According to Chinese metaphysics, we are currently living in period eight, a 20-year cycle that runs until 2024 and which is ruled by the trigram gen, which is associated with the young male. Metaphysicians identify the cosmic flows and changes that will occur in a period, assigning a trigram and associated body organs, directions and elements to each. For instance, the period from 1984 to 2003 was ruled by young women, the mouth and lakes and ponds. Developments we witnessed during this time included an increase in the usage of fountains, the rise of singers and consultants, a surge of interest in fung shui and new-age books and the United States (located to the west; being, in ancient Chinese eyes, an extension of Europe) becoming the dominant global power. For period eight, the prominent influences are those of young men, mountains, earth, the northeast, the nose and hand. We've seen young men rise to the forefront in terms of radical developments in communications, science and technology. There's also been a substantial increase in real-estate investment and value. As the hand and nose represent experimentation, there will be continuous innovation in the way we live our lives. Businesses relating to the hands (massage, spa treatments, driving), the nose (perfume, wine, yoga, meditation) and mountains (skiing, hiking, resorts, retreats) will become highly profitable. Vegetarian diets should also gain in popularity.
