Welcome the Wood Snake: Journaling Prompts for Change, Resilience and Wisdom

Reading Time: 3 min
2025: Year of the Snake Graphic with snake and chrysanthemums
Share
Tweet
Pin1
Share
1 Shares

This coming Wednesday is the start of the Snake Year in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. This year’s “Wood” Snake is about wisdom, strategy, looking within—and transformation. It is also about calmness and grace, something we will need this year as our world shifts and changes.

Around the world, snakes play their evil part in mythologies and stories. But they have positive meanings too.

Jump straight to this Year’s Journal Prompts >>

Some of the positive things I love about snake symbolism are:

  • A snake’s ability to shed its skin represents the opportunity for not just change, but powerful personal growth.
  • The snake represents deep truth seeking.
  • The “ourobouros” (a snake in a circle eating its own tail) is a symbol in Jungian psychology for the integration and assimilation of our shadow and therefore becoming whole/fully authentic.

And as an animal in the Chinese zodiac, the snake has a variety of meanings.

For example the snake is considered wise, charming, clever and intuitive. It is associated with harvest, spirituality and good fortune as well as the more usual cunning, ruthlessness and fear.

And did you know that:

  • Snakes are great for pest control (rats, slugs. cockroaches anyone?) and also themselves are a food source for many birds and animals?
  • Gandhi, Anne Frank, Stephen Hawking, Bob Dylan, Taylor Swift and Picasso are all “Snakes” in the Chinese zodiac?

So, snakes are not all bad! And as we begin this Snake Year, below I’ve created some journaling prompts to help you achieve great things in 2025.

Here are 3 of the Top Snake Year Themes

2025: Year of the Snake Graphic with snake and chrysanthemums

Click to get a full-size version of this graphic to share

  • Embrace Change: In these uncertain times, we must remain adaptable, flexible and open-minded.
    • Set goals, yet expect the unexpected and be willing to dance in the moment.
    • Take time making decisions, and then act swiftly and decisively.
    • Be prepared to find different ways to achieve your goals: use setbacks as learning opportunities.
  • Build Your Resilience.
    • Build a network of people you can rely on.
    • Be calmly confident: this year will require your calm and grace.
    • Take good care of you—and stay grounded.
  • Cultivate Your Inner Wisdom.
    • Cultivate your strengths.
    • Look within for answers.
    • Trust yourself.

There are also some who say a Snake year is a time to be diplomatic. So be sure to listen well, keep an open mind—and think win-win when dealing with others.

Your Journaling Prompts for this Snake Year of Change & Inner Reflection!

Are you ready to embrace the Year of the Snake?snake and chrysanthemums

Theme 1) Embrace Change

  1. What goals are the most important this year? What decisions need to be made?
  2. What old habits and beliefs will I shed this year?
  3. What physical, mental, or emotional clutter can I clear out to create space for greater flexibility and adaptability in my life?
  4. What strengths or resources have helped you navigate change in the past? And how can you cultivate and grow them to support you this year?
  5. What intentions or values will anchor you when the path ahead feels unclear?

Theme 2) Build Your Resilience

  1. How will you take care of your mental and physical health? What new healthy habits could you develop?
  2. Where will you grow? What new skills could you learn that will help you in these uncertain times?
  3. Who do you want on your “team” in life? Who supports and encourages you and how could you spend more (or more quality) time with them?
  4. How will you maintain a healthy mindset and remain calm and confident, no matter what?
  5. How can you cultivate joy and aliveness, so that you feel good about your life?

Theme 3) Cultivate Your Inner Wisdom

  1. What do you deeply know to be true about yourself, even when doubts arise?
  2. How can you create more time for inner reflection and listening?
  3. When faced with a tough decision or situation, how can you listen to your inner voice more clearly?
  4. How will you connect more deeply to yourself? How will you trust yourself more this coming year?
  5. What positive snake qualities will you embrace in 2025? (eg. wisdom, cunning, strategy, looking within, transformation, calmness and grace)

Now Take Action!

  1. What are your goals for 2025?
  2. Where do you want or need support from others?
  3. In what areas of your life do you need to ensure you remain grounded? Where will you need to be flexible and adaptable?
  4. What action/s will you take? (the more specific the better—it’s easier to action something super-specific)
  5. And when will you do them?

Heroes take journeys, confront dragons, and discover the treasure of their true selves. Carol S. Pearson

Wrap-up

Fierce Kindness Logo

I hope you enjoyed this exploration of Snake themes and characteristics.

And this new “Wood” Snake year simply gives us a focus, an opportunity and jumping-off point to look within. So take this opportunity to plan, prepare and take action—and make this year one of meaning and success.

May this Snake Year bring you clarity, focus and the strength and wisdom to overcome the challenges that come your way.

And for a final piece of snake-themed encouragement to embrace change:

“Breaking out is following your bliss pattern, quitting the old place, starting your hero journey, following your bliss. You throw off yesterday as the snake sheds its skin.” Joseph Campbell

Be Brave. Be Kind. Be You!

If you enjoyed this article with journaling prompts, you may also like:

Image of Snake with chrysanthemums by littleWhale via Shutterstock

Share
Tweet
Pin1
Share
1 Shares

2 Comments

  1. Gilli

    Thank you, for your insights on the wood snake. I appreciate your journal prompts as they got me thinking and writing! Something that came up for me in journaling on the wood snake that I’d like to share: How can I honor the cycles of shedding (releasing) and renewal in the new lunar year? I can visualize the shedding skin of a snake when something feels like a loss, or feels challenging, or I feel resistance to changing or showing up in new ways. I can pause and ask myself ‘Is this part of the cycle of shedding and renewal? What do I want the new to look like and how can I surrender that to the Universe’s hands to create a beautiful outcome?’ This gives my mind a playground to focus the energy and remind myself that “I am safe and I am free.” Thank you, again FierceKindness! Happy Lunar New Year to you. May the Wood Snake energy bless you in many ways.

    Reply
    • Emma-Louise Elsey

      Hi Gilli,
      You are most welcome 🙂 And I love your question about honouring the cycles of shedding/releasing. And what do I want the new to look like/how can I surrender. That is really beautiful <3
      Happy Lunar New Year! And may you also be blessed in this Wood Snake Year!
      Love Emma-Louise

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.