Feng Shui & Chinese Astrology for 2018 Year of the Yang Earth Dog
The Wu-Xu, or Yang Earth Dog year starts on the 4th of February 2018 using the Chinese solar calendar. The Lunar calendar used for celebrations gives us New Year on the 16th of February, well after the solar change, which indicates a less smoothly flowing year than 2017.
The Stem Wu Yang Earth is hard earth like a rock or stone. Wu is also seen as a mountain, strong, enduring and immovable. Wu Earth people are slow and steady, but they will always see things through to the end.
The Dog’s energy is dry and strong. Aside from Yang Earth, the Dog has the Hidden Stems Yang Fire and Yin Metal. The Yin Metal Element Xin gives hidden intelligence and creativity. Loyalty, honesty, humour, lifelong friends, steady worker are all characteristics of this animal sign.
The combination of Yang Earth and the Dog indicates a year of seriousness and staying in control since Wu-Xu is a “Commanding Pillar”. The Hidden Yang Fire contained under the Earth represents a volcano, seething with emotion but unable to release it unless there’s an explosion. Keep a watch on Dragon days during 2018. The Dog and Dragon clash with each other, and these days more than others have the potential to create explosive situations. The 16th of April to the 14th of May 2018 is the Dragon month and is a time to be careful in all things, especially on the 18th and 30th of April and the 12th of May.
There are two Lifecycles for 2018 – Mao and Yung.
Lifecycles tell us where the Stem (Wu) is in relation to the cycle of the Branches (Xu), from birth to death.
The Dog is storage for Wu’s Earth, and Mao is the vault of all the Lifecycle’s. Anything started in secrecy this year will remain secret. It is a good year for saving, storing and increasing collections.
Yung takes life less seriously than Mao, translated it means gestation or nurture. Honest and sociable, no big aspirations are the hallmarks of Yung.
From this perspective, 2018 is an interesting mixture of firm and steady along with happy go lucky.
If you are new to Chinese Astrology, you may not know that you have more than on Branch for the date and time you were born. While we will not be going into the effects of the annual Chi on the “Day Master’s”, it would be well worth your while to use a free online Chinese Astrology Calculator and check your whole chart, because you will actually have 4 Branches, one for the Hour, Day, Month and Year you were born.
A simple Four Pillars chart looks like this –
Find out your own Four Pillars BaZi chart here.
Chinese Zodiac in 2018
Wu Yang Earth combines with Gui Yin Water. For ladies with a Gui Day Master, this is a good year for marriage. For Gui men it is a good year to focus on career. Wu controls Ren Yang Water, indicating a tough time if your Day Master is Ren. Jia Yang Wood controls Wu, indicating lucky or unexpected income.
The Dog and Rabbit together can form a “Six Harmony Combination”. This brings Rabbits good luck during 2018, especially if you have two Rabbits on your chart.
The Dog can combine with the Tiger or Horse to form Fire. In one sense, having this combination is good if you are a Tiger, because it gives the Dog’s Hidden Yang Fire an outlet, however it makes Wu Yang Earth much stronger so there could be issues stemming from inaction.
The strongest combination will occur if you have both the Rooster and Monkey on your chart. These combine to form Seasonal Metal strengthened by Wu Yang Earth – the mountain generates rich Metals. If you have this combination and your chart likes Metal, then 2018 will be an outstanding year for you.
From a basic check of your Year Branch (Chinese animal zodiac), we can look at how the Dog will affect you –
子 Rat (’48, ’60, ’72, ’84, ’96, ’08): Travel is on the up for Rats in 2018, so keep your body moving, whether it be for business or pleasure. The Lifecycle Mao will especially suit Rat’s this year as well, so make sure to surround yourself with nice things. Rat’s may rub some people the wrong way, so try to be clear and concise in your communications.
丑 Ox (’49, ’61, ’73, ’85, ’97, ’09): Justice and fair play are strong in the Oxen mind this year, there will be a propensity to become a Robin Hood for those around you, especially when it comes to children and young people. The romantic feelings felt so strongly in 2017 will begin to wane, it is a good time for you to step back and analyse your close relationships and determine whether they are still serving you well.
