How to catch your falling star.

As symbolic as it is of divinity, manifestations and good fortune, one of the best and proven methods of inviting wealth, success and happiness is to time the alignment of stars to you.

This is the practice of Inviting the God of Wealth during the Chinese New Year period.

During the coming Chinese New Year which falls on 29th January 2025, there are specific times and simple sequences which will hopefully bring you the necessary luck that you are looking forward to.

It believed that certain dates during this season, the three powerful stars that will bring you life's aspirations are in the hands of the God of Fortune for all things financial, the God of Nobility for all the help that you can hope for and the God of Happiness who offers you all the best of outcomes.

Supreme and most beloved of the three is the God of Wealth.

The excitement and celebrations of the Chinese New Year would be incomplete without inviting the God of Wealth to bless each household and to ensure continuing prosperity.

Through the years of traditions, cultural practices and heritage, the God of Wealth was personified as a ‘god’ holding gold ingots, rained with treasures and at times accompanied by the auspicious carp.

In practice, the God of Wealth is an energy force that aligns the stars to mankind, thereby connecting man to the best of outcomes when observing this linear direction given a specific day and time.

What better time than the Chinese New Year ?

So, it is observed that on the eve of the Chinese New Year, one must prepare to invite the God of Wealth to the home to bring blessings for the year. On 28th January 2025, after your reunion dinner, set up a clean table and prepare the following.

1.     Fresh orchids, peonies or lilies

2.    Oranges, red apples, Chinese pears, persimmons and a pineapple

3.    Traditional sweets and New Year cake （年糕）or any cakes

4.    Cup of tea and a cup of wine (red wine is fine too)

5.    A red packet (red envelope) with some cash

6.    A decal, sticker or a picture of the God of Wealth (like the one depicted) which is given to those who ordered and received the 2025 Chinese Almanac Auspicious Dates

Light up the house, open the doors and windows, clean up and if you can, light some incense, candles and joss sticks.

Half an hour past midnight, into the morning of the Chinese New Year on 29th January, look North for the God of Wealth, Southeast for the God of Happiness and Northeast for the God of Nobility. They are represented by a bright star each. Make your wishes, say your prayers and be blessed.

Do you know that in 2025, there are not just once but five occasions you can observe this tradition ?

Observe this with an open mind. There is nothing religious nor superstitious about it. All one needs to do is to be sincere about your wishes and should they be fulfilled, remember to give back to those in need. I wish you good luck with this ritual.

Where do we go from here come 2025 ?

A sneak peak into the economics forecast for the Year of the Wood Snake.

Early this year, in January 2024, an international news agency called me and asked me one question: 'Will Trump win ?'.

My answer to her was: 'I do not answer nor speculate especially on matters touching on politics, race, gender nor religion. But, if you need answers, I will answer you with 'He will be back' !' I then sent her the analysis of all six world figures, namely Xi Jing-Ping, Zelensky, Netanyahu, Putin, Biden and of course, Trump. Just based on Ba Zi alone, I put it on the report that Biden will be seriously impacted by illness and that Trump will 'clash out his competitors'. This statement was repeated in my talks, events and presentations.

Now that the race has been decided, what lies ahead in terms of our economic outlook, financial systems and general geopolitics ?

While there are many forecasting methods, I look at things without fanciful speculations nor judgmental alignment.

The sixth and perhaps the most mysterious, the Snake possesses the curiosity of mystics, magic, secrets, attractions and adventures. However, the most outstanding feature of the Year of the Snake lies in the wisdom and discovery of new frontiers.

The Year of the Wood Snake （乙巳）is symbolic of Yin Wood over Yin Fire, giving rise to a spark of imagination and excitement throughout the year 2025. In the system of the five elements theory, wood produces fire and so, we hope to see a complementary year of cooperation and partnerships. There are reasons for renewed confidence.

This year’s positive outcomes are conditional upon the presence of Yang Fire（丙） and Yin Earth（己）. To succeed, there must be collaborations, agreement and the financial muscles to negotiate and leverage. Powerful friends and strategic plans play a big part.

By now, we have integrated into the Period 9 energies which are dominated by the element Fire. With the Snake being a strong Fire environment and the support of wood, there are valid reasons to believe that the world economy will thrive. This is more evident when we take into consideration the following two years, 2026 being a Fire Horse year and 2027 being an Earth Goat year, noted for their robust economies.

The Snake is symbolic of a Travelling Horse Star, meaning it induces movements, travels, migration and changes in attitude of space and time. Travelling and relocation are to be expected. Those born in Rabbit, Goat and Pig years will benefit from travels especially for business and discovering new territories.

There is an abundance of foresight, strategic actions, swiftness and precision in 2025. Being a Yin sign, females are seen to be power brokers who will steer us into prosperity.

On a historical note, the Snake year is predicted to bring positive results and significant upsides for stocks and equities. In 2013 which was the last Snake year, the Dow Jones picked up 26% over the previous year.

Businesses are expected to see improvements but noticeably, focus on industries related to technology, chips manufacturing, quantum computing, wellness, energy and hospitality.

The Snake year in 2025, is to be peaked in 2026 being the Year of the Fire Horse and followed by the Year of the Goat in 2027, means that we are hopeful of consistent growth, record breaking economic numbers, inflation stability, interest rates flattening, potential ceasefires, agreements and hopefully, peace in troubled areas.

Disclaimer: This article is written from a Feng Shui perspective and analysis and does not constitute financial advice for investors. Master Ken Koh is not a financially certified nor a licensed financial advisor.

Renovation rules for 2025.

Home owners, interior designers and renovation contractors should observe these as general rules of avoidance. The Year of the Wood Snake will bring you several sectors within any given space, home or commercial, that you do not start renovations in them, to begin with.

It is believed that starting renovation works, be it hacking of a partition, drilling into a wall, hammering into the floor or removing any part of that afflicted sectors will set you with different sets of problems such as disruptions, stoppages, potential accidents and bad results. Thus, it is advisable to observe that these are the sacred locations within the spaces that should not be marked as a start for renovation works.

2025 being the Year of the Snake, has a sector that is the 'forbidden space'. This falls between 142.6 and 157.5 degrees, Southeast 3 in the compass, which is otherwise known as the Grand Duke location. If one consciously or not, start work here, injuries, mishaps and probable official violations will surface.

Next comes the Three Killings, which falls between 52.6 and 117.5 degrees in the East. Starting work here will trigger financial ruins, both for the contractors and the home owners. In addition, there may comes some form of calamity and forced delays which can be caused by chain supply issues or issues at municipal levels such as your local town councils.

The Five Yellow, in the Northeast, straddling between 22.5 and 67.5 degrees, brings about misfortunes, and disastrous consequences. Due to its earth element dominance, it is more likely to turn into physical damages or harm to workers.

At a higher level, a professional consultant will match a chosen auspicious date to the time and aligned to a specific spot to start work. As a matter of elimination, all will observe the sectors to avoid.