The Year of the Dragon 2012 – GM Raymond Lo

Grand Master Raymond Lo’s predictions have spanned a range of political, economic and social events. In this edition of Feng Shui Today he gives us an insight into some of the energies and influences heading our way in 2012.  A must read for all those who wish to prepare for the Year of the Water Dragon.

The Chinese calendar, commonly known as the Farmers’ Calendar, or the Hsia Calendar, is a fascinatingly accurate system, which not only records the passage of time, but is also a tool for fortune-telling.

The Year of the Dragon – 2012 in the Hsia calendar, is symbolized by two elements; with water sitting on top of earth.   According to the cycle of birth and destruction, which governs the inter-relationship between the elements, earth is the destroyer of water and so they are on the destructive cycle and have a conflict relationship. This aspect is the same as the year of the Rabbit in 2011, which is metal over wood, also conflicting elements. Such conflicting elements usually mean the year will not be peaceful with more international conflicts and struggles coming up.  

 

However in 2011, the metal element can symbolize a weapon or a dagger, but in 2012 the earth and water conflict is just disharmony with less implication of war and fierce fighting. The yang water this year symbolizes the ocean and is an element of power, forces and strong energy. It could be the destructive force of nature, such as the tsunami or it can be the impulse and drive to press for social, political and economic changes. The yang water is also a symbol of intelligence, courage, generosity and charity. If the energy is guided in a positive direction it can bring a fast pace towards progress and reform.   The earth element under the water is a Dragon, which is also considered as storage of water. So the two elements (water on dragon) is not as serious in terms of conflict as the last two years of metal over wood. In general we cannot expect a total peaceful world in 2012, but there will not be so much violent fighting and struggles like the previous metal wood years of 2010 and 2011.   

 

But the more worrying aspect this year is natural disasters such as flooding and earthquakes. Yang water is powerful ocean water and Dragon is powerful earth, often associated with earthquakes. In history the most serious earthquake on record happened in the years of Dragon.   Here below are the serious earthquakes of the last 5 Dragon years,1952 ( Water Dragon),  1964 ( Wood Dragon ), 1976 ( Fire Dragon ), 1988 ( Earth Dragon ), and 2000 ( Metal Dragon).

 

1952    Water Dragon year    21/7   California                    Magnitude 7. 5  

                                                    4/11   Kamchatka USSR    Magnitude 8.25

 

1964    Wood Dragon year   27/3    Alaska                          Magnitude 9.2 

                                                  16/6    Niigata Japan             Magnitude 7.6

 

1976    Fire Dragon year      28/7    Tangshan China        Magnitude 7.8

 

1988    Earth Dragon year    21/8    Nepal                           Magnitude 6.6

                                                  7/12    Leninakan Russia     Magnitude 6.9

 

2000   Metal Dragon year    25/11  Azerbaijan                    Magnitude 7

                                                  4/6      Sumatra                       Magnitude 7.9

 

The biggest magnitude earthquake ever recorded was in a Dragon year. It measured 9.2 on the Richter Scale and occurred in Alaska in 1964. The most devastating earthquake also occurred in a Dragon year in Tangshan, China in 1976 and killed over 250,000 people. As such it is quite logical to forecast that serious earthquakes will also occur in this Water Dragon year of 2012.  

 

In Chinese Metaphysics the term Dragon symbolizes the massive mountain range, the powerful energy of the land and is strong earth element. So an active dragon indicates strong movement of the earth. Also Dragon and Dog are symbols of Gates to Heaven and Hell. Of the 12 animal signs the Dragon and Dog are considered as strange places or twilight zones where ‘Noblemen’ will not present themselves. ‘Noblemen’ are helpful deities that can rescue people from bad luck. However in Dragon and Dog years there is no such rescue angels coming forward to save people from tragedy and as such, the disasters usually will have higher death tolls or casualties. 