寅 Tiger (’50, ’62, ’74, ’86, ’98, ’10): The Dog and Tiger from a fiery combination in 2018 with love, romance and all the things that make life great on the up and up. Some Tigers have had a tough time over the last couple of years, getting into fights over small and big things, but this will see the beginning of the end of this phase. It is time to focus on career and wealth building, and let your love life grow naturally.
卯 Rabbit (’51, ’63, ’75, ’87, ’99, ’11): The Dog and the Rabbit are great friends, so 2018 promises to be outstanding, especially when it comes to sex. Male Rabbits in a long-term relationship should be wary of the greener pastures though, as they could lose out big time on property settlements if they can’t keep their hands to themselves. Female bunnies can let their hair down and have some fun as long as it doesn’t interfere with work plans. Rabbits are well suited to travelling and seeing the world this year.
辰 Dragon (’52, ’64, ’76, ’88, ’00): In 2018 the Dragon clashes with Dog and may have some troubles at home, or may have to relocate due to work commitments. Despite the clashing, married Dragons will enjoy their home life, and all Dragons will have a better time financially. Catching the travel bug is a strong possibility as well.
巳 Snake (’53, ’65, ’77, ’89, ’01): Snakes will be working hard this year, and while it may not pay immediate benefits, the groundwork you lay will set you up for great financial gains in the future. It isn’t the best time to put all your money into property just yet, as that is at its lowest for the Snake during the Dog year. Work hard, save as much as you can and wait for the perfect moment to invest.
午 Horse (’54, ’66, ’78, ’90, ’02): The Horse and Dog combine to form Fire adding a great boost to the Horse’s outlook and energy levels. Wealth (with less work!) is well aspected for Horses in 2018 but be aware of rubbing people the wrong way or coming on too strong.
未 Sheep (’55, ’67, ’79, ’91, ’03): The Goat has a much nicer social life this year, especially with siblings and family members. You should find yourself vindicated for any false accusations or gossip in past years. For those that have children, make sure to spend some extra time with them for some extra special love and guidance.
申 Monkey (’56, ’68, ’80, ’92, ’04): Health for Monkeys is getting better and better, and like the Goat, there will be some lovely time spent with family members. There will be more opportunity to travel and see the world from this year on, but make sure to be frugal with your spending when you do.
酉 Rooster (’57, ’69, ’81, ’93, ’05): Rooster’s will find 2018 much easier to deal with than last year. Hopefully some of the decisions you’ve made in the last 12 months will pay dividends rather than bringing you more problems. Get out, socialise and network with others and make the most of your relationships this year.
戌 Dog (’58, ’70, ’82, ’94, ’06): It’s your year Dog, and financial stresses will be reduced, perhaps even some left over for that amazing getaway you’ve been dreaming about. There are two sorts of Dogs, daytime and night time. If you were born during the day, then try not to burn the candle at both ends as your health will suffer. If you were born at night, putting some extra effort into your work will bring great financial results.
亥 Pig (’59, ’71, ’83, ’95, ’07): The Pig isn’t generally known as being the sexiest sign of the Chinese Zodiac, but your pheromones will get hearts racing in 2018. In fact many people will find themselves attracted to their nearest Pig, if only because of the great conversation. Take care though, your health is at its lowest point this year, so you may not bounce back from even minor health issues like you are used to.
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FENG SHUI FOR 2018
The following interpretations and recommendations are based on two main schools of Feng Shui – San Yuan Flying Stars and San He.
San He is based around calculations between Stems and Branches (similar to Four Pillars astrology). The main way to use San He is to reduce the impact of any negative formations (in red), then to activate any positive formations that are available (in blue).
The good Flying Stars are 1 Water, 4 Wood, 6 Metal and 8 Earth (the best being the 8 because we are in Period 8, 2004-2024). The bad ones are 2 Earth, 3 Wood, 5 Earth and 7 Metal (the worst being the 5). The annual Flying Stars are best used in conjunction with the natal Flying Star chart of your house.
Even though you will get good results from following this advice, it is not a substitute for having a trained Feng Shui practitioner assess the energy of your house. At a minimum, your practitioner should know Ba Zi astrology and the Flying Star system.
The Luo Pan above has the annual formations from the Flying Star, San Yuan and San He schools of Feng Shui arranged for 2018 around the degrees of a compass. The Chinese representation of the compass is opposite to the Western, South is always shown at the top and the North at the bottom.
