Looking back – My year of the Fire Monkey

I knew going into 2016 that I would be in for a life-changing year, for good or bad.

When I looked at my chart for the upcoming Year of the Fire Monkey and looked back on my life as to what had happened previously in Monkey years, I knew big change was coming.

What to do? I turned to Chinese Metaphysics for the answers.

While my expertise is in Feng Shui, I am also an adept astrologer with 40 years experience in various Eastern and Western systems.

And with the training and understanding I have of Chinese Metaphysics and philosophy, I was able to take the right actions to turn 2016 into my most successful year financially, personally, emotionally – in short on all fronts.

The Fire Monkey is Fan Yin to my day pillar. If you are a student of BaZi you will know that this is a complete clash of controlling elements. Previous Monkey years have personally been a time of major life events… getting married, giving birth to a son, changing jobs, moving to a different country, children moving away, and even major surgery.

But as much as the year of the monkey foretold of big changes, I knew things would be good for me.

Did you know that the Chinese character for crisis and opportunity is the same? I love this!

The key for me going into 2016 was to work with that energy of change instead of waiting for change to happen to me. As I like to say to my students – I worked with the flow.

I created a strategy from the teachings of my masters and their wisdom.

Here is some of what I did.

• I moved homes. (I spent 6 months looking for a home with better Feng Shui and moved in June)
• I travelled, almost a week a month, for either business or studies.
• I took extra care with my health.
• I did 3 retreats on personal growth and worked on consciously on building stronger relationships with those important to me.

And perhaps most importantly I was open to positive new energies coming into my life.

Lily Chung, whom I studied with for many years, is an expert in the I Ching and Chinese philosophy. She taught me that wise Chinese people who are in cycles of trouble choose to lead a simple life, avoid excess and indulgence. She said they study religion or philosophy, spend time alone, engage in meaningful work, and meditate to sharpen their minds.

Over the last 15 years – I have embraced this ancient philosophy as a way of life and particularly in years such as the Monkey.

For me, 2016 was not a crisis-filled year but very much a year of opportunity that was rich in rewards. The rewards? Better clients and better friends and better projects.

It has been my dream to support conscious people to live in conscious environments that support them to do positive work in the world and in 2016 I was to form amazing alliances with architects and developers and strategize on things we can do together in the future.

By tuning to and working with the energy of 2016, I was able to make good things happen.

So, as we enter 2017, I invite you to embrace the Qi of the current times and see it not as a crisis but as an opportunity.