A big thank you to Derelle Ball for imparting her knowledge. If you are looking for an amazing Feng Shui consultant in Queensland you can’t go past Derelle from Centaine Consultants.

Whilst many of us may have set New Year resolutions on the 1st January, if you happen to need a second chance maybe you could use  Chinese New Year!

201 is the Year of the Pig! According to the lunar calendar, the Chinese mark the start of the year celebrations on 04th February 2019 (news years eve). The standard public holiday for (Mainland) Chinese is the 7 days from Chinese New Year’s Eve to day 6 of the lunar calendar new year.  Traditionally, it is considered good luck to greet people on the first day of the Chinese New Year (5th February) with a friendly “Happy New Year”, or “Kung Hei Fat Choy (Gong Xi Fa Cai)”, which means “congratulations on getting rich”.  The Chinese New Year can also be celebrated as follows:

10 Days Before Chinese New Year: Clean your house and count your blessings!  If there have been any recent arguments or illness in the home, space clear each room with a brass bell, singing bowl or gong.  Light a sage smudge stick or some sandalwood incense or burn a mix of orange, bergamot and lavender essential oils, and let the cleansing scent help clear your home of any residual negative energy.  Think back over the past year and give thanks for the positive influences in your life.  Also, give thanks for the lessons learnt over the past year and view them as valuable learning experiences that will help better prepare you for the future.

New Year’s Eve (4th February): have a happy social gathering at home and encourage plenty of music, laughter and game playing with lots of lights turned on.  Light sparklers at midnight to welcome the New Year energy into your home.  Guests can be given a lucky red envelope containing a small gift or a handwritten wish for their health and happiness over the coming year.  If you are attending a Chinese New Year party, consider bringing a gift (ie chocolates, cake, a fruit basket, dumplings, a healthy pot plant).

The first house sweep of the new year: Chinese don’t clean the house the first two days of the New Year, as sweeping then is believed to sweep away the good luck accrued by the celebrations.

First Day of New Year: Chinese people believe what they do on the first day of the lunar year affects their luck in that year. Clear your thoughts of all negativity and begin the New Year in a positive frame of mind.  Spend time meditating on all the positive things you wish to achieve in the coming year.  Celebrate the New Year energy with family.  Visit, contact and spend quality time with parents and mentors (ie people who have been a nurturing/guiding light in your life).

Second Day of New Year: Visit your in-laws and pay your respects to ancestors and family members who have passed on.

Third Day of New Year: This day is best spent at home relaxing and unwinding with family.  Try to avoid visiting others or having any visitors today.  It’s a day best spent in restful meditation and planning for the year ahead.

Fifth Day of New Year: Invite abundance energy into your home by replenishing water features with fresh, clean water.  This is also a good date to sign contracts (except if you were born in the year of the Rooster) and pay homage to deities representing abundance and protection (eg Tsai Shen Yeh and Kuan Kung).

Seventh Day of New Year: This is a positive time to spend with friends and attending fun social/networking gatherings and sharing a feast together.  Give your friends food and flowers and best wishes for future health and abundance.

Eighth Day of New Year: People normally return to work by the eighth day. As eight is the luckiest number in China, most businesses prefer to reopen on New Year day 8. Share a special dinner with friends/work colleagues and loved ones discussing positive goals and aspirations for the coming year.

Ninth Day of New Year: This is a great day to begin a cleansing diet to detox your system.  Make sure you drink plenty of water and green tea.  Pay homage to the Jade Emperor’s birthday and honour mentors, teachers and people who have shared their wisdom and insight with you.

Tenth Day of New Year: Purchase a new lamp or candles for your home and place in the chor sin/mountain star 8 location of your home (according to the flying star natal chart) to support the health and relationship energy of the household.

Thirteenth Day of New Year: Eat a healthy blend of fresh fruit and vegetables and plenty of water today to help cleanse your body and also focus on cleansing your mind and focusing on positive aspirations and ethical values.  In business, a positive saying to inspire your thoughts for the coming year is as follows:

“Three Rules of Work:
Out of clutter find simplicity;
From discord find harmony;
In the middle of difficulty
lies opportunity.”

–        Albert Einstein –

From a Feng Shui perspective, you should also place a gourd (brass calabash) or gourd-shaped object (ie an empty gold, yellow, silver or white vase with a big belly, narrow neck and an opening at the top) in the North West sector of your home, and a collection of metallic ornaments and/or I-Ching coins and a metallic windchime in the South sector of your home to help protect against annual sickness and misfortune energies in 2017. If you are born in the Year of the Rabbit or Rat then you should carry or wear a pendant of a Dragon for protection.

15th Day of New Year (Lantern Festival): Spend some time in the light of the full moon, or if it’s overcast, burn candles and sparklers and/or hang bright coloured lanterns and create your own festival of magical moonlight.  Let go of any grudges or feelings of depression and focus on tying up loose ends and resolving any conflicts with others in readiness for new beginnings and the development of a positive new attitude.

Note: remember, the annual Feng Shui energy influences and Ba Zi/4 Pillars of Astrology New Year for 2019 begins on 4th February according to the Solar/HSIA Calendar.