 

There are other examples of serious disasters occurring in the hours of Dragon or Dog, such as the 2004 26/12 South Asia Tsunami which arrived in the hour of Dragon at 8.30 am. The 911 terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in New York in 2001 also took place at 8.40 am in the Dragon hour. The massacre of Hong Kong tourists in a bus in Manila in 2010 took place at about 7.30 pm; hour of the Dog. So Dragon years have a strange, spiritual meaning which may bring more serious casualties that are perhaps caused by natural disasters.    

 

If the Dragon and Dog appear together in a person’s Four Pillars of Destiny then this person often possesses a sixth sense. In fact this is a very common phenomenon when we observe the birth data of athletes, as a sixth sense can often give them the winning edge in a sporting match. Famous people who have such a Dragon and Dog quality include Bruce Li, Jet Li, Maria Sharapova, Li Na, David Copperfield and Putin. 

 

The Chinese calendar year goes on a 60-year cycle. This means that we have experienced the same year of yang water over Dragon in 1952 and was in fact the year when the Korean War was at a stalemate after it started in 1950. In November 1952 the newly elected President Eisenhower visited Korea looking for ways to end the war and negotiate an armistice. The cold war continued however with more nuclear weapon tests by the United States and in February the United Kingdom also announced that they possessed the atomic bomb. 

 

There were also several serious natural disasters in 1952. Besides the two major earthquakes in California and USSR (as listed in the table above) there were also water disasters such as serious flooding and casualties at sea. A serious earthquake occurred on 4/11/1952 at Kamchatka, U.S.S.R. which actually triggered a big tsunami which went as far as Hawaii.  In March, 73 inches of rain fell in Cilao Reunion, which was the most rain ever recorded in one day.   In April, 78 seal hunters and 5 Norwegian seal hunting ships perished without a trace. In December killer fog was reported in London and in January 1953, which is still year of Dragon in Chinese calendar, there was North Sea flooding which killed 1835 people in the Southwest of the Netherlands. 307 people died in the United Kingdom and 133 people died in the Irish sea with the sinking of a ferry called the Princess Victoria. There are other mysteries such as the reporting of a UFO over Washington DC in July and 58,000 cases of polio reported in the United States. 

 

Such events seem to match the nature of yang water Dragon – conflict but smaller scale, water disaster and serious earthquakes. There were more U.F.O sightings reported in 1952 and the killer fog in the United Kingdom …such mysterious events could be associated with the Dragon – opening of the Heavens gate. . .

 

The Chinese character for ‘Yang water’ represents a powerful ocean and can also symbolize the quality of an enthusiastic, energetic, courageous, forceful and somewhat impulsive person. Water in general is associated with intelligence and skill. Such qualities are often found in people in the performance arts, as well as people who love to explore new and innovative ideas. People born in a day of ‘Yang Water’ often show an image of courage and power.

 

One typical example of a famous Yang Water person is Ludwig von Beethoven. He was a strong Yang water person and his powerful symphony music exactly reflects the energy of the ocean water.   Another famous Yang Water person is Mr. Bill Gates. Without his intelligence, courage and enthusiasm to innovate, we may not enjoy such convenient computer tools today.  The other animal signs facing unfavorable positions this year are the Dragon. When a Dragon encounters a Dragon year it will be ‘offending the Grand Duke’, as well as forming a Self Penalty. Such penalties will usually bring disharmony, irritation, worries, frustrations and sickness. Once again it is necessary to carry the Rooster pendant to minimize the negative effect. People born in a day of Dragon may also experience complications and disharmony in their relationship area and such people include Michael Douglas and Sarah Palin. 

 

Besides innovative businessmen and famous artists, I also found Yang water people are often enthusiastic in studying the Chinese science of Feng shui and metaphysics. Many of my successful students are ladies born in Yang water day. They usually have very impressive enthusiasm and drive to explore the true knowledge, as well as amazing courage to overcome all kinds of difficulties and barriers to master the skill of Feng shui. 

