Today is the 6th day of Chinese New Year and the first day of work for me. I also realised after talking to quite a few people, that today is also the first day they are opening their offices for business.
The reason, as many told me was because “The 6th day is a good day for starting business”.
And I believe it! 😀 Do you?
Yep! I do believe in good or not so good days for significant events, like the commencement of business but not to the extent of going out of my way to do anything silly or to plan my life around these dates.
The Chinese Almanac is usually calculated according to one’s Chinese year of birth which determines your Chinese zodiac. It is supposed to be even more accurate if time of birth was taken into consideration, but I usually stop at the year.
I also believe in Feng Shui, but only in the general sense. I don’t delve in it and I don’t allow my life to be dictated by it. Which is why I don’t go for the style of feng shui that dictates you place this or that items in this or that sector of the home or the office. I find that to enrich only one person – the one selling it to you 😛
So yes. In this modern day and age, when most would scoff at such backward thinking methods, I will confess to believing and sometimes putting into practice feng shui elements and following the good and not so good days for major events, as foretold by the Chinese Almanac.
I figure, if it doesn’t hurt me, why not? 😉
Your say: Do you believe in feng shui or the Chinese Almanac?
If you don’t, feel free to say so – but remember to be polite about it 😉
Paris B
I believe! 🙂 As you mentioned, it also doesn’t hurt to believe. In any case, I think that we can opt to take any help we can necessary. Gong Hei Fatt Choy!
LOL yes yes! We do what we can and destiny takes care of the rest 😉 Gong Xi Fa Cai! 😀
Lots of people follow the same advice, I think – that today is a good day to “hoi kung”. Traffic is back in town. 😛
Ah not being in the city over the festive break, I didn’t get to enjoy the empty roads! 😉 but yeah lots of people are starting work today
Yes, i feel that fengshui might work for some. But i believe even more that we can change our destiny by what we do, think and say after reading and watching the drama “Liao Fan’s Four Lessons”. Destiny is in our own hands and we do reap what we sow.
Good point! Our destiny is definitely in our hands. I do also believe in that little extra push that feng shui or a “good day” will give us because… well… I just like thinking that there’s something else bigger out there 😉 But we can’t just sit on our butts and depend on feng shui and do nothing to help ourselves because thats just silly right? 😉
Yup! Btw, even big corporations like coca cola apply feng shui these days.
Goodness! I didn’t know that! I knew that people and companies in Hong Kong take feng shui seriously but perhaps other corporations feel that if it doesn’t harm them a little push in the right direction won’t hurt 😉
it goes the same to me, it doesn’t hurt to believe 😀
Hehe… so today is your “ong” day then? 😉
i believe to a certain extend, doesn’t hurt me, maybe a bit of my pockets if i buy stuff to help enhance luck/ ward evil off 😛
gong hei fatt choi!
Haha yep! Whatever doesn’t bother or hurt me I’d happily believe. Went through the whole buying stuff thing many years ago, realised it was only enriching those who advice you to buy and so bleh! I’ll do it myself with a bit o’luck 😉 Gong Xi Fa Cai!
i don’t believe. if it’s so simple as placing or removing an item, you’ll be blessed then there’ll be no hardship, no poor and everything is hunky dory!
but at the end of the day, if you feel comfortable and believing it gives you peace of mind, then go for it.
i’ve seen some horrors of house reno using feng shui principles…totally crazy.
Haha!! I’ve seen those horror renovations too! Some people do go through a lot of trouble to ensure their stars are aligned but I always wonder if the stars change all the time, do they have to live with a fluid design? I mean one can’t keep changing doors to one’s house 😉 So that sort of feng shui I don’t believe either because as you said, if its as simple as putting something somewhere to have good luck and lots of money, we’d all be lazy and rich! 😉
I do believe in such things, actually!! ^.^ That’s why I have me trusty Pi Chiu with me everywhere I go. ^.^
And I’m guessing that’s your lucky charm? 🙂
I study feng shui and astrology as well as give consultations on it, so yes, I do believe it 😛 Though also not to the extent of deliberately going out of my way to have a “good” day and such. I study under Joey Yap’s branch, so there’s no emphasis on the placement of items, unlike another practitioner lol! And instead he always emphasises on the self- the self and one’s personality plays a very big part. You may have a very good Bazi chart (Heaven luck) and very good feng shui (Earth luck), but if you don’t work for it yourself too (Man luck), all that good stuff can’t help you much.
