What can one accomplish in the year of the Fire Rooster?

CONSIDERING the negative outlook for the property sector in the year of the Fire Rooster, founder of Mastery Academy of Chinese Metaphysics Datuk Joey Yap says two of the best things to do this year is to acquire assets and new skills.

The property sector in the year of the Fire Rooster which begins on Feb 3 will remain gloomy as the Earth element in feng shui is in a weak position this year. However, Yap advises property investors or homebuyers to make the effort to look for opportunities as there would be some good deals out there.

“Moving into the Fire Rooster year, industries associated with Metal, Water and Wood elements are expected to do well, while industries related to Fire and Earth elements may experience a slowdown due to restrictions and changes,” he told the audience at the “Joey Yap’s Feng Shui & Astrology 2017” seminar in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 7 (last Saturday).

The same applies to individuals as well. Those who have Metal, Water and Wood elements in their personal Bazi will fare better this year than those who do not have these elements.

Chinese astrology is divided into Wuxing or the five elements — Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth, with each element having its own strengths.

Industries associated with the Earth element, such as real estate, natural resources and construction materials, will be sluggish this year offering weak earnings as there are obstacles and restrictions to growth.

However, Yap stresses that one cannot merely depend on the yearly feng shui movements to determine his or her own success.

“Individuals who want to have a better life will have to make the right choices by [choosing] the right strategy to find solutions and enhance their skills in order to improve their life,” he says.

According to him, there are two ways to do so — by acquiring assets (to accumulate wealth) or acquiring new skills (self-improvement).

“Instead of focusing on the negative aspects [of each element], we should look for the hidden opportunities. With Earth being the weakest element, it means that [properties] are getting affordable, and people should take the advantage and accumulate assets during the slowdown,” he explains.

Sectors which are related to the Metal element include the gold and jewellery industry, the automotive sector, finance, mining as well as fields which are mechanical in nature. These areas will be positive overall amid heightened competition but business owners or individuals need to watch out for cash flow issues and regulatory pressure.

Water element industries, including the aquatic and fisheries sector, shipping, tourism, trading, media and planning strategists and other water-related businesses such as laundry and sewage, are expected to see significant growth and opportunities with increased innovation in ideas and talents.

Fire element industries, which include oil and gas, food and beverage, airlines, information technology, metaphysics, electronics, fire arms and artillery, as well as service-related sectors, will enjoy strong gains and recognition this year with new breakthroughs and collaborations.

Wood-related industries, such as fashion and clothing, furniture, agriculture, education, religious preaching and cultural sectors, will experience abrupt changes which will bring in new leadership or new responsibilities (for the individuals involved).

Starting his metaphysic consultation career as a 20-year old, Yap has since gained international recognition for his modern methods of feng shui teaching and practices in a scientific and relatively simple way. Yap is a popular speaker on the subject around the world and the author of more than 160 books that have sold more than four million copies worldwide.

Rising pessimism in 2017

From the feng shui perspective, Yap has a mixed view on the global outlook this year as the strongest element Metal will show its strength and this will have a negative effect overall.

“The Metal element signifies that there will be increased spending on infrastructure which will affect the environment. This element also symbolises weapons, signifying rising conflicts including war-related conflicts that will threaten global security causing tension and uncertainties as well as negatively impact the environment,” he explains.

In terms of calamities, the Metal element also signifies transport-related problems and health issues as the Metal element also symbolises knives and swords.

“People also need to beware of possible tsunamis, haze, typhoons and floods,” he adds.

The second and third strongest elements — Fire and Water — complement the Metal element, which signifies knowledge, creativity and advancement.

According to Yap, there will be job opportunities in the industries related to Metal, Fire and Water while medical and technology-related fields will see new developments as well.

Choosing the right direction

According to the annual flying star chart for 2017, the good directions this year are in the southeast, east, northeast and north, depending on what aspects you want to focus on. The “bad” directions that one needs to avoid are the south, southwest, west and northwest.

The southeast direction is helpful for investors; east direction is good for wealth, northeast direction could help one excel academically; and the north direction will enhance one’s career luck or authority.

Yap says for individuals, they can activate one of these sectors or activate all sectors to enhance their luck for the entire year.

To activate the energy in these sectors, one could carry out renovation works, change the furniture or simply put a nail on the wall and hang a picture in that particular sector.

“Do spend more time in the good sectors to continue enhancing your luck, for instance, if your living room is situated in the north direction, you can just take your laptop and work in that part of the living room to enhance your career luck,” he adds.

Meanwhile, Yap stresses that the worst sector will be the south direction as it signifies calamity, followed by northwest as it signifies illness, and west as well as southwest as these two directions signify discord and arguments.

“Avoid doing anything to ‘activate’ these sectors and spend less time in these bad sectors. If it happens that your bedroom lies in those sectors, you can neutralise the negative impact by activating the other four good sectors,” he advises.

More than 3,000 people turned up for the KL seminar which was presented in English while the Cantonese seminar was held the following day on Jan 8. Another seminar in English was held earlier in Penang on Dec 18. TheEdgeProperty.com is the official media partner for the seminars in Malaysia.

This story first appeared in TheEdgeProperty.com pullout on Jan 13, 2017, which comes with The Edge Financial Daily every Friday. Download TheEdgeProperty.com pullout here for free.