Happy New Year to you! It is the start of a brand new year and many of you are excited to start the year fresh by setting new goals, getting healthy (especially after all the holiday indulgences), and moving forward from all-things yester-year. Let’s all collectively release a sigh of relief, right?
But alas! We’re not there yet… Most people don’t understand that in practice, our calculation of the “new cycle” is not based on the January 1st start date. Instead, the calendar cycle for Feng Shui and BaZi follows the Sun. That means we are technically still in the year of the Goat! Every year, I have to emphasize this important technicality because it’s very common to see many careless and ignorant mistakes shared online and by the public media.
In this article, I will summarize two things:
1) to clarify the start date of the new cycle; and
2) to highlight the energy of the last month (January) of the Goat Year.
The official arrival date of the 2016 Yang Fire Monkey year will begin on February 4th because this is the start date of the Solar Calendar. We also call this the “Arrival of Spring” since it denotes the first day of the spring season. We use this date to establish the new celestial animal year for BaZi and when the annual visit stars will kick in for Flying Star Feng Shui. To that regard, hold on to your seats because the Goat Year isn’t quite over yet!
Ladies: if you are giving birth during the month of January 2016, your new baby is still a Yin Wood Goat year baby!!
And that brings me to my second point. We will transition to the Ox month on January 6th. And this will be an interesting month to observe for three reasons:
1.) The Elemental interrelations between the Ox and Goat have a “clash” relationship.
This means we will experience one more “kick in the pants” before we officially close out the Goat Year. You can look at this relationship as if the Ox is in his final duel with the King (the Goat). Hence, the clash energy brings temporary turbulence.
- Be mindful of important dealings this month including finances and contract signing.
- Be more considerate in your relationships by communicating clearly, with compassion and patience.
- Pay attention to any earth-related disasters such as earthquakes and avalanches.
- Moving homes is a likely positive venture.
- Traveling is ideal but take caution heading anywhere West of your location.
2.) The Ox month and the Goat Year will trigger an Earth Penalty for some folks.
For most people, the Ox will be a Nobleman month so the turbulence of the clash may be minimal. Others must be extra careful if they already have a Dog anywhere in the Four Pillars (i.e., Year, Month, Day, Time and even Luck Pillar). If you have a Dog, then you need to watch out for the “3 combine penalty” when these three animals connect: Ox + Goat + Dog. Since time has already presented the Ox (in the month) and the Goat (in the year), the Earth Penalty combine is only waiting for the Dog in your BaZi chart to complete the penalty formation.
Depending on where these animals sit in your Four Pillars, you may experience disturbances in those relationship areas this month. I’ll be the first one to admit that it is difficult — and even impossible — to make specific predictions on how this penalty will affect YOU exactly because everyone’s BaZi chart is so unique. We can only achieve that by examining your chart one-on-one. And so, I won’t even attempt to do that here. My only word of advice is: Set stronger intentions to have a more resolute and confident outlook going into the Monkey Year. Take a deep breath and mind your attitude. This. Too. Shall. Pass.
If you want to know more about your own chart specifically, it might be time to get your BaZi reading done! Check it out here.
3.) Flying Star 5 duplicates in the West Sector, bringing additional turbulence and chaos in this area.
If you are somewhat familiar with Flying Star Feng Shui (and honestly, it is the most awesome and dynamic technique in the Classical approach), you’ll understand that “5” is considered an inauspicious number. The reasoning behind it is quite deep and technical, which I’ll skip over for another day. Just understand that whenever 5 is active inside your space, it tends to wreak havoc. This negative abstract energy is the culprit for all sorts of misfortune, such as accidents, arguments, tragedies, loss of wealth, etc.
So what does the Feng Shui say for January? We need to take greater care of the West Sector because 5 will duplicate itself to 5-5. If your house is a West facing home or your main door or other key important rooms are in the West sector, then you need to take early precautions by placing a 6 metal rod wind chime to suppress this energy this month. Remember energy cycles similar to a person’s fortune. And so your house will go through the same ups and downs. But knowing this information ahead can prepare you to take the necessary steps to prevent any major mishaps. Awareness is an amazing gift 🙂
If you want to learn more, you can check out my writeup of the Ruling Star in Flying Star Feng Shui here, or if you’re interested in learning Feng Shui more deeply, check out our formal training program here as well.
In conclusion, don’t let your guards down just yet. January will force many of you to REEVALUATE goals and plans that you may have already set in stone. Be flexible and keep an open mind. The Elements bring change to encourage the world to be in a better flow. And while we always hope for a smoother and more gentler experience, sometimes, big changes do show up as a jolting shock. So, take a breath. And happy learning!
Fun Trivia:
- This year’s Chinese New Year celebration will be on February 8th and this date is determined based on the Moon, or the Lunar Calendar.
- I had a client who thought she was born in the year of the Dragon and the significance of her birth year was also tattooed on her back — a large, beautifully designed Chinese Dragon that covered most of her back. Unfortunately, she was a January baby and so technically, her correct Chinese birth year is Rabbit, not Dragon! Oops.
- The Solar Calendar is also called the Farmer’s Calendar, Gregorian Calendar, or Hsia Calendar.
