YEARLY PREDICTIONS BELOW:
2008, The Year of the Rat
2007, The Year of the Pig
2006, The Year of the Dog
2005, The Year of the Rooster
2004, The Year of the Monkey
2003, The Year of the Goat
2002, The Year of the Horse
2001, The Year of the Snake

2008, THE YEAR OF THE RAT
By Master Raymond Lo

The Chinese calendar, commonly known as the Farmers’ Calendar, or the Hsia Calendar, is a fascinatingly accurate system, which not only records the passage of time, but is also a tool for fortune-telling. The famous traditional fortune-telling system – The Four Pillars of Destiny – is exactly referring to reading a person’s destiny from his birth data as presented in the Hsia calendar format. The unique feature of such calendar is that all information about time – year, month, day and hour are presented in terms of the five basic elements – metal, water, wood, fire and earth, which are believed to be the basic components of everything in the Universe. The relationship between the five elements accurately helps one predict what is to come by way of one’s fortunes and thus, one can by using this knowledge, multiply the good luck or minimize the bad luck in one’s life.

The Year of the Rat, 2008, in the Hsia calendar, is symbolized by two elements – with earth sitting on top of water. According to the cycle of birth and destruction, which governs the inter-relationship between the elements, earth is the conqueror of water. . Therefore, earth sitting on water is a symbol of control. But the water of the Rat year is very strong and the earth floating on top of water has no foundation and cannot control the ocean of water. As such, instead of conquering water, it is more like confrontation between earth and water elements. The Earth on top is Yang earth which symbolizes a mountain, and mountain gives sense of stability and firmness. But such floating earth in the ocean is weak in foundation and the stability appears to be fragile. This elemental relationship will bring a year which apparently is more stable but there are a lot of underlying tensions and confrontations.

The Chinese calendar year goes on 60-year cycle. This means that we have experienced the same year of yang earth on rat in 1948. This was a year when the confrontation between USSR and the west intensified with the Blockade of Berlin started and the formation of the Western Union by the Brussels Treaty to confront the threat of USSR; this is the predecessor to NATO. In May this year, the State of Israel was established and also the confrontation between Israel and Arabian countries began leading to the Arab-Israel war. .

The Chinese character for “Yang Earth” represents a big mountain. . It is associated with the quality of a firm and steady person. People born in a day of “Yang Earth” .is often calm and steady and faithful, practical and “down to earth”. . Some examples of famous earth people born on a “Yang Earth” day are Hillary Clinton, Danzel Washington, David Beckham, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Michael Jackson, Dick Cheney, Eric Clapton and Ben Affleck .

The Rat belongs to the strongest water element and it is the first of the 12 animal signs. So it also represents the beginning of a new 12 years cycle. As such, the Rat year can bring a new beginning of international relationships and social order; this could bring new regimes with new government in some countries. Indeed, there will be many major elections happening between 2007 and 2008 with change of leadership in many countries including U.S.A., United Kingdom, Russia, France, Taiwan…..The rat is also considered as a “Flower of Romance”. So years of the rat will stimulate more romance and sex scandals. The Rat is in clash relationship against the Horse. . This is a clash between water and fire elements and will often bring accidents related to both fire and water, air and the sea. The Rat is the most powerful ocean water and it will bring heavy flooding or even tsunami disaster. The most famous water disasters in history, such as the South Asia tsunami on 26/12/2004 and the sinking of the Titanic on 14/4/1912, both incidents happened on a date with prominent appearance of the Rat. Looking at past history, in 1228 a year of Earth Rat, there is big flood in Holland killing 100,000 people, and in 1588 another year of Earth Rat, the Spanish Armada encountered storm in Ireland and 5000 people died in this heavy storm. In 1888, year of Earth Rat, there is “Great Blizzard” in the east coast of the USA and 400 people died. The clash between fire and water will also bring accidents related to fire and the airline business is in the category of fire element. As such, it is observed that the year of the Rat seems to experience more air disasters. A typical year with many aviation disasters is the previous Rat year in 1996. During this year, there are over 20 major airplane crashes including the U.S. TWA Boeing 747 crashed in July, 1996 killing 230. Looking at the immediate last Earth Rat year in 1948, there were also quite a numbers of airplane crashes including the hijack of a Cathy Pacific airplane in June, 1948.

Yang earth on the rat also symbolizes unstable earth, this will also bring earth disasters such as earthquake, landslide, collapse of buildings. The Earth element is also associate with homosexuality. It so happens many famous homosexuals is born on the day of earth – this includes Leonardo Da Vinci, Michael Angelo, Tchaikovsky, George Michael, Boy George, Andy Warhol, Tracy Chapman, K.D. Lang. Rosie Odonell etc. As such, there could be more issues in this aspect in 2008. It is not really clear how earth element is linked with homosexuality. Perhaps earth is an element of more neutral nature, compare against the other four, water and fire, wood and metal.

The clash between the Rat and Horse is a serious clash between water and fire elements. This will often bring injury and bloodshed. Therefore people born in years of Horse have to be particularly careful in 2008. As it is water clashing against fire, the danger could be associate with water and fire disasters such as traffic accidents in the air or at sea. Therefore, for people born in the year of Horse, it is recommended that they carry the pendant of an Ox which will help to attract away the Rat, so as to minimize the negative influence of the clash. Anyhow, people who are born in the year of Horse will experience a more turbulent year with more movements and traveling, changes. It is suitable to engage in such movements, such as moving house or moving offices. Traveling is also good but one should avoid going straight towards the North direction as it is the direction of the Grand Duke in 2008.

The Rat also forms a penalty relationship with the Rabbit. Such penalty may cause disharmony, worries and irritations, or hidden sickness. Therefore people born in the year of the Rabbit is also recommended to carry the pendant of the Ox to minimize such penalty influence in the year of the Rat.

The Five basic elements also represent different parts of our body, earth in general relates to stomach, pancreas, muscle and cells. As such, the health problems related to earth could be stomach problem, food poisoning, and diarrhea. Disorder of earth elements can mean problems of muscle and cells, this can bring obesity, diabetes, and cancer …these are all sicknesses caused by imbalance of earth elements. Diabetes is a sickness caused by disorder of insulin which is produced by the pancreas which is also symbolized by earth element in Chinese medicine. . So diabetes problem is also caused by imbalance of earth element. As such, these kinds of health problems will also come in focus in the Earth water year of 2008.

In recent years the most imminent issue threatening the survival of human race is Global warming. The polar ice caps have been melting down in an alarming speed and there are forecasts that many coastal populated cities will be submerged under the sea by the year 2050. In 2007 we have experienced dramatic change in climate and there are more weather triggered disasters. It is expected such serious impact of Global warming will intensify in 2008. The pair of elements, yang earth sitting on the rat can be interpreted as the image of floating mass of ice on a big ocean. And this is an alarming sign that the melting of Arctic and Antarctic ice will become more and more alarming in 2008. If we examine the fateful moment of one of the biggest water disaster – the Titanic, we can see the Titanic collided with a floating iceberg at mid night of 14th April, 1912. and when we translate this fateful day and time into the Chinese calendar, we can see the mid night hour on this day is actually Yang earth over the Rat, with yang earth representing the floating iceberg. And this is identical to the elements of 2008. It is anticipated there will be more flooding and water disasters associate with climate change in 2008. Such alarming signal not only shows up in the Chinese calendar, it is also reflected in feng shui. In 2008, the feng shui flying star number 1, symbolize water element, is in the centre. This centre number often reflects the focus of events prevailing in the year. Take for example, in 2005 we have Flying star 4 in the centre and the number 4 symbolizes the chicken. So this the year the threat of avian flu began. In 2006 the star 3 in the centre represents conflict and earthquakes, 2007 the number dominate the centre is 2 which is sickness and it has brought the alarm of avian flu in focus again. So we have to assume the number 1 in the centre in 2008 will bring more problems with flooding and water disaster. Global warming is an issue concerning the entire human race and every one of us has the duty to take up effective measures to preserve our environment and support the move to reduce CO2 emission.

Regarding the economy, fire element is often the driving force behind the stock market. In the year 2008 there is yang earth on the Heavenly stem with water underneath. The dominating element is water. As such, it is a year of cooling down after the heated economic atmosphere in 2006 and 2007. Fire is the symbol of the financial market and strong fire will stimulate optimism and speculative mentality. Without fire investors will play cool and conservative. However, the strong water element is the symbol of money to the earth industry. With strong water showing up, the property market is still active and profitable. Despite the absence of fire element in the year 2008, the spring and summer months still shows strong wood and fire influences bringing upward surge in the stock and property market. But investors will be more cautious and practical and there will not be dramatic fluctuations such as in the magnitude of yin fire year in 2007. In general 2008 is a year of cooling down with more stability and calmness in the stock market. .

The strong water of the Rat year favors earth and metal industries, as earth conquers water, so the Rat is a symbol of money to the earth industry, which includes property, mining, hotel, chemicals, insurance… As for metal industries, metal gives birth to water, so the strong water element in the year indicates productivity and strong activity in metal industries – this include machinery, computer, high tech industries, skincare, health business. The Wood industries, which include textile, fashion, books, publications, paper, forestry, furniture is also into a profitable year as wood conquers earth, so the earth showing up in 2008 symbolize the money of wood industry. But the profit will only be superficial as the earth element is weak.

The less prosperous industries in 2008 will be businesses of water and fire elements. Water industries refer to shipping, communication drinks…etc. The strong water appearing in the Rat year will bring stronger competition in the water areas and this will very much weaken the profitability. Fire industries refer to finance, stock market, energy, electricity, entertainment, and airline businesses. As fire conquers metal and produces Earth element, so to Fire industry, metal represents money and earth represents productivity. In 2008 metal element is absent and earth element is weak. . That is why it is a relatively weak year for the industries related to the fire element.

The property market is symbolized by the earth element. This industry had stronger activities in the past years of monkey and rooster in 2004 and 2005 as the metal elements represent productivity of earth industries. There had been some slowdown in 2006, as the fire ad earth year brought stronger competition and eroded profitability. However, in 2008, the water element of the rat will bring some money luck to the earth industry, despite there is no strong activities in the property market owing to absence of metal element.

With respect to the hi-tech industries sector, as represented by the NASDAQ. I have postulated that this industry is mainly represented by the metal element. As such, the prosperity of hi-tech industry requires the strong appearance of water and wood, which are symbols of productivity and money of the metal industry. In 2008 the water element, meaning activities to hi-tech industries is very strong. As such, it is anticipated that the year is favorable for hi-tech or internet types of business. But the absence of wood in this year could mean there are more activities without real substantial money gains.

