Get ready to welcome the Year of the Rabbit and bid farewell to the Tiger. Lunar New Year, which falls on January 22 this year, is a time for many to seek insights about the upcoming months by consulting the stars.
While most people are familiar with the 12-year Chinese zodiac calendar cycle represented by 12 different animals, your zodiac animal is determined by your year of birth. However, for those who follow the system closely, a year is not just categorized by its animal, but also by a complex sexagenary cycle comprised of 10 heavenly stems and 12 earthly branches.
Each year, a heavenly stem, one of five elements categorized as yin or yang, is paired with an earthly branch, one of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals. 2023 is the Year of the Water Rabbit, with “Gui” representing water as the Heavenly Stem, and “Mao” representing Rabbit as the earthly branch, making it a special year with a Yin nature.
According to Hong Kong-based geomancy consultant Thierry Chow, the Year of the Water Rabbit is going to be a gentler year, benefiting industries with wood as their main element such as culture, publishing, agriculture, and furniture. However, fire industries, including digital and technology businesses, may suffer as fire is afraid of water.
Followers believe that for each Chinese zodiac sign, luck will largely depend on the positions of the Tai Sui, the stellar deities that rotate parallel and in the opposite direction of Jupiter. To determine how each person will be affected in a particular year, a Chinese geomancy consultant will look at one’s birth chart, composed of various elements, such as the day and time of birth, to see how they may interact with the year’s elements.
Different geomancy masters may interpret the data differently, but there is general consensus on what the year means for each zodiac animal based on the positions of the stars, particularly Tai Sui. If your zodiac sign clashes with Tai Sui, also known as the Grand Duke of Jupiter, in a particular year, you might find yourself dealing with disruptions. However, those in conflict with Tai Sui should remember that the calendar is a rotating cycle, and they can resolve clashes by making offerings to representations of Tai Sui in Chinese temples
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