 

As I have already mentioned, the Dragon is a powerful earth element and is also regarded as ‘storage of water’. Its powerful earth quality often triggers massive earthquakes and earth related disasters such as collapse of buildings, mining disasters, landslide, avalanches…etc. Being storage of water it can also release a massive amount of water, especially when it is under clash against the Dog, or forming a big cycle of water with Monkey and Rat. As such the Yang water Dragon year creates the potential danger of big flooding and tsunami. The positive quality of the water dragon is that yang water is a generous element and a powerful driving force towards progress and social changes, so it will be an energetic year with new movements, changes, reform in politics and social establishment.  Also there could be generous donations towards charitable goals and the well being of the community.   2012 is also an election year so there will be Presidential election in the United States, Russia, Taiwan, France and India, as well as election of the Chief Executive in Hong Kong. Such elections also provide drive for progress, changes and courageous reforms.   

   

The last two years of 2010 and 2011 were years of metal attacking wood. As wood element is a symbol of trees and the environment, there have been serious destruction to the environment such as BP oil leak in the Mexican Gulf in 2010 and the nuclear radioactivity crisis from the Fukushima Nuclear power stations in 2011. Finally these two metal wood years are over and in 2012 the water and earth elements are not so damaging to the environment. Actually both water and earth are beneficial to the growth of trees, so we should have progress in environmental protection. 

 

However water sitting on earth shows muddy water and it creates circumstance for virus and epidemic spreading. In the last water dragon year in 1952, 58,000 cases of polio were reported in the United States. In the coming year we may expect sicknesses such as malaria, food poisoning, stomach and kidney problem, as water in Chinese medicine is representing the kidney. The Dragon is an earth element which symbolizes muscles and cells and an excessive amount of earth element is a signal of cancer. The absence of fire element in the year is also unfavorable for people who have health problem related to the heart.

 

Airline business is in the category of fire element, so when fire element is very weak or absent there could be problems in the airline business. With this understanding we should also expect disruption to airline business and environmental problems in 2012 as the pair of elements (water on earth) shows a total absence of fire. So it is not very favorable for airline business and we may have more airline accidents when fire is under attack in months such as June, July and October. 

 

The clash between the Dragon and Dog is a serious clash between powerful earth elements and such a clash will generate powerful earth disasters such as earthquake, landslide and collapse of buildings. Therefore people born in years of the Dog have to be particularly careful in 2012 and should take extra care against any mountain related activities. It is recommended that they carry the pendant of a Rooster which will help to attract away the Dragon, so as to minimize the negative influence of the clash.   

 

People who are born in the year of the Dog will experience a more turbulent year with more movement, traveling and changes. It is suitable to engage in movements such as moving house or re-locating offices. Traveling is also good but one should refrain from traveling to high mountains, potential earthquake areas, deserts and beaches.  If water is an unfavorable element one should also avoid going near the ocean in December when water is most powerful. For people born in the year of the Dog they may avoid travel directly towards the South East direction as it is the direction of the Grand Duke in 2012. Also if possible, it is also good for Dog people to minimize activities involving high speed sports, such as skiing and car racing, etc.

 

The Dragon is also a self penalty animal which means that a Dragon year also forms a penalty relationship with people who are born in a year of Dragon. Such penalty is hidden danger and may cause disharmony, worries, irritations or hidden sickness. People born in the year of the Dragon are also recommended to carry the pendant of the Rooster next year to minimize such penalty influence.  

 

The Five basic elements represent different parts of our body and water in general relates to the kidney, immune system, sexual organs and the urinary system. As such health issues related to a Water year could include kidney problem, kidney stone, sexual organ problem, inflammation of urinary tract, virus and bacterial infection.  The Dragon earth is cells, muscle and stomach and as previously mentioned, an excessive amount of earth is the cause of cancer. Both water and earth elements will also weaken fire which symbolize blood circulation and the heart. These kinds of health problems will be more acute in the coming year and therefore it is important to take more COQ10 and anti –oxidant as a preventive measure.  