In summary, the industries that will perform well in the year of the Rat will be industries related to earth and metal elements – such as property, hotel, mining, insurance, machinery, engineering, health, computer, and high tech industries. The sectors relating to water and fire will not be doing so well. Water industries include shipping, communication, drinks, and fire industries are stock market, finance, energy, electricity, entertainment business. The wood industries – such as textile, publications, fashion, furniture, etc are into a year with some superficial prosperity but not substantial.

In general, the yang Earth Rat year, with earth on top failing to control water below, is symbol of apparent calmness on the outside but such calmness lacks a solid foundation and the mountain can tumble and devoured by the ocean of fierce water. Some kind of new world order began to emerge but it will take time to consolidate into stability. . Still there will be international conflicts and uprisings and unrest but such events may be less turbulent than 2007. The new beginning of the 12 animal cycle led by the Rat will be first step to cool down or slow down the acceleration of Global warming problem.

The animal sign which is most unfavorable is the Horse which is in direct clash against the Rat. Such clashes will usually bring about turbulence, movements, accident or changes... So people born in the year of the Horse will anticipate more traveling, or movements such as changing jobs or moving house. It is necessary to carry the pendant of an Ox as protection to attract the Rat away. For the Horse people, the clash against the Rat could bring accidents related to the water and fire element, such as explosion, fire disasters, and air and sea traffic accidents. For people who are under clash with the year, it is ok to travel more, making changes such as moving house, or change job. However, for people born in the year of the Horse, it is recommended not to travel directly towards the direction of the Grand Duke, which is the north direction, and it is also not recommended for them to travel by sea. The other animal’s signs facing unfavorable positions are the Rabbit and the Rat. When Rabbit encounters Rat year will form “Two Penalty” relationship. . Such penalties will usually bring disharmony, irritation, worries and frustrations. Also people born in year of the Rat are offending the Grand Duke which is also not auspicious and it is necessary to carry Ox pendant to minimize the negative effect. The imbalance of fire and water elements brought about by the Horse and the Rat may bring fire and water diseases, such as high blood pressure, heart burn, irregular heart beat, inflammation, diabetes, and kidney problems. As such, it is necessary to take heavy dosages of anti-oxidant, omega 3 oil or COQ10 which is good protection against cardiovascular diseases, hyper-tension and inflammation problems. .
 

The animals combining with the Rat year are the Ox, the Monkey, and the Dragon. These animals are into a year of harmony. However, such animal astrology is not totally reliable as the system is not recognized as a formal type of fortune-telling. For more reliable assessment of ones fortune in the year of the Rat, it is recommended that one checks the full Four Pillars of Destiny, which requires full birth data information of the Year, Month, Day and Hour of birth. As the animal signs can appear in all four pillars in a person’s birth data, the clash and penalty relationship with the Rat will not only cause impact on people born in the year of Horse and Rat and Rabbit. Such clash and penalties can also impact any one who has such animals in the birth month, or day or hour.

Some examples of famous people born in the year of the Horse and under clash in 2008 are Paul McCartney, Danzel Washington, John Travolta, Condoleezza Rice, Richard Li, Angela Merkel, Victor Yuschenko, Kiefer Sutherland, Warren Buffett and Katie Holmes. There are people who are not born in the year of Horse, but they are also under clash because they are born on the day of Horse, so they will also face a challenging year. Some examples of these people are – Chris Martin, Lura Bush, David Furnish, Elizabeth Taylor…...

People born in year of the Rat is said to be “offending the Grand Duke” and it is also recommended to carry pendant of the Ox. Examples of Rat people are Prince Charles, Prince Henry, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz, John McCain, Olivia Newton-John…..

For people who are born in the year of the Pig, the Rabbit, and the Goat, the Rat year will bring “Flower of Romance” so one can anticipate a more sociable year with more opportunity to develop friendship with the opposite sex...

Feng Shui energies also change from year to year. Therefore, it is necessary to watch for the re-allocation of good and bad energies at the beginning of each year, so that we can take necessary precautions if some bad energy happens to arrive at important locations of our residence or offices. In the year of the Rat, the bad energy called “Five Yellow” – symbolizing obstacles and misfortune, arrives at the South. If your South of the house is an important area such as bedroom or entrances, it is recommended that one hangs a metal wind chime there to dissolve this bad energy. The worst months will be in February, August, and November. Another bad star number 2, symbolizing sickness, will arrive in the Northwest in 2008. The traditional method to dissolve this 2 is to hang a string of six metal coins in the affected area in the Northwest of the house The Grand Duke this year is in the North, hence it is not favorable to “move earth” or make substantial construction work in this direction. It is also not recommended for one to sit with back against exact South as you will be sitting against the unfavorable energy called “Three Shars” or “Three Killings”. As well as the “Crash position” against the Grand Duke. The bad star 3 is a star of conflict and robbery. This is present in the West of the house. It is necessary to put a piece of red paper in the West to minimize such bad influence. Also the bad star 7, representing scandals is in the Southwest, the traditional solution for this bad star 7 is to place 3 or 4 of bamboo plant grown in clear glass vase of water in the Southwest location.  

2007, THE YEAR OF THE PIG
By Master Raymond Lo

The Chinese calendar, commonly known as the Farmers’ Calendar, or the Hsia Calendar, is a fascinatingly accurate system, which not only records the passage of time, but is also a tool for fortune-telling. The famous traditional fortune-telling system – The Four Pillars of Destiny – is exactly referring to reading a person’s destiny from his birth data as presented in the Hsia calendar format. The unique feature of such calendar is that all information about time – year, month, day and hour are presented in terms of the five basic elements – metal, water, wood, fire and earth, which are believed to be the basic components of everything in the Universe. The relationship between the fire elements accurately helps one predict what is to come by way of one’s fortunes and thus, one can by using this knowledge, multiply the good luck or minimize the bad luck in one’s life.

The Year of the Pig, 2007, in the Hsia calendar, is symbolized by two elements – with fire sitting on top of water. According to the cycle of birth and destruction, which governs the inter-relationship between the elements, fire will be conquered by water. Therefore, fire sitting on water is a symbol of conflict and skirmish and this may bring a relatively less peaceful year with more international conflicts and struggles. In recent years, the last time such fire and water elements appeared was in 2002 in the year of the water horse, which was the year immediately after 911 and terrorist attacks became a global threat . The fire standing on top in 2007 is yin fire which is compared to the candle flame. Whilst the yang fire in 2006 symbolizes the sun and represents openness, optimism, warmth, politeness and care, the Yin fire in 2007 symbolizes tension, temperamental emotions, agitations, and illusions. The Yin fire is candle flame, and a spark of fire. There is a common Chinese saying that “A spark of fire can burn down the whole plain”. As such, yin fire can be more damaging and destructive than yang fire. It is anticipated that there will be more international conflicts and disharmony which will even lead to regional warfare, uprising and unrest, or over throwing of the government in certain countries.

The Chinese calendar year goes on 60-year cycle. This means that we have experienced the same year of yin fire on pig in 1947. This was a year when the Second World War is over and the Cold war between USSR and USA began. In 1947 the U.S. President Truman declared his famous doctrine to stem the spread of communism. And the USSR rejected the US plan for UN atomic energy control. So the race to produce nuclear weapon began. In the same year India and Pakistan became independent from British rule and then engaged into a bloody war.

The Chinese character for “Yin fire” is like the shape of the alphabet “T”. One can remember the “T” shape as the mushroom cloud which appears during a nuclear explosion. Indeed, the Yin fire can bring fire disasters and big explosions. In recent history we have found quite disastrous explosions happened on a Yin fire day. The obvious examples are 6th August, 1945, the day when the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, and 11th September, 2001, the famous 911 terrorist attack on USA. Both these days are Yin fire. The Yin fire symbolizes fire arms, and the deadly weapon AK-47 assault rifle was actually designed in 1947. Exactly 60 years ago, same year of Yin fire on the pig. So it will not be surprising that there will more gun battles, murder with guns, bombing attacks in the year 2007.

The Pig belongs to water element, however, it represents the beginning of winter and is the birth month of wood. As such, the pig symbolizes the germination of a plants, a new life is born. As such, the pig year can bring a new beginning of international relationships and social order, this could bring new regimes with new government in some countries. The pig is also considered as a “Traveling star”. So years of the pig will stimulate more traveling and this will very much benefit tourist industry. However, the Pig is in clash relationship against the snake. This is a clash between water and fire elements and will often bring accidents related to both air and the sea. The snake can also symbolize the train. So traffic accidents related to train, shipping, and airplanes could be more serious in this year.

As the Pig is the animal in clash against the Snake, and forms a configuration called “self penalty with the Pig itself. Therefore people born in years of Snake and the Pig have to be particularly careful in 2007. As it is water clashing against fire, the danger could be associate with water and fire disasters such as traffic accidents in the air or at sea. Therefore, for people born in the year of Snake and Pig, it is recommended that they carry the pendant of a Tiger which will help to attract away the Pig, so as to minimize the negative influence of the clash or penalty. Anyhow, people who are born in the year of Snake will experience a more turbulent year with more movements and traveling, changes. It is suitable to engage in such movements, such as moving house or moving offices. Traveling is also good but one should avoid going straight towards the Northwest direction as it is the direction of the Grand Duke in 2007.

The Five basic elements also represent different parts of our body, fire in general relates to blood circulation and the heart, and yin fire also represents the brain, the eyes and the nerve system. As such, the health problems related to yin fire could be heart disease, inflammation, hyper tension, in serious cases; it could bring about heart attack and stroke, or nervous breakdown, anxiety, depression and insomnia as well as obesity. Therefore in 2007 we should pay more attention to health of the heart as well as mental health. For people who are born in the day of yin fire, it is always advisable to take up more relaxation exercises such as Taichi and yoga in order to reduce tension and stress. It is necessary to take more fresh fruit and vegetables, vitamin C, vitamin E, omega 3 oil, COQ10 etc, to prevent cardiovascular diseases. It is also necessary to pay attention to problem related to eyesight.

The famous people who are born on a day of Yin fire include Bois Yeltsin, Ariel Sharon, David Bowie, Tony Blair, Harrison Ford, Chairman Mao Tse tung and most of these people are known to have suffered stroke or problem of the heart.

