2008: The Year of the Earth Rat

Note:
The following is a general forecast of what year 2008 has in store. You’ll likely see these trends around you but please don’t worry (or get too excited) unnecessarily as we need to examine your personal BaZi chart for direct effects.

Although the Earth Rat year begins officially only on Feb 4, 2008, this year Chinese New Year comes early! This is due to an interesting mixture of elements going from the end of the 2007 Fire Boar year into the early part of the Earth Rat year. As such, you’d likely have felt some changes and gotten a preview of what the Earth Rat year has in store for you even as early as Dec 2007. By Jan 2008 you would already be well under the influence of the new governing Earth Rat qi.

[Do note however, if you’re making any *physical feng shui* changes to your home/office, that annual feng shui influences shift only as we approach Feb 4, 2008].

So what does the Earth Rat year has in store for us in general? The “Earth” of the year is Yang Earth and the main qi of the Rat is Yin Water. The imagery of the year is thus a misty mountain. While earth and water appear to clash in the relationship of the 5 elements, Yang Earth and Yin Water do have a special bond with each other. However, while there is a bond, it is also an explosive and volatile one!

What does all this mean? Control is a big issue. Expect authorities and world leaders to be in conflict with their subjects and subordinates. Many countries will experience change in leadership in attempts to create a new order. Within smaller communities there’ll differing points of view between rulers and subjects despite attempts to work together for the good of all. The “misty mountain” imagery of the year also paints an illusion; beautiful outside but with underlying, stealth activities. There’ll be unseen machinations and master-minding going on so don’t just go by surface interpretation of events and people.

When it comes to interpersonal relationships, the theme of the year is “love/hate”. Now, notice I’ve not used the term “bad” as love/hate relationships can stir up lots of passion and in the very least they are not boring! The types of relationships directly reflected in the imagery of the year are specifically spousal/love and boss-subordinate/leader-subject in nature. Time for volatility and immense passion!

The Rat is also what is termed a “Peach Blossom” animal. Now Peach Blossom luck is what creates attraction and flirting. In addition, the Rat’s “style” of Peach Blossom has to do with sexuality….so this is a year of scandals and a boom in Hollywood-type fodder! Expect problems with sexual misconduct to surface.

While fire qi is apparently weak this year, it has some innate strength particularly in spring and summer. So the entertainment industry (which relies heavily on “Peach Blossom”) will experience a good year except towards year end. In addition, the combination of the year’s elements also indicate a year of enjoyment, luxury and indulgence so industries related to entertainment, drinking, performing arts and luxury goods will thrive. Fire industries eg. beauty, visual media, high-tech gadgets and metaphysics will experience a good year but need to consolidate and hide away towards year end.

Water being strong throughout the year indicates a boom year for businesses involving travel, logistics and verbal communication. As water feeds wood, wood industries like consulting, development, teaching and fast-moving-consumer goods (FMCG) will also experience a good year. However, take note though that once water becomes overwhelming strong at the end of the year, you’ll see a sharp decline in the performance of both the water and wood industries.

Earth industries eg. insurance and property will on the surface appear strong and full of potential but alas, wealth in these industries will be difficult to capture. If you’re involved in an earth industry, it’s a good plan not to be greedy, to work hard and be happy with what you can achieve. Stay realistic and don’t overstretch yourself or be overambitious even though things may look really fantastic on the surface.

Metal industries eg machinery, banking and finance will experience a neutral to slow year. If you’re an entrepreneur in these industries, it’s a time for planning for the future and to let business run as it is or perhaps think of areas to improve your existing set-up. Save your grand plans and expansion for the future.

The combination of (unstable) earth and water indicate potential land disasters involving water eg. landslides near mountainous areas. Also, watch for accidents involving structural defects that come about after heavy bouts of rain, flooding or storms.

Health-wise, problems with the urinary and reproductive systems are indicated, particularly from contamination or lack of hygiene. Have these systems properly checked, under “good maintenance” and observe good hygiene. In addition, there is strong indication of heart attacks, stroke and other “sudden” ailments so do watch out for any early signs. Do not overstress yourself, take good care and stay calm esp. if you have a Horse (or more) in your BaZi chart.

