‘Year of the Pig will not be harmonious’

Raymond Lo, renowned Chinese astrologer, looks at the year ahead and has a grim message

HONG KONG: To the uninitiated, Chinese astrology may seem like a curious alchemy of heavy-duty chemical engineering and a menagerie of animals. There are, for instance, the 12 zodiac animals — from the Rat through to the Pig — that govern the personality of people born in the associated year.

Then there are the elements; in the Chinese belief system, everything in the universe is composed of five elements — metal, water, wood, fire and earth. Top that with energy forces — yin (feminine) and yang (masculine) — and you get a whole universe of possibilities. 

Under the lunar calendar, the Chinese New Year begins on February 18, and the coming year is the Year of the Pig, the last animal in the 12-year cycle.

DNA spoke to renowned Chinese astrologer, feng shui master and researcher, and “Destiny Consultant” Raymond Lo about his predictions for the world in the Year of the Pig. Making predictions for the new year is a Chinese tradition, but few have done it in the past with a greater degree of accuracy than Lo.

He has been featured on various TV shows, from ABC’s Good Morning America to BBC to Discovery Channel to CNN. He also offers course — in several cities around the world — in the ‘Four Pillars of Destiny’, feng shui and I-Ching (an ancient Chinese tradition of divining the future).

What are your predictions for the Year of the Pig?
The Chinese calendar is defined by elements, and the Chinese people believe that everything in the universe is composed of five elements. Even the animals in the zodiac are associated with elements. The Pig, for instance, is a water element. Events are shaped by the influence of these elements on everybody, everything and every living creature. 

The calendar for 2007 shows a fire sitting on a water element (the Pig). These are a conflicting pair of elements, and whenever you have such a conflict, the world will not be peaceful. This means that 2007 will witness a lot of turbulence, conflict and disharmony. It will not be a peaceful year. 

Also, the fire on top in 2007 is yin fire (or feminine force), which is like candle-light — very unstable and elusive. It is hypersensitive and can trigger fire disasters. 

If you look at it historically, a lot of disasters happened on days related to yin fire. August 6, 1945 — the day the first atomic bomb devastated Hiroshima — was a day of yin fire.

The Chinese character for yin fire is shaped like a T: you could say it resembles a mushroom cloud. Take September 11, 2001. Does the date ring a bell? That day was a double yin fire day: both the month and day were associated with yin fire. 

Are you suggesting that we could see a nuclear strike or a 9/11-type of attack in 2007?
Not at all. But yin fire is not a good element. It could manifest itself in more explosions in fire disasters, as compared to other years. 

How will stock markets across the world, which had a great year, fare in 2007?
Early in the year, there will be great optimism about the economy and the stock markets could soar high. Spring and summer time are seasons associated with wood and fire, and the yin fire, may seem strong. But it will die out by autumn, say from August. You can expect a stock market crisis between August and October. 

This is borne out in history as well. Both in 1987 and 1997 — which were characterised by yin fire — there were stock market crises. The year 1997 saw the Asian financial crisis. That was the year of the Ox, which is an earth element. But this year, the crisis won’t be as serious as in 1997, and it will be more global.

What about politics?
The ‘fire pig’ is a year of regeneration. You will see a lot of regime changes — which has already begun to happen — in Japan and Thailand. The UN too has a new secretary-general. Since the Pig is the last animal in the 12-year cycle, it also marks the ending of an old order and the beginning of a new one.

How will individuals born under different zodiac signs be affected?
The pig is in conflict with the snake. If you’re born in the year of the Snake (1965, 1977, 1989 etc), you could be in for a turbulent year — not necessarily difficult, but a period of great change. Whether it will be good or bad will depend on other specificities.

If you’re in bad luck, you could have an accident. Even for those born in the year of the Pig (1971, 1983, 1995), there could be “hidden dangers” because the Pig is said to be “in penalty” with the Pig. 

Can such people avert the malefic influences in any way?
The Chinese traditional cure is to carry a pendant of a Tiger. The Tiger and the Pig are ‘friends’. 

Is this a year a good one for anyone at all?
Purely looking at animals that are “in harmony” with the Pig, those born under the Rabbit (1963, 1975, 1987), Goat (1967, 1979, 1991) or the Tiger (1962, 1974, 1986) will have a peaceful year.