In recent years world wide epidemic such as avian flu has been worrying and there is also reason to see such threats could intensify in 2007. In human history the most serious outbreak of epidemic is the Black Death which started in Europe in the year 1347 which is exactly a year of yin fire on the Pig. This epidemic wiped out about one third of the population in Europe and this is estimated to be about 34 million people. . Another signal of such threat to health in 2007 also appears in the feng shui flying stars. In 2007 the star number 2, representing sickness is in the centre. This centre number often reflects the focus of events prevailing in the year. Take for example, in 2005 we have 4 in the centre and the number 4 symbolizes the chicken. So this the year the threat of avian flu began. In 2006 the star 3 in the centre represents conflict and earthquakes, and so we have to assume the 2 in the centre in 2007 will bring more health problems. The best precaution against such health threat is to take a more healthy diet and taking health supplements such as anti-oxidants to improve our immune system.

The economy in the year 2007 showed yin fire on the Heavenly stem. Fire is the symbol of the financial market and yin fire is illusive candle fire. Illusion of a good market can also generate over optimism that will drive up the stock market in the first half of 2007, when the spring and summer months of wood and fire make the candle fire appear stronger. However, yin fire standing on water pig – the terminator of fire, is illusory fire. But the stock market is often driven by illusion of profitability. So it is expected that the economy and the stock market will shot up to very high levels in the months from February till about July. However, investors have to be cautious towards autumn and winter as there will be substantial set back as the fire element will disappear in 2008, the year of the Earth Rat. The situation bears some similarity to the Asian currency crisis that broke out in around August of 1997. 1997 is also a Yin fire year and such illusive fire pushed the stock and property market sky high in first half of 1997 before the collapse came in August. However, in general, we do not expect the setback in second half of 2007 will be as serious as that of 1997. The reason being that there is hidden wood element in the Pig which still provide support to the Yin fire even in winter time.

The strong water of the Pig year favors earth and metal industries, as earth conquers water, so the Pig is a symbol of money to the earth industry, which includes property, mining, hotel, chemicals, insurance… As for metal industries, metal gives birth to water, so the strong water element in the year indicates productivity and strong activity in metal industries – this include machinery, computer, high tech industries, skincare, health business. The Wood industries, which include textile, fashion, books, publications, paper, forestry, furniture is not as strong as previous year, but still remains reasonably prosperous as the yin fire year symbolizes productivity of wood industry.

The less prosperous industries in 2007 will be businesses of water and fire elements. Water industries refers to shipping, communication, drinks…etc. The strong water appearing in the Pig year will bring stronger competition in the water areas and this will very much weaken the profitability. Fire industries refer to finance, stock market, energy, electricity, entertainment, and airline businesses. As fire conquers metal and produces Earth element, so to Fire industry, metal represents money and earth represents productivity. However, in 2007 both metal and earth elements are absent. That is why it is a relatively weak year for the industries related to the fire element.

The property market is symbolized by the earth element. This industry had stronger activities in the past years of monkey and rooster in 2004 and 2005 as the metal elements represent productivity of earth industries. There had been some slowdown in 2006, as the fire ad earth year brought stronger competition and eroded profitability. However, in 2007 the water element of the pig will bring some money luck to the earth industry, despite there will be some setback towards the second half of the year when the stock market is undergoing some adjustments.

With respect to the hi-tech industries sector, as represented by the NASDAQ. I have postulated that this industry is mainly represented by the metal element. As such, the prosperity of hi-tech industry requires the strong appearance of water and wood, which are symbols of productivity and money of the metal industry. In 2007 the water element, meaning activities to hi-tech industries returns. As such, it is anticipated that the year is favorable for hi-tech or internet types of business. But the absence of wood in this year could mean there are more activities without real substantial money gains.

In summary, the industries that will perform well in the year of the Pig will be industries related to earth and metal elements – such as property, hotel, mining, insurance, machinery, engineering, health, computer, and high tech industries. Industries relating to water and fire will not be doing so well. Water industries include shipping, communication, drinks , and fire industries are stock market, finance, energy, electricity, entertainment business. The wood industries – such as textile, publications, fashion, furniture, etc are into a year with some superficial prosperity but not substantial.

In general, the yin fire Pig year, with fire on top conquered by water below, is symbol of more disharmony and struggle before the birth of a new world order. There will be more international conflicts and uprisings and unrest but such events may bring positive changes leading to longer term benefit for the future of humanity and global well-being.

The animal sign which is most unfavorable is the Snake which is in direct clash against the Pig. Such clashes will usually bring about turbulence, movements, accident or changes.. So people born in the year of the Snake will anticipate more traveling , or movements such as changing jobs or moving house. It is necessary to carry the pendant of a Tiger as protection to attract the Pig away. For the Snake people, the clash against the Pig could bring accidents related to the water and fire element, such as explosion, fire disasters, air and sea traffic accidents. For people who are under clash with the year, it is ok to travel more, making changes such as moving house, or change job. However, for people born in the year of the Snake, it is recommended not to travel directly towards the direction of the Grand Duke, which is the northwest direction, and it is also not recommended for them to travel by sea. The other animals signs facing unfavorable positions is the Pig, as when Pig encounters a Pig year will form Self Penalty relationship. . Such self penalties will usually bring irritation and frustrations, such as putting in a lot of effort without any concrete achievements. Also the imbalance of fire and water elements brought about by the Snake and the Pig may bring fire and water diseases, such as high blood pressure, heart burn, inflammation, diabetes, and kidney problems. As such, it is necessary to take heavy dosages of anti-oxidant, omega 3 oil or COQ10 which is good protection against cardiovascular diseases, hyper-tension and inflammation problems.

The animals combining with the Pig year are the Tiger, the Rabbit, the Goat. These animals are into a year of harmony . However, such animal astrology is not totally reliable as the system is not recognized as a formal type of fortune-telling. For more reliable assessment of ones fortune in the year of the Pig, it is recommended that one checks the full Four Pillars of Destiny, which requires full birth data information of the Year, Month, Day and Hour of birth. As the animal signs can appear in all four pillars in a person’s birth data, the clash and penalty relationship with the Pig will not only impact people born in the year of Snake and Pig. Such clash and penalties can also impact any one who has such animals in the birth month, or day or hour.

Some examples of famous people born in the year of the Snake and under clash in 2007 are Tony Blair, Bob Dylan, Ben S. Bernanke, Martha Stewart, J. K. Rowling, Stephen Hawking, and Brooke Shield. There are people who are not born in the year of Snake, but they are also under clash because they are born on the day of Snake, so they will also face a challenging year. Some examples of these people are – George Bush, Osama Bin Laden, Taksin Shinawatra, Kobe Braynt, Angelina Joli, and John Travolta.

For people who are born in the year of the Rat, the Pig year will bring “Flower of Romance” so one can anticipate a more sociable year with more opportunity to develop friendship with the opposite sex. People born in the years of Snake, Rooster, and Ox will see a traveling horse in the year of the Pig and will expect more traveling, movement and changes in their lives.

Feng Shui energies also change from year to year. Therefore, it is necessary to watch for the re-allocation of good and bad energies at the beginning of each year, so that we can take necessary precautions if some bad energy happens to arrive at important locations of our residence or offices. In the year of the Pig, the bad energy called “Five Yellow” – symbolizing obstacles and misfortune, arrives at the Northeast. If your northeast of the house is an important area such as bedroom or entrances, it is recommended that one hangs a metal wind chime there to dissolve this bad energy. The worst months will be in February, August, and November. Another bad star number 2, symbolizing sickness, will arrive in the centre in 2007. The traditional method to dissolve this 2 is to hang a string of six metal coins in the affected area in the Centre of the house The Grand Duke this year is in the Northwest, hence it is not favorable to “move earth” or make substantial construction work in this direction. It is also not recommended for one to sit with back against exact West as you will be sitting against the unfavorable energy called “Three Shars” or “Three Killings”. The bad star 3 is a star of conflict and robbery. This is present in the northwest of the house. It is necessary to put a piece of red paper in the northwest to minimize such a bad influence. Also the bad star 7, representing scandals is in the North, the traditional solution for this bad star 7 is to place 3 or 4 of bamboo plant grown in clear glass vase of water in the North location.
 

2006, THE YEAR OF THE DOG
By Master Raymond Lo
 

The Chinese calendar, commonly known as the Farmers’ Calendar, or the Hsia Calendar, is a fascinatingly accurate system, which not only records the passage of time, but is also a tool for fortune-telling. The famous traditional fortune-telling system – The Four Pillars of Destiny – is exactly referring to reading a person’s destiny from his birth data as presented in the Hsia calendar format.  The unique feature of such calendar is that all information about time – year, month, day and hour are presented in terms of the five basic elements – metal, water, wood, fire and earth, which are believed to be the basic components of everything in the Universe. The relationship between the fire elements accurately helps one predict what is and what is to come by way of one’s fortunes and thus, one can by using this knowledge, multiply the good luck or minimize the bad luck in one’s life. 

The Year of the Dog, 2006, in the Hsia calendar, is symbolized by two elements – with fire sitting on top of earth. According to the cycle of birth and destruction, which governs the inter-relationship between the elements, fire will give birth to earth. Therefore, fire sitting on earth is a symbol of support and harmony and this may bring a relatively more peaceful year with less international conflicts than in the past few years. In recent years, the last time such elemental relationship occurred is in the year 2000, the year of the metal dragon, which was the year when the world was at peace to celebrate the Millennium, immediately before the 911 incident in 2001. The fire standing on top in 2006 is yang fire which is compared to the Sun. This element symbolizes openness, optimism, warmth, politeness and care. As such, it is anticipated that there will be more open and honest peace talks and settlements leading to a more harmonious atmosphere which the world has been lacking for many years.  The earth underneath, representing the dog, has the implication of the “gate of Hell” and “storage of fire”. This character often carries spiritual and religious implications, As such, the year 2006 will also focus on seeking spiritual meaning and answers and more people will be drawn to religious events and discussions. 

The Chinese calendar year goes on 60-year cycle. This means that we have experienced the same year of yang fire on earth dog in 1945 when the Second World War is finally over and the world powers were concentrating on recovering from the war and re-arranging a new world order. The United Nations had its first meeting in 1946. Likewise, it is expected that there will be more co-operation among countries in 2006 aimed at setting up a more effective world order for the protection of global interests, such as solving environmental issues, global warming problem, religious differences, and the prevention of epidemics etc.  

