THE arrival of the New Year is a cause for celebration. And while you’re probably scratching your heads why so many tragic events have been happening since January 1, for the Chinese, or fervent practitioners and followers of geomancy, or feng shui, their New Year actually begins on January 25. Hopefully, all the offerings and fireworks set off tomorrow will scare away the negative vibes and the bad energy of the past year.
The entry of the Year of the Metal Rat will be marked by reunions and thanksgiving among the Chinese. “It is a time for fresh starts, as people look forward to the days ahead as opportunities to make life better,” said renowned geomancer Marites Allen during our chat over the holidays.
January 25, 2020, until February 11, 2021, is not just another Chinese New Year, she noted. “The Rat is the first animal in the Chinese zodiac hierarchy, which follows a 12-year cycle; meaning, a Rat Year will not come around again until 2032,” she explained. Also, it is a new decade, “so it’s a very unusual timing for this particular turn of the year, which is also a leap year.”
So the Rat represents a “new day” for many of the Chinese zodiac animal signs. “It is very much a period of renewed energy, eagerness and hope for better circumstances. It calls for clearer minds and fresh strategies to survive, or even thrive, in these increasingly challenging times.”
Marites ascribes to the Rat the characteristics of strength, prosperity and luck. “It is associated with determination and entrepreneurial spirit. These qualities are linked to material success, abundance, wellness and a luxurious life. The Rat is a survivor; it is hardworking, and will always find ways to adapt and survive in any challenging situation.”
It being a year for new beginnings, single persons are “in luck,” so to speak, for finding a new love or relationship. She advises us to “locate the southwest sector” in our homes or bedrooms, as this is “the matriarchal sector or the universal love section of all.” She said we should make sure this is clear or free of clutter. (Go Marie Kondo in your houses right now, folks!) To activate our love luck, we can install love symbols, such as Mandarin Ducks, the Dragon and Phoenix, a Mystic Knot, etc.
Meanwhile, we must also locate the northwest sector in our homes or bedroom, “this is the sector of the patriarch.” We must ensure that this is present in our home, and also clear and free of clutter.
Marites said the most compatible signs for love relationships this year are:
- Rat with Ox (or else Monkey, Dragon)
- Tiger with Boar (or else Horse, Dog)
- Rabbit with Dog (or else Sheep, Boar)
- Dragon with Rooster (or else Monkey, Rat)
- Snake with Monkey (or else another Snake, Rooster)
Those who are extra lucky in love in the Year of the Metal Rat, and can expect a marriage proposal or a firm significant love commitment from their significant other are those born in the Years of the Rabbit, Sheep and Boar. Those born in these years, said Marites, are blessed with Peach Blossom Luck in 2020.
“Traditionally, if they would like to expedite and enhance their love luck apart from the ones mentioned above, they can enhance the north part of their room with an image of the Rat. Thus, in the Year of the Rat, most likely, their chances of finding love and romance is very high.” For those born in the Years of the Sheep, Monkey, Tiger and Ox, she added, “it’s a good time for them to start a family or get married. The southwest sector is a good area for the couple to enhance their relationship corner, and provide a positive energy for intimate conditions if it’s what is needed by the couple.”
Meanwhile, Marites explains that the troubles Taal Volcano has brought to the country still has to do with the fiery elements of the past years, and also because we had an Earth Dog in 2018 and Earth Boar in 2019. “So the ground is bound to shake and move,” she said. Earthquakes, landslides and eruptions were bound to happen, while the fire element also dominated, causing the plane crash in Iran and the Australia bushfires.
With this, being a year for new beginnings, Marites also advises a tech cleanse. “All this technology is affecting our mental health,” she stresses. “I am so alarmed with a lot of people committing suicide in 2018 and 2019, especially young people.”
She urges parents to keep connected with their children, and talk to them constantly, “make yourselves available to them.” Get off our phones and social media, and make firmer personal connections with others.
We are toasting to new beginnings, so we might as well get rid of our bad habits and start the new year with positive ones.
CHINESE ZODIAC SIGNS:
- Rat—1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020
- Ox—1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009
- Tiger—1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010
- Rabbit—1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011
- Dragon—1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012
- Snake—1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013
- Horse—1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014
- Sheep—1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015
- Monkey—1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016
- Rooster—1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017
- Dog—1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018
- Boar—1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019