The 12 zodiac forecast and the Chinese Almanac.

Where do the information originate in the annual forecasting of each zodiac's fortunes originate ?

It lies in the different systems using the various methodologies involved in the stars and planets' influences over each of the 12 symbolic animals. Based on the  

sexagenary cycle of the Chinese calendar system which consists of

60 unique pairings of elements and corresponding zodiac,

each pair is matched to the stars and 'killings' exerted by each symbolic star that brings about various implications for that one particular zodiac.

Occasionally, some stars may not appear to be the same when compared against different interpretations by individual authors (usually practicing feng shui consultants and teachers) as there are several sources that can be derived from.

The core framework centers around these systems that authors use that may sparingly counter-claim or differ from each other:

1. The unique pairing of the year's elements based on the sexagenary cycle of the Chinese calendar. For example 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse which will be followed by 2027 which is the Year of the Fire Goat and 2028, the Year of the Earth Monkey.

2. The assessment of each element represented in the year against each of the 60 pairing of every zodiac in the 60 year cycle

3. The Ba Zi or Four Pillars of destiny method in which the layer of the luck cycle is brought into consideration

4. Zi Wei Dou Shu or the Purple Star astrology system which presents its own unique set of stars

In spite of minor variations, the general prediction maintains its core classification and grades of whether one zodiac will do well, who is going to undergo some challenges and most importantly, the advice that the authors will dispense on how to benefit from the positive stars and the ways to control, not totally avoid nor eradicate, the negative.

It is no secret that the origin of this annual update of information, including the forecasting, has its roots in the Chinese Almanac or the Tong-Shu (also known as Tong-Sheng) which loosely translates to the Book of Everything. Within the 300 to 400 pages, most popular of which today is the Daily Use version, you will find the focus on the weather forecast for the year, the energies for feng shui purposes, the predictions, information relating to traditional medicine, name selection, prayers instructions and of course, the daily pages of auspicious dates and functions.

The Chinese almanac began documented from the Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC - 256BC) in its earliest form of calendrical systems linked to agricultural cycles and rituals.

The Tang Dynasty (618 AD - 907AD) popularized this collation further and became known as the Tong-Shu (the Book of Everything) which was widely used for astrology, feng shui guidelines and the daily use of date selection for various functions which were confined mainly to agricultural, harvesting, hunting and fishing purposes.

By the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644 AD - 1912AD) which was followed closely by the political chaos of the Long March (Oct 1934 - October 1936) and the eventual Cultural Revolution (May 1966 - October 1976), the Chinese almanac was largely forgotten due to the ban on Chinese literature and beliefs.

However, from the 1960s, following the period when feng shui literature were smuggled out of China during the Cultural Revolution, the beneficiaries of this knowledge were handed down to Taiwan, Hong Kong, parts of Southeast Asia (especially Singapore) and perhaps other undocumented parts of the world.

The Chinese almanac, as we know it today, is a preservation of a 2,000 year history and practice that went into print for mass distribution out of Hong Kong, now part of China. Because the information was a hand down, the updates only involved the dates recycled on a 60 year routine. As we know it, the early 60s and 70s was the Golden Age of Industrialization during which offset printing for books and other paper products was a major player. This means that the Chinese almanac in today's circulation by look and feel has been used for at least 50 years.

The issue was, all information other than the recycled dates, were not updated. And so, in our age of Artificial Intelligence, you will continue to find that dates were matched to activities such as fishing and harvesting. Another problem was the encryption of information in all things Chinese. They are either too technical, left unexplained, or intentionally left to confuse. Taking a bath and cutting nails on auspicious days related to new born. Yet some remain relevant, such as marriage, opening ceremonies and shifting into a new home.

By late 1990s and the start of the year 2000, the internet boom created a revolution and together with many things around the world, people started to take an interest in feng shui and with it, the Chinese calendar.

Many more applications were introduced into an already complicating subject. All we need is a simple easy to follow daily guide in which we can find relevant and useful reference to make use of.

This category is the daily information and the relevance must matched to today's activities. It will be an added bonus if it include simple feng shui applications and the annual forecast.

I am a firm believer of corresponding energies that come with each day and personally make use of the traditional almanac when I have a major decision or an important task to perform. These include business opportunities, launching a new service, opening ceremonies, shifting homes, applications of any nature, securing a business deal, raising funds, matching my luck to that day, travelling and many others.

In 2011, I was invited to Christchurch, New Zealand, by the Singapore embassy equivalent, to deliver several presentations, radio interviews, TV appearance and visiting several clients for feng shui work assignments. Earlier on, Christchurch had already been hit by an earthquake and was rebuilding. On arrival, I witnessed roads cracked up a meter high, cathedrals leaning on sides and buildings without windows.

Over 7 days there, as I laid sleeping on the sixth floor hotel, I could hear rumblings of the earth at night under the pillow. On the last day of my stay, I was scheduled a TV shoot in the 7-storey Christchurch Canterbury TV station. The studio was in the mid floor and my host was Ms. Donna Mannings, who was absolutely professional in her work and put me at ease in front of the cameras. After the filming was done, I bade goodbye and was waiting for the car to take me to the airport for my flight back to Singapore. While waiting, the receptionist, a middle aged lady called Rosemary asked me a straight question.

'Ken, what do you think of the feng shui of this building ?'

I replied 'Not good, Rosemary. Remember, whatever happens and you don't feel right, dash out of the door, don't hesitate'

The car came and I said my goodbye to Rosemary.

The next day, 22nd February 2011 at 12.51pm Christchurch time (4 hours ahead of Singapore), the 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck the Canterbury area and bring down the CCTV Building, the one I was in just a day before.

115 people died and while catching the news, it was reported that one survived out of that building.

The name was Rosemary.

What is the relevance of this incident to the Chinese almanac ?

For one, I believe in my 'good fortune' of escaping disaster because I always choose a good date to travel and start my journey. When it ends does not matter.

Two weeks later, on 11th March 2011, the Fukushima earthquake disaster struck Japan and once again, I had much earlier turned down a job to be in Osaka that same week.

It took me 8 years and in 2019, I decided to publish an annual update of the Chinese Almanac in English, simple and concise to use, without the frills. Functions have been updated to today's use, such as, auspicious days for livestreaming, signing a contract, raising funds, wealth activation and not forgetting the ever important good date for marriage.

Ever since, I have been blessed to be able to publish this every year to serve those who trust and believe in the power of auspicious dates, its efficacy and the benefits it brings.