This article first appeared in Personal Wealth, The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on Dec 28, 2015 - Jan 3, 2016.

THE YEAR of the Fire Monkey will be one of great volatility for Malaysia as some inauspicious stars such as the accident and sickness stars fly into its palace, says feng shui master Jane Hor. This means there will be an increase in the number of road accidents and some new contagious disease may surface. 

While the Chinese New Year falls on Feb 8, the beginning of spring starts on Feb 4 at 6pm. As feng shui predictions are based on the beginning of spring rather than the actual date of the Lunar New Year, the bazi (year, month, date and time) for the year will be Fire Monkey year, Metal Tiger month, Fire Dragon day and Fire Rooster time. 

“The monkey and tiger are clashing animals. So the beginning of the month is already considered a break month. Normally, people don’t like entering a break month or break day or break time because it means that there is a clash. And a clash means that there are a lot of changes and mobility is very high,” Hor points out.

So, if you are planning to invest in the stock market, the beginning of the Chinese New Year will not be a good time to do so. Based on Hor’s calculations, things should improve only by the end of October.

A new disease similar to the H1N1 flu may be surfacing and people need to be especially careful with regard to accidents in the months of February, May, August and November. It will be a generally better year for women than men. Women in high positions will thrive. A highly placed man of advanced years will either lose his position, end up in jail or die.

Monkey 

It will not be a good year for those born in the Year of the Monkey, and Hor advises them to lay low this year. It will not be a time to quit your job or strike out on your own as an entrepreneur as you will be quite confused and be prone to making the wrong decisions.

There will be a high chance of accidents and illness and a death in the family. Also, one flying star indicates that there will be a chance of backstabbing at the office, so she advises Monkeys not to draw unnecessary attention to themselves.

Rooster 

This will not be a bad year for those born in the Year of the Rooster. Your career will be helped along by a man, who may be your boss, colleague or subordinate. But the presence of a Salty Pool Blossom Flower star indicates a tendency for short-term relationships. Married people have to be especially careful as they could end up in an office affair that ruins their reputation.

There is also a Sky Emptiness star which indicates overspending, so Hor advises Roosters not to bring their credit cards with them to lower the risk of splurging. Roosters in sales or commission-based industries have to be careful as there will be someone waiting on the sidelines to swoop in and steal their deals.

Dog 

It will not be a good year for those born in the Year of the Dog. They will feel lonely and depressed and have a high chance of accidents, especially during water-related sports such as swimming, scuba diving, fishing and sailing. They will also have a high chance of food poisoning, especially in the months of April, July, October and January.

Hor advises Dogs to hang on to their money. This will not be a good year for investing or gambling as the chances of losing money are very high.

Pig 

It will generally not be a great year for those born in the Year of the Pig. They will have trouble in family relationships and people will spread false rumours about them in the office. Hor advises Pigs to lay low and try not to quarrel with anyone. 

This year, Pigs will have a female guiding angel, meaning that they will be helped along by a woman. Healthwise, they will be only be affected by minor illnesses such as the flu. But there is a star coming in, indicating a high chance of accidents next year.

Rat 

This is a very good year for those born in the Year of the Rat. Employees will have a good chance of being promoted and business proprietors, a good chance of successfully exploring a new business.

However, there is also the presence of the Golden Drawer star (easy to put in money, but also easy to take it out), which indicates that whatever money comes in, will be spent quickly.

Because there will be a lot of opportunities this year, Rats may have a tendency to overwork, but Hor warns against this, because there is the presence of the Five Ghosts star, which indicates illness. “Try to lead a balanced life and don’t burn the midnight oil,” she says.

Ox

This will be a happy year for those born in the Year of the Ox. The presence of the Sky Happiness star will see them have lots of chances of happiness that can happen through marriage, a new baby, winning the lottery or a promotion at work. Things will be good as far as money and their careers are concerned.

But Hor warns of the presence of the Small Spending star, which indicates the tendency to spend money and may indicate a robbery in the offing. The Ox should look out for female subordinates who may cause trouble. She advises Oxen to avoid crowded places as their antibodies will not be working well this year and they will be susceptible to contagious diseases.

Tiger

This will not be a good year for those born in the Year of the Tiger as it clashes with the Monkey, which is the presiding god of the year. This will be a year of change, which can be either good or bad. For those born at the end of the year, the changes will tend to be bad, including demotions and relationship breakups.

Moneywise, Hor says, this will be fluctuating year. “It’s easy come, easy go. But there are benefits for those working in regional roles. The more you travel, the greater the chances of meeting the person who can help you.”

But Tigers have to take note that there is a Big Spending star flying into their palace. “That means there will be a high chance that you will lose money or your expenditure will be more than your income.”

Rabbit 

Those born in the Year of the Rabbit will feel the influence of two important stars — the Dragon Grace and Purple White Flying stars, both of which govern their relationships in a positive way. This means that Rabbits have a good chance of meeting someone powerful who will put the right opportunities their way. So, it is a good year for Rabbits to embark on a new venture. 

The Rabbit is secret friends with the presiding god of the year, which is the Monkey, so a lot of the good fortune will appear “secretly”, in that they will not know who has put in a good word for them or where the wealth will come from. “They may unexpectedly win the lottery or collect on bad debts that they have given up on,” Hor says.

Dragon 

There is only one auspicious star flying into the palace of those born in the Year of the Dragon and it will only benefit those involved in industries where they have to “think a lot”, such as strategists, copywriters or anything to do with the generation of ideas. “You will have lots of different ideas flowing to you. But as for the rest, Dragons have to take precautions, especially in terms of relationships. Married couples will fight a lot.”

Dragons will also have to watch out for food poisoning and unexpected accidents, especially in the home. Next year will not be a good year for their career. “They will have a lot of chances to make new friends, but many of them will only take advantage of you,” says Hor.

Snake 

It will be a good year for those born in the Year of the Snake. There is a lot of prosperity-related stars flying into their palace. “Next year, Snakes will have good luck and everything will go quite smoothly for them. Their gains will outweigh their efforts or investments,” says Hor.

But they have to watch out because there is a Robbery star flying into their palace, so chances of being robbed are quite high. Hor advises Snakes to take care of family members because there will be a sickness star there as well. “The chances of a funeral in the family are quite high.”

Horse 

This will not be a good year for those born in the Year of the Horse as there are no auspicious stars. “But there are a lot of inauspicious stars, especially one called the Prison star, says Hor. “So, your chances of being involved in a lawsuit are quite high.” 

She advises Horses to be very careful of what they sign and to stay on the right side of the law. “Scrutinise all the details, make sure you comply with all the rules and regulations.” 

Another inauspicious star is the Sky Dog star. “This means you will be spending a lot of money and also, a lot of accidents will happen to you. For instance, you travel overseas and lose your luggage or wallet.”

Goat

Last year was not a good year for those born in the Year of the Goat and entering the new year, things will not improve straightaway. “There are two very good stars flying into their palace — the Red Phoenix star, which is very good for relationships, and the Crossing Paths star, which is good for job promotions. But you must be patient as your luck will not come through so soon,” Hor says.

Goats will see unexpected income coming in. “So this will be a very good year to invest because you will have a good chance of getting useful tips from those around you.”

Hor sounds a note of caution though. “Go for a medical check-up early in the year and if you have any problem that has dragged on for years, deal with it. You have a good relationship star, so chances are high you will meet a good doctor.”

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