 

Recently there was a lot of public concern about the doomsday theory surrounding the Mayan calendar. There is speculation that devastating global disaster will occur about the date of winter solstice on 21/12/2012. This theory is publicized in the Hollywood movie 2012 and caused more alarms. In this movie John Cusack met a man in the Yellow Stone Park and this man claimed such doomsday prediction was found in the Bible, in the Mayan calendar, and in the I Ching.

 

The relationship between the I Ching and 2012 is publicized in a book called The Invisible Landscape: Mind, Hallucinogens and the I Ching and is written by Terence McKenna who died in 2000.  In his book he was inspired by the 64 hexagram arrangements in King Wen’s I Ching (Book of Change).  In the I Ching King Wen has a special sequence in arranging the order of the 64 Hexagrams; putting them in the order with Heaven (The Creative) and Earth (the Receptive) as first and second Hexagrams. After going through the 64 Hexagrams which are arranged in 32 pairs it ends with the final pairs of Water on Fire (After Completion) and Fire on Water (Before Completion). This sequence is taken to represent different stages of development of the world from the beginning with Heaven and Earth to the end with Fire on Water.

 

Inspired by this sequence McKenna assigned mathematical value to each of the 384 lines (jao) of the 64 Hexagrams and he came up with a curve which he claimed reflected the timing of important world events. Every peak and bottom point of the curve seems to coincide with an important stage in human civilization and he called this a Time Wave Theory.

 

Indeed it seems that if we translate the 384 lines of King Wen’s 64 Hexagrams into time, according to this theory, we will find the time interval between big events on earth. His most significant point is that if we put the end date of the curve at 21/12/2012 then all the peak and bottom points of his curve match with significant events in human history. Hence he considers the date 21/12/2012 to be the ending day when the curve reaches the bottom.

 

As such the I Ching itself actually did not predict the world will end in 2012. At best one can only say it provided inspiration for McKenna to invent his Time Wave Theory. The original meaning of the last two Hexagrams; After Completion and Before Completion; do not imply the end of the world. To the contrary it implies there is no ending, as the change is not yet completed. It is like many cyclical changes in nature as when one year’s four seasons finishes, another new years four seasons begins. So therefore this theory is inaccurate and it is certainly not fair to say that the 2012 doomsday is predicted in the I Ching.

 

Is there anything in the I Ching that can be associated with such end of the world ideas? I think the most relevant could be the ‘Supreme World Order Principles’ invented by Shao Yong of the Sung Dynasty. Shao Yong also divided World Ages into 64 stages according to the King Wen sequence of 64 Hexagrams, but the number of years he assigned to each stage is very long. According to his system our current time is only in the 8^th Hexagram, Water on Earth (Holding Together), which altogether lasts 129,600 years. Currently we are only in middle of this stage, with another 60,000 years before we finish this 8^th Hexagram of Human civilization. (For more information on Shao Yong’s theory readers can refer to my article I Ching and 2012 on my website www.raymond-lo.com).

 

So 2012 is definitely not even near the end of the world. However the winter solstice date of 21/12/2012 is a day with a strong presence of powerful water elements.

 

Date – 21/12/2012   Hour – 1913

 

 

                    Hour       Day      Month       Year

                       戊          丙          壬             壬

                   Earth        Fire      Water      Water

                        戌          辰          子             辰

                   Earth        Earth    Water      Water

 

 

The combination of elements on this day shows powerful water as well as Dragon and Dog clash and it will not be surprising if earthquake and flooding occur. However there is absolutely no indication that this day will be the end of the world.     

In 2012 the Feng shui flying star number 6 is in the centre and symbolizes the metal element which relates to the breathing organ, the father, heaven and the law. This centre number also often reflects the focus of prevailing events for the year, so it will not be surprising if the 6 in the centre brings about more epidemics in 2012 such as flu and viruses affecting the brain and breathing organs. 6 also relates to the law, the government and the father figure.  It is a year of elections and as such will certainly bring about changes in many governments throughout the world.

