Is there anything you recommend to bring good luck in the year of the Ox?

Happy Lunar New Year! This is a great question, and I do have a recommendation for you!

Each year is associated with one of a particular Chinese zodiac animal, and in 2021 we’ve just entered the year of the Ox. Each of the zodiac animals has a different type of relationship to the Ox, and understanding how your animal relates to the Ox can give you an idea of what kind of energy you can expect this year. 

One relationship that’s particularly significant to note is the Ox and the Rat - they are best friends in the Chinese zodiac, meaning it’s an auspicious year for anyone born in the year of the Rat.

In the school of feng shui that I practice, BTB, it’s considered good luck to carry around a 3D figurine of a Rat this year, since the Rat is the best friend of the Ox. We’re not trying to take a direct route here by carrying around a charm of the Ox itself, but rather using subtlety to sway the energy of the year in your favor. Last year was the year of the Rat, which means it was good luck to carry a 3D Ox figurine in 2020. 

I created a Rat keychain charm for 2021, because I wanted an easy way for people to be able to carry a Rat figurine with them. I like to keep mine on my keychain, and you can also put it in your purse or wallet. I make them with eco-friendly hemp cord in five different colors, to represent the five elements. I recommend choosing a color based on your intuition and what you’re attracted to, or based on the meaning of that element: 

Blue: water element, expansion, kindness, and healing

Yellow: earth element, representing stability and self care

Red: fire element, passion, vitality, inspiration

White: metal element, precision, beauty

Black: water element, knowledge, wisdom

If you still have last year’s Ox charm intact, now is a good time to switch it out. A lot of people ask me what to do with the previous year’s charm once you are done with it. As with any sacred object, you don’t want to just take it and toss it in the trash. It’s offered you support through all of 2020, so you want to treat it as the auspicious and sacred object that it is. You can keep it on your altar, with your other sacred objects, and then use it again eleven years from now when we’re in the year of the Rat again. If you would prefer to discard it, I recommend you do so mindfully. Offer the organic hemp cord to the earth, or burn it. You can recycle the metal as you thank it for the work it has done for you, and offer it with humbleness. 

I wish you a happy and lucky year of the Ox! If you have any friends born in the year of the Rat, it’s an especially good time to hang out with them too! 

by Anjie Cho

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday". If you have personal questions, we encourage you to check out Practical Feng Shui or hire one of Anjie's Grads.

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui, check out Mindful Design Feng Shui School at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com