The Centre is the 5 Earth star in the Ba Gua, and has the 9 Fire star visiting for 2018. This provides a mix of positive and negative effects, since the 9 Fire represents future prosperity, but it reinforces the 5 Earth. This can have the effect of making poor/irrational decisions that affect your future. Use Metal Element in the form of 6 Chinese coins to smooth the flow of Qi towards success.
The South is 9 Fire in the Ba Gua, and is boosted by the annual 4 Wood star. Both of these stars are Yin in nature, and the 4 represents romance as well as studies. In addition, 4 and 9 together are a “He Tu” combination, meaning they have a strong affinity. The manifestation for the South is inappropriate love affairs and either great success or failure in examinations. With the San He formations Oppression and Good Virtue, there will be a push-pull situation in these two areas of life. You can solve this by using a combination of Earth, Metal and Water colours either in the décor or more simply by placing crystals and coins in a jar of water within the South sector.
The Southwest has 6 Metal, a star that has waned but is still usable for career purposes. In the Ba Gua, the SW is 2 Earth Qi which boosts the Metal, so if your house faces this direction, or you have a door here, boost the Metal Element. This mix of Qi will work especially well for women, whether in their own career, or those supporting their husbands.
Special Note – It is a very good area this year for spiritual development, seeing the blending of Heaven and Earth energies. The San He school shows three positive formations and one negative. Broken Luck is mixed with the Yin Nobleman, even if there are problems, there will be someone there to help. Publicity and Travel Horse will be very good for those working in the spiritual realm.
The West has Metal in the Ba Gua being strengthened by 2 Earth, the mother nurturing the daughter. It is very Yin Qi, so there is the possibility of ghost activity if your home or door faces towards the West, so try to increase Yang by using bright colours where possible. This combination doesn’t like sharp corners or large electrical installations.
The Northwest has the annual 1 Water star boosted by 6 Metal in the Ba Gua, the Father nurtures the son. This is also a He Tu combination indicating that the occupants of the home will always have enough to get by. The Year God Tai Sui occupies the first 15° of the Northwest and the first San Sha (three thieves) in the last 15° creating problems here if there is construction or building work carried out.
The North has the opposite energy to 2017, very unlucky. The negative 5 Earth dampens the Ba Gua’s Water, and contains the second San Sha as well as Death Gate. If your door is located in the North, then try to use a secondary door to enter the home. Avoid all construction work here as well.
The Northeast has the 3 Wood star as well as the third San Sha, Yang Nobleman and Scholar formations. The Northeast is 8 Yang Earth in the Ba Gua and 3 Yang Wood controls it, it can bring problems for young males, particularly with anger issues or it can manifest as health problems. The negative effects are weakened because 3 and 8 are another He Tu combination, so any disharmony leads to change and growth, especially thanks to the Scholar and Nobleman stars. You can help the Earth of the Northeast by using Fire Element here, whether by using candles, burning incense or adding red to the décor.
The East has the annual 7 Metal star and is the home to the Ba Gua 3 Wood star. When Metal and Wood clash, it is an indication of accidents, worry and stress. There can be implications of thieves and backstabbing. Normally Fire Element is helpful, though using the colour red may create more problems than it solves. Burn a candle here every other day if your entry is in the East. The good San He star “Peach Blossoms” is adversely affected by the Flying Stars. Good Virtue means that good deeds are rewarded, so if your office or bedroom are in the East area, make sure that you can hold your head high, and good luck will follow.
The Southeast has the annual 8 Earth visiting the 4 Yin Wood palace. When these two stars meet, it can mean problems with the joints and small bones, however it bodes well for young women and if your kitchen happens to be in the Southeast, it indicates success. The trick is the Fire Element, adding just enough to brighten 4 Wood and strengthen 8 Earth without it becoming a drain on the homes resources. Sui Po the Year Breaker is resident in the first 15° so avoid construction work here, but the San He Wealth star is in the last 15°, boosting the lucky 8 and creating success. People with Southeast facing homes will have a good time in 2018.
This article was written by Dean French in April/May 2017 and first published in Wellbeing Astrology Annual Magazine 2018. It is not available for download, and is presented as written at the time as an example of Dean’s portfolio.
I hope that you are able to take something from the article and from the free information I have on the website. May 2018 be a great year for you!
Feng Shui & Chinese Astrology Resources
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