Astrology and feng shui are inseparable from both the lunar and solar calendar. This is why at the start of each New Year, it becomes so important to get intimately acquainted with new patterns of energies revealed in the calendar. Everything hinges on the calendar and we look at ALL the charts that reveal the different star influences on the different calendar days. These charts disclose how the days of the year are affected by the way the destiny stars fly around the compass, combining with the influences of elements, trigrams and numbers. The combinations are what reveal also the destiny of different animal signs through the new year.
Every new year has new lucky and unlucky days. This results from how the elements, attributes and trigrams of the days interact. Experts calculate the effect of these influences to come up with lucky days for undertaking specific events; there are lucky days to marry, to start a new job, to travel, to launch a new project… indeed there are lucky days for almost every kind of activity.
But the calculation of lucky days can be complicated, because to all the attributes listed, there must also be added the influence of the MOON in its passage through the 28 constellations; the planetary cycles, which means the movements of the seven vital planets affecting our destinies. These planets influence the destiny of the seven days of the week, and hence the lunar calendar usually exerts great influence on the luck of days.
Some calendar experts take into account other influences as well. Tibetans for instance examine the calculation of the Kalachakra effects and the Buddha days on the cycles of time, while the Chinese examine the annual chi energies of the 28 Lunar Mansions. The Indians meanwhile also input the impact of their Holy Days.
To determine whether or not any given day is auspicious or inauspicious, we need to calculate how all the elements combine. It is easy to make big mistakes when there are so many variables to consider; it is not advisable then to try and do these calculations on an ad hoc basis. It is easier and more accurate to depend on the calculations undertaken by the experts, who then collate and compile them into an easy-to-use ALMANAC.
THE LUNAR CALENDAR
The Asian traditions place greater emphasis on the impact of the moon, and in fact, we believe that our daily lives are very much linked to the phases of the moon’s waxing and waning cycles. It is already acknowledged that lunar cycles affect the levels of the sea, the growth rate of plants, the weather, the women’s monthly cycles, and also the human beings’ psychic characteristics. We believe that during the time of the full moon, our psychic powers are at their peak. Thus on full moon days, every action is fuelled by stronger and more extreme passionate energy. This is when prayers take on greater power, when actions exert a heavier impact, when accidents and violence tend to occur suddenly and more frequently. Full moon days are always regarded as special days by those who believe in the power of the moon’s radiance to add strength to one’s psychic skills. Feng shui done on full moon days is believed to have great effect, especially when it has to do with the placement of auspicious new objects in the home.
The power of the lunar influence is something Buddhists take seriously so that full moon days are also prayer days and meditation days; these are days when performing shamanic and tantric rituals brings a higher rate of success. The intensity of energy during full moon days can also be harnessed to perform yogic feats such as flying, jumping to enormous heights and walking great distances at superhuman speeds; feats that many lay people might well regard as superhuman or magical. Full moon days are excellent for practising a full round of the Tibetan yogic rites of rejuvenation, a series of five exercises believed to enhance the spinning of the seven chakras of the human body – supposedly a powerful way to reverse the aging process.
The MOON however is regarded as the planet of impermanence, of change and fluidity. It is viewed as moving rather quickly across the great skies and so it is often thought of being a transitory phenomenon. The light of the moon is considered a reflection, much like the mirror of the Earth. The moon is often associated with the occurrence of psychic phenomena, changing emotions, unattainable dreams and illusory imaginings. These associations make the Moon a popular symbol of contemplation and meditation. When you gaze at the moon, any agitation you may be experiencing will leave you. You will become calm. Your mind will get pacified…
When the year nears its calendar end and the energies of the New Year starts to unfold and become strong, that is a good time to gaze at the moon. In the last three full moons of the waning lunar year, it is regarded as incredibly auspicious to use a brass mirror to capture the image of the moon in all its shining glory. The mirror should then be kept close to your body to enhance your fortunes through the following year. Moon energy brings beauty, calm and inner strength that adds to your life force and inner essence.
The SUN on the other hand is associated with the creative worldly self, with expansion, personal will and ambition. The sun personifies the characteristic of domination. The SUN empowers and strengthens, but it is power of a worldly kind. It activates the five elements of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water; unlike the moon, its cycle is daily, but the sun alternates day with the Moon’s night. How strong the power of the sun is does not change with the days unlike the moon. The sun is always strong, always bright, always yang!
When you are in need of greater willpower to fuel your actions and projects, you can capture the sun’s energy. This is done not by holding a mirror to the sun but by displaying the three suns aided by the three-legged bird. Having the three suns in the home invites in the energies of the sun, which complements the energies of the full moon!
The solar calendar is more dominant in western astrology, but the Chinese also have their own solar calendar, sometimes called the Hsia calendar. This is one of feng shui’s more prominent formulas that deals with the time dimension uses the solar calendar to chart the quality of days with respect to the strength for different kinds of activities.
The feng shui practitioner and astrologer must thus be mindful of which calendar is being used when it comes to selecting lucky and unlucky days. Both calendars have their characteristics and attributes. The skill of the practitioner lies in selecting the calendar that is appropriate for the activity being performed. It also depends on the formula and method being applied to improve things.