Also, to clarify, the almanac/astrology predictions are more accurate when you have your year, month, day and time of birth (Bazi) because a person can have up to four animal signs in their Bazi charts, and whatever happens to the animal signs in that year will also affect the person. E.g. a person is born in the year of the Goat, but also has Ox, Rooster and Snake in their chart- whatever predictions apply to Ox, Rooster and Snake will also apply to the person, not just Goat haha 😛
How awesome that you’re studying it! I do prefer the Joey Yap style of feng shui. There’s only so much help you can get from divine intervention and if we don’t do anything with our own effort it all comes to nothing.
That is very true- it all depends on one self and one’s personality. Nothing comes for free, after all haha! 😛 My family went through the whole placement and buying things branch, and after a while when we saw how the same cures are just “improved” and modified year after year (When the old ones can be used for the same thing), it seems so bleh.
Yeah, as a matter of fact I find studying it quite interesting, and am enjoying it 🙂
Great to know you’re enjoying it! Some day you might even make a living out of it eh? Who knows – the world is getting interested in these cosmic things 😉
Gong Hei Fatt Choy!
I do believe to a certain extend, but at the end of the day, the destiny still lies in myself, attitude. If one have the best of luck, but lazy as a pig, I think he/she will not go far in life……we still have to rely on ourself to make things happen, agree? 😉
Gong Xi Fa Cai! 🙂 Yes I absolutely agree with you. I believe the luck is but a leg up and we do the rest of the climbing ourselves 🙂
Part of me thinks it’s all wish wash especially in the light of the discovery of a “new planet” affecting western astrology. But just like the rest, the other part of me thinks “no harm in it” except of course, I would not part with hard earned money to purchase the little trinkets. I have many of those given to me by friends and I do try to place them in appropriate places or carry the charms around. I think it’s all related to the psychology and if carrying a little good luck charm can give you that extra little boost in feeling good, then why not? When you feel good, you tend to have a more positive outlook on things and when you are positive, things fall into place much more easily IMO. Also, the charms represent the care that my friends have for me in buying those pieces for me and that means a lot more to me than the actual story behind the charms.
Aww that’s sweet of your friends to give you good luck charms! That is in itself a whole lot of luck already 🙂 And yeah knowing you might be carrying a good luck charm might have something to do with our confidence. Also, that whole new planet and new western zodiac thing threw me for a loop!
We opened yesterday. Guess my boss just doesn’t believe in such things lol. Glad to have mywomenstuff back 🙂
Teehee its good to be back too! Have loads of catching up to do 😀 Perhaps yesterday was your Boss’ lucky day 😉
Being Christian, I don’t believe in fengshui. Having said that, I think a lot of fengshui is based on common sense though. You know, like don’t buy a house facing directly into a road. Of course, that wouldn’t be an ideal house from all the noise and cars shining their lights right into your windows 🙂
Yes! A lot of feng shui is to do with common sense. I believe the origins of it is to do with bringing harmony between oneself and one’s surroundings. 🙂 If it feels good, that’s good feng shui!
oh yes I believe~! started with dad’s bout of “bad luck” years ago until mom intervene and used feng shui (change furniture settings, put chrystals in certain parts of the house – moon the chrystal to “purify”), his luck changed~! but dad still don’t really believe it though.
I believe but not to the extreme (e.g wear totally green on that particular day – green hat, belt, eyemakeup, clothings and shoes). I remembered an article where Lilian Too was recommending what to wear for auspicious day. It look darn gaudy
Lol!! I know exactly what you mean! Do everything in moderation I say, or risk looking like Shrek! 😉 Glad to know things are better with your dad – perhaps the crystals helped to push his luck in the right direction… Who knows?
