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February 12 - 18, 1998

Checking in on the Cosmos

Predictions for the Year of the Tiger

BY LILY CHUNG

Before starting the predictions for 1998, let's review the events of 1997. Major disasters were largely fire-related, reflecting the impact of the ruling element, man-made fire. The biggest news of the year was the persistent, horrendous, massive forest fire in Indonesia. It was the first man-made fire of such magnitude to happen in recent decades. For San Franciscans, the fire at the Flower Mart, which caused $2 million in damages, was another surprise. Amazingly, while many great fires in previous years were due to weather or other accidents, the excessive fire incidents in this country were man-made, the result of arson.

Globally, people worked hard to cope with many appalling crises, such as persistent floods in the Midwest, the UPS strike, the BART strike, the fires in Indonesia, the Iraqi conflict, and, above all, the Asian financial crisis. Many stayed late to catch up on work consuming a huge amount of energy. It was truly hard work for many, a result of hard-working Ox leadership. These events also reflected the obstinate and persistent nature of the Ox.

Major plane accidents--in Indonesia, Korea, Guam, North Carolina, Florida, and the east coast of Africa--the massive death of fish in New England, the Hong Kong flu, and the financial crisis in Asia all took place in the eastern part of the globe or region of occurrence, reflecting the influence of the regional destructive flows for the year. The corridor between the northeast and southwest, where the Ox was crashing on the Ram, also saw more than its share of disasters. Good examples were the floods in Ohio and Kentucky and the tornadoes in Kansas.

Looking ahead to the New Year, like most Chinese metaphysicians we base our forecast on the following four factors: the cosmic animals and their elements, the ruling Feng Shui star, the cosmic ruler of the year, and the hexagram of I Ching.

Personality of the Tiger

Tigers are also born under the sign of courage, enjoying independence and luxury. Most marry young. Though most succeed later in life, it tends to come easily. They also have more luck with inheritance. It is not surprising to see that many monumental projects are completed in Tiger years after years of strenuous work. Good examples are the Panama Canal (1914), the Aswan Dam (1902), and the Trans-Iranian railway. More queens and kings are born in Tiger years than at other times.

However, they are not known as hard workers. Instead, they try to free themselves from daily toils. Tiger years are known for the invention of labor-saving devices. Important inventions include: perforated stamps (1854), the touch phone (1974), the automatic clock (1962), the suction milking machine (1878), electronic-controlled trains (1950), a fish-processing factory in the sea (1926), the pop-up toaster (1926), and the electric kettle. Earth Tiger--the current ruler--known for taking responsibility, tends to contribute more inventions. In 1938--an earth Tiger year as well--the robot and many cookware innovations, such as the non-stick pan, the pressure cooker, and corning fiber were invented.

Another salient feature of the Tiger is its caring nature. Regardless of their fierce nature, they never hurt their offspring. They also care for the less fortunate, such as the blind and the deaf. It was in Tiger years that the first electrical hearing aide was invented, the first surgery on deafness occurred, and the Braille system was first applied to a typewriter.

Their eyesight is known to be very focused. They hardly ever spot their enemies from the back or the side. It is interesting to find that Tiger years are dotted with inventions that focus eyesight such as the microscope, camera, beams for eye examination, and the red-and-green traffic light.

Being a tropical animal used to a warm climate, the Tiger is also eager to attract heat to its environment. Matches were invented in a Tiger year (1530). Hot water central heating (1830), solar power (1974), and the use of hot water from a hot spring for home heating in Iceland (1974), all first took place in Tiger years. Other important inventions, like the satellite and the rocket, reflect the Tiger's passion for freedom.

How do these characteristics affect us? First of all, since it is going to be dry and hot, as the dominant elements dictate, those of us who need more water to function will suffer, while those who need more fire, will do well. As a general rule, people born in the summer and during daylight hours need more water, while those born in the winter and at night need more fire. Businesses such as printing, lumber, apparel, heating, labor-saving devices, and travel, will do well.

Who will travel, move, or change jobs more? Monkeys top the list as they are being crashed by the Tiger. Tigers come next, as they are the moving star. The Rat and Dragon, being a close kin of the Monkey, will also be on the move. Where do the moves take place? The northeast, the home of the Tiger, the southwest, home of the Monkey, and the corridor between these two cardinal directions.

As a result of this high mobility, most accidents relate to high winds or fires. Chinese history indicates disastrous droughts, high winds, and earthquakes have occurred in Tiger years.

The Feng Shui Ruling Star

Feng Shui is a science of cosmic environment. There are nine stars ruling the cosmic change of land and properties. They rotate in two cycles, the 180-year cycle and the nine-year cycle. We are currently in the seventh period of the greater cycle, which started in 1984 when the star of a Young Daughter was ruling. That is why so many young girls and small women have been making more news or achieving prominence during the last two decades worldwide. We expect the trend to continue until 2003, with declining significance.

In the nine-year cycle, the ruling star for 1998 is the Mother--a mature women. Thus, the two female ruling stars are in a power struggle. What is in store for us? Expect more conflicts among women within the family, at work, or just in parties. Older women will have a slight upper hand, as they are the new boss in charge. There will be frequent power shifts, and new leaders will be credited for solving many problems. Managers may want to take precautions. On the whole, the year will favor women--especially older ones--in most areas.

