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Year
Of The Ox Looking Very Un-Bullish
HONG KONG, Jan. 23,
2009
(AP) If the global economy fails to recover in 2009, the housing
bubble or credit crunch may not be to blame. It could be a lack of
fire.
Chinese fortunetellers say fire - one of the five elements mystics
believe form the basis of the universe - is essential to financial
well-being. And fire is nowhere to be found in the mythology of this
coming Year of the Ox, the Chinese lunar year that begins Monday.
"Fire is the driving force behind economic growth. Without it, the
market lacks momentum," said Raymond Lo, a Hong Kong master of feng
shui, the ancient Chinese practice of trying to achieve health,
harmony and prosperity through building design, the placement of
objects and auspicious dates and numbers.
Chinese soothsayers see a deepening recession, millions more losing
their jobs, and stocks and home prices continuing to fall. That's
more or less in line with what some economists are predicting, but
some fortunetellers are throwing in other dire predictions - massive
earthquakes, rising U.S.-Russian tensions and trouble for President
Barack Obama.
Mr. Obama, born in the Year of the Ox, is taking office in a
particularly bad year for his Chinese astrological sign. The ox sign
is in direct conflict this year with a traditional Chinese divinity
called the "God of Year," considered a bad omen. Mr. Obama also is
the 44th president, a number the Chinese deem extremely unlucky,
because "four" is pronounced the same as "death" in Chinese.
"The new U.S. president is not having good luck this year. His
honeymoon will only be short-lived," said fortuneteller Alion Yeo,
predicting Obama may even face impeachment in his first year in
office. "The Year of the Ox looks slightly better and less dire than
last year, but it will still be bumpy."
Yeo also predicted that the U.S. mortgage crisis would worsen and
the stock market would plunge to new lows.
But Malaysian numerologist Weng Shi Ming suggested Obama's birth
year would offset his bad luck. Weng said the symmetry of 1961 is
"the perfect mix of ying and yang," rendering Obama "immune to the
effects of 44."
The ox, one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, symbolizes calm,
hard work, resolve and tenacity. According to legend, the ox allowed
the cunning rat to ride on its head in a race to determine the
animals' order. Shortly before the ox crossed the finish line, the
rat leaped off to claim victory. The Year of the Rat was marked in
2008.
Among the world's luminaries born in the Year of the Ox: former U.S.
President Richard Nixon (1913), former British Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher (1925), Princess Diana (1961), and Hollywood
actors George Clooney (1961) and Richard Gere (1949).
The lunar new year is the biggest annual festival for ethnic
Chinese, who make up about one-fifth of the world's population. It
is a time of lavish spending, when loved ones exchange "hong bao,"
or red envelopes stuffed with money. But this year's festivities
will likely be more subdued amid the economic slump.
"What's important is that the family has a good time. There's no
need to overspend," said Ooi Lee Mui, a Malaysian housewife shopping
in Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown, where the season's gold lanterns and
bright-hued flowers bedecked streets and stores.
Joey Yap, a feng shui expert in Malaysia, saw no economic recovery
before 2010.
"It will be a daunting year. We haven't really reached the peak of
the problems yet," Yap said. "We haven't tasted the main dish, and
will most likely experience it during the second half of the year."
But feng shui master Lo saw a glimmer of hope. The combination of
two elements changes every lunar year, and this time it's two
earths, the element that represents harmony and peace. Not since
1949, when the world order was settling down after World War II, has
an Ox Year seen two earth signs.
"It is a year for healing ... from the turbulent time the world has
experienced," Lo said. |
