2007: The year of sizzlin’ bacon
Having restarted the New Year once, following the Russian calendar, I am about to try again to see if the “third time’s the charm” since another New Year is upon us. Depending on how you read the Chinese calendar, 2007 either started on February 4th, or it starts this weekend, on the 18th-the Year of the Red Pig. The feng shui masters who monitor astrological comings and goings deem Pig years the best of times-prosperous, fun loving and amiable. But when the bountiful boar is paired with the primal element of fire, as in this year, that darling barnyard piglet runs amok in the village: the “worst of times.”
Throughout Asia, and indeed much of the world, the pig is a happy symbol-like a plucky optimistic Babe, or sweet Wilbur in “Charlotte’s Web”-and people born in the astrological sign are seen as social, intelligent, nice-to-a-fault, lovers of the Good Life. The way Chinese astrology works is that two different cycles operate in a 60-year spin, one of 12 animal archetypes, the other of the five elements. Each animal functions for a year within a different element and it is the interplay of two archetypes that Asian astrologers insist make their predictive capabilities more insightful. Think for a moment just of the two elements working together or in opposition. Pigs are water animals, wallowers in mud. Fire and water can combine to generate power in the form of steam, but pots boil over when unattended and water can easily squelch a fire. Since the Fire Pig is the end-point of the 60-year astrological cycle, it is a year of last stands and loose ends tied. This year probably will be an unsettling time of radical transformation.
At least, this is what Eastern mystics forecast. They point to the last Fire Pig year for examples. In 1947, India and Pakistan separated and, by the end of the year, they were at war-as was Thailand, Taiwan, Paraguay and Indonesia. The year 1947 was also when Palestine was partitioned. Farther north, the Cold War began and, with it, the nuclear arms race. Since water rules secrets and fire, ideals, it was no surprise that 1947 was the year the CIA was formed and coups toppled governments. On a positive note, 1947 was also a year of reconstruction and alliances: NATO and the Marshall Plan.
Now it’s “007.” Is James Bond’s moniker any surprise? It’s a year for spies and uncovering things hidden. Just as heat and water create fog, a veil over reality, fire is the stronger element and its glimmer will illuminate what has been obscured. Villains will be unmasked and one forecaster indicates that something important hidden in the Middle East will surface in a stunning discovery.
Emotions will run high this year. Pigs are often naïve and too trusting; they may be deceived, but, when aroused, they are quick to anger and attack thoughtlessly. Expect a year of crusades and high opinions, coups and political conflicts, as every long-simmering conflict boils over. Or, if the world is lucky, someone will turn down the heat and settlement will be reached. In a Fire Pig Year, life can go either way.
For Mother Nature, it’s another roller-coaster year as increasingly unstable weather patterns portend at least one water-borne disaster and a major explosion. In Asia, this is the Year of the Golden Pig that occurs every 600 years-an exceptionally lucky year to be born. China and Korea are seeing astonishing fertility, with 20 percent and 50 percent increases in obstetric visits.
Perhaps the most interesting global impact of Eastern astrology is in financial markets. Asian financial gurus project an economic upswing since Pig is a sign of conspicuous consumption. Expect a boom in tourism, gambling and luxury goods. The American financial picture is murky and not for the faint-of-heart, so don’t invest if you can’t afford to lose. There may be shipping accidents and possible disruptions in energy supplies, but it will be an excellent year for earth and metal industries such as property, mining and heavy equipment, health and high tech. Rest easy-analysts predict solid stock market gains over the first half of the year, weakening in July with a drawback next year, the Year of the Earth Rat. Watch out for the dirty rats!
So, for now, try to pace yourself so you don’t burn out. For feng shui protection, hang a string of golden coins or a metal wind chime from your home’s northeastern rafters and hope for the best.
Recipe for a Happy New Year
In celebration of the Year of the Pig, the Chinese government issued a bright red, scratch-and-sniff stamp with an added treat-it not only smells like sweet-and-sour pork, but when you lick it, the glue tastes like it too. This, in a nation where the average citizen gobbles up 80 pounds of pork every year! Because sweet-and-sour pork is so messy to cook, I plan to order mine take-out, along with a make-me-lucky helping of yard-long green beans and noodles. Don’t worry-the next issue brings a new recipe for the Good Life. Happy New Year!