Last week, I wrote about what to expect in the Year of the Water Tiger. Many of my friends then asked if I could write about what the Lunar New Year had in store for them according to their sign. And so, I again asked Patrick Lim Fernandez if he could provide an overview per sign and advise us as to what we can do tonight to welcome the Chinese New Year.
Here’s our Q&A.
What are the lucky signs this year?
“From the aspect of one’s career, the Horse, Goat and Rooster are the signs with the most favorable energies. For Dogs in particular, it is good for those in creative fields.
“From a money luck and wealth perspective, the Snake and Pig have the most favorable energies. However, the Goat and Dog have to be careful as they have a star that may find them losing their good money and career luck if they are not careful.
“In terms of relationships, the Ox and the Goat have the most favorable energy. The Rabbits have good energy here as well but should watch out for an ‘Illegal Romance’ star which may lead them to situations that are complicated. The ones that have to watch out in terms of potential conflicts in their relationships this year are the Tiger and the Dragon.
“For health, the signs that need to pay extra attention are the Rat and Dragon.
“The Monkey will need to take extra caution in all aspects of their life as they are clashing with the Tiger this year.”
How can you enhance your luck whether your sign is lucky or not?
“Here are some tips to enhance your luck whether your sign is lucky or not: Declutter your home or office and always keep it neat and organized. Clutter provides obstacles to Ch’i from flowing freely in one’s property, and it hampers the good energy from emanating to all the corners. From a practical perspective, it makes it harder for you to move around your home and makes it harder to focus and be productive.
“Create spaces in one’s home to easily and conveniently gather and have shared activities. This could be having multiple formal and informal seating areas where family members or colleagues can gather and chat comfortably and spontaneously. This would promote harmony and positive Ch’i in the home or office. Another idea would be designing the kitchen or food preparation area that is spacious enough and has a good flow so that multiple people can easily gather and all help in preparing meals. The positive Ch’i created by family members talking and sharing while cooking or prepping the ingredients will be beneficial to the home.
“Giving to charities, volunteering or generally doing selfless acts can help subdue any negative energies one has for the year, especially if their sign clashes with the luck of the year. Giving and sharing one’s 3 Ts (Time, Talents or Treasures) provides the Ch’i to offset some of the Sha (‘Poison’) Ch’i and makes one’s overall luck much better for the year and for the years to come.”
What rituals can we perform tonight to attract good luck?
“These are the things one can do on New Year’s Eve to attract good luck for the year: Put up spring couplets (large red paper strips that contain auspicious words) and Door Guards by your door to invite luck to come in. Buy fresh flowers to decorate your house and office. Make sure to fill your rice bins to the brim to symbolize prosperity and abundance. Put an angpao with P168 in mixed denominations inside.
“Prepare your dining table with platters of foods and fruits, such as two pomelo (cleansing negative vibes), four oranges (sounds like wealth), two pineapples (Ong Lai, luck coming), four apples (peace of mind, harmony), two dragon fruits (victory, from Dragon breath), peanuts with shell, candies, cake, tikoy and flowers.
“Offer on your altar at home — two candles, incense, flowers, four oranges (sounds like wealth), Huat Ke (prosperity cakes, bloom) and tikoy. Bathe in pomelo water to remove all the bad luck from the past year and welcome the good fortunes of the year to come.
“Dress in new clothes and new underwear in bright happy colors to promote luck and good fortune. And for families who wish to celebrate in their home, prepare a lucky dinner which may include roasted pig, roasted goose, whole fish, hot pot, glutinous rice, etc.”
What are the lucky colors this year?
“The overall favorable elements this year are Water and Metal. The colors of Water are blue and black, while the colors of Metal are white, gold, silver and other metallic colors.
“However, in terms of lucky colors, each person has a lucky color depending on one’s unique birth chart. Thus, it is important to have an expert in Chinese Metaphysics and Feng Shui read and analyze your chart so you can know what the luckiest colors for you are not just for this year, but for life.”
There you have it, dear readers. Please remember to continue practicing health protocols as you usher in the Year of the Water Tiger. Wear masks, practice social distancing and keep family gatherings to those staying in one household.
Kung Hei Fat Choi!