Since this ruling star also symbolizes illness, people in general are more likely to get sick more easily than in other years. Since heat is in charge, expect more illness, particularly infection and fever. Health care and drug businesses should experience brisk business. Also, the money stars are coming from the southwest and south. Houses with the main door or large windows facing these cardinal directions will have more money luck. Try to avoid doing important things in the north sector of your house. The flow from that sector is not too favorable.

The Cosmic Boss

Every lunar year has an annual boss, born on the first day of each lunar year. The flow pattern of its birthday will determine its personality and ability, which in turn determines outlook of the cosmos for that year. According to our analysis, he is a weak boss, born as a river, surrounded by powerful fire and wood. He will avoid all the problems and focus on collecting money. On the other hand, he is also culture- and study-oriented, and will promote education and other cultural activities. As people follow the leader, money will be the first concern in the mind of most leaders. Classes of all kinds will be popular.

Don't expect government to meet your needs, as leaders have a hard time taking care of themselves. This new boss will benefit those who need more fire and earth.

The Hexagram from I Ching

Every year, Chinese metaphysicians divine a hexagram from the I Ching to forecast the salient feature of the new year. The hexagram for the year is Dating. As the hexagram generally dictates the general trend of the cosmos, we expect widespread, prevalent, and intensive dating over the globe. There will be many marriages initiated or breaking up. Single young people are more likely to get married while the secret affairs of married people will easily come to light. Overall, the Ox and the Ram are likely to develop healthy romance and are more likely to get married.

What about business? Entertainment, restaurants, and jewelry will do well. This is also a lunar leap year with two spring days, making it a wonderful year to get married. It will create happy marriage, as most Chinese believe.

Personal Level

Predicting people's luck by their birth year is done basically in two ways--by how the cosmic animal of their birth year relates to the ruling animal and the nature of the stars clustering in the palace of each animal. Every cosmic animal has one natural partner, two teammates, and an enemy. As the Tiger is ruling, the Pig should do best during 1998, as it is the Tiger's best friend, a natural partner of Tiger. However, the wood Pig or water Pig wouldn't do so well. The Horse and Dog, being the teammates of the Tiger, should also do well. On the other hand, the Monkey who happens to clash with the ruler, fares the worst as he acts against the boss. Others stay in between. This just gives you a general picture.

The stars in the palace of each animal, in fact, play a more important role. Based on the clusters of stars in each palace of the animals, the following is an overall picture of the 12 animals over the coming year. It serves as a general reference.

The individual cosmic system plays the most crucial role, which is out of the scope of this article. However, those who have some idea about their cosmic composition, may follow these guidelines. As it is going to be a hot and dry year, you are better off if you like fire and earth. Those with excessive water and metal in their system, will do well. On the whole, people born in the fall and winter fare better than those born in the summer. Spring births are in between.

The Rat, after a good 1997, is due for a change. They will be very mobile, changing jobs, residence, or traveling more. Yet, socially, they are more likely in solitude. Take good care of your financial matters, and restrict your visits to the sick.

The Ox enjoys a romance star, which benefits the single young female most. Those born in 1973 are especially blessed in this area. Single Oxen should expect marriage, while married Oxen should expect some promotion or happy reunion. They will also do well in career, particularly the male Oxen. For most Oxen, it is a year of change and expansion. Expect increasing expenses. There will be an overall improvement in life.

The Tiger who had a good 1997, faces a challenging year. Expect conflicts among colleagues, and friends. Secret romance will come to light. To enhance luck, focus on Pigs as partners on all fronts and keep a low profile.

The Rabbit should focus on routine and avoid risk. Exercise patience on all fronts. Romance might not be successful, though it might seem to be promising at the beginning.

The Dragon will have a smooth year. Some are more mobile. As a whole, expect to deal with social conflicts. It is not a good year for expansion. Some might expect serious illness of a distant relative.

Snakes are always wise. They are well adapted to turbulent 1998. They are likely to make great progress in career and financial gains. Pay attention to personnel issues, especially if you are a manager. Get aggressive to expand and create. Success will come easily.

Horses will have an unsettling year. Expect disputes with family members or colleagues. Take prudence to guide romance. Stay with the routine and follow conservative measures. It is not a good year to change career or travel to new places.

The Ram, after a challenging year, will fare the best among all cosmic animals. First, romance will be promising, especially for the single male Ram. Married Rams, however, should avoid romantic affairs. Mishaps would be costly. Many will achieve fame. There will be breakthrough or positive changes in many areas. Those born in 1931 should get a thorough physical check-up.

Monkeys will have a very mobile year on all fronts. Expect big expenses and battles in romance. It will quiet down in the latter part of the year. The best strategy is to act on intuition since the more they plan, the more they are prone to errors. Monkeys should try to hold on to what they have.

Many Roosters will have an average year. They need to be more sensitive to changes and the environment. Take care of minor health problems and financial loss.

Most Dogs will encounter luck similar to last year. Career is still a little rocky, but there could be a breakthrough in finance. Winter-born dogs will fare better then summer births

Pigs will have a very good year with good news in many areas. Those who work for wages will fare better. Those who run their own business have to deal with legal and personnel problems. Those born in 1947 should watch their tongues. Overall most pigs will prosper.

Lily Chung is an instructor of Chinese metaphysics at City College of San Francisco and the author of The Path of Good Fortune, The Meng.

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