 

Regarding flying star Feng shui, the current twenty year period from 2004 to 2024 is called ‘Age of 8’ and this number 8 represents the Trigram of Mountain and is also a symbol of young children. Therefore since stepping into the Age of 8 in 2004 it seems there are more disasters and misfortune affecting children. The latest incidents include the big earthquake in China in 2008 which killed a lot of school kids and also the disaster of contaminated baby milk powder which caused serious kidney stone problem to many children.

 

In 2011 the famous Jasmine Revolution brought about big changes in North Africa, riots in the United Kingdom and the massacre of young people in Norway. These are all examples of the types of problems affecting young people which are most prominent during the Age of 8.   The number 8 (representing children) will remain present in the centre of the flying star chart during the 20 years from 2004 to 2024, so it is always important to pay attention to the safety and well being of children in this Period of 8.

 

With regard to the economy, the fire element is often the driving force behind the stock market.   The five elements also affect people’s mood. In general fire is joy, water is fear, earth is meditation, metal is sadness, and wood is anger.   As such a fire year often generates optimism and drives up the stock market, such as in 2006 and 2007. However in 2008 the water arrived and obviously people began to have fear regarding the worsening of the USA sub-prime and following recession. 

 

In 2009 there was pure earth on earth. The earth element stopped the water and also symbolized meditation. So it means people will be conservative and play safe, but gain more stability.   In 2010 the Tiger carried the seed of fire element and so there was a substantial economic recovery with stronger optimism beginning in the spring season. There was a short setback with the economic crisis in Greece and Portugal in late spring, but with summer fire coming in May the stock market recovered with strong momentum.  

 

In 2011 the Rabbit is pure wood. However it is not as strong as the Tiger in generating fire, so the economy was not as fast moving as the previous year. There was also strong summer fire supported by wood in 2011, so the stock market continued to be vibrant and active in the first half of 2011. In August when autumn arrived and there was no more fire support, a serious setback then occurred in the second half of 2011.

 

With strong water coming in 2012 we must be wary of more setbacks.  As the coming year is water and earth with a continual absence of fire element, this could mean that the economic activities and stock market will further slow down. The strong water in the year is also likely to create the mood of water (which is fear) and people will therefore be less optimistic. This will become more serious in the winter months of October and November when the economic crisis in certain European countries may deepen and cause downturn in the global economy and stock market. Investors should enter a cautionary period, especially in the second half of 2012.

 

The water earth element of 2012 is expected to bring some prosperity to wood industries and money gain to earth industries. This is because wood conquers earth, so the earth element is a symbol of money to the wood industry, which includes textiles, paper, books, media, environment, food and consumer goods.    The second best industries could be earth, as earth conquers water, so water is money to earth industry. Earth industries are property, mining and insurance.  However the money gain is not very substantial as the Dragon is also earth, which shows earth industry is facing strong competition.  

 

The not so good industry is water.   Water industries are shipping, drinking, transport and communications. Water conquers fire, so fire is money to water industry; but there is a total absence of fire in 2012 so this area is comparatively not profitable. Metal industry is productive in the coming year as water is productivity of metal. However metal industry such as banking, high tech, computer and machinery needs to see wood as money gain. As there is no wood element this year, it is also not profitable.  Fire industry such as finance, stock and energy are unstable as the water year suppresses fire, so overall we can see the stock and finance aspect in 2012 is not very favorable.

 

The banking and financial tsunami that started in 2008 was mostly triggered by the absence of fire elements and the dominating water element which generated fear. Banking is Metal and it needs fire to melt it into useful tools. Finance and the stock market are more related to fire, which generates optimism. As such the total absence of fire element in 2008 was responsible for the financial tsunami and banking crisis. 

