亥 Pig

亥 (Hae), the Pig, closes the cycle as the twelfth animal. It stands for the tenth month of the old calendar, the first month of winter, and the hours from nine to eleven at night when the day is put to rest. Its direction is north by northwest and its element is Water, the deep, gathering kind before the year turns. The Pig is read as abundance and ease: nothing to prove, plenty to share. In Korea the pig is the animal of plenty; a 돼지꿈 (pig dream) is the dream people buy a lottery ticket after, and a pig's head sits on the table at the ceremony for opening a new business.

Share one thing today that you were saving for later, a meal, a tip, a contact. Pig energy is said to show in generosity that comes back around, so notice what returns.

Pig years are traditionally said to sit well with Rabbit (卯) and Goat (未), the Wood harmony group, and to clash with the Snake (巳) across the circle. Compare the old pairings with the people you actually sit with.

In Korean the Pig year is 돼지띠 (dwaeji-tti), and people say 돼지띠는 복이 많다 (dwaeji-tti-neun bogi manta), "Pig-year people have lots of luck," which is why so many parents hoped for one. 복돼지 (bok-dwaeji), the "luck pig," is the little figurine with coins in its back that you see at Korean shop counters.