Well, I don’t wash my hair or sweep the floor on the 1st day of Chinese New Year, but it’s just one of those things that’s fun to follow as long as it doesn’t inconvenience you that much.
But when I wanted to to cut my hair on the 4th day of CNY, my bf’s mum found out and told me not to because it’s bad luck to cut hair before the 15th day of CNY. The thing is, I really need a haircut and now I have to wait more than a week to get one because if I get one now it will seem like I’m ignoring her advice. 🙁
That’s a bit of a conundrum. I don’t practise or follow a lot of what I deem to be old folks tales but once people mention it, it makes me feel weird if I deliberately go ahead and do it anyway. Perhaps err on the side of caution and wait 😉
Our family follows some traditions and beliefs as dictated by the Chinese Almanac and FS. But we’re not super serious about it nor do we follow it to the point that our whole lives revolve around. 🙂
Neither do we 😀 Its actually a lot of work trying to live your life around the almanac and feng shui – too much for me 😉
Hmmm, since I’m Brazilian of Japanese origin, I’m not really sure what is the Chinese Almanac – is it similar to the horoscope? I only know that my Chinese zodiac sign is dog. So many cool animals and I get the dog… +_+ Then again I’m not a believer.
I also don’t believe in Feng Shui: to me it’s just a bunch of guidelines on building houses in ancient times – much like the fortresses that were built according to the reach of the weapons in medieval times. If you followed the guidelines, you would probably stay alive. You can’t be any more lucky than that! Of course it must have changed with the passing of time into a more ornamental thing.^^
Any way or the other, I like going to houses that follow Feng Shui – they are much more minimalist and have an overall clean design. So much different from my cluttered home!
“Brazilian of Japanese origin” – Mari you are exotic! 😀 The almanac is a book that charts the stars and various things we can’t understand, to tell us what is a good day to do what. Traditionally, I believe it was to help people decide when would be a good time to start planting or to build a house etc. These days, people use it to find out when’s a good time to travel or get married or in our case, to commence business in the new year 😀 I guess you haven’t been to a house that follows the feng shui precepts very closely. Some of them end up looking very odd 😉
Actually, my grandparents were Japanese – on both sides – and came to try a living here in Brazil. So I’m Brazilian, but there was no mix in the pot. When the Japanese came here they lived pretty much apart from the rest of society and would rather marry among themselves: you know, same values, same culture, all struggling to make it here. Of course things are no longer as they were, Brazil is a true melting pot of all races and the majority is “mestiço” (mixed), as we call them. But I think the Asian people tend to hold onto their original cultures more than the others – I’m not sure why, though.^^ Maybe because Brazil hasn’t got a background of its own.
Yeah, they usually follow it pretty loosely, with just a few mirrors here, some water there… I’ve never been to a Feng Shui fanatic house yet! 😀 How can things get that odd?
Your history is exotic in itself, Mari 😀 But I think it very surprising how many Asians or Japanese are living in South America. You just don’t think it. And I do agree that Asians as a whole tend to hold onto their original culture, prefering it does not die out. Its a cultural thing because we see it happening here too and in every Chinatown worldwide 😉
As for strange feng shui houses, there are houses with funny designs or ponds where you don’t expect it, or strangely angled doors. Some manage to make it look good, but some… let’s just not go there hehe…
Hi Paris,
Happy Chinese New Year to you.
It’s been a while since I am here… 😉
Yes, I believe in Feng Shui. But of course, in moderation and whatever is practical.
I have to say, even my friend who is a Catholic, believe in Feng Shui, saying it’s “better to believe than not to”. Of course, again, do so in moderation. 🙂
Hiya! Happy Chinese New Year to you too! And you’re right. Everything should be taken in moderation. Anything taken to extremes is never good – a way I like to lead my life 😉