Manila (CNN Philippines Life) — By now, we have probably thrown away and forgotten most of our New Year’s resolutions, as we go about our old stubborn habits. But while we struggle to correct them, the Lunar New Year — the year of the Fire Rooster this 2017 — approaches in bright red colors, and we are reminded of one thing to blame and get away with: luck.
Luck doesn’t come easy, nor is it a matter of the stars merely dancing in the right places. According to feng shui — which feng shui expert Marites Allen says is a “science” — luck comes in three parts: Heaven, Man, and Earth. Heaven luck is a person’s inborn destiny, “something that is God-given, preordained, and cannot be changed,” says Allen. Some people are born rich, and some are born with fair skin. Man luck is the fortune that springs from a person’s actions and decisions. On the other hand, Earth luck comes from the energy of one’s surroundings and how she or he is affected by the five natural elements according to Chinese philosophy: wood, water, fire, earth, and metal.
Feng shui is the belief system that harnesses Earth luck, and serves to enhance it for one to achieve a harmonious life. The philosophy also takes into account a person’s Heaven and Man luck to make predictions regarding one’s fortune. According to feng shui experts, the three kinds of luck always have to go together.
“You can’t change your birthday,” feng shui expert Princess Fernandez tells Pinky Webb on CNN Philippines’ The Source. “But you can be aware of it. The difference is, with your feng shui, somehow, you can address what aspects you know in your life as weak.”
Everyone’s luck is different, which can be determined either by talking to feng shui consultants, or simply by being aware of the general feng shui forecasts for the year. Though, like horoscopes, they may be interpreted differently, the general predictions can be helpful to those who simply want to make their lives better.
Here are six tips to enhance your luck, but remember that in the end, it’s what we do with what we know that ultimately succeeds.
Know your animal sign and element
It pays to find out your Chinese zodiac sign in order to follow the general feng shui forecasts. Moreover, finding your place in the birth chart will make it easier for feng shui experts to provide a detailed prediction of your fortune, should you avail of an individual consultation.
“Feng shui is not a religion, it’s not magic, it’s not superstition. It’s a science.”
“When you talk about your animal zodiac sign, that’s not actually feng shui,” says Fernandez. That’s your birth chart, or what we call ‘bazi.’ But then, you cannot have one without the other, because it’s like the computer, the hardware and the software, you can’t really separate them, but they’re different.” There is a bazi calculator on the website of Fernandez’s feng shui shop, which determines one’s zodiac sign and element according to year, month, day, and time of birth — the components of the Four Pillars of Destiny, which, according to Allen, are required to make a complete analysis of one’s fate. Allen has listed her forecasts for the 12 animal signs for 2017 on her website as well.
Be open to unconventional belief systems
Though many of feng shui’s critics have dismissed it as a “pseudoscience,” many people still practice the beliefs and claim to have experienced improvements in their lives.
Allen says: “Feng shui is not a religion, it’s not magic, it’s not superstition. It’s a science. It has lived for over 6,000 years. If there was no truth to it, it would have just faded away.”
Besides, it won’t do any harm to “set the table with round fruits” or “save money in a red envelope,” as the forecasts recommend.
Map your home and workplace with a compass
The most significant aspect of feng shui entails manipulating your surroundings in ways such as moving around furniture to achieve positive energy. This entails making sure that your house or your workspace adheres to the lucky stars of the feng shui chart. This year’s chart has “sickness and backstabbing” on the northwest side and a robbery star is located on the southwest side. Because of this, Fernandez recommends that metal, a strong element, should be placed in the northwest side of the house to absorb negative energy.
It also helps to know that luck doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and effects trickle down, whether it’s from last year’s mistakes to this year’s shortcomings, or one country’s fortune to another’s.
“For example, if you’re born in the year or the day of the monkey, then this year, you have to be very particular with your health,” she says. “So then you look at your house, what is on the northwest of your house? Because that’s where the sickness star is. Then make sure that you don’t further activate it to attract that sickness star.”
Though metal trinkets and other feng shui “cures” may be bought in Chinese shops, Fernandez explains that things that are already available in the house may be used.
Stay aware of the consequences
Remember that “feng shui is only a third of our luck,” Allen emphasizes. A huge part of one’s fortune can still depend on Man luck, or simply, the things that we do. For 2017 in particular, Allen advises “to be watchful in terms of business issues because cash flow will be very tight in general, because the fire element does not support cash generation.” Although both Allen and Fernandez predict that the first half of the year will be good for the economy, they still advise to be careful with everything, including investments.
“If you remember, the recession happened in 1987. There was a repeat that year. And then it was in 2007. So it’s a bit tricky and the results could be long term,” says Allen on The Source.
Fernandez adds: “The fire of this Rooster this year is Yin Fire. It’s like candlelight fire. If you take care of it, it can nurture you and keep you warm. But in one false move, it can easily get extinguished or it can start a bush fire. So in that sense, people this year have to be still on the move, but have to approach everything with a degree of caution and be a little bit more conservative especially when it comes to investments.”
Be thankful of the past and remember its lessons
A helpful tip to enhance one’s luck in the future is to remember the lessons of the past year. Welcoming the Lunar New Year in a happy, positive environment also symbolizes that you are eager to accept the blessings of upcoming year.
“Before you ask for blessings today, remember to say thank you for the blessings and lessons that you received last year,” says Fernandez.
“Because the romance star is in the center, it’s relationships that will make people survive and be successful for the year.”
It also helps to know that luck doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and effects trickle down, whether it’s from last year’s mistakes to this year’s shortcomings, or one country’s fortune to another’s. Fernandez explains: “The good thing is, the Philippines still belongs to the southeast corner of the world. Prosperity star is in the southeast, so somehow, we’re gonna benefit from that. But the bad part is, we’re not isolated from the world. Somehow, there’s still going to be that overall effect that might trickle down and we will also eventually feel it.”
Love and let live
2017 is a year for love. Fernandez and Allen agree that this year is “romancier.” In the feng shui chart, the romance star is in the center, which makes 2017 a prosperous year for relationships.
“We call 2017 as a peach blossom lucky year, meaning it would be favorable to some, but it could be unfavorable too, because it could also bring in third party relationships,” says Allen.
“Also it’s a very good year for starting a family, because the characteristic of a fire rooster baby only comes twice in the 60-cycle zodiac,” adds Fernandez. “If you have a fire rooster baby, that means they already have inborn benefactor luck. Benefactor means something like they have guardian angels on their side, basically a charmed life. They also have the academic star, which means they have the thirst for knowledge, that they’ll always want to learn things.”
Fernandez also explains that, for those will experience improvements in their career, they should not let their relationships suffer in the process. In a prediction for the Ox, she says, “They should remember not to isolate themselves from their friends and family in that quest for that goal.”
“Because the romance star is in the center, it’s relationships that will make people survive and be successful for the year.”