Good Luck In A Jar

Once I remember reading a quotation about the cosmetics industry, that make-up is essentially about selling 'hope in a jar'. Well, these days, that seems to be the path that Feng Shui is taking, especially if you are to believe some of the annual Feng Shui books published in Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong. These books, with the cure for every problem and 'neutraliser' for every bad star and negative form of Qi, and an enhancer for every positive sector give the impression that Feng Shui offers 'hope, fortune and good luck in a jar'.

In the case of Feng Shui, the 'jar of hope' is a gold pagoda a resin rhino figurine or perhaps a three legged frog.

Whatever your problem is, there is a cure. Whatever the challenge, there is something you can purchase which can make it all go away. The message from these books seems to be this: having a bad year? Retail therapy your way to good luck!

Here's the catch though: your cure has an expiry date. Yes, after 4th of February 2008, you have to toss away your cure or neutralizer or 'Qi perk up' and exchange them for a whole new bunch of stuff. And if you are thinking, perhaps there's a cycle behind it (rhino figurine goes back to the Northwest corner after 12 years for example), no luck. Come next Boar year, you're going to have to add to your collection of trinkets. In short, you not only have to spend money to get your good luck every year, you need a big closet to store your expired cures!

One has to admire the ingenuity of these New Age Feng Shui books nowadays. Their recommendations of remedies and cures are truly creative and imaginative - placing sweets in a corner to 'sweeten' the luck, some vase in danger zones (the word 'vase' in Cantonese' that sounds like Peng – as in Ping On meaning safety in Cantonese) and placing a pak choy (a type of Chinese cabbage) to create wealth because the name 'Pak Choy' seemingly sounds prosperous.

But that is all they are. Imaginative and creative. If only all these items actually have something to do with classical Feng Shui. None of these were mentioned in classical literatures or has any historical records.

Those of you who have been following my column will know that I normally focus on the long-term outlook for any classical Feng Shui prescription. This week, I'm going to talk about something different, which is the short-term outlook, or what is typically known in the Feng Shui industry as the 'annual forecast'.

I'm going to share with you the Flying Stars for the year 2007, so that you can understand what the energies that are going to affect us in 2007, and also so that you can see why there's no reason to press the panic button and reach for the bottled good luck. I hope that by explaining the energies of the year and how they work, people will understand why trinkets and items of good luck, hope and prosperity are not required, in order to update the Feng Shui of their property or simply to tap into the Qi of the year.

What do the stars say?

An annual forecast typically is a short-term outlook or analysis of the energies of the year. It is usually done with reference to the Flying Stars of the year. The outlook usually focuses on the negative stars and positive stars, and most importantly, their location, based on the sectors of the property.

In the year of the Fire Boar, the Main negative star for the year is the #2 Black Star (see diagram of the 2007 star chart). In 2007, the #2 Black Star occupies the central palace. Now, for those of you who are not familiar with Flying Stars, don't be alarmed by the names or numbers. They are simply a reference for the type of energy in a certain sector. They are not an indication of which numbers are more lucky or unlucky.

As the #2 Black Star is also a star of illness, it is not surprising that many annual Feng Shui books predict a year of illness and disease. The other negative star is the #7 Red Star, which occupies the North sector. Generally, this star is regarded as a star of thievery and robbery. The #5 Yellow Star, located in the Northeast sector 2007 is also another star that is negative in 2007. Now, unless your house does not have a central palace, a Northwest or Northeast palace, these three stars are present in every property.

But this does not mean that everyone will get sick or that everyone has to 'neutralise' the #7 Red Star or cure the #5 Yellow Star. It's like getting a vaccination - if you already have antibodies, why get the vaccine? That's how we deal with the energies (positive and negative) of the year. Not everyone is affected the same way - some people are more susceptible to the energies of the year than other people.
The key here is to find out if there is a 'trigger' that causes the negative energies to be activated or exacerbated.

In classical Feng Shui, usually it's an external trigger that causes negative energies to rear their ugly head. What is an external trigger? In classical Feng Shui, this usually refers to environmental features like a T-Junction, Pylons, a sharp neighbor's roof or a lamp post. If there are no external 'triggers' , chances are, the negative Qi of the #2 and #7 stars will not affect your home.

In the case of the #5 Yellow Star, as long as there are no major renovations in the Northeast or if you are not using the Northeast for important activities, there is no need to install any cures or neutralize any energies. Leave the negative energies alone and they won't bother you. It really is that simple.

The #7 - a good cop, in a bad cop uniform

Here's something many annual books, in their fixation with gloom and doom and negative stars, sometimes leave out.
In the study of Flying Stars, the #7 Star, although it is a negative star, is actually a weak negative star when it's in the North sector. Furthermore, there is a combination between the Northwest sector's #3 Jade Star and the North sector's #7 Red Star. This is a "sentimental combination" that neutralizes the effects of the negative star and actually brings about a positive outcome.

For those Flying Stars enthusiasts, #3-#7 yields what is known as the Combination of 10, in the 1-6 Hetu Combination in the LoShu chart.

You might be thinking - Joey, in plainspeak what does this all mean? It means, you don't need to put anything in the Northwest or North sectors if they are connected by pathway. In fact, the #7 Star in this scenario brings about positive opportunities in improving communications and networking opportunities.

At my recent seminar on the Feng Shui of 2007, a few participants were puzzled as to why there were no cures for sale, or Qi perk-me-ups for them to buy and some were concerned that I was 'keeping the good stuff' and not telling them about what cures to buy and where to put them. The key to understanding Feng Shui is to first, not be fearful, and secondly, not approach it in a ritualistic fashion.

Fine you say. So I don't have to neutralize the negative energies. But surely there's no harm in 'perking up' the positive energies?

One of the positive stars in 2007 is the #8 White Star. In 2007, it resides in the South West sector. The #8 Star is a Wealth star in Flying Stars Feng Shui. If you have a house entrance or door at the South West, the natural positive energies of the year are already entering your house and your Main Door is already doing the job of 'stimulating' the flow of Qi. This is because in Feng Shui, stimulating the Qi, is done through bringing about Yang energies. Yang, at its most basic level, is energy that is moving, not still. When people enter and exit the house through the Main Door, they are engaging in a Yang activity and are already helping to activate the Qi.

Next week, I'll share with you more on the positive sectors for 2007 and how you can tap into these positive sectors in your home and office.

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