you can plan smarter and be strategic with your actions and timing using Chinese metaphysics.
*If you’re interested in learning how to apply Chinese metaphysics as a strategic tool to level up your world, I will be offering a course this August. Details coming soon! Knowing your chart will empower you to rise to your full potentials. The art of Chinese Metaphysics works with the forces of Heaven, Earth, and the Self. Heaven provides divine guidance through intuition, divine timing, and awareness of the natal potentials contained in your birth chart. Earth brings us abundance and opportunities (which can be further activated by Feng Shui). Our free will and the actions we take, which come from the Self, also influence and differentiate our internal and external worlds. A full integration of the three aspects of Chinese Metaphysics empowers us to take the most strategic actions in the right place at the right time.
*You can calculate your natal BaZi birth chart using this chart calculator to discover the element of your birthday (which is also called your self-element or day master - this is the most important element in your chart and much more significant than the element and sign of your year of birth.)
Hexagram of the Month: hexagram 14, Great Reward
The I-Ching hexagram for the Metal Snake pillar can give us additional insights into the month and that is Hexagram 14, ䷍ Great Reward. This is a very auspicious hexagram of wealth and abundance featuring the Fire trigram over the Heaven trigram. Fire as the element that transforms Metal, the element of the Heaven trigram, represents the role the heart holds in your transformation process. Follow your joys and let the heart be your guide to receive more abundance from Heaven.
Guidance from the Chinese Five Elements Oracle for the Metal Snake month
I pulled a card from The Chinese Five Elements Oracle for collective guidance to help us navigate through this highly special month. The Metal Monkey card appears to help us prepare for the big changes and surprises that the Metal Snake may bring. Of note, since the Metal Monkey is the Wood Snake’s other half, the Yang to the Wood Snake’s Yin, the message below also offers timely guidance for the year.
From the Oracle: The Metal Monkey, a double Yang Metal pillar, emphasizes the sharp quality of Metal. The Monkey, a Yang Metal sign and a Travel Star, is agile and swift with his actions. Imagine a warrior quickly cutting through every obstacle that stands in their way.
This card appears as a reminder to let go of control over an aspect of life that’s calling for more trust and freedom to move. Instead of being so laser focused, expand your perspective. As Fire, associated with the heart, is the element that can transform and shape Metal into usefulness, consider your actions from the heart.
Take a breath and loosen your grip. The path ahead is clear. Release your worries and tension—you don’t need to micromanage or overanalyze anything. You’ve forged your path, and now it’s time to hand it over to the Divine to do the rest. Everything will fall into place in its own timing.
*You can order your copy of the oracle at Amazon or click here for more options. To the many of you who ordered the deck, thank you! And thank you for leaving a kind review on the retailer's site - I’m so happy to reach more than 100 fantastic reviews on Amazon!
Feng Shui for the Metal Snake month
In the Flying Star chart for the month of the Metal Snake, the numbers in green are the annual stars for the current year (good until February 3, 2026), while the numbers in blue refer to the monthly stars (good from May 5 to June 4, 2025).
The number in the center and its corresponding trigram can give us further insights into the general moods and themes of that period, whether it’s an annual number or a monthly number. This month, flying star 8 in the center corresponds to ☶ Gen, the Mountain trigram. Associated with Yang Earth element, the Mountain trigram is a symbol of stability and stillness. With two broken Yin lines at the bottom representing Earth and one solid Yang line at the top representing Heaven, the trigram illustrates the importance of being firmly grounded in earthly matters. When we’re rooted and in our center, we can steadily climb higher and observe truths from a bird’s eye view without judgment. We’re also more likely to remain calm even in the most stressful situations. The trigram also reminds us that there is a time for action, and a time for rest. Only in stillness can we gather and cultivate energy.
Let’s start with the most afflicted sectors this month, which are the Northeast and the Southwest, because the Northeast, in particular, has been an area of concern this year visited by annual star 5 of misfortune, an Earth element star, whose influences are even more strengthened in this Earth element sector. The presence of monthly star 2, another Earth element star, exacerbates the heaviness of Earth element in the sector. Try to avoid this sector if possible, or use it mindfully and only as needed to avoid activating the negative energy, which can bring digestive issues, heaviness in the body, mind, and spirit, and depression, among other misfortunes. Monthly star 5 in the Southwest should also be handled with care. *Star 2 has been a star of illness in the past 20-year periods, but since we entered Period 9 in 2024, its influence as an illness star is very slowly weakening as it’s transitioning into an upcoming prosperity star.
This month’s most productive sectors are the West and East, with star 1 of wisdom and future prosperity in the West and star 6 of power in the East. Activate the positive energies by spending your time and doing your daily activities in these sectors of your residence or office. The Northwest benefits from monthly star 9 of joy and prosperity, however do keep in mind there’s also the annual star 3 in the sector, which can bring conflicts and arguments. Monthly star 8 in the center forms an auspicious 1/6/8 combination with the East and West sectors, which gets activated when you pass through from the East to the West and vice versa. With annual star 2 in the center, however, use the center mindfully to avoid activating it and keep it clean and quiet, especially if you or your family haven’t been feeling well.
The North makes a good space for entertaining and creative activities with monthly star 4 of romance and creativity “flying” to the sector, while the Southeast still offers one of the best sectors of the year, but remember to reinforce any doors or windows located in these sectors with annual and monthly stars 7 of robbery and fire dangers residing in the sectors.
*Keep in mind that the effects of the visiting stars are also influenced by their interactions with the natal stars.