The yang fire – in the system of the Four Pillars of Destiny, is a symbol of big fire, and the earth dog is a symbol of the storage of fire. The pair of elements shows fire on top of a mountain, this could bring serious volcanic eruptions as well as big energy disasters such as nuclear explosions. The last such disaster is the Chernobyl nuclear melt down which occurred in 1986.  Yang fire, is big and powerful energy, so the issue of nuclear safety will be in focus,  Historical records show the United Nations Nuclear Agency was also set up in the last year of Yang fire Dog in 1946. With such a powerful fire element, besides the possibility of nuclear disasters, it will not be surprising that the yang fire will bring big explosions and fire disasters too.  In Chinese astrology, the Dog is in a clash position against the Dragon, and both Dragon and Dog are powerful earth elements. With  earth  elements under clash, it will bring very serious earthquake disasters. In the feng shui flying star system, the star 3, representing earthquakes, is in the centre in 2006. This could also imply a year of serious earthquakes. With the star of misfortune 5 falling in the West in 2006, the areas more likely to have such natural disasters will be more concentrate to the central area,  or areas bearing the name – central, centre, middle…., or the western part of a country, or a continent. Besides earthquake, other earth disasters and accidents could be more frequent in 2006.  These may include mining disaster, landslide, collapse of building, etc.  

The Dog is the animal in clash against the Dragon, and forms an earth penalty with Ox and the Goat. Therefore people born in such years have to be particularly careful in 2006. As it is earth clashing against earth, the danger could be associated with earth disasters such as landslide and collapses of buildings or earthquakes. Therefore, for people born in the year of Dragon, Ox and Goat, it is recommended that they avoid going too close to massive earth areas such as mountain or dessert. This is particularly important during the earth months which occur in April, July, October and January. For people born under such animal signs, it is good to always carry the pendant of a Rabbit which will help to attract away the Dog, so as to minimize the negative influence of the clash or penalty.  Anyhow, people who are born in the year of Dragon will experience a more turbulent year with more movements and traveling, changes. It is suitable to engage in such movements, such as moving house or moving offices. Traveling is also good but one should avoid going straight towards the Northwest direction as it is the direction of the Grand Duke in 2006. 

The Dog is a “Gate of Hell” in the system of “Four Pillars of Destiny”. So a dog year will bring more spiritual activities and strange happenings.  The Dog forms a penalty configuration with the Ox and the Goat. Penalty means hidden danger. And the Dog, Ox and Goat together formed very strong earth configuration causing hidden health problems such as cancer. As such, this year cancer problems will get more serious and it is necessary to take precautions such as taking anti- oxidant, quitting smoking and drinking alcohol.. 

The Five basic elements also represent different parts of our body, fire in general relates to blood circulation and the heart, and yang fire also represents the shoulder area. Therefore in 2006 more people will complain of shoulder pains.  The Earth element is the symbol of stomach or spleen, muscles and cells. Therefore strong earth years will bring cancer problem. The combination of fire and earth will destroy the water element. As such, it will also create health problems such as kidney failure. It is necessary to take more fresh fruit and vegetables, vitamin C, omega 3 oil etc, this year to enhance the water aspect. The configuration of fire and earth will bring dry weather, and the lack of water will also cause dryness of hair and many people will experience faster loss of hair in this year.  

The economy in the year 2006 showed yang fire on the Heavenly stem. Fire is the symbol of the financial market and yang fire is optimism. It is exactly such optimism that will create the positive trend for the stock market in 2006. However, yang fire standing on dog – the grave of fire, is illusory fire. But the stock market is often driven by illusion of profitability. So there is still strong driving force to bring the market to very high levels especially in spring and summer. However, investors have to be cautious towards autumn and winter as there will be substantial set back as the fire element will be weakening in 2007, and such weakening could start as early as the second half of 2006.  However, in general, the strong earth year of the Dog favors fire industries, as fire gives birth to earth, the strong earth element in the year indicates productivity and strong activity in fire industries – this include finance, stock market, energy, electricity, entertainment, and airline businesses.  As the Earth element is conquered by Wood, so the wood industries see earth as money. As such the year of the Dog shows strong money for wood industry which will enjoy a prosperous year with fire symbolizing their productive activity, and earth symbolize their money. Wood industries include textile, fashion, books, publication, paper, forestry, furniture etc.  

The property market is symbolized by the earth element. This industry had stronger activities in the past two years of monkey and rooster as the metal elements in these 2 years represent productivity of earth industries. However, in 2006, the metal element is no longer there, and that the water element, representing the money of the earth industry, is also absent. Instead the strong presence of the earth element will mean strong competition in the property market. Therefore, it is anticipated that the property industry and other earth industries such as mining, insurance, hotel…etc will cool down and even suffer some setback in the year of the Dog.    

With respect to the hi-tech economy, as represented by the NASDAQ. I have postulated that this industry is mainly represented by the metal element. As such, the prosperity of this industry requires the strong appearance of water and wood, which are symbols of productivity and money of the metal industry. However, in 2006, both water and wood are absent from the year. As such, it is anticipated that the year is not so favorable for hi-tech or internet types of business. 

In summary, the industries that will perform well in the year of the Dog will be industries related to wood and fire elements – such as energy, electricity, finance, stock market, textile, fashion, paper and publications. On the other hand, industries relating to earth and metal will not be doing so well. Earth industries include mining, chemicals, property, hotel, and metal industries are cars, heavy industries, iron and steel, and hi-tech and internet related business.  The water industries – such as shipping, drinks, communication, etc are into a year with some superficial prosperity but not substantial.

In general, the yang fire Dog year, with fire on top supporting earth below, is symbol of more harmony and optimism with more international co-operation and more care about the future of humanity and global well-being.  The Dog is also symbol of spiritual achievement and the world may pay more attention to spiritual health and enrichment as long term solution to the hatred and religious differences which have been causing disharmony to the world in the past decade.  There will be more international co-operation in solving environmental issues such as control of nuclear power and global warming. The strong yang fire appearing on top can also bring about serious explosion or nuclear disasters. There will also be more chances of natural disasters involving drought, earthquake, landslides, and volcanic eruption.

The animal sign which is most unfavorable is the Dragon which is in direct clash against the Dog. Such clashes will usually will bring about turbulence, movements, accident or changes.. So people born in the year of the Dragon will anticipate more traveling , or movements such as changing jobs or moving house.  It is necessary to carry the pendant of a Rabbit as protection to attract the Dog away. For the Dragon people, the clash against the Dog could bring accidents related to the earth element, such as earthquake, landslide, falling from a building,  For people who are under clash with the year, it is ok to travel more, making changes such as moving house, or change job. However, for people born in the year of the Dragon, it is recommended not to travel directly towards the direction of the Grand Duke, which is the northwest direction, and it is also not recommended for them to travel to areas of strong earth, such as high mountains, deserts, or region of possible serious earthquakes. The other animal signs facing unfavorable positions are the Ox and the Goat, as these animals will form Three Penalty relationship with the Dog and cause very powerful earth influences. Such earth penalties will usually bring earth diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and stomach and spleen problem. As such, it is necessary to take heavy dosages of anti-oxidant which is good protection against cancer and other earth disease.  For people born in the year of Dog, the year 2006 is offending the Grand Duke and is also considered not favorable. As such, all people born in years of earth animal signs – the Dragon, the Dog, the Ox, and the Goat all have to take precautions in 2006 and the minimum preventive measure is to carry a pendant of the Rabbit to attract the Dog away. 

The animals combining with the Dog year are the Rabbit, the Tiger, the Horse. These animals are into a year of harmony. However, such animal astrology is not totally reliable as the system is not recognized as a formal type of fortune-telling. For more reliable assessment of ones fortune in the year of the Dog, it is recommended that one checks the full Four Pillars of Destiny, which requires full birth data information of the Year, Month, Day and Hour of birth.  As the animal signs can appear in all four pillars in a person’s birth data, the clash and penalty relationship with the Dog will not only impact people born in the year of Dragon, Dog, Ox, and Goat. Such clash and penalties can also impact anyone who has such animals in the birth month, or day or hour. 

Feng Shui energies also change from year to year. Therefore, it is necessary to watch for the re-allocation of good and bad energies at the beginning of each year, so that we can take necessary precautions if some bad energy happens to arrive at important locations of our residence or offices. In the year of the Dog, the bad energy called “Five Yellow” – symbolizing obstacles and misfortune, arrives at the West. If your west of the house is an important area such as bedroom or entrances, it is recommended that one hangs a metal wind chime there to dissolve this bad energy. The worst months will be in April, July and September.  Another bad star number 2, symbolizing sickness, will arrive in the Southeast in 2006. The traditional method to dissolve this 2 is to hang a string of six metal coins in the affected area in the Southeast of the house. The Grand Duke this year is in the Northwest, hence it is not favorable to “move earth” or make substantial construction work in this direction. It is also not recommended for one to sit with back against exact North as you will be sitting against the unfavorable energy called “Three Shars” or “Three Killings”.  The bad star 3 is a star of conflict and robbery. This is present in the centre of the house. It is necessary to put a piece of red paper in the centre to minimize such a bad influence. Also the bad star 7, representing scandals is in the South, the traditional solution for this bad star 7 is to place 3 or 4 of bamboo plant grown in clear glass vase of water in the South location.

2005, THE YEAR OF THE ROOSTER
By Master Raymond Lo

The Year of the Rooster, 2005, in the Hsia calendar, is symbolized by two elements - with wood sitting on top of metal. According to the cycle of birth and destruction, which governs the inter-relationship between elements, metal will destroy wood. Therefore, wood sitting on its destroyer - metal, is a symbol of disharmony and this may lead to international conflicts. The elemental relationship is same as last year of Monkey which is also wood standing on earth. But the difference is that in the year of the Monkey, it is yang wood which is always compared to a tall tree, with the characteristic of being proud, tough, stubborn and sticking to principles, inflexible and uncompromising. So last year the metal wood conflict is very serious resulting in fierce fighting in the war against terrorism, especially in middle East, including Iraq and Saudi Arabia. However, in the year of the Rooster, the yin wood is symbol of flower which is flexible and easy to adjust to the environment. As such, it is anticipated that the struggle will not be as serious as in 2005. It seems chance of compromise and making peaceful settlements over international issues will be easier to achieve in the year of the Rooster. . In accordance with Feng Shui flying stars, the bad star 5 Yellow will be present in the northwest in 2005. Therefore, areas to the northwest of a country or a continent will have more chance to encounter conflict or natural disasters.

