People born in the Year of the Sheep should count it a blessing if they make it through this year in one piece. Our favorite fortune teller Wisdom Tsai (蔡上機) urges all Sheep to keep their cool and be extremely vigilant this year to avoid accidents, robberies, legal woes and even violent death.
Tsai discourages any type of risky behavior, stressing multiple times that Sheep should shun all types of conflicts and strictly abide by the law. But that’s not enough: they need to constantly watch their back, especially Sheep in the following professions: vehicle operators, secret agents, bomb disposal technicians, police, soldiers, firefighters, lifeguards, bodyguards, gangsters, construction workers and tour operators.
“You will be cutting your way through thistles and thorns this year,” Tsai writes. “It will be difficult with dangers lurking everywhere. Don’t wish for luck, fame or fortune — be glad to have peace and health.”
Photo: Chen Yu-jui, Taipei Times
Each year, the white-haired, young-faced Tsai ranks the zodiac signs according to general luck, finances, career, love, marriage and health. Rats, Tigers and Horses top the list and should have little to worry about (although they should also avoid conflict and breaking the law) while Sheep, Snakes and Rabbits should just clench their teeth and wait the year out.
If you are one of the bottom three, don’t despair. There are many methods to tell this year’s fortune. Chan Wei-chung (詹惟中), for example, looks at one’s lunar birth month and the last digit of one’s Western birth year. And you can always get a second opinion: the 2020 Good Luck Bible (2020開運聖經) actually predicts quite a good year for Sheep, although its credibility is shaky as it proclaimed that there was no way the Democratic Progressive Party would win last month’s election.
‘STAY SINGLE’
Photo courtesy of books.com.tw
Tsai’s overall predictions for Taiwan aren’t exactly illuminating, pointing to the continued politicization of all aspects of life, the growing presence of “Internet armies,” worsening internal discord “that is scarier than the Chinese threat” and the increased migration of Hong Kong residents to Taiwan.
One does not need to be a clairvoyant to declare that Taiwan might lose a few more allies and that it will be rejected if it applies for UN membership. Nothing too interesting there, but if you’re into stocks, you might want to avoid companies specializing in food and drink, general goods, entertainment, health and hotels.
Now, back to the poor Sheep. Their love life will also be grim, as existing relationships will fade and their sex life will lose spark. They might be able to gain financially from work-related romance, but it will put their reputation at risk. Marriages will be full of arguments, pregnancy will be difficult, divorce is likely and those thinking of tying the knot may encounter sudden obstacles.
Photo courtesy of TVBS
“It’s advisable to spend this year happily single and free of bonds,” Tsai writes.
But apparently, being single isn’t the worst that can happen. Snakes and Rabbits both face a chaotic and turbulent year where relationships gone awry may lead to violence, lawsuits, jail time and even murder.
“If you can break up with someone smoothly, that’s already very fortunate,” Tsai writes about Snakes. “You could be threatened, blackmailed or imprisoned, and in the worst case, put your life in danger … Do not get involved with people you don’t know well, they might be ‘scary lovers’ who will turn violent if rejected.”
What does the year look like for the luckiest in love? Dogs, although only ranked sixth in general luck, will enjoy a wonderful year of romance with a partner who will benefit them in many ways. The loyalty of those who are already married will be tested as they will meet someone so perfect that it will be extremely hard to resist temptation.
“For those who are single, unless you are really undesirable, you will have a perfect chance for romance, and this romance will even bring you prestige and fortune. You should carefully filter out your options and choose the most suitable partner,” Tsai writes.
SECOND AND THIRD OPINIONS
As mentioned above, each fortune-teller seems to employ their own system in predicting this year’s luck, so don’t get bummed out too much by Tsai. The Good Luck Bible 2020 looks at each zodiac animal’s luck by the month, ranking them in four tiers from good to bad. According to this system, the Rat still has the best overall luck with four good months and five average months, while the Sheep will have two good ones and three average ones. The most unfortunate on this list is the Monkey.
Hung Cheng-chung’s (洪正忠) 2020 Fortune in the Year of the Rat (2020鼠年運程) employs a similar system using three tiers. Here, Sheep are among the luckiest with four good months, six average months and only two bad ones, so it really depends on which fortune-teller you believe.
Chan’s system is more complex than the others as he breaks things down to the week and also fuses ancient Chinese techniques with Western astrology and playing cards. As mentioned earlier, he ranks each person’s fortune by lunar birth month with three categories: love, personal connections and chance of injury or illness.
The luckiest in love are people born in the 12th lunar month.
“You’ll become a different person and take the initiative to pursue love,” Chan says. “You’ll even have a chance for an instant marriage!”
By contrast, without doing anything, those born in the 10th month “will be bombarded with phone calls and text messages, and there will be people throwing themselves at you wherever you go!” Sixth month babies are the third luckiest, but their future lover may live in another city.
Chan selects a different theme for each week and uses Western playing cards to choose five lucky (or unlucky) zodiac signs — for example, next week, Rabbits will have amazing sex and have a high chance of pregnancy (for those trying), while Rats, Tigers and Pigs should focus on their personal endeavors and forget about the bedroom for now.
The categories can be quite odd, such as “Will you meet a rich person this week?” and “Will you be two-faced this week?”
Chan’s book, which was published in October last year, has eerily gotten one general prediction right already: 2020 will be a year of nose-related illnesses, especially respiratory ones. We might want to follow his advice of wearing red and investing in real estate instead of buying stocks.
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