#158. Best Date To Start Work For 2009

Happy Chinese New Year Gong Xi Fa Cai

Every year the Chinese people are interested in which date will be the best to start work after the Chinese New Year holidays.

Many Sifus (Masters) commercialised this idea by printing books and selling them. What a wonderful way to make money. There are Masters that will even advise you not to go out at all on Day 1 of Chinese New Year. I kid you not!

I have been an avid student of Feng Shui myself. My studies on Feng Shui and Bazi (a Chinese astrology method) begins with the study of Yijing (I-Ching). The study of Yijing is a must for anyone who wants to learn Feng Shui and Bazi.

Yijing is the foundation of all Chinese astrology and geomancy. It is from Yijing that Feng Shui and Bazi theories are developed.

In the study of Yijing, there are 8 trigrams (3 lines drawing) that form the Bagua. The combination of any two of these trigrams become a hexagram (6 lines drawing). Each line is either a broken line (dash dash) or a solid line (one straight line).

When 2 trigrams are combined to become a hexagram, we can say the combination is good or not by looking at the 'elements' of each trigram.

From the 8 trigrams, they are divided into 2 Wood element trigrams (one Yang and one Ying), 1 Fire element trigram, 2 Earth element trigrams, 2 Metal element trigrams and 1 Water element trigram.

The interaction between the trigrams will determine whether it is good or not when the hexagram is formed. For example, a combination of a metal and a wood trigram denotes a clash or fight. Because metal cuts wood, therefore it's like an axe chopping wood.

Fallacy and myth of best day to start work

The practice of naming best dates to start work is fast becoming a popular one. Now, in the study of date selection, all dates consist of a combination of elements.

The year has a combination of two elements. For example in the year of Ox in 2009, it is a combination of ying Earth and ying Earth. It can be considered a favourable and peaceful combinations because both elements are alike.

When the theory of Yijing is used in dates, each of the 5 basic elements are expanded further to have ying and yang. Thus in total there are 5 times 2 (ying and yang) = 10 different elements.
The month, day and hour too have their own combinations. And between year, month, day and hour, there may be a clash in the elements. Imagine 8 different elements (2 for year, 2 for month, 2 for day and 2 for hour) combining.

Anyway, what I would like to put forward is this, yes, some Sifus may say that (for example) on day 3 all the elements are favourable because the combination is good. But do you think just because you start work on a favourable day, the whole year will be a prosperous one?

Based on my explanations above, I hope you have understood that in every 365 days of the year, there may be days that are not favourable in their combinations. You may have chosen a good day to work but that doesn't guarantee that the rest of the 364 days will be a favourable one.
Put another way, when you drive for 365 kms, just because you start well on the first km, do you think the rest of the 364 kms will be a smooth ride? You will never know. Accident can happen along the way.

There are people who chose a good date to start their business, do you think this will bring them good wealth in their business forever?

We might be born on the 'wrong' dates according to these Sifus. Do you think we will face bad luck everyday of our entire lives? Many people have been cheated by this kind of Sifus because the Sifus told them they have to pay them to do this and that to clean the ill luck.

There is a cycle of bad luck and good luck just like how the stock market is. No one have bad luck forever. If you don't do something to improve your knowledge on personal finance, then you may always be poor (bad luck).

Feng Shui is a logical study. We need to apply some common sense. Do not listen to any Sifu without questioning the logic behind the practice.

Be practical, just keep your spirits high all the time especially in this economy climate. Pray that you become healthier, happier and wealthier. Put in effort to improve your health through exercise and healthy eating habits, be cheerful at all times and improve your knowledge on personal financial management. Study some authentic Feng Shui yourself so that you won't be cheated by these scam Sifus. Most of all, improve your knowledge on invesment and trading to make you wealthier.

May you have a healthier, happier and wealthier Chinese New Year!