The Chinese calendar year goes on 60-year cycle. This means that we had experienced the same year of yin wood on metal Monkey in 1945 when the Nazi and Japanese suffered their final defeat and the second world was ending. The allies were liberating Europe from the Nazis . In 2005, sixty years after, with the same pair of elements yin wood on metal appearing again, let us hope this is a year of victory in the war against global terrorism and we can expect there will be major gain in the global war against Al Queda . However, as wood and metal are conflicting elements, we still cannot expect the year of Rooster will be a peaceful one. Like in 1945, the victory can only be achieved with fierce fighting and heavy casualties .

The Yin wood - in the system of Four Pillars of Destiny, is a symbol of flower and grass which will bend as the wind blows. So it is signal of flexibility, and adjusting oneself according to circumstances. As such, the yin wood year will bring more hope for compromise and resolution of long term conflicts. .

In the Four Pillars of Destiny system, the Rooster represents small metal object like a knife or a dagger. And Yin wood is often associate with the neck, the back of a person. With yin wood sitting on rooster, it presents a picture of stabbing a person's back with a dagger. Therefore, it will not be surprising that assassinations could also occur in the year 2005. The Rooster is the animal which will clash against the rabbit, which is also yin wood. So this year besides events of famous people get stabbed by knife, it may also bring accidents involving breaking of neck or back. It is recommended one should pay more attention to proper sitting position as health problem related to back and neck will certainly be more serious in the year of the Rooster. As rooster represents small knife cutting into body, for people who are born in the year of rabbit, or on a day of rabbit, it is often a good timing for undergoing certain surgery operation or for extracting tooth. The more critical time for such event to occur will be March and September..

The elements appearing in each year in the Chinese calendar is a signal revealing areas that we should pay attention during the year. With the appearance of wood being destroyed by metal in 2005, it is a warning that there could be problem in wood area and this is associated with plants and the environment. There could be natural disasters leading to serious damage of forest and the environment. We can project that troubles may also emerge in area of agriculture, forestry area.

The Rooster is the birth place of Yin Fire which is symbol of explosion. As such, the year of Rooster is particularly vulnerable to fire disasters and explosions.

The Rooster is a "Flower of Romance" in the system of Four Pillars of Destiny. So a Rooster year will bring more activities related to entertainment and glamorous events. In the negative sense it will also bring controversy of sex scandals among celebrities or in political circle. The Rooster is yin metal which is symbol of decorative jewelry metal. This metal will often induce more activities in the area of cosmetics, skin care, and other glamorous business such as entertainment, advertising, Public relations... etc.

The five basic elements also represent different parts of our body, yin wood is the liver, the neck and the back bone, and metal is the breathing organ, teeth, and skin. As wood is very weak this year, it means it will easily trigger diseases related to the liver, the neck and the back area. . Also wood represents principle and inflexibility in adjusting to pressure. As such, people born in days of yang wood are more easy to collapse and suffer nervous breakdown. It will not be surprising that more celebrities or famous people suffer from nervous breakdown in the year of the Monkey. This may even lead to tragedy such as committing suicide. The metal attacking wood is also a cause of motion sickness - such as Alzheimer and Parkinson sickness which may be more serious this year. Also the metal is very strong this year, it could symbolize sickness related to breathing organ and skin. In recent research, metal is also associate with motion sickness such as Parkinson disease and Alzheimer. The former US President Regan died of Alzheimer in 2005 the year of Monkey also confirmed the link between metal and motion illness. As such, it is anticipated that this sickness will be more in focus this year.

Regarding the economy, the year 2005 showed the yang wood on the Heavenly stem was able to bring fire element, which is the driving force behind the old economy. Hence there had been strong signs of economic recovery in the USA and other industrial countries with anticipation of inflation coming back in 2005. In 2005, the yin wood is not as powerful as the yang wood to bring about strong fire to support the economy. Hence we still expect moderate improvement in the economy in the spring and summer months between February and June but the upward trend will not be as drastic as 2005. But we can still see strong growing economy activities and stock market especially in the strong fire months of June and July. .

With respect to the hi-tech economy, as represented by the NASDAQ. I have postulated that this industry is mainly represented by metal element. In 2005, the wood element symbolizes money to the metal industry. This is positive. But the strong metal underneath will bring more competitors into the industry to erode the money profit. However, the optimistic view is that the early springs months in the year of the Rooster contains strong water and wood which is the productivity and money of metal industry. Therefore I can expect there could be a boom in this sector in the first quarter of 2005. However, as metal gets strong from August to Oct. It will bring in strong competition in the high tech market and these months may not be favorable for high tech business.

Property industry is classified as Earth element, as earth produces metal, the strong presence of metal this year will bring strong activities in the property market. This will be more obvious in autumn and winter. The other industries represented by Earth elements are insurance, mining, chemical, computer software... etc. These industries will be active and productive in 2005. Another industry more favorable in 2005 will be business related to fire element which are energy, electricity, entertainment, restaurant, and electronic goods.... It seems there will be more activities in fire industries as fire conquers metal, so a strong metal year means money profit for the fire industries. This favors oil prices which will continue to be high since 2005..

The most unfavorable industry will be business related to wood element. This is industries including textile, fashion, clothing, paper, magazines, furniture, plants, flowers and other consumer products related to wood.

In summary, the industries that will perform well in the year of the Rooster will be industry related to earth and fire elements - Earth industries including property, insurance, mining, and chemicals. Fire industries are energy, electricity and entertainment. On the other hand, industries related to wood element - such as textile, fashion, magazines, books, plants, etc. are into an unfavorable year. The remaining two elements, water - transport, travel, shipping, communication, bars, drinks, spa... may see improvement this year as wood is productivity of water. And metal industry, such as heavy industry, engineering, high- tech, cars, will be neutral to weak as their money element wood shows up, but being conquered by overwhelming metal underneath the wood.

In general, the yin wood Rooster is symbol of more moderate changes and flexibility . The metal cutting the root of the flower still represents hidden danger and disturbance to the foundation. But the flower is by nature moderate and easy to submit. So it will be a year of resolving conflicts and disharmony in international relationship by compromise. And this may lead to longer term peace as from 2006.

The animal sign, which are not so favorable, is the Rabbit, which is into a year of clash against the Rooster. Such clash usually bring about movements. So people born in the year of the Rabbit will anticipate more changes and moves this year, such as traveling, moving house, changing job... etc. It is necessary to carry a pendant of Dragon as protection to attract the Rooster away. For the Rabbit people, the clash against the rooster could also mean surgery, accidents involving breaking of neck or back. It is also recommended to avoid dangerous exercise and pay attention to sitting posture or position. It is not good to travel so much directly to the west especially in the month of September and March , as west is the position of the Grand Duke of the Rooster year.

The other animal sign under negative influences is the Rooster , which is offending the year and is in self penalty with the year. Penalty is related to hidden danger, hidden sickness and self penalty may relate to disharmony with colleagues, bad competition, or trouble bought about by oneself due to carelessness. So people born in year or day of Rabbit or Rooster should also be careful of their health this year. If clash occurs at the day pillar, it may also affect harmony in the family, it is recommended to minimize chance of such disharmony but taking more trips, or taking the chance to move house if necessary.

The better animals signs in the year of the Rooster are the Dragon, and the Snake and Ox, as they are in combine relationship with the Rooster, so will be into a more harmonious year. There is some good news for people born in the year of the Monkey, Rat and Dragon , they will be into a year favorable for romance. However, such animal astrology is not totally reliable as the system is not recognized as formal kind of fortune-telling. It requires more information than just the birth year to determine a person's luck.

Feng Shui energies also changes from year to year. Therefore, it is necessary to watch out for the reallocation of good and bad energies at the beginning of each year, so that we can take necessary precautions if some bad energy happens to arrive at important locations of our residence or office. In the year of the Monkey, the bad energy called "Five Yellow" - symbolizing obstacles and misfortune, arrives at the northwest . If your northwest of the house is very active area such as entrance or passage ways, it is recommended to hang a metal wind chime there to dissolve this bad energy. The worst months will be in February, August and November. Another bad star number 2, symbolizing sickness, will arrive at the East in 2005. The traditional method to dissolve is to hang a string of 6 metal coins in the affected area in the East of the house. The Grand Duke this year is in the West, hence it is not favorable to "Move earth" or making substantial construction work in the direction. It is also not suitable to sit with back against exact East as you will be sitting against the unfavorable energy called "Three shars" or "Three Killings". The bad star 3 is a star of conflict and robbery. This is present in the South east. It is also good to put a piece of red paper in the east of the house to minimize its bad influences.

2004, THE YEAR OF THE MONKEY
By Master Raymond Lo

The Chinese calendar, commonly known as the Farmers calendar, or the Hsia calendar, is a fascinating system, which not only records the passage of time, but is also a tool for fortune-telling. The famous traditional fortune-telling system – the Four Pillars of Destiny – is exactly referring to reading a person’s destiny from his birth data as presented in the Hsia calendar format. The unique feature of such calendar is that all information about time – year, month, day and hour are presented in terms of the five basic elements – metal, water, wood, fire, and earth, which are believed to be the basic components of everything in the Universe.

The Year of the Monkey, 2004, in the Hsia calendar, is symbolized by two elements – with wood sitting on top of metal. According to the cycle of birth and destruction, which governs the inter-relationship between elements, metal will destroy wood. Therefore, wood sitting on its destroyer – metal, is a symbol of disharmony and this may lead to international conflicts. The yang wood is always compared to a tall tree, with the characteristic of being proud, tough, stubborn and sticking to principles, inflexible and uncompromising. The metal sitting under the Yang wood is like a dagger cutting into the roots of the tree and kills it from underneath. As such, the quality of yang wood monkey could bring serious political struggles which will bring unrest, revolution, and over thrown of Government. It is a year more difficult to compromise and not easy to make peaceful settlements without using forces. And this may bring conflicts and regional wars. Middle east could be trouble spot again. In accordance with Feng Shui flying stars, the bad star 5 Yellow will be present in the centre in 2004. Therefore, areas with its name related to “Central” or “Middle” will be more easy to encounter conflict or natural disasters. Such areas include Middle East, Central America, China, Central Africa…etc.