Up next...the outlook of the year according to the animal sign of your birth year...stay tuned!

The Rat comes early!

Yup. The Earth Rat year is around the corner and though it only officially starts on Feb 4th 2008, you can feel the effects kicking in already!

So take note of what's been happening to you and around you to get an early indication of what the upcoming new year fully has in store for you... The effects will become even clearer as you head into Jan 2008 ;)

"How best to BaZi?" in 3 parts

Having done quite a number of consultations in the past 2 yrs, here’s a few strong “suggestions” for you to optimize (and not negate/waste) a BaZi consultation:

1) Do it as IMMEDIATE as possible

If you *already* feel a consultation is worthy, don’t delay. It’s meant to help you at that point in time and if you keep putting it off, you’re only making it worse for yourself. You can’t change circumstances (really) so learning to work ASAP with what you have and are/will be encountering and with your OWN personality is really crucial. True, you may find some info revealed during a consult may run counter to your current plans but guess what….it’ll only save you time/effort/unnecessary annoyances in the long run. You don’t need to scap all your plans but at least you can make some modifications perhaps to the approach and some finer details.

2) DON’T practise “Selective Listening”

Ah, this is very the common one… After the consultation (which really approaches many aspects of one’s life; BOTH the good and the bad), the client only chooses to act on (and be happy with) what is good and ignores the advice on what’s not so good and the recommendations to change…I find this happening a lot subconsciously and sometimes even on purpose! Many people choose to be in denial of some area(s) they need to change or improve. Look… the universe has given you a chance to understand and make improvements in your life, so make the best of it! True, we need to maximize what skills/talents and good points that we have, but please accept that as human beings (unless you are a Buddha or Buddha equivalent) we all have our flaws that we need to acknowledge and work on. Sure, go celebrate your good points with a night out or partying but hey don’t lose sight of your areas that need improvement. You don’t need to work on all your flaws overnight (it’s simply not possible) but the 1st step is to keep rein of your own negative tendencies esp. the key ones, to prevent further “self-destruction”. And if your “luck” ie circumstances at the moment isn’t so great, don’t be foolhardy and press on with your plans to conquer the world today. You can always conquer the world tomorrow.

3) Having said (2), DON’T BROOD on the negative!

Frequently, with the kind of clients I tend to consult ie. within the scope of the wonderful people I get to meet in this line (or thru my artistic line), most have a feel of some of their flaws already, prior to consultation. The idea is to put perspective on the flaw(s) and to trace, acknowledge and work on the source of the flaw(s). Hey, work on it but move on and don’t keep thinking about how much nicer if you weren’t flawed and were perfect instead. No matter how much you brood and wish it wasn’t you, IT WON’T GO AWAY. Don’t blame the universe, myself as your consultant nor your own very existence. Accept it, work on it and change yourself for the better.

And very importantly…DON’T FORGET THE POSITIVE! Your strengths, talents and good points. It’s all there too highlighted to you during a consult. Count your blessings of your own existence.. and for the chance you’ve been given to make the best of your earthly existence in this world. Also, never forget just how precious your very existence/contribution already is to your family, loved ones, society and the world at large :)

The Secret

Ah, think this phenomenon needs no further intro...if you've yet to hear of "The Secret" (tsk tsk), search for it on any search engine and you'll see the multitude of links pop up!

Apparently, we draw to ourselves anything good or bad thru "thinking and feeling" good or bad...And cuz "the universe is abundant" and "can never run out", anyone can receive anything they want as long as one imagines him/her receiving IT and not worry, doubt or feel anything remotely negative! I myself was drawn to buying and reading the book. But the mega question is: DOES IT WORK?

As the metaphysics field usually draws the same type of doubt, i feel inclined to address the issue...and tks to some wisdom from a fellow metaphysics practitioner (an extremely talented dude in the field i might add), the "ding ding" bulb went off and I'm blogging about this!

Why does "The Secret" work for some? Why does "Feng Shui symbolism" (I must stress again that symbolism is NOT by definition feng shui by any means) seemingly work for some people? Why do some people find self-help concepts so empowering and life changing?

