Volatility predicted in year of ‘docile’ sheep
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THE Year of the Horse brought catastrophic international air accidents, brutal terror attacks, global political upheaval, a resurgent Ebola virus and war.
But fortune-tellers in the southern Chinese city of Hong Kong have heralded a more docile Year of the Sheep — though volatility is still in the air, with warnings of more woes for global property markets, and an “explosion of bacteria” leading to new and resurgent diseases.
The lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon, and through Chinese folklore ascribes 12 animals — one for each year in the rotating cycle.
The sheep, in the eighth position, is “comparatively tame, meaning that if there is any challenge everyone can come together to solve it,” said Hong Kong-based feng shui expert Cheng Chi-tai.
“But because of the animal’s character, it is not strong enough to suppress the instability from last year,” Cheng said, adding that there is no difference between the sheep and the goat in the Chinese translation.
Chinese fortune-telling, including feng shui, is based on ancient philosophy and the belief that events are dictated by balancing the five elements that make up the universe: metal, wood, water, fire and earth.
Feng shui — literally meaning “wind-water” — is influential in many parts of Asia, where people adjust their lives, homes and offices based on its rules to maximise their luck and wealth.
“This year will definitely be calmer in terms of disasters or accidents,” feng shui expert Thierry Chow said.
The 27-year-old is a second-generation master who studied the practice under her father Chow Hon-ming.
“The reason last year was so explosive was because the fire element was quite dominant,” she claimed.
But some astrologist said this year will bring a volatile economy, more transport accidents and windy natural disasters such as tornadoes in the US and typhoons in Southeast Asia.
For China, which doesn’t get tornadoes, that means air pollution, “coming in with dirty air currents and affecting everyone’s lives,” said Shanghai-based astrologer Dong Jialing.
“In around June, when it’s getting hot in China, the Western economy will fluctuate quite a lot and will be very unstable,” Dong predicted. But August or September will mark the start of a very stable economic period.
Feng shui master Clement Chan said he sees a lot of fire this year, and “fire means accidents.” He anticipates plane crashes in the first half, but not as many as in 2014. He also sees a lot of road accidents.
On the positive side, he sees female managers and company leaders doing well this year.
“I think you’ll see a lot of female world leaders — they’ll achieve something great, actually,” Chan said.
In its annual tongue-in-cheek “feng shui index” CLSA, one of Asia’s leading brokerages, predicted there will be a slight improvement in the economy due to the sheep’s docile nature.
“Prayers and invocations to wealth, engagements and transactions, openings and agreements are smiled upon by the gentle sheep,” it said.
But Chow warned the animal was strongly connected to the earth element, which can represent sickness, meaning that this year could see a resurgence of existing diseases and the genesis of new ones.
The previous Year of the Sheep — 2003 — saw the SARS epidemic that infected 8,096 worldwide and killed 744 people.
“Depending on what other elements are partnering with earth, it usually sparks an outbreak,” she said. “There’s going to be a big explosion of bacteria.”
Property markets around the world could also see a tough year with a possibility of a downturn, both Chow and Cheng predicted.
The sector is represented by the earth element but the impact of the wood element might cause problems.
But there are also positive sides to the wood element, Chow said, suggesting it could also spark a renewed interest in earth-friendly trends — such as a rise in people becoming vegetarian, or adopting a greater interest in farming and sustainability.
An individual’s fortune for the lunar year ahead is calculated by using the exact time and date of his or her birth and examining the relationship with each of the elements.
For example, Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence, who was born in the Year of the Horse, will continue to have a successful year with lots of work and opportunities, Chow said.
But the star, who hit the headlines last year after hackers posted nude pictures of her online, may continue to struggle in her personal life.
“If she’s in a relationship there will be lots of conflict,” Chow said.
Alibaba’s Jack Ma, one of Asia’s richest men, will not be greatly affected by troubles despite authorities accusing his company of allowing “illegal” actions on its multi-billion-dollar online shopping platform.
“He’s not going to have a rocky year, it will be quite stable overall,” Chow said, adding that his wealth will go up in 2015.
The brokerage CLSA also speculates on the fortunes of celebrities. Jackie Chan’s actor son Jaycee, who was released recently after serving a six-month sentence on drug-related charges, has the zodiac sign of a dog and will benefit from slowing down and learning more about himself, it said.
People born in the Year of the Sheep, including Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Zhang Ziyi, traditionally are believed to be filial, kind-hearted and artistic, while also timid, obstinate and consummate worriers.
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