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Marites Allen, the first and only Filipino woman to date with the title of “Master in Feng Shui” from the International Feng Shui Association, has tips to welcome the Fire Rooster in one’s home. Chinese New Year is on Jan. 28.

DOS

• Clean and de-clutter your home before Saturday.
  This cleansing ritual removes all stale and negative energies and indicates a fresh start accompanied by good luck and prosperity. It is important to do this before the Chinese New Year, because any cleaning done on the first day of the new year sweeps away all the good luck that arrived. And while you’re at it…
  
  
• Get rid of chipped or broken items.
  Broken things represent stagnant or broken energy. Keeping chipped plates or glasses is bad luck because anything chipped symbolizes poverty. If a broken item is kept for sentimental purposes, have them repaired (although doing so will still not create fresh luck). Or give them to someone who would use these items. So-called “stuck energy” could stop the owner from moving forward in life.
  
  
• Wear something new.
  New clothes symbolize good fortune. But shoes must be bought before the new year comes in. “Buying a new pair on New Year’s Day itself may cause rough patches because the Chinese word for shoes means ‘rough,’” Allen explained.
  
  Think earth colors in 2017, but wear red on the new year.
  
  The annual destiny chart of 2017 does not have the Earth element, Allen pointed out. “To supply this and balance out the energies, wear earth-colored tones like brown, beige and terra cotta,” she advised.
  
  “However, wearing red attire or accessories on New Year’s Day itself is recommended because this happy color is believed to attract a bright future,” she added. “For the rest of the year, it is always good to consider your personal birth elements and choose colors that support those energies. For example, if your personal birth element is Earth, wearing Fire element colors like red, orange and purple helps. However, it will not be good to wear Wood element colors as they will sap your energy.”
  
  
• Enjoy an auspicious meal with the family.
  On New Year’s Day, fathers should invite all family members to have breakfast between 5 and 7 a.m. “Having something sweet and sticky like tikoy and rice cakes is believed to ensure that the family will stay close and sweet to one another during the year,” said Allen. “The menu may include noodles for longevity and a whole fish dish for abundance.”
  
  
• Forget the past.
  The Year of the Fire Rooster is like a “reset” button, Allen noted, which means “you have the opportunity to start something new and leave the past behind—for good. It does not have to be a big change; it could be anything you feel comfortable with, as long as it shows your resolve to “go with the flow” and allow the new energy to come in.”
  
  Bearing old grudges, especially on a year of new beginnings, “will only hamper your chances of achieving your goals,” she added.
  
  
• Write your wishes.
  If the previous year had its challenges, write your wishes and release them to the heavens in a balloon-releasing ritual. This will “erase” the challenges that may be encountered throughout the year. Hanging wishes on a Wish Fulfilling Tree is also synonymous with good luck and better fortune and helps make dreams come true.
  
  
• Keep lucky charms ready.
  But first, know where the lucky and unlucky sectors are in your home and office. (Allen’s Frigga stores have the updated Flying Stars chart that indicates these sectors).
  
  “Each direction in the annual Flying Stars chart brings auspicious or inauspicious indications specific to an animal sign,” Allen explained. Thus, the specific luck forecast for each animal sign depends on whether it has an auspicious or inauspicious sign for the year.
  
  Fire Rooster year has an Illness Star in the Northwest sector that could affect the Dog and the Boar; a Quarrelsome Star in the West that could make Roosters more argumentative in 2017; the so-called Five Yellow Stars in the South with “extreme negative effects” especially on Horses and the Robbery Star in the Southwest that could cause losses, injuries or accidents “coupled with emotional stress” to the Sheep and the Monkey.
  
  Allen warned there is no universal “cure” that applies to all signs: “We must carry carefully recommended charms to enhance our good fortune, and protective amulets to deflect the negative energies indicated by our Flying Star direction and personal forecasts.”
  
  Appropriate enhancers should be placed in the “auspicious” sectors and the cures or protection in the “afflicted” sectors. Allen said only authentic and high-quality lucky charms from reliable sources can ensure that the bearer or wearer will get the most benefits.
  
  Allen also warned against reusing cures from previous years “because they have already absorbed the negative energies of the past year that could linger around your living space. Better to wrap these previous cures, thank them for the protection offered and bury them underground. Enhancers, meanwhile, may be used again but they have to be wiped clean or reenergized properly.”
  
  
• Listen, ask and learn more about feng shui.
  Allen expressed concern about feng shui enthusiasts who follow suggestions given in various media: “It is important to consult an expert to verify their readings.”
  
  As it is, feng shui experts agree that each individual’s “luck” is determined by the uniqueness of his or her birth year, birth month, birth date and birth hour. For example, not all Dragons will be lucky this year because they have different birth months, dates and hours.
  
  Allen also talked about “Heaven’s Luck”—the circumstances that a person is born to, like family wealth and home environment, as well as “Man-made Luck” or how a person deals with his circumstances.
  “Even a person gifted with a lot of lucky stars may not be successful if he or she does not study or work,” she said.
  
  Three kinds of luck each determines one-third of a person’s destiny, she said. Luck provided by feng shui is the last third.

DONT'S

• Do not cut your hair.
  Those planning to sport a new hairstyle should not visit the salon on New Year’s Day or during the week of the New Year. “Having your hair cut is tantamount to cutting good luck,” said Allen, adding that her Feng Shui Planner notes auspicious days to have a haircut before or after the New Year.
  
  
• Do not curse and fight.
  Starting the year with harsh words and fights will only bring negative vibes for the rest of the year. Parents should avoid reprimanding children on the first day of the Chinese New Year as it will only ruin an auspicious celebration. The feelings of hurt and resulting tears will set everyone off to a bad start.

Source:: Dos and don’ts in the Year of the Rooster | Inquirer lifestyle