The Year of the Snake

Shedding Without Losing Yourself

This year, we’ve been living alongside a quiet, sacred metaphor.

Two snakes share our home. Month after month, we watch them begin the slow, deliberate process of shedding their skin. They do not rush. They do not mourn the pieces they leave behind. They do not abandon who they are.

They simply release what no longer serves them — the layers dulled by time, the skin stretched by growth, the remnants of a life already lived. And beneath it, there is no stranger. There is only the same being, refined.

Why the Snake Matters This Year

In the Chinese zodiac, 2025 is the Year of the Wood Snake — a rare alignment of patience, wisdom, and renewal. The snake has always carried the energy of transformation, yet the Wood element softens this change into something deeply intentional. This is not destruction for the sake of starting over; this is growth born from stillness, reflection, and precise release.

It is the art of keeping what is true while letting go of what no longer fits.

The Lesson in the Shed

Too often, we see change as becoming someone new. The snake teaches us otherwise. True transformation isn’t about replacing yourself — it’s about uncovering yourself. It’s about trusting the process enough to strip away what is dead, knowing what remains will be stronger, clearer, and closer to the truth.

This year, The Shedding has lived up to its name. We have shed beliefs that kept us small, relationships that dimmed our light, and fears that disguised themselves as safety. We have faced our own truths with the same patience the snake shows — not clawing at change, but allowing it to happen in its time.

A Reflection for You

When was the last time you allowed yourself to outgrow something without guilt?
What would happen if you stopped trying to become new, and instead became more you?

Like the snake, you do not lose yourself in the shedding.
You reveal yourself.