The Chinese calendar year goes on 60-year cycle. This means that we had experienced the same year of yang wood on metal Monkey in 1944 when the world is deep at war and the allies are winning with the invasion at Normandy on 6th June. 2004, sixty years after, the same pair of elements wood on metal may bring such fierce fighting again, and we should see it as a year of decisive battle against international terrorism. Like the D-day, it will be a deciding year for long term world peace, but such peace can only come after a final struggle. And conflicts and skirmishes here and there will be inevitable.

The Yang wood – in the system of Four Pillars of Destiny, is a symbol of spring with prospect of growth. It is the first Heavenly Stem of the 10 year cycle so it is signal of a new beginning, like plants starting to germinate and grow. As such, the yang wood year will bring rebirth and recovery and new hope. 2004 is also the beginning of a new 20 year cycle in Feng Shui called “Age of 8” when there is big shift of energy and we are entering a new 20 years of new influences under the trigram “Kan” which is the symbol of young son. Therefore, it will be a year full of new opportunities and revolutionary changes. The “Age of 8” represents young son and we will see young people come up in power and achieve success at younger age. Younger world leaders will be more in control. Also the Trigram Kan represents the hand, which may bring us into another revolution of new technology – it is anticipated that Artificial Intelligence and Robots will be the focus of this high-tech industry in the coming 20 years . “Age of 8”, representing youth hood, may bring prosperity to health industry with revolutionary discovery in the field of anti- aging. However, the Trigram Kan will also bring negative influence on young people and tragedy involving young people as well as social problems amongst the youngsters may also arise.

As the year of yang wood Monkey is wood being destroyed by hidden metal, it also symbolizes hidden danger and so we may see increase terrorist activities, secret plots and political assassinations which may bring regional unrest and conflicts..

In the Four Pillars of Destiny system, the Monkey is one of the 3 animals forming a big configuration called “Three Penalty”. This includes the Monkey, the Tiger, and the Snake and together they will generate strong fire elements. As such, it is expected there will be more fire accidents and explosions happening this year.

The elements appearing in each year in the Chinese calendar is a signal revealing areas that we should pay attention during the year. With the appearance of wood being destroyed by metal in 2004, it is a warning that there could be problem in wood area and this is associated with trees and the environment. There could be natural disasters leading to serious damage of forest and the environment. We can project that troubles may also emerge in area of agriculture, forestry area.

The Monkey is a “Traveling Horse” in the system of Four Pillars of Destiny. So a Monkey year will bring more traveling which is good for tourism. However, it is also a symbol of traffic accidents. And we may see serious traffic accidents occur this year especially in the months of February and August.

The five basic elements also represent different parts of our body, wood is the liver, and metal is the breathing organ, teeth, and skin. As wood is very weak this year, it means it will easily trigger diseases related to the liver. Also wood represents principle and inflexibility in adjusting to pressure. As such, people born in days of yang wood are more easy to collapse and suffer nervous breakdown. It will not be surprising that more celebrities or famous people suffer from nervous breakdown in the year of the Monkey. This may even lead to tragedy such as committing suicide. The metal attacking wood is also a cause of motion sickness – such as Alzheimer and Parkinson sickness which may be more serious this year. . Also the metal is very strong this year, it could symbolize sickness related to breathing organ as well. As wood is source of the fire element, when it is weak, the other area to be careful will be sicknesses related to fire, which is heart, blood circulation and nerve system.

Regarding the economy, the year of the Monkey shows wood on the Heavenly stems and this wood will bring strong fire element, which is the driving force behind the old economy. This is particularly important for Asia, as the economic powers in South East Asia are close to the equator – in an area of fire element. The 1997 Asian currency crisis was actually brought to Asia by the demise of fire element. In 2004, the wood will bring strong fire and earth in the spring and summer months between February and June. It is expected such fire and earth will be helpful to support the economy with stronger performance in the stock market.

With respect to the hi-tech economy, as represented by the NASDAQ. I have postulated that this industry is mainly represented by metal element. In 2004, the wood element symbolizes money to the metal industry. This is positive. But the strong metal underneath will bring more competitors into the industry to erode the money profit. However, the optimistic view is that the later months in the year of the Monkey contains strong water which is the productivity and creativity of metal industry. Therefore I can expect there could be a mini boom in this sector in the last quarter of 2004.
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Property industry is classified as Earth element, as earth produces metal, the strong presence of metal this year will bring strong activities in the property market. This will be more obvious in autumn and winter. The other industries represented by Earth elements are insurance, mining, chemical, computer software …etc. These industries will be active and productive in 2004. Another industry more favorable in 2004 will be business related to fire element which are energy, electricity, entertainment, restaurant, and electronic goods…. It seems there will be more activities in fire industries as fire conquers metal, so a strong metal year means money profit for the fire industries. This favors oil prices.

The most unfavorable industry will be business related to wood element. This is industries including textile, fashion, clothing, paper, magazines, furniture, plants, flowers and other consumer products related to wood.

In summary, the industries that will perform well in the year of the Monkey will be industry related to earth and fire elements – Earth industries including property, insurance, mining, and chemicals. Fire industries are energy, electricity and entertainment. On the other hand, industries related to wood element – such as textile, fashion, magazines, books, plants, etc. are into an unfavorable year. The remaining two elements, water - transport, travel, shipping, communication, bars, drinks, spa….. may see improvement this year as wood is productivity of water. And metal industry, such as heavy industry, engineering, high- tech, cars, will be neutral to weak as their money element wood shows up, but being conquered by overwhelming metal underneath the wood.

In general, the yang wood Monkey is symbol of revolution, movement and changes. The metal cutting the root of the tree represents hidden danger and disturbance to the foundation. So it will be a year of more conflict and disharmony in international relationship but there are good chances of seeing new light and brighter future after struggles. The animal sign, which are not so favorable, is the Tiger, which is into a year of clash against the Monkey. Such clash usually bring about movements. So people born in the year of the Tiger will anticipate more changes and moves this year, such as traveling, moving house, changing job…etc. It is necessary to carry a pendant of Snake as protection to attract the Monkey away. For the Tiger people, it is also recommended to avoid driving cars too fast as the Monkey Tiger clash may bring traffic accident. Also it is not good to travel so much directly to the Southwest especially in the month of August and February, as southwest is the position of the Grand Duke of the Monkey year.

The other animal sign under negative influences is the Monkey, which is offending the year. Also the Snake is having a penalty relationship with the year. Penalty is related to hidden danger, hidden sickness. So people born in year of Tiger, Snake, or Monkey should also be careful of their health this year, as this three penalty is of fire nature and they may bring sickness related to blood and heart.

The better animals signs in the year of the Monkey are the Rat and the Dragon, as they are in combine relationship with the Monkey, so will be into a more harmonious year. There is some good news for people born in the year of the Rooster, they will be into a year favorable for romance. However, such animal astrology is not totally reliable as the system is not recognized as formal kind of fortune-telling. It requires more information than just the birth year to determine a person’ s luck.

Feng Shui energies also changes from year to year. Therefore, it is necessary to watch out for the reallocation of good and bad energies at the beginning of each year, so that we can take necessary precautions if some bad energy happens to arrive at important locations of our residence or office. In the year of the Monkey, the bad energy called “Five Yellow” – symbolizing obstacles and misfortune, arrives at the centre. If your centre of the house is very active area such as passage ways, it is recommended to hang a metal wind chime there to dissolve this bad energy. The worst months will be in February, August and November. Another bad star number 2, symbolizing sickness, will arrive at the Southwest in 2003. The traditional method to dissolve is to hang a string of 6 metal coins in the affected area in the Southwest of the house. The Grand Duke this year is also in the Southwest, hence it is not favorable to “Move earth” or making substantial construction work in the direction. It is also not suitable to sit with back against exact South as you will be sitting against the unfavorable energy called "Three shars” or “Three Killings”. The bad star 3 is a star of conflict and robbery. This is present in the East. It is also good to put a piece of red paper in the east of the house to minimized its bad influences.

As from 4th February, 2004, we enter a new 20 year Feng Shui cycle called “Age of 8”. This cycle favors regions with mountain in the Northeast and facing water in the Southwest. As such, we will see prosperous developments in the Southwest region of a country or a city. In Hong Kong, we already have our International airport in the Southwest and the Disney World is being built in the southwest as well. In the coming 20 years, mountain in the Northeast represents human harmony and water in southeast represents money prosperity in the next 20 years. As such, we can anticipate Hong Kong will overcome the difficult time of the past and enter a new prosperous era in the next 20 years.

2003, THE YEAR OF THE GOAT
By Master Raymond Lo

The Chinese calendar, commonly known as the Farmers calendar, or the Hsia calendar, is a fascinating system, which not only records the passage of time, but is also a tool for fortune-telling. The famous traditional fortune-telling system – the Four Pillars of Destiny – is exactly referring to reading a person’s destiny from his birth data as presented in the Hsia calendar format. The unique feature of such calendar is that all information about time – year, month, day and hour are presented in terms of the five basic elements – metal, water, wood, fire, and earth, which are believed to be the basic components of everything in the Universe.

The Year of the Goat, 2003, in the Hsia calendar, is symbolized by two elements – with water sitting on top of earth. According to the cycle of birth and destruction, which governs the inter-relationship between elements, earth will destroy water. Therefore, water sitting on its destroyer – earth, is a symbol of disharmony and this may lead to international conflicts. In my last year’s prediction, I also forecast a year of international conflict in 2002, a year of water sitting on fire. This prediction is quite accurate, as soon as we got into the year of Horse, President Bush had taken a hawkish attitude in foreign relationship and declared North Korea, Iraq and Iran as the axis of evil. There had been serious conflict between Israel and Palestine, disharmony between Pakistan and India …etc. As such, the conflict between water and fire in 2002 had brought serious consequences. However, I am a little optimistic about 2003. The water fire is a pair of elements seriously in conflict. In 2002, the water is yang water, powerful water of the ocean. But the fire is not weak as it is in the Earthly Branch – symbolizing the foundation. So the fire can resist the water and fight back. But in 2003, the water is yin , the very weak small drop of morning dew water. This water cannot resist the powerful earth at the Earthly Branches. So I do not expect 2003 will bring a large-scale war. The nature of yin water is humble, tolerate, patient and accommodating. So there will be disharmony, but the situation is generally under control, and world leaders will be more patient to negotiate peach settlements on various important issues. According to feng shui flying stars, the bad star 5 Yellow will be present in the Southeast in 2003.

As such, tension areas are China and Taiwan, South east Asia, Eastern Europe, Middle East, or even South East Coast of USA.

