As of the 17th of February, the Lunar New Year has begun. As the year of the Snake comes to an end and we usher in the year of the Horse, celebrations have been well underway across the world. In Beijing, the Spring Festival Gala, the annual televised event to ring in the New Year, has featured elaborate performances. Perhaps most striking, it featured a kung fu performance from humanoid robots. This futuristic show is an apt way to celebrate the year ahead with a forecast for technological advancements.
The Chinese zodiac is incredibly complicated, but in its simplest terms, it is a 12-year cycle with a different animal for each year. They also combine with one of the five elements of Chinese tradition (Wood, Metal, Fire, Earth, and Water), each corresponding to either Yin or Yan energies. Each elemental combination happens once every 60 years. You can find your zodiac by checking the animal of the year and the date you were born.
Each elemental combination is said to have consequences for society at large. The last time we had a year of the Fire Horse was in 1966. Looking back, that year we saw many changes and challenges to the status quo. Most notably, it was the beginning of Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution in China. Outside of China, it was also the time of the women’s liberation movement and the year both the US and USSR made major advancements in space exploration.
The air of technological advancement and change of 60 years ago is reflected in this year’s predictions. Sifu Paul Ng, a Chinese geomancer and feng shui expert based in Canada, spoke to us about the year that is to come.
Fire energy represents innovation, transformation, and rapid change. According to Paul, this year is all about “high-tech, IT, AI, wisdom, and new learning”. We can already see how these advancements are happening across the world, particularly in the space of AI. Paul highlights that those “who learn to use AI will do well.” Mastering this technology is key, otherwise it will move forward, in the spirit of the Fire Horse, and leave us behind.
The political landscape is another important question that comes into focus when it comes to predictions. For Paul, the power and money centres for this coming year are predicted to be focused in the East. China, as well as wider East and South-East Asia, will have good finances. The hubs of the Middle East, such as Dubai, should also have a good year, according to how Paul is reading the stars.
When it comes to astrology, be it Western or the Chinese Zodiac, we always want to know what is in store for us. Even the non-believers and the naysayers can’t help but be curious. The luckiest signs of the year will be the Sheep. “Sheep will have a marvelous year,” says Paul, “Tigers will be a close second”. The Snake, which was the zodiac of the year last year, will be financially lucky. The Horse will be in the limelight, and as protagonists, they should brace themselves for profound and exciting changes in their lives. Though they should be “cautious about health, accidents and management of money”. On the other side, the Rats might face a bit more misfortune. However, as long as they “avoid gambling and be a bit more conservative” they will thrive. Paul’s final advice for everyone is that this is “the year of learning, learn new techniques, new ways of doing things”. Most of all, “don’t sit on yesterday, yesterday is gone”.
In the coming year of the Fire Horse, it is out with the old and in with the new. As the dancing robots help us to ring in the new year, perhaps they offer us a glimpse of what is to come. Whether in the technological world or our personal lives, the resounding message is to go with the changes.