The answer is fairly simple. It all boils down to the concept of "RESOURCE". In BaZi, resource is what feeds/produces your DayMaster (recall the DayMaster is the reference point of YOU in yr BaZi chart, represented by 1 of the 5 elements). Resource feeds you, strengthens you and empowers you. It's help and support for others, its what makes life easy (eg. things falling into place), it's education, knowledge, good reputation. It's also yr instincts and life experiences that empower you for the future. Resource is also the relationship with one's mother, teacher or mentor. It's the comfort and security. It's your material possesions and roof over yr head. All forms of resource help, comfort, nurture and protect the individual.

And like other concepts in BaZi, not everyone is born with the same dosage of "Resource". If it is abundant in your chart, then guess what...your life is peppered with things going your way, things/situations working out in some way and you have a generally comfy life. Too much of resource can also make you lazy, be easily contented, shun hard work and inclined to leave work/responsibility to other people (since you find that others will ALWAYS take the lead or help out). Ie. it makes u a fairly useless human being!

If resource is your useful element in yr BaZi, then once again you find using "The Secret", feel-good symbolism, and positive thinking works wonders for you. The "secret" (pun very much intended!) is that as you are now clear in yr mind about the aspect of life that you want & wish for, you'll notice it when it magically appears in yr life. Of course, how well you can use "The Secret" depends on the amount & quality of resource in your BaZi...

And that my frens, is the "secret" as to WHY "The Secret" works for some people! Really some people can just magically wish for things and lo&behold they come true. The same applies for "feng shui symbolism" which is really mind-empowerment anyway. When things are already naturally coming your way, having the focus/plan and being specific about what you want makes you able to capture it when it DOES cross your path! And this concept alone ie. being focused, is a basic living skill for EVERYONE--regardless BaZi/personality! It's just that for some people more than others, being focused is *crucial* so they can capture the opportunities when they are there.

Now if only more people knew about the philosophies in BaZi...

Wealth counters my mother Pt 2

Been taking a break from the busy-ness of July but tot i'd better get back to this...tho am definitely wondering how many of you actually read the past post...?

In a BaZi chart, each character or "Zi" (Ba means 8 to the unitiated out there) can represent a myriad of characteristics, people, images etc etc...that's why it's such a rich Life Philosophy!

Now, from a BaZi perspective, a wife or girlfriend is also represented by the wealth element. Before you feminists wring your hands in anger, take a step back and appreciate this from a traditional standpoint. While society has evolved, you gotta admit that a man's worth in ancient Chinese society (or any other ancient society really) is measured by how much wealth, assets that he owns. And by extension, when you're able to amass much wealth, naturally you're likely to be able to support a large polygamous family (with like dozens of kids or so). Now this may be a "dark age" concept but the *concept* remains unchanged. Remember, when we talk true classical Chinese metaphysics, we always refer to the original concepts but we APPLY them in the contemporary world we live in.

Ok, so wife/girlfriend = wealth. Eg. for a water guy (ie. DayMaster = water), his wife/gf is FIRE. Now, remember what is the mother element to a guy? Since the mother gives birth to the son, the mother is the resource element. Eg. if the DayMaster = water, the mother is represented by the METAL element. Can you now see that FIRE (wife/gf) counters the guy's mother ie. the wife/gf's monster-in-law (since the mother is represented by METAL)?

Of course, not every (poor) guy will experience this wife countering mother syndrome...it all depends on his BaZi chart and how the elements are placed etc etc...

BaZi, quite cool eh?

Let's Get Practical: Wealth counters my mother...??

After a few conceptual [read: philosophical "preaching" :)] posts, you must be wondering when's KE gonna get practical huh?

Ok, let's talk about "wealth countering resource". 1st thing: you must know (if not already), that everything in BaZi (and Chinese Metaphysics) is linked via the 5 element cycle. Basically water produces wood (like watering plants) which produces fire (when burnt), then becomes earth (ie. ash). Earth produces metal (like when mined) and metal is used to "collect" water. And the cycle continues. It can start at any point and link it from there.