The Chinese calendar year goes on 60-year cycle. This means that we had experienced the same year of yin water on earth in 1943 when the world is deep in trouble at war. However, the tide began to turn as Hitler began to suffer defeat in several battlefields, leading to the Allies counter attack on D –day in 1944. 2003, sixty years after, the same pair of elements water on earth may not bring such serous trouble, and we should see improvement in world peace compared against 2002, but conflicts and skirmishes here and there will be inevitable.

The Goat – in the system of Four Pillars of Destiny, is the strongest earth element appearing in summer and supported by summer fire, according to our experience, is the driving force behind economic activities. This earth is dry without water content. So the water standing on top of such dry earth will be extremely weak. As such, we expect this year will experience dry weather, and drought in many areas will occur. In the Chinese Almanac, there is a “Mother Earth’s Poem” for each year and for the year of Yin water goat, it says “ There will be poverty and one hundred family has to share one water well”. It also follows that fire disasters will be more frequent. Furthermore, a year of strong earth usually brings earth disasters such as serious earthquakes, landslides and collapse of buildings. Dry earth could also mean desert. As such, more events may occur in desert area. Take for example, the “Desert Storm” of the Gulf War in 1991, happened to be a year of the goat also.

The elements appearing in each year in the Chinese calendar is a signal revealing areas that we should pay attention during the year. With the strong appearance of earth in 2003, it is a warning that there could be problem in earth area. Besides natural disasters like earthquake and drought, we can project that troubles may also emerge in area of agriculture, forestry area, as the Goat is also considered as “Grave of wood”.

In 2002 the strong fire brought about some recovery in the US and Asian economy. In 2003, the goat is continuation of a fire cycle so international economy will continue to improve and stabilize.

The five basic elements also represent different parts of our body, water is the kidney, and earth is the stomach, muscles and cells. As earth is very strong this year, it means it will easily trigger diseases related to the cells, which means cancer . It will not be surprising that more celebrities or famous people suffer from cancer in the year of the goat. As the water is weak this year, it could symbolize sickness related to kidney as well. As such, it is good to include more fresh fruit and vegetables in ones diet this year. The yin water this year is in clash against yin fire, which is a symbol of heart, nerve system of blood circulation. Therefore, the other area to be careful will be sicknesses related to heart, blood circulation and nerve system, and mental problem. It will not be surprising that cases of psycho killer and suicide will be on the rise in the year of the goat.

Regarding the economy, the year of the Horse brings strong fire element, which is the driving force behind the old economy. This is particularly important for Asia, as the economic powers in South East Asia are close to the equator – in an area of fire element. The 1997 Asian currency crisis was actually brought to Asia by the demise of fire element. In 2003, the goat - being the last stage of the fire cycle, will continue to give momentum for economic activities and the stock market in the first half of the year. However, as this is the last fire year in the current cycle, the fire element will demise and give way to metal monkey in 2004. Therefore, a more serious setback in stock market may occur when autumn arrives in August.
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Property industry is classified as Earth element, as earth conquers water, the water appearing on top in the year of the Goat symbolizes some money prospect for the property industry. As such, property industry will continue to be active, but the water element is quite weak this year. The also signifies that competition is so keen that there is not much money gain in property industry. The other industry related to Earth elements are insurance, mining, chemical, computer software …etc. I am more optimistic about industries related to wood element – this includes flowers, plants, agriculture, textile, fashion, hair, food, and many consumer products. As wood conquers earth, so strong earth coming up in the year of the Goat symbolize money gain in these industries. Another favorable element this year will be fire. Fire industries are energy, electricity, entertainment, restaurant, and electronic goods…. It seems there will be more activities in fire industries as fire produces earth, so a strong earth year means a productive year for the fire industries. This favors oil prices.

With respect to the new hi-tech economy, as represented by the NASDAQ, I have postulated that this industry is mainly represented by metal element. So I have accurately predicted that the NASDAQ will fall during metal months of 2000, a year of strong metal, and will also not do well in 2001, a year when metal showed up again. This was true in August 2001 when the metal month brought a drastic fall in NASDAQ. In 2003, the water element symbolizes the creativity and output of the metal industry. This is positive. But the earth underneath will support more metal; this will bring more competitors into the hi-tech industry to erode the money profit. However, the optimistic view is that the Goat –even though it is a strong earth element, is considered as “storage of wood “ and wood is the money to metal industry. As such, I am more optimistic about hi-tech industry this year. I will expect there could be a mini boom in this sector in the first half of the year. However, one has to be careful about the stock market setback anticipated by autumn of 2003. As the months of August, September, and October are very strong in metal and earth this year, I anticipate the hi-tech industry will be leading the nosedive in this year down turn.

In summary, the industries that will perform well in the year of the Goat will be industry related to wood, earth and fire elements – Wood industries include fashion, retail, textile, paper, publication, agriculture, food. Earth industries including property, insurance, mining, and chemicals. Fire industries are energy, electricity and entertainment. On the other hand, industries related to water element – such as transport, travel, shipping, communication, bars, drinks, spa….. may not do well this year, as both fire and wood, symbolizing money and productivity to the water industry are missing. Metal industry such as engineering, heavy machinery, computer, and banking. is better off in the first half of the year but may suffer set back in the second half.

In general, the yin water goat is symbol of patience, Torrance, accommodating and acceptance. So it will be a year good for peace settlement, compromising, resolving differences, and come to terms with reality. There will be conflict and disharmony in international relationship but there are good chances of peaceful settlement. The animal sign, which are not so favorable, is the Ox, which is into a year of clash against the Goat. Such clash usually bring about movements. So people born in the year of the Ox will anticipate more changes and moves this year, such as traveling, moving house, changing job…etc. It is necessary to carry a pendant of Horse as protection to attract the Goat away. For the Ox people, it is also recommended not to travel so much directly to the Southwest especially in the month of July, as southwest is the position of the Grand Duke of the Goat year.

The other animal sign under negative influences is the Goat, which is offending the year. Also the Dog is having a penalty relationship with the year. Penalty is related to hidden danger, hidden sickness. So people born in year of Dog, Ox, or Goat should also be careful of their health this year, as excessive earth element may bring stomach problem, and even cancer if it gets more serious. Also it is not advisable for people having too much earth elements, Dog, Ox or Goat to travel to desert area, or to travel to mountainous area, to avoid any danger related to the earth element.

The better animals signs in the year of the Goat are the Horse, the Pig, and the Rabbit, as they are in combine relationship with the Goat, so will be into a more harmonious year. There is some good news for people born in the year of the Rat, they will be into a year favorable for romance. However, such animal astrology is not totally reliable as the system is not recognized as formal kind of fortune-telling. It requires more information than just the birth year to determine a person’ s luck.

Feng Shui energies also changes from year to year. Therefore, it is necessary to watch out for the reallocation of good and bad energies at the beginning of each year, so that we can take necessary precautions if some bad energy happens to arrive at important locations of our residence or office. In the year of the Goat, the bad energy called “Five Yellow” – symbolizing obstacles and misfortune, arrives at the Southeast. If your bedroom or entrance happen to be in the Southeast of your house, it is recommended to hang a metal wind chime there to dissolve this bad energy. The worst months will be in April and October. Another bad star number 2, symbolizing sickness, will arrive at the North in 2003. The traditional method to dissolve is to hang a string of 6 metal coins in the affected area in the North of the house. The Grand Duke this year is in the Southwest, hence it is not favorable to “Move earth” or making substantial construction work in the Southwest. It is also not suitable to sit with back against exact West as you will be sitting against the unfavorable energy called "Three shars” or “Three Killings”.

2002, THE YEAR OF THE HORSE
By Master Raymond Lo

The Chinese calendar, commonly known as the Farmers calendar or the Hsia calendar, is a fascinating system, which not only records the passage of time, but is also a tool for fortune-telling.  The famous traditional fortune-telling system -- the Four Pillars of Destiny --- reads a person's destiny from his birth data, as presented in the Hsia calendar format.  The unique feature of this calendar is that all information about time --- year, month, day and hour -- are presented in terms of the five basic elements -- Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, and Earth -- which are believed to be the basic components of everything in the Universe.

The Year of the Horse, 2002, is symbolized by two elements: Water and Fire.- In the Hsia calendar, this year is characterized by Water sitting on top of Fire.  According to the cycle of birth and destruction, which governs the inter-relationship between elements, Water destroys Fire. Therefore, Fire sitting underneath its destroyer, Water, is a symbol of disharmony and conflict. This may be serious and will lead to war.

In my prediction last year, I also forecast a year of international conflict in 2001, a year of Metal sitting on Fire.   This prediction was quite accurate. As soon as we got into the year of Snake, US President Bush took office, with a hawkish attitude in foreign relations. This followed with the bombing of Iraq; disharmony with China after the air crash in South China sea in April; the expulsion of a Russian diplomat for spy activities, and other incidents.  Then came the horrible attack on the World Trade Center in New York on September 11th, leading to the international war against terrorism and the American attack of Afghanistan.

If the conflict between Metal and Fire in 2001 had such serious consequences, I cannot be optimistic about 2002.  The Water/Fire elements are a pair seriously in conflict.  Water can set off to destroy Fire, but the Fire is not weak, as it is in the Earthly Branch,- symbolizing the foundation. So the Fire can resist and fight back.  This could be the sign of a larger scale war.  I do not mean it will be World War III, but it may be similar in scale to the war at Kosovo in 1999, or the Gulf War in 1990.  It could be the extension of the international war against terrorism, which seems will last very much into 2002.

It is not easy to pinpoint where the war, or trouble, will break out. But the feng shui of 2002 indicates that East is not a favorable position.  So the trouble spot could involve the East --- the tension areas being China and Taiwan, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, or even the East coast of USA.

In the Chinese calendar system, the pair of elements representing a year follows a 60 year cycle.  This means that we experienced the same year of Metal on Fire in 1941, when America saw the surprise attack on Pearl Harbour. In 2001, exactly 60 years later, the same pair of elements Metal on Fire brought the World Trade Center incident, which many called another Pearl Harbour.  In 2002, with Water standing on Fire, we will experience the same as in 1942. That was when the world was at war in World War II.   So 2002 could be a year of major war.  But the comforting view is that 2002 will be unlike World War I & II, when major powers fought against each other. It could be the whole world united in a war against one common enemy --- international terrorism.

