Oink! Banking on the Year of the Pig

Filipinos are a curious people – they show the same devotion to religious customs as they do to feng shui, charms, lucky numbers and the language (some insist the science) of the stars. You have homes where crucifixes co-exist with baguas, where blessed madonnas as well as figurines of "lucky" animals have a special shelf. Hardly do you find purists who believe only in prayer and not in luck or vice versa.

My maternal grandfather didn’t believe in time-honored formulas for good luck and superstitious beliefs (geomancers insist feng shui is not superstition) and trusted more in the power of hard work. He believed in God, although was not religious. My mother thus raised us with hardly any do’s and don’ts for good luck.

But we did have one particularly bad year and she figured we had nothing to lose by heeding the advice of an uncle who said that the water plant with descending branches that was hung near our front door was bad luck. She took it out and things improved.

My Mom still believes more in prayer than in symbols of good luck, but more and more I started hearing her say "nothing to lose" whenever she would make adjustments in the house because it was reportedly good feng shui.

My own personal belief is that we are not in full control of our fortunes and our destiny – there is a higher Being that is in control. But I do believe that with our actions we can enhance our good fortune, our good luck, our karma, or whatever else you call it.

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At last Tuesday’s Bulong Pulungan at the Hotel Philippine Plaza, two resource persons talked about the prospects in the Year of the Pig – geomancer Merlina Merton and Princess Fernandez, both of whom agreed with each other.

Based on the Hsia calendar, the years of the Pig are Feb. 5, 1935 to Feb. 4, 1936; Feb. 4, 1947 to Feb. 4, 1948; Feb. 4, 1959 to Feb. 4, 1960; Feb. 4, 1971 to Feb. 4, 1972; and Feb. 4, 1983 to Feb. 3, 1984.

According to Merlina, the elements of the Pig year are Fire over Water. Fire and water clash so the indications are another year of fighting and fiery events such as wildfire, bombs, explosions and political strife. But since this year the fire element is yin, which is not as strong as last year’s yang fire, the people and the forests will suffer less, says Merlina.

The bad news is there is a sickness star in the center of the 2007 star grid, and what is in the center spreads to all directions, according to Merlina. She warns that if there is going to be a bird flu pandemic, it might happen this year.

Her general forecast? "Provided the health hazards and political strife can be contained, this year can be mostly good. Our economy can continue to improve, our currency can maintain its strength and our politicians could become less belligerent."

She says real estate and the piggery business (well, why not?) will improve this year, as well as power systems, printing, entertainment and small restaurants.

But she also points out that, "the fortune of each business enterprise depends in part in the personal fortune of the CEO and the feng shui of the business premises." So if your CEO is going to be lucky this year, then so would the entire company be. I think that holds true even if you don’t believe in feng shui, because the CEO brings himself and his talents into the company.

Princess says this will be a lucky year for those born in the Year of the Rabbit. For female Tigers like me, it will be a half and half year, although mostly good, especially with wealth and romance.

If you are those who believe that certain elements attract good luck, or like some of us, believe there isn’t much to lose by following certain good luck practices, here goes Merlina’s list:

Lucky colors and gems: Red, yellow, silver and gold. Gemstones such as rubies and garnets, citrine or topaz (real and fake) and silver and gold jewelry, belt and accessories.

Lucky charm: A fat and happy pig in the form of a piggy bank. The pig should be red, pink, yellow or gold. Do not position your piggy facing a door to the outside and make sure you "feed" it every day so that it stays fat and happy all year long.

Merlina has these additional tips on how to start the Chinese New Year (Feb. 18) right, because "how you act and feel on the first day will affect your luck for the rest of the year."

1. Do not enter the New Year in debt. This refers to personal, not corporate debt. Not only money but also kindness should be repaid. (Princess adds that acts of charity attract good fortune and I think this is true for all religions and beliefs).

2. Resolve all quarrels and misunderstandings.

3. Before the New Year, thoroughly clean your house and office and get rid of old and broken objects.

4. Have lots of good food in the house, including golden fruit, chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil and other round goodies.

5. Have as much cash on hand as safety permits. It is a bad omen to run out of money on the New Year.

6. Wear new clothes. (Princess says these include new slippers, too.)

7. Do not have lechon on your New Year’s dinner table.

8. Give little red envelopes containing lucky money to those who served you and to all the young or unmarried people who greet you Kung Hei Fat Choi.

9. On New Year’s Eve, switch on all the lights of your house and open all the windows to let out the old chi and welcome the new.

10. Think and speak positive and do not scold the children.

"If fortune comes, we have made space in ourselves to receive it. If problems arise, we will be in good condition to cope with them," concludes Merlina.

My own conclusion from all of this? Be kind and happy, and life will treat you the same way.

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

(You may e-mail me at [email protected])