Some of you may know the concept of DayMaster...ie. the reference point of YOU as a person in the BaZi chart. So your DayMaster represents YOU in yr BaZi chart and is represented by any of the 5 elements. Eg. if your DayMaster is water (ie. you're a water person), what you produce is wood, what you control is fire (water puts out fire). What produces/supports you is metal and what controls you is earth (earth dams/direct water).

What you control is called your wealth (can be real $$, assets & many more things). For a water person, this wealth is fire. What produces/supports you is resource. In this case resource is metal. So when "wealth counters resource" in this case is fire melting metal! (follow thru the sequence if you're unsure). Makes sense?

So if we can't control wealth (ie. too much of the wealth element is present) then usually resource is compromised. What r examples of resource? Well the most obvious is health and happiness. This is epitomised by the saying wise Chinese saying "too much wealth compromises health"! A manifestation can be a person who works hards constantly but is always sickly or unhappy. I'm sure you've witnessed this in your life happening to you or around you. So what's the BaZi solution in this case? Simple: enjoy life, get enough rest and know for a FACT that $$ isn't gonna buy happiness for this individual. Practical heh?

BaZi really is a philosophy on life. The solutions are there when u understand the links. Of course, at times the concepts are not so obvious. Eg. do you know that the same "wealth counter resource" principle can explain wife & monster-in-law type tussles....?!

Feng Shui: Fact, Fiction, Myth or Superstition?

I digress a bit...talking about another aspect of Chinese Metaphysics.

Why? It's all related anyway. The recent years has seen a boom in the interest of feng shui particularly from a "put this here to kill this energy, put that there to increase wealth" etc etc point of view. While the industry has benefited from the exposure of these New Age ideas, many have also been confused (or tempted)! I won't talk at length about what feng shui is or is not here (just read any of the popular articles available in newspapers or books). I do want to talk about how feng shui has been the numero uno thing to turn to in terms of life improvement.

It's fascinating but perhaps not so...people would rather change their houses, doors and environments...BUT NOT THEMSELVES! It's IS kinda funny if you think about it....and soooo the human nature la! It's always so much easier to make external changes than to go thru the process of understanding oneself, coming to terms with our humanly flaws/weaknesses and then going thru the (often painful) process of improving our outlook, mentality, mind frame and behaviour. Thus, the boom of magical objects/trinkets that you can put somewhere that will improve your life overnight (tho i think in the whole scheme of things, this mentality may slowly be changing).

Anyway the gist is that it's always easier to change anything BUT oneself. But again, think about it....how do we improve our lives (and "luck") if we don't look into improving ourselves 1st and foremost? That's what something like NLP or BaZi or other "personality tests" are for! I'm a Feng Shui practitioner myself but friends, pls understand that Feng Shui is ALWAYS subservient to heavenly forces. No ifs, no buts. The best Feng Shui will not be able to produce miracles and anything out of scope from your life structure. Worse still, if carelessly applied, excessive "wealth activation" (a common term these days) can be downright dangerous.

The ancient sages intended for Feng Shui (as one part of the Chinese 5 Arts) and it's application to be used in line with the understanding of one's destiny. And surely not Feng Shui as any mind empowering object placement/feel-good type practice! Hey, that's what Man Luck is all about right (ie. mind empowerment etc)?

What feng shui "products" marketers don't really want you to know....

...is that in the scheme of the Chinese Metaphysical view of life, the order of Heaven, Earth & Man is the key in understanding our lives ("tien, di, ren").

1st Heaven: Our life purpose, in-born personality (akin to "nature" in the nature/nurture context) and life circumstances around us. Just like we've no choice to which family and environment we're born into, we need to give it our 100% with what we have. Destiny analysis tools eg. BaZi is one method is deciphering what the universe has in store for us. "Heaven" is 1st & foremost the most crucial since it's our in-born personality traits and talents and sets the tone for our individual lives in a certain immediate environment (related to 2nd concept)

2nd Earth aka Feng Shui: Energy patterns around us either support our endeavours or hamper them. The understanding of qi (ie. energy patterns) in the *environment" is the study of Feng Shui. Not placement of affirmative knick-knacks and paddywhacks all over the house. Don't believe in qi? Then have a think about how our physical bodies derive energy/strength from....Surely it's not just from our food/drink intake..? Energy/qi is all around us!