 

The Tiger of 2010 is the mother and seed of fire. Therefore we have seen a strong recovery of the economy and a steady improvement in optimism. This optimism lasted into 2011 as the Rabbit wood can still support fire, although as previously mentioned the power of the Rabbit is much weaker than the Tiger in generating fire. So people lose confidence again from August of 2011 onward and in 2012 the total absence of fire may bring even deeper economic setbacks.

 

In summary the industries that will perform well in the year of the Dragon will be industries related to the Wood and Earth elements. Wood industries are textile, fashion, consumer products, paper, books, environment industry, forestry, furniture etc.   Metal industry is active but not making obvious profit as their money element (wood) is absent.   The metal industries are banking, machinery, engineering, computer and high tech. Water industry will enter a year of caution with some instability factors as their money element of fire is totally absent. The sectors relating to water are shipping, communication, drinks, and spa. Earth industry will move ahead with conservatively as earth sees water as money, but sees Dragon earth as a competitor. Fire industry including stock market, finance, energy and entertainment may not do very well as their money element of metal is absent and the strong water suppresses optimism in the financial market.

 

To summarize further, the Yang Water Dragon year, with water on top and earth below, is a symbol of powerful energy and enthusiasm for progress and change. Such a powerful force of ocean water not only brings drive for social and political changes and reforms, but will also bring natural disasters such as flooding and earthquake. There will still be conflict and disharmony in international relationships and it may not be a peaceful year, but the international clashes are less violent than the last two years of metal over wood. Also there is some improvement on the environmental situation, but disease and epidemic will still prevail.

 

The Dragon is powerful earth, as well as storage of water, so the focus of this year is big earthquakes with serious casualties. Water also represents courage, charity and generosity. So this year we will see more charitable actions and a good humanitarian spirit to support the needy and poor and those people who suffer damage from natural disasters.  The year 2012 will also see many presidential elections being held in various countries, including the United States, India, Taiwan, and France, as well as the election of the Chief Executive in Hong Kong. So there will be changes bringing about a new phase to the politics of these countries and this is also a sign of bold progress and reform brought about by the powerful ocean water of the year.

 

The animal sign which is most unfavorable is the Dog, which is in direct clash against the Dragon. Such clashes will usually bring about turbulence, movement, accident or changes. As it is earth clash against earth, it will stimulate misfortunes related to the earth, mountains, buildings, landslide or earthquake etc. People born in the year of the Dog will anticipate more traveling, or movements such as changing jobs or moving house. It is necessary to carry the pendant of a Rooster as protection to attract the Dragon away. For those people who are born in the year of the Dog, it is okay to travel more and make changes such as moving house or starting a new job. However it is recommended not to travel directly towards the direction of the Grand Duke, which is the South East.

 

The other animal signs facing unfavorable positions this year are the Dragon.   When a Dragon encounters a Dragon year it will be ‘offending the Grand Duke’, as well as forming a self Penalty. Such penalties will usually bring disharmony, irritation, worries, frustrations and sickness. Once again it is necessary to carry the Rooster pendant to minimize the negative effect.   People born in a day of Dragon may experience complications and disharmony in their relationship area. Examples of people born in the year of the Dragon are Sandra Bullock, Putin, Tom Jones, Abhisit Vejjajiva, Liam Neeson, Sarah Palin, Kristen Stewart, Steve Jobs, Michael Douglas, Halle Berry, Donald Tsang and Tony Chan.

 

The imbalance of earth and water, as well as the absence of fire will bring serious problems of the kidney, immune system, stomach, heart, blood circulation and even cancer. As such it is necessary to take heavy dosages of anti-oxidants such as COQ10 which provides good protection against cardiovascular diseases and prevent our cells being attacked by free radicals which can cause inflammation and cancer.

