Welcome to the Year of the Wood Snake! As a refreshing diversion from investment research, we hope to delight you with our annual tongue-in-cheek Feng Shui guide. This year’s cover depicts a cautionary tale in which an official fell ill after mistaking the shadow of a bow in his wine for a snake but swiftly recovered once the illusion was dispelled. The story is crystallised in just four characters - 杯弓蛇影 bei gong she ying - to refer to instances of excessive suspicion. To those who have weathered the tumultuous Year of the Dragon and seek a more serene future, we suggest bearing the parable in mind; stay vigilant but don’t let unfounded fears hinder your progress.
This is a classic Chinese story, and the most famous featuring snakes. It has been retold in genres from traditional opera to modern film. In the tale, Miss White, as the snake is called, changes to human form and marries a man in Hangzhou. An ill-intentioned Buddhist monk named Fahai gives the man a potion and he discovers the truth about his wife. Shocked, he becomes a monk, only to find his wife is now with child. A struggle ensues, ending with Fahai’s defeat and the child becoming a scholar. What does it all mean? Some see it as a clash between Confucian family values and Buddhist principles. Others perceive it as the triumphant journey of a child who defies the odds and rises to a position of influence based on merit.
This year, there are 13 lunar months, something that happens every few years to bring the lunar calendar back into line with the solar observations. Custom has it that it is not a winter month that is repeated, and this year it will be the sixth month. It’s not unlike a ‘Groundhog Month’ when the repeated month takes place. It is not exactly the same of course, the qi of the universe and seasons keeps moving along, and this year the added month has only 29 days, which don’t map exactly onto the 30 of the primary, or first, sixth month. Also, for those who keep an eye on a Chinese-style almanac or lunar calendar: not only do the guiding 10 heavenly stems and 12 earthly branches change through the days; the nine flying stars, the 28 constellations or lunar mansions, and the 12 day officers or day indications all keep to their own systems. The latter, for example, repeating one of the 12 day officers or indications depending on the occurrence of every second solar term. Happily or unhappily for us, the sixth month this year is a snake relaxed, basking on a rock in the sun, and the index may not budge.
The 2013 Water Snake brought a tumultuous year. The Hang Seng rooster danced with the snake, which shifted between basking and hiding. December cooled its actions, and the market ended the year deflated.
In Feng Shui, the four pillars of destiny (the year, month, day and hour) comprise eight characters, hence the name bazi. Each of the pillars is described by the two cycles that have characterised Chinese ways of telling time for the past three millennia. They are the 10 heavenly stems and the 12 earthly branches. When you place those two cycles side by side, they repeat at intervals of 60, which then return you to the beginning of the sequence.
For Feng Shui purposes, the new year begins on 4 February. This is different from Chinese New Year, which strictly follows the phases of the moon. Each stem and branch is associated with one of the five elements (water, fire, metal, wood and earth) and also with either yin or yang, giving us the chart for the year. We compare this annual destiny chart against our Hang Seng Rooster's natal chart for 24 November 1969.
In Chinese philosophy, the five elements provide a basic framework to understand relationships between everything. Each year, wood, fire, earth, metal and water dance around each other, some ruling throughout, others bursting out for a month or so. We apply Feng Shui theory to the markets by assigning certain industries to each element to determine their general trajectory.
What sign are you?
How you will fare in the Year of the Wood Snake?
According to Feng Shui, four afflictions bring their menacing influences to different compass directions each year. We introduce the usual cast of characters - Tai Sui, Tsui Po, San Sha and Wu Wang - and offer advice on how you can counter these negative energies. After all, forewarned is forearmed.
A cosmic ballet is performed every 20 years as the flying stars realign themselves, causing seismic shifts in the earthly realm. Our outlook is tied to this dance, in which nine heavenly bodies arrange themselves in a three-by-three grid, representing defined cycles. Yearly, monthly, daily and even two-hourly patterns exist concurrently and move independently, but the annual and 20-year alignments mark the pivotal moments. The new 20-year period shifts the underlying pattern, changing the attributes associated with the stars. Once ruinous, the Two Black will now promote energy while the Nine Purple is upgraded to the highest level of prosperity. Meanwhile, the former apex star Eight White retreats to neutrality.
Sorcerer: Dr James Greenbaum
Sorcerer's apprentice: Susan Zhang
Wand bearer: Forest Chan
Director/Editor: Yukti Vidyarthi
Translation editor: Melanie Ng
Design/Art: Lizzie Lau; Anna Lai; Elva Lau; Patrina Leung; Jon Berkeley
Web development: Paul Ngan; Timothy Wang
Video production: Alexandra Lee; Luna Deng
Thanks to: Sandy Chen Dowling; Ellen Lo
Producer: Liz Patterson
