An illustration of a snake on top of a starry sky.

Astrology with Alice: Year of the Wood Snake strikes like lightning

How will Lunar New Year affect your luck? Alice explains it all

Knowing your animal sign is all you need to figure out if 2025 will be a good one.

Photo illustration by Ryan Quan

Words by Alice Smith

Astrology with Alice: Welcome to Astrology with Alice, a monthly astrology column aimed at helping readers understand the vibes of the month ahead in plain English. As a Taiwanese immigrant who grew up in Los Angeles, I specialize in combining western astrology with eastern philosophy. I’ve taught modern astrology through the lens of Buddhism and Taoism, and I also draw from the principles of traditional Chinese medicine. Knowing the movements of the planets can help us make decisions around our careers, relationships, family. As the planets move around in the sky, they shift the energetic vibes we experience on Earth, and I believe in flowing with energy instead of fighting it—to work smarter, not harder. So join me on our monthly planetary lowdowns and learn how you, too, can ride the cosmic waves!


Happy Lunar New Year, and welcome to the Year of the Wood Snake! The beginning of the lunar year starts with the first new moon of the calendar year, which happens to be today. As we’ve discussed before, every year is assigned to a different element and a different animal sign in Chinese astrology, and it takes 60 years to cycle through all the combinations of animals and elements. (And that’s why the 60th birthday is a big deal—it marks the first return of your animal sign and element combination!)

And since the animal sign changes every year, our luck changes every year because we are affected by the energy of the signs. To assess the fortune of each sign, we’ll take a look at two factors: 

  1. The relationship to the Grand Duke
  2. The presence of benefactor stars. 

(And if you don’t know what animal sign you are, click here and look it up.)

The Grand Duke

The Grand Duke star is Tai Sui in Chinese, and it is the energy that governs the sign of the year. Whatever sign assigned to the year is where the Grand Duke star resides for that year, so since it’s the year of the snake, the Grand Duke is in the sign of the snake. 

The Grand Duke is major boss energy. If you think of the Grand Duke as a strict and exacting boss, you don’t want to be constantly under their microscope or in their direct line of fire. (I’m totally thinking of Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly and how she tortured her assistants in The Devil Wears Prada.)

So which signs are affected? The snake is under the microscope, while the pig is in the direct line of fire, and what we call “clashing” with the Grand Duke.

Meanwhile, some signs will enjoy harmonious support from the Grand Duke. They’re not ignored by the Grand Duke, but they’re also not under its constant scrutiny. (If I keep running with my The Devil Wears Prada analogy, this would be like Stanley Tucci’s character, Nigel, who safely manages to avoid Miranda’s wrath because he doesn’t offend her and occasionally even gets approval from her.)

The signs that have a good relationship with the Grand Duke this year are the rooster and the ox. And between the two, the rooster comes out stronger because it also enjoys the support of mightier benefactor stars than the ox, which is what we’ll talk about next.

(Important note before we proceed: Even though Chinese astrology refers to “stars,” they’re not actually referring to any literal planets or stars—they’re more about symbolic, metaphorical energy. So the stars aren’t stars. I know, it’s confusing.)

Benefactor stars

In Chinese astrology, there are benefactor stars and punishment stars, and they basically do what their names imply. They are fortune and misfortune energies that cycle through the zodiac each year. Benefactor stars help and punishment stars hinder, and a sign’s annual luck is also affected by its benefactor-to-punishment ratio. The more powerful benefactors you have, the luckier year you’ll have, even if the Grand Duke isn’t helping you. The fewer benefactors and the more punishments you have, the more difficult the year might be, even if the Grand Duke isn’t harassing you.

The signs enjoying the protection of powerful benefactor stars are the rat and the horse. The benefactor stars in those signs are pretty stellar, so that’s why the rat and horse are going to be the two luckiest signs this year. 

Meanwhile, even though the goat and the tiger aren’t clashing with the Grand Duke to the magnitude of the rat and the pig, the presence of punishment stars in their signs might make things difficult for them. Every year, there is one unfortunate sign that has zero benefactor stars, and this year, it’s the goat. This means that goats will feel more anxious and fearful because they sense that they can’t lean on fortune. Meanwhile, the tiger sort of clashes with the Grand Duke, while also carrying the burden of some punishment stars to boot.

In summary, the luckiest signs of 2025 will be:

  • Rat
  • Horse
  • Rooster
  • Ox

And the signs that might experience a more challenging year are:

  • Goat
  • Snake
  • Pig
  • Tiger

Meanwhile, the energies affecting the remaining four signs (rabbit, dog, dragon, and monkey) are more mixed, neutral, and middle-of-the-road—nothing particularly outstanding in either extreme.

Western astrology’s perspective

That being said, western astrology can provide extra insight on our fortunes.

(Another important note before we proceed: We’re now switching tracks into western astrology, where stars and planets are back to being actual stars and physical planets.)

Lucky Jupiter will leave Gemini and enter into Cancer this June, so Geminis who were born mid June will enjoy a cosmic boost in fortune the first half of the year, while the Cancers who were born from late June to early July will enjoy Jupiter’s support during the second half of the year. Cancer’s fellow water signs (Scorpio and Pisces) will also benefit from Jupiter this year—especially the ones who were also born during the first half of their sign.

So if your Chinese sign is encountering challenging energy this year and you happen to be a western water sign, Jupiter will lend a helping hand. So, for example, if you’re a goat or pig who happens to also be a Cancer, Scorpio, or Pisces, this year might not be a smooth ride, but you at least know that you’ll catch a lucky break once Jupiter enters Cancer and can offer support to the water signs.

And even if you don’t have the assistance of Jupiter, remember that your fate is in your hands. There’s the old adage that fortune favors the brave, but I think what it should say is that fortune favors the proactive. Just because the goat isn’t being backed by benefactor stars, doesn’t mean that goats can’t try and work hard. Think of lucky planets and benefactor stars as sports sponsors. A wealthy sponsor certainly can help a player, but sponsors alone don’t guarantee wins. History is littered with examples of underdogs who stole surprise victories out from under the noses of well-equipped opponents.

So if you’re a goat, snake, pig, or tiger, you’re not barred from a chance at the championship this year. You’re just the underdog.

(But that being said, if you’re a Cancer rat or horse, buy some lottery tickets this year. And if you win big, don’t forget your favorite neighborhood astrologer.)

Published on January 29, 2025

Words by Alice Smith

Alice Smith has loved astrology ever since she read her first horoscope as a kid. She’s a certified, professional astrologer who reads birth charts for clients all over the world and has spoken at events throughout the Pacific Northwest. Alice learned to write horoscopes from her mentor Rebecca Gordon who was herself mentored by the grande dame of horoscope writing, Susan Miller. Alice has a degree in sociology from the University of Washington and is (too) obsessed with her “Furgo” (furry Virgo) cat, whose birth chart she often interprets on social media.

Art by Ryan Quan

Ryan Quan is the Social Media Editor for JoySauce. This queer, half-Chinese, half-Filipino writer and graphic designer loves everything related to music, creative nonfiction, and art. Based in Brooklyn, he spends most of his time dancing to hyperpop and accidentally falling asleep on the subway. Follow him on Instagram at @ryanquans.