The Unbirthday

No sooner had I published my Birthday Abundance Roadmap did I learn that, according to the Chinese Zodiac, this was in fact my zodiac year, also called the Ben Ming Nian year. In short, it's the year of the unbirthday.

According to China Highlights and the Chinese zodiac, there are 12 animal signs and the year of your birth sign comes once per 12-year-cycle: when you are (about) 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, and so on. Your zodiac year starts from the Chinese New Year and ends on the last day of the Chinese lunar year. The Ben Ming Nian is the lunar year that is in alignment with your personal lunar animal. This year, the year of the rabbit began on January 22, 2023.

This loving, helpful guidance arrived just days before my birthday from an incredibly trusted source and guide in my life. This topic came up because I had wished her “Happy Birthday” and asked her about her upcoming plans to celebrate and she said, “Oh, I’m not planning anything.” 
 
Being the Birthday Queen myself, I was baffled.  How is this possible?  How could you not go all out on your birthday?
 
Then she began to explain to me the importance of Ben Ming Nian. Since she was born in the Year of the Rabbit, it is advised to lay low on this day in an attempt to draw in the best luck for the year.  As this happens only once every 12 years, I believed I was finding out this information in perfect Divine timing, as I typically do,  just days away from my own birthday.
 
But nothing could have prepared me for what was to come.
 
I had tried to do a bit more research to learn what I could and had not, at the time of my birthday, found all the links included here. So, I was waffling a bit on the morning of my birthday about how far to take this whole unbirthday thing, despite fully trusting the purveyor of this wisdom.

But...let's face it... old habits die hard.
 
My hubby and daughter had purchased some delicious treats for breakfast and were stalling on placing a candle in for our traditional very-poorly-harmonized family morning rendition of Happy Birthday.  They said, “You’re not even going to put a candle in?”
 
Struggling with which side of the birthday celebration fence to choose as this was all new information to me, I succumbed to the birthday pressure and went and grabbed a candle, placed it in my pastry, and lit the candle.
 
Then the candle extinguished itself!
 
You cannot make this up!  I wish they were recording me at this time. When the candle went out, my eyes enlarged to the size of saucers and my jaw dropped below our table. Knowing I had been struggling with my celebration, my husband said, “Don’t take that as a sign.” 
 
I replied with a quick, “Of course, I am going to take that as a sign.  No more candles for me today. Unbirthday it is.”
 
And I spent the rest of the day working and enjoying chatting with everyone who called to talk.   
 
I figured this is one day every 12 years and it is worth the powerful intention setting of drawing in fantastic luck.
 
Let me tell you, 12 years ago during the last year of the rabbit, I had one of the most incredible years ever.  My husband had a 6-week sabbatical, we traveled the world, and I signed a book deal for my first book to be published. It was an amazing year and I am ready to draw in just as much great luck for this year too.
 
Celebrating the unbirthday was the perfect start.
 
This year is already beginning quite the same.  In an effort to infuse my microcosm day with the macrocosm energy I’d like to enjoy all year (based on the Birthday Abundance Roadmap), I agreed to a publisher meeting first thing in the morning on my birthday and agreed to move forward! 
 
My first book will be released in early summer and I could not be more thrilled. You will be the first to know as this progresses!  Stay tuned!  
 
I decided that Happy B-day stood for Happy Book Day instead this year. 
 
My family got behind the unbirthday intention and made sure none of my gift bags even said birthday and my best friends texted me saying, “Happy Nothing Day” and expressed, actually, how important it is for us to tell each other how much we love each other on any day, not just our birthdays.
 
I believe I learned this guidance just as I needed to and implemented it as necessary. If you are born in the year of the rabbit, here are a few ways to bring good luck into your year or to keep in mind in the years to come as you come into your zodiac year.

Wearing red clothes gifted to you by others-Essentially they are gifting you their good luck- Wear red underwear and socks if you don't want to don red every day.  I believe I previously drew in such good luck because my toes have literally been painted red for the last two decades of my life and I will continue to do so.  Wear jade accessories- pendants, earrings, and braceletsWear a Talisman of your Zodiac animal on a red string 

Here are two more articles with additional zodiac year guidance: Travel China Guide and Chinese New Year.
 

This day of unbirthday helped me realize that we do not need to define or attribute our joy to anything specific.  We can have moments where we bask in joy without it being assigned to any particular person or experience. 
 
We can simply be the joy.

When we are that joy, we attract in even more joy.

And I also believe we draw in what we focus on. For this amazing year, I will focus on joy and maintaining the highest vibe possible. I will wear red for good luck because I love that color and I will maintain a high energetic vibration to draw in all the best this year has to offer! Looking forward to an amazing year ahead! 
 
Not sure how to get to that place of joy? Join me for this week’s meditation, Basking in Joy, to move to a place of unassigned joy as you simply bask in the emotions drawn in by joy.
 
Much love,
Erin
 
If you'd like to receive your own private PlayBook, please click here for private coaching: https://www.LoveHealThrive.com/coaching
 
If you'd like to enjoy Erin's other offerings, please subscribe here:  
YouTube meditations: https://www.youtube.com/eringaray
Podcast: https://lovehealthrive.podbean.com
Facebook,: https://www.facebook.com/LoveHealThrive/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovehealthrive/

InsightTimer: https://insighttimer.com/eringaray