 

The animals combining with the Dragon year are the Monkey, the Rat, and the Rooster. These animals are into a year of harmony. However such animal astrology is not totally reliable as the system is not recognized as a formal type of fortune-telling. For a more reliable assessment of ones fortune in the year of the Dragon, it is recommended that you check the full Four Pillars of Destiny, which requires birth data information of the Year, Month, Day and Hour of birth. As the animal signs can appear in all four pillars in a person’s birth data, the clash and penalty relationship with the Dragon will not only cause an impact on people born in the year of the Dog and Dragon, but can also impact any one who has such animals in the birth month, day or hour.

 

Some examples of famous people born in the year of the Dog and are in clash against the Dragon  in 2012 are Madonna, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, George Bush, Sylvester Stallone, Sharon Stone, Jennifer Lopez and the Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan. He is born in a year and Month of Dog, so will be under serious clash with the Dragon in 2012. This clash is unfavorable not only for himself, but for the fortune of his country. Fortunately however he stepped down in September 2011. 

 

Other people are not born in the year of the Dog, but are also under clash and will face a challenging year because they are born on the day of Dog. Some examples of these people are Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tiger Woods, J.K Rowling, Robin Gibb, Condoleezza Rice and Putin. The clash against the Day Pillar will usually cause movement, conflict in the family or human relationship area, especially in the relationship with the spouse or opposite sex.

 

For people who are born in the year of the Rooster the Dragon year will bring a ‘Flower of Romance’ so one can anticipate a sociable year with more opportunity to develop friendships with the opposite sex.  People born in the year of the Tiger or Dog will be into a year of ‘Traveling Horse’ and the Dragon year will trigger more travelling and movement for them.

 

For people who need the support of fire element, such as French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Taiwan President Ma Ying Jeou, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Apple founder Steve Jobs, 2012 will not be favorable as their much needed fire is absent.

 

Feng Shui energies also change from year to year. Therefore, it is necessary to watch for the relocation of good and bad energies at the beginning of each year in order to take the necessary precautions if some bad energy happens to arrive at important locations of our residence or offices. In the year of the Dragon the bad energy called ‘Five Yellow’, which symbolizes obstacles and misfortune, arrives at the South East. If the South East of your house is an important area such as a bedroom or entrance, it is recommended to hang a metal wind chime to dissolve the bad energy. The worst months will be April, October and December in 2012 and January in 2013. 

 

Another bad star is number 2 as this symbolizes sickness. This will arrive in the North during 2012. The traditional method to dissolve the 2 is to hang a string of six metal coins in the affected area in the north of the house.

 

The bad star 3 is a star of conflict and robbery. This is present in the South West of the house so it is necessary to put a piece of red paper in this position to minimize the bad influence. Also the bad star 7, representing scandals, is in the North West and the traditional solution for this bad star is to place 3 pieces of bamboo grown in a clear glass vase of water in the North west location.

 

Finally the Grand Duke this year is in the South East, hence it is not favorable to ‘move earth’ or make substantial construction work in this area. It is also not recommended for one to sit with their back against the South as you will be sitting against the unfavorable energy called ‘Three Shars’ or ‘Three Killings’. In addition the North West is the ‘Clash position’ against the Grand Duke and is also not good to sit in.

 

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Mr. Lo has appeared on numerous television shows, including : ABC’s "Good Morning America", BBC’s "Wicker’s World", Australian TV "Today Show", Discovery Channel’s "Feng Shui Makeover", CNN’s "Tech Watch" and Chinese new year interviews.

He has also written a newspaper column for the Hong Kong Standard, as well as several popular Feng Shui books in English and Chinese, which have enjoyed world wide popularity . Many of them have been translated into other languages such as Russian, Greek, Romanian, Hungarian etc. He was lecturer at the School of Professional and Continual Education at the University of Hong Kong, consultant to the Hong Kong Tourist Board for their Feng shui lectures and tours, as well as consultant for the Peninsula Hotel’s Peninsula Academy, and SCMP.com’s annual feng shui forecasts. And his speaking engagements have included the World Economic Forum www.raymond-lo.com.