3rd Man/Woman: This is the KEY is tying up the 1st & 2nd concepts. No point having the greatest potential nor excellent feng shui if u ain't gonna work hard, self-cultivate and give life a 100%! Here's where placing objects associated with positive symbolism comes in. Hey, whoever said cultural or empowering symbolism has no place in improving lives? It's just that it's NOT feng shui per se. Reading "The Secret" and empowering one's mental strength falls under this category. Taking the intiative in understanding your destiny too falls under the category (this is using your "Man Luck" to initiate understanding of your "Heaven Luck"). So is helping others, being fillial, kind-hearted and charitable. It is everything that you as a capable living human being can and should do to maximise your in-born talents/strengths and to handle the screwballs that life chucks at you.

There you go...heaven, earth, man. Notice "heaven" is numero uno!

Many people I come across are often afraid of "knowing"...They fear knowing what's gonna happen to them (bad news in particular) and more often than not, my perception is that they fear knowing *themselves*! This kinda thinking of course stems from 2 reasons i) not understanding what destiny analysis is ii) not wanting to confront one's shortcomings. The 2nd reason of course is human nature. But here i do wanna talk a bit about the 1st ie. lack of understanding.

BaZi strictly isn't a fortune telling tool esp. these days. If you wanna divine the outcomes of events then there are other methods better suited. BaZi is 1stly about understanding your life destiny on earth--what we're all here for in terms of our physical manifestation of self. It's an extremely practical science we're talking about. The key is the acceptance that we all have a given purpose in the physical world that we live in. While we can see if someone is spiritual from his/her BaZi, BaZi itself doesn't deal with spirituality (nor does the field have anything to do with communicating with spirits/ghosts to seek guidance!)

Surely you can accept that in order for any society to function as a whole, you've got to have people in particular positions, performing particularly functions? Think about it...how else can our earthly life sustain itself as a whole if there's no order in the whole scheme of things?

The concept of destiny is 1st and foremost understanding your purpose/role in life. Ok great u may be saying to yourself but...then why is that you can tell so much more (eg. relationships, family environment, health, and circumstances that are prevalent and/or which enter at specific times)?? The reason we can decipher circumstances that are in (or come into) one's life is because in the universe is inter-related. The essence is that if the series of relationships & the links between everything life (i know it's a broad statement) is unlocked then we can also examine what comes in and out of our lives. Truth be told, I dunno how the founders of BaZi saw all these links and created the whole system of Chinese metaphysics. But they did!

STILL...even if we know what's in our life and have an understanding of people and circumstances, the perception of good or bad in how things pan out in any particularly instance is largely still in your hands. Life after all is a series of choices we make. It's the DECISIONS that we make in reacting to circumstances that ultimately results in "positive" or "negative" outcomes. And what influences one's decisions? It's all in the mindset, which is a product of our in-born personality and environment. And it is the understanding and fine-tuning of mindset which is a key component of using BaZi for life improvement.

Here comes the 1st post!

The past couple of years have been quite a whirlwind for myself as some of you know...re-location, flwd by an almost 180 degree turn in career (except for my ever-present artistic side!), a re-re-location (!), settling into my new lifestyle etc etc.

Throughout these times and looking to the future, I've faced plenty of doubts, insecurity and on the positive side, a tremendous amount of excitement as i charge into the future with my revised outlook on life. And so it has been....while living the kind of life i now lead has its drawbacks in terms of security (from all aspects), it's magical and awesomely meaningful even when it comes to my daily "grind". I plan my activities (well, we should all plan) on immediate/daily basis as well as in line with medium-term goals, and it's incredible to see how the plans fall into place once u "fit" with what the universe has in store for you.

Of course, the universe at times throws you a spanner or 2 (sometimes more) in the works, but when you can understand when they're thrown (and why they're thrown), then let me tell you...life's so much less stressful!

And so it is with the beauty of understanding BaZi...