A matter of luck

You may have heard it said that someone is going through a good-luck or bad-luck cycle but not understood what it means. Chinese astrologers are able to forecast the ups and downs of a person's life, right down to specifics that might occur in a particular year. Under the paht chee (or eight characters of birth) system of astrology, luck cycles last for five years and are represented by one of the five elements (wood, metal, fire, earth and water) or one of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals. Each of the animals represents one, two or three elements. For instance, the rat contains only the water element while the ox represents metal, earth and water.

So how is this information used by the astrologer? The overall pattern of a birth chart is first determined by looking at the four elements and the four animals (the eight characters) that constitute a chart, which is derived from the time, day, month and year of a person's birth. More calculations will then yield the ages at which one's luck cycles will change and the elements or animals that will govern them. An experienced fung shui master will be able to identify the positive and negative elements for the person and thus determine whether he or she will enjoy good fortune or face adversity during each five-year period.