Happy Chinese New Year to all! According to the Chinese Astrology, the Yellow Dog year begins on February the 16th and ends on February the 4th of 2019. Yellow Dog Year and Feng Shui of our homes: how to harmonize the astral energies of the new solar cycle.
Under the combination Dog + Earth element (Yellow Dog) there are those born from 18 February 1958 to 7 February 1959.
Even those born in 1970, 1982, 1994 and 2006 belong to the sign of the Dog, but their combination with the Earthly Branches is different and they are influenced also by other energies of the cycle of the 5 elements or 5 phases (Wuxing).
The corresponding zodiac sign is Libra.
In China, the dog is a very popular animal and many stories are told about it, the most important myth is astronomical and concerns Tiangou, the dog devourer of the Sun and the Moon. Another well-known story is the fairy tale of the dog Pan Hu who defeated Emperor Gao Xin’s enemies and married his daughter.
The Yellow Dog year is a period in which honesty and equanimity can reign. There is therefore a good chance that disputes will be resolved, changes made and the bonds of government policy will be less tight. Under the auspices of the Dog, individual integrity and honesty can be the right reward.
The most favorite signs in the 2018 Yellow Dog year, together with the Dog, are the Tiger (1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010) and the Horse (1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014), which in the Western tradition correspond respectively to the Aquarium and Gemini.
The most disadvantaged sign in the 2018 Yellow Dog year is the Dragon (1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012) but the Ox, the Snake, the Sheep and the Phoenix may also encounter some difficulties.
The main characteristics of the Yellow Dog are loyalty, integrity, fidelity, spontaneity, high sense of friendship and spirit of sacrifice. The Yellow Dog is an excellent worker and soldier, a good performer; thanks to its high sense of responsibility, it is reliable and easily considered trustworthy and able to keep secrets. Very sensitive and compassionate, the Yellow Dog can easily lose control of its feelings because of its instinct.
Keywords for the Yellow Dog year can be Success through Trust, as the Dog protects and defends those who are worthy of respect and works with constancy and honesty to achieve its goals. It is also a favorable year for team work done in the name of friendship and mutual trust.
HOW TO HARMONIZE THE YELLOW DOG YEAR AND FENG SHUI IN OUR HOMES
The Terrestrial Branch corresponding to the Dog is the eleventh (戌) and its azimuthal direction is 300 °, while the corresponding element in the Wuxing is Metal. This means that, whatever our sign may be, in order to prepare well our home for the Chinese New Year’s energies, we must favor the direction (300 °) and the reference element (Metal). However, since the combination of the year with the 12 Earth Branches corresponds to the Earth, we will have to pay attention to this element, which is in the favorable role of Metal generator in the cycle of the 5 elements or phases (Wuxing).
More precisely, the 300 ° direction should be understood as an angle of 30 ° between 275 ° and 315 ° within the Chinese Compass (Ba Gua). As the west is 270 ° and the north is 360 ° or 0 °, our 2018 direction will be northwest-west; therefore the involved elements are Earth and Metal, so we will have to strengthen the Earth-Metal energy chain, paying attention to Water that allows the energy discharge from any Metal excess generated by the hyperactive Yellow Dog of Earth.
Then we must identify in the Ba Gua which areas of our home fall within the directions of Earth (south-west), Metal (west and northwest) and Water (north) and verify if colors, materials and shapes harmoniously follow the sequence of the cycle of the 5 elements, strengthening it where we find any energy shortcomings.
Starting from southwest and going west-northwest, for example, we should be able to combine late-summer colors (yellow, light ocher, light brown, rust) with the autumn ones (ocher and dark brown), while the shapes will have to change from flatter (low and square rectangles) to rounded and oval ones. The materials will have to change from ceramics and terracotta to metal.
Attention must be paid to the north where Water will have to absorb (but only if in excess) Metal; it is therefore a matter of careful Feng Shui tecnique between the north and the east, by mean of an increase and development of Water irregular forms combined harmoniously with the shapes and colors of the Wood energy.
These are general indications for our homes in the newcoming Yellow Dog Year, while, as already indicated in other sections of the site, care must be taken for each house to harmonize the specific characteristics of the environment and its inhabitants.