2009: Lucky and Looking Ahead

The Chinese calendar rules 2009 the year of the Ox, but this year I'm taking a few pointers from the elephant, too.

Elephants are signs of luck and longevity in India and China cultures. Many elephant statues are made of jade, thought to have its own luck providing powers, and a stone I hold near to my heart. Elephants are known to be "large and powerful, intelligent, useful, and long-lived" thus leading the pack as a symbol of strength, wisdom, happiness, and longevity. Elephants are religious symbols in the Hindu faith; in Sri Lanka, crawling under an elephant's belly is said to protect you from the evil eye and drive away your protects you from the evil eye while driving away fears.



There is a wide-spread belief that a lucky elephant holds its trunk pointed up. I plan to follow the elephant's luck and always walk with my head held high and looking ahead in 2009.