Protecting your job

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A friend was just telling me that a couple of her husband's colleagues were let go on a Monday, this was after they worked the whole weekend on a deal. It sounds really inhumane and yet, this is a reality for a lot of people right now - working flat out with your fingers crossed that you are not going to be the next to go. 

The usual question I get is, is there anything "Feng Shui-wise" they can do to protect their jobs? Here are some general things that you can do:

Chinese Zodiac Signs for 2012

When I was young, I always marvelled at how majestic sounding the English Zodiac signs were compared to the Chinese ones. You had the twins of Gemini, the water-bearer, Aquarius and even the fish was called Pisces. They sounded so mystical and grandiose. THEN you have the Chinese Zodiac signs - very Asian, very practical. No mysterious names. The rat is just a rat. And the pig is, wait for this ... a pig. It reminds me of the very creative names of the Hall of Residences at NTU. You guessed it - Hall 1, Hall 2, Hall 3, etc

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What should I do in 2012?

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It's that time of the year when some Feng Shui practitioners start talking about enhancers, remedies and cures for 2012 Flying Stars. You might hear about hanging mandalas to ward off bad energy or wind chimes to blow away sick energy.


Classical Feng Shui doesn't operate that way unfortunately. If there is sick energy in your room for that year, there is sick energy in your room for that year. If you don't want to be affected by the sick energy, shift rooms. If you can't shift rooms, then you better hope that this is a good year for you. Otherwise, too bad - the sick energy is going to affect you. And all you can do is try and avoid spending too much time in that room and take care of your health.

Yes, I know, very harsh. But it makes sense though. Feng Shui reads and interprets energy but it doesn't have the power to make energy 'disappear'. It's like someone who reads the weather. He can tell you if there is a storm approaching when you are at sea but he won't be able to give you a fan to blow the storm away.  




So what are the rooms you need to avoid in 2012? Ranked in order:

1. Southeast
2. Northeast
3. North

If your bedroom or office desk falls in these rooms, please try and change rooms if you have the chance to do so. Also, DON'T START construction in these areas if you are renovating your property. Begin the construction elsewhere and gradually bring it to these areas.


If you can't change your office or bedroom though (like me), here's what you can do to try and minimize the effect:

• Try and avoid spending too much time in these rooms
• Try to shift your bed or desk to other sectors within your room (e.g. the eastern sector of your room)
• Keep the room quiet and don't introduce any red colours in the room in terms of paint or furnishings

If you are female and trying to conceive, it is also best to avoid sleeping in or spending too much time in a southwest room this year.


Rooms to occupy


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To tap into money/career energy present next year, try and locate your office to an East or West room or try and shift your desk to face these two directions. Try to spend as much time within these rooms in your home or office as well.
Placing four Chinese bamboo plants in the east of your property will also encourage the career and money energy to flourish.


Stocks
Petroleum stocks will prove to be quite volatile but agricultural, dairy, vegetation stocks should prove strong.




Career and business
The money energy for next year is in the East. If there is a business opportunity in the East, go for it. Next year, job opportunities will be hard to come by as well and if you are considering moving abroad for more opportunities, the East would be the place to consider as well. 

A Feng Shui Forecast for 2012*

Yes, it's the time of the year again. A new year, new beginnings, a clean slate. Don't know about you but I'm really looking forward to 2012, the year of the water dragon. On a personal level, 2011 was not the best year for me. 2012 looks more promising and I can't wait for it to begin.

Lots of people will ask me why I'm sending out the forecast now and not during Chinese New Year in January. In the Chue school of Feng Shui, it is believed the new year is born after the time of greatest yin - the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice. So according to our school, the energy of the water dragon starts at 13:18 hours on 22 December.

Just a note about Feng Shui forecasts. Like a person's BaZi, it is not a prediction of what will happen. Rather what we are doing is reading the energy present. The final outcome is dependent on the energy of the year plus people's own efforts and mindset as well. The principle of Feng Shui has always been, learn the energy and make the best use of it. 



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So what does the energy of the year of the water dragon look like? 

If we look at the water dragon pillar, the dragon branch crashes the water stem which is not the most auspicious. You always want a branch to support the stem. So there is a bit of a clashing energy there. And when you examine the BaZi of 2012, two other stems are being drained. Only one pillar is supported. This is an indication of unclear energy. 

The other significant feature is that there is A LOT of water in the chart but absolutely no fire. Fire connotes action, power.  To put it in perspective, if a person's BaZi lacks fire, it's usually an indication of a lazy person - a couch potato. 

Using the Chue Yik method, again you see a very yin hexagram with no fire. And it's a clashing hexagram which also points to a lot of domestic conflicts and disasters.



SO what does this all mean? 

1. Economically, it doesn't look like there will be much progress in the world stage. We will still pretty much be in recession
2. Politically, there will still be a lot of turmoil. There is a distinct lack of leadership and people are unhappy and they will agitate and want a change (and more money). The governments aren't going to be in for an easy time. This will most likely take place in the West or the Northwest countries or the Western and Northwestern parts of a country
3. It's a very wet chart. There will be a lot of rain with instances of flooding. There will be a higher chance of flooding in October, August and December 

It'll be a wet, wet, wet year

So there's an overview for 2012. Yes, it does seem dire but now that we know the energy for the year, what are the best things we can do for 2012? Watch out for my next blog where I outline some of the actions that we can take.

* This forecast is based on the analysis we did under Grandmaster Chan's tutelage in his 2012 predictions class but it contains my own interpretations as well  

    

Feng Shuing the Bed

My friend was telling me that she was sick of being single and she had just spent the weekend 'feng shuing' her bed to hopefully attract more guys. 


She didn't even need to tell me what she meant. I knew exactly what she was talking about - position your bed so that there is space on both sides as opposed to having one side against the wall. It's usually point 7 or 8 on the list of Feng Shui tips for romance (the first one usually being display a pair of Mandarin ducks or paint your SW corner pink). The Secret goes even further asking you to only occupy one side of your the bed only so that there is space for another person to enter your life. (Well, it goes even, even further asking you to make space in your garage for your perfect man's car as well).


Most of my life, I've slept with my bed space on both sides. During these periods, some of the times I've had new men enter my lives and sometimes, I've been single. I know girlfriends who have read Feng Shui books and have shifted their beds who are still not any closer to being attached. And I know others who's bedsides are backed against their walls and THEIR lives are constantly peppered by new men.  

In classical Feng Shui, having space on both sides of your bed does help the energy flow better in your room and it is a position you should strive for. Being backed up against a wall, its almost like you are trapped in a corner with limited options and energy doesn't actually circulate properly. 

But it's not going to guarantee that a new partner will enter your life. Your romance luck is determined more by other factors - i.e. the shape of your house, what areas of your property are missing, the structures around your property and most importantly, your Ba Zi. If you are in a period with no relationship luck, all the space in the world on both sides of your bed is not going to make a difference.  

But a bed can help steer you in that path. You can place your bed so that it taps a direction that is supportive to you. And you can position it in your room to ensure that the energy is channelled best. Both these measures will ensure that you are well-supported and that you are not stuck or hindered. And then as most wise men say, what's meant to happen, will happen.