In the system of Four Pillars of Destiny system, the Year of the Horse, has the strongest Fire element.  According to our experience, Fire is the driving force behind economic activities. This means there will be increasing activities in international trade. However, the Horse is an animal, which clashes with the Rat, which is a Water element. The clash implies bleeding and casualty.  So it is anticipated that natural disasters and accidents related to Water and Fire will be more frequent in 2002.  As such, the Horse Year will see more serious flooding as well as drought, or accidents involving traveling, at sea as well as in the air.  Strong Fire horse will also bring explosions and Fire disasters, especially involving energy -- such as oil refineries, nuclear power stations, etc. So it is a year when we have to tighten up fire prevention measures. The most dangerous months will be June, July and August.

The Horse, in the system of Four Pillars of Destiny, is a "Flower of Romance". So on the positive side, this year will see more social activities and inter-personal relationships. But the negative side is that the Horse Year will bring more sex crimes and sex scandal.

The five basic elements also represent different parts of our body.  Water is the kidney, and Fire is the heart and blood circulation. As Fire is very strong this year, it will easily trigger diseases related to the heart and blood circulation. It will not be surprising to see celebrities or famous people suffer from heart attacks or strokes this year.  AIDS is also a blood disease related to the Fire element. So this sickness will capture public attention.

The strong Fire element also attacks Metal, which represents the breathing organs, the lungs and skin. So in the year of Horse, there will also be more diseases related to these areas. It will be a year when we find flu and breathing organ problems more serious.  As our breathing organ is under attack, it will also be associated with bad air quality. Pollution problems will also grow more serious in 2002.

Regarding the economy, the year of the Horse brings strong Fire element, which is the driving force behind the old economy.  This is particularly important for Asia, as the economic powers in South East Asia are close to the equator --- an area of the Fire element.  The 1997 Asian currency crisis was actually brought to Asia by the demise of the Fire element.   The economic downturn starting in August 2001 was also bought about by a heavy Metal element consuming the Fire snake.

In 2002, the Horse brings stronger Fire. So it is anticipated that we will see a more powerful return of prosperity to Asian countries, with a substantial increase in economic activities.  This will benefit the old economic sector, as represented by the Dow Jones index in the US.

The Fire element also supports Earth, which is a symbol of the property market. As such, I am also optimistic about the property sector. It seems that there will be more activities in the property market, stimulated by the Fire of the Horse.

With respect to the new hi-tech economy, as represented by NASDAQ, I have postulated that this industry is mainly represented by the Metal element.  So I accurately predicted that the NASDAQ would fall during Metal months of 2000, a year of strong Metal.  I also predicted it would not do well in 2001, a year when Metal showed up again. This was true in August 2001 when the Metal month brought a drastic fall in the NASDAQ.  In 2002, the Fire element does not help the Metal either.  But the Water on top is an element that the Metal produces.  This indicates that the hi-tech companies will have a more productive year.  Although they still will not yet see great profit, it is a year of more activities and opportunities.  The remaining hi-tech companies, after the elimination process of 2001, will be able to consolidate and become innovative for survival and profit-making.

This does not mean that the hi-tech industry will be profitable; the money element of this industry ­- Wood -- is still not there. But after the elimination process in 2001, and the innovation period in 2002, the NASDAQ will be more healthy and stable.

How about the oil industry?  The energy industry is symbolized by the Fire element.  Fire conquers Metal.  Therefore, Metal symbolizes the money gains of the oil industry. It is the strong metal appearing in the year of Dragon that raises oil prices, bringing substantial money gains to oil companies.  However, no Metal appears in 2002, and the strong Fire element will mean more competition for energy industries. Hence, we can only expect oil prices to come down in the year of the Horse.

The industries that will perform well will be industries related to Wood, Earth and Water elements.  Wood industries include fashion, retail, textile, paper, publications, agriculture, and food.  Earth industries include property, insurance, mining, and chemicals.  Water industries -- such as shipping, transport, and restaurants -- will not do badly.

On the other hand, industries related to Metal elements -- -such as engineering, heavy machinery, computer, and banking ­ will be less favorable in the year of the Snake. But small Metal will be favorable, such as jewellery, skin care, dentist.  We have also observed that the Fire year is also favorable for gold prices, as Metal needs Fire to melt it and make it into useful tools.   Fire industries -- such as energy, entertainment, electrical goods, and communications -- are not so favorable as the strong Fire horse will bring more competition into the industry.

In general, the horse is a symbol of activity and energy.  So it will be a year with prosperity in the economy, but conflict and disharmony in international relations.  The animal signs which are not so favorable are the Rat and Horse, which is into a year of clash against the horse.  Such clash usually bring about movements. So people born in the year of the Rat will anticipate more changes and moves this year, such as traveling, moving house, changing jobs, etc. It is necessary to carry a pendant of  the Goat as protection against the Horse year.  For the Rat people, it is also recommended not to travel so much directly to the South, especially in the month of June, as South is the position of the Grand Duke of the horse year.

The other animal signs under negative influences is the Horse, which is offending the year, and also having a penalty relationship with the year.  Penalty is elated to hidden danger, hidden sickness. So people born in year of Horse should also be careful of their diet this year, avoiding too hot and chilly or too oily kinds of food.

The stronger animal signs in the year of the Horse are the Goat, the Tiger, and the Dog,  as they are in combine well with the Horse, leading to a more harmonious year.  There is also some good news for people born in the year of the Snake, the Rooster, and the Ox.  They will be into a year favorable for romance. However, such animal astrology is not totally reliable, as the system is not recognized as formal kind of fortune-telling.  It requires more information than just the birth year to determine a person¹s luck.

Feng Shui energies also change from year to year.  Therefore, it is necessary to watch out for the re-allocation of good and bad energies at the beginning of each year, so that we can take necessary precautions if some bad energy happens to arrive at important locations of our residence or office.  In the year of the Horse, the bad energy called "Five Yellow" - symbolizing obstacles and misfortune, arrives at the East.  If your bedroom or entrance happen to be in the East of your house, it is recommended to hang a Metal wind chime there to dissolve this bad energy.  The worst months will be in June and September.  Another bad star number 2, symbolizing sickness, will arrive at the South in 2002.  The traditional method to dissolve it is to hang a string of six Metal coins in the affected area, in the South of the house.  The Grand Duke this year is also in the South, hence it is not favorable to "Move earth" or do substantial construction work in the South location.  It is also not suitable to sit with the back against exact North as you will be sitting against the unfavorable energy called "Three shars" or "Three Killings".

2001, THE YEAR OF THE SNAKE
By Master Raymond Lo

The Chinese calendar, commonly known as the Farmers calendar, or the Hsia calendar,  is a fascinating system, which not only records the passage of time, but is also a tool for fortune-telling.   The famous traditional fortune-telling system – the Four Pillars of Destiny – is exactly referring to reading a person’s destiny from his birth data as presented in the Hsia calendar format.    The unique feature of such calendar is that all information about time – year, month, day and hour are presented in terms of the five basic elements – metal, water, wood, fire, and earth, which are believed to be the basic components of everything in the Universe.

The Year of the Snake, 2001, in the Hsia calendar, is symbolized by two elements – with metal sitting on top of fire.  According to the cycle of birth and destruction, which governs the inter-relationship between elements, fire will destroy metal.  Therefore, metal sitting on its destroyer – fire, is a symbol of disharmony and conflict.  However, the fire of the snake cannot totally melt the metal, as the snake is said to be carrying the seed to give birth to metal, and that metal needs some fire to make it into useful tools.  As such, I do not anticipate serious armed clashes like the Gulf war in 1990, but there will be tension and conflicts in international relationship.  Taiwan will be sitting on the bad feng shui position called “three shars” in the year of the snake. So there may be increasing tension between China and Taiwan, leading to more conflict in 2002 – a year of water and fire.

The Snake – in the system of Four Pillars of Destiny, is a traveling star. This means there will be increasing activities in international trade. However, the Snake is an animal, which clashes with the Pig, which is a water element. The clash implies traffic accidents related to water.  As such, 2001 will see more serious flooding, or accidents involving traveling at sea.

The year of Snake is a year with metal and fire dominating, both elements are detrimental to wood element, as metal destroys wood, and fire exhausts wood.  The result is that wood element will suffer in the year of the Snake. Wood elements symbolize trees and nature, the environment.  As such, I will predict  environmental disaster will continue to occur in 2001.  This time may even involve fuel, nuclear, power stations, as the snake is fire, which is symbol of energy. 

The five basic elements also represent different parts of our body, metal is breathing organ, the lung, skin  and the Snake is intestines.  So it is necessary for the public to pay more attention to health problems related to these areas.

Regarding the economy, the year of the Dragon has seen soaring oil prices, and keen competition in the hi-tech economy bringing down the NASDAQ.  Both of these phenomenon are caused by the excessive metal element which is present in 2000 – the year of Dragon.  In my previous article entitled “The Dragon and the NASDAQ”.  I have accurately predicted that the NASDAQ will fall during metal months of  April, September and October. This prediction is made on basis of the observation that most of the players of the High –Tech economy are strong metal people. As such, a strong metal year brings them too much competition, leading to a fall in the stock value.  The Year of Snake is also a metal year, but the metal is very much weaken by the fire of the snake.  So how will the snake affect the NASDAQ?   I will expect the snake will help to destroy some weak metal, this means the high-tech industry will undergo a year of elimination, expelling the weak and unhealthy players.  It does not mean Hi-Tech industry will be profitable, the money of such industry – wood is still not there, but the process of elimination will make the NASDAQ more healthy and stable.

How about the oil industry?  Energy industry is symbolized by fire element.  Fire conquers metal.  Therefore, metal symbolizes the money gains of the oil industry. It is the strong metal appearing in the year of Dragon that brings up the oil price, bringing substantial money gains to oil companies.  However, the metal will be weakened in 2001 by the fire snake. Hence we can only expect the oil price to come down.

In general, fire elements is the fuel for the old economy.  The total lacking of fire in the year of Dragon has caused drastic fall in stock market especially during the autumn and winter of 2000 when fire is dying.   As the snake will bring the fire back in 2001, we can anticipate the old economy will be heated up. As such, I will anticipate the economy in general will stand to gain in 2001, property market, especially in Asia countries will continue to improve towards the spring and summer months, leading to full recovery of the Asian economy in 2002 since the 1997 Asian currency crisis.  The industries that will perform well will be industry related to earth elements – including property, insurance, mining, and chemicals.  Water industries such as shippi