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January 20, 2017

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Ancient wisdom to help navigate new year

WHETHER you believe in it or scoff at it, it’s a centuries-old tradition for Chinese to ponder feng shui as they think about their prospects at the start of every Chinese New Year. Will I find my true love? Do I have any chance of getting promoted at work? Will I make money? Will my children succeed academically?

Perhaps, many believe, with a little help from astrology and feng shui — literally meaning “wind and water,” a philosophical system for harmonizing human existence with the surrounding environment — life can become a little better. Though it might all boil down to the power of the self-suggestion, it won’t cost you much to make some small, easy feng shui adjustments in your home. And these might well help you dodge bad luck and welcome in a wave of positive energy.

In the Year of the Rooster, people born in this year and the Year of the Rabbit should be on guard because it will be easy for them to offend the Tai Sui deity (Grand Duke Jupiter), who can bring bad luck, property loss and illness.

A popular practice to avoid ominous energy is to wear red socks and underwear as this color is said to scare away evil forces. You can also worship Tai Sui at home. The deity is often personified as the year’s zodiac animal, so this year it is depicted as a rooster god.

“Feng shui is a combination of Chinese philosophy, environmental science and meteorology. It is also supported by geography, astronomy and human physiology,” says Su Bocheng, a full-time feng shui consultant based in Shanghai. “If handled properly, you can benefit from it greatly.”

He offered some basic feng shui tips for arrangements in the home for the Year of the Rooster. This year, Lunar New Year’s Eve falls on January 27.

Pointing the way

The first step is to map the layout of your home. Based on the Big Dipper’s nine stars, the ancient Chinese created the Figure of Nine Squares, or nine directions — the east, west, north, south, northeast, northwest, southwest, northwest and center — to describe feng shui locations. Your home or office space can thus be divided into nine directions.

Here are some major points for the Year of the Rooster: Beware of the northwest, west, southwest and south. The east is half-good, good for money, and half-bad, as it offends the Tai Sui deity. The northeast is good for students; the center is good for love. The southeast is good for happiness and the north is best for power.

The northwest is said to bring illness to those who spend too much time there. Su suggests placing a bronze double-gourd in the northwest of a room or space. According to the Chinese five element theory, illness derives from the earth element but metal can subdue the earth and heal the body. According to an ancient Chinese legend, a gourd shell was used by a deity to trap evil spirits and hold precious medicinal pills.

The west is also a bad locale this year; a direction where disputes, trouble and conflicts between bosses and colleagues can be found because it is the exact location of the Tai Sui deity. People believed (some still do) the deity would cause misfortune if there is too much activity in this direction. To avoid bad energy, people can post a Taoist tai chi amulet depicting the Eight Trigrams, or worship the Tai Sui deity at home.

The southwest is more likely to bring hurt or cause accidents. Su suggests that knives and cutting tools not be placed in this locale. Instead, here people can place a round, transparent fish tank and raise one or 11 black fish in it.

“Water is flowing, which can help carry the bad energy away in a soft, mild way,” Su says.

The south is also an unfavorable place where accidents and disasters might happen. One solution is to place a bronze toad there. In Chinese mythology, this animal can spit coins and increase the chances of money-making. The principle is that the toad has the ability to change ominous energy into treasure.

The east is a little more complicated. On the one hand, the east is a lucky direction that increases your chances of making money; but on the other hand, it is bad because it will receive negative energy darting from the west, the location of the Tai Sui. It is advised to have a Taoist amulet and carry it everyday.

The center this year is an auspicious direction for those who are looking for love or want to improve their relationships. You can decorate your room’s center with fresh flowers.

The southeast is the luckiest feng shui direction this lunar year. Red, pink, purple, orange and yellow (all in the same spectrum and having connotations of happiness) are excellent in your home in this direction. You can decorate it with a red Chinese knot, place firecrackers or hang Spring couplets in this locale.

The northeast is a good direction for students. Children’s bookshelves, desks and computers can be put in a northeastern room, a step which is said to promote mental performance. You can also place a model of a Wenchang pagoda here (Wenchang is the god who controls the realm of knowledge).

The north is good for power.

Those who want to climb up the corporate ladder or build political influence can affix images of emperors or political leaders here.




 

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