Chinese New Year Predictions for 2008 Part 1
February 8, 2008

by Malvin Artley		print version
		print version (graphics)

Solar Year: 2008

Li Ch'un (Start of the Chinese Solar Year): 4 Feb 2008 7:00 pm (CCT -8:00)

TETRAGRAM

============

==========

============

==========

Tetragram 11:

Divergence: Yang chi, wriggling, breaks through, newly emerged, greeted by the Great Yang. All things are of mistaken appearance.

In hastiness the blind one fails to see the destination. (Nighttime)
or
Having reached the goal, the blind one turns to reclaim success.(Daytime)

What follows is a long story, but it will give some clues for the coming year……………..

Smoke from the incense censers traced eerie trails along the lines of the steadily lightening meditation room. The dawning of the day had been betrayed by the first furtive chirping of the lone bird in the courtyard, followed soon thereafter by the first dull lights from the horizon.

Master Zhou had been startled from his meditations some time before, however. He was troubled by a vision he had seen in his reverie. In it his attendant was running—frightened, out of breath, his legs scratched from running along the dark pathways of the surrounding forest—exhausted. He came bearing news for the Master from the nearest kingdom.

A shiver ran along the Master’s spine as he recalled the vision, struggling to see what the upsetting news was that his young charge struggled so valiantly to bring him. He rose from his cushion to go outside and wash since he had been up since the early hours of the morning tending to his discipline and his blessings.

He had sent his young disciple to confer with one of Master’s old friends, seeking advice on a troubling matter within the kingdom. Some of the royal jewels had gone missing, and a few of those were highly prized, for they were talismans and held great power for the Emperor and the kingdom. Whosoever possessed them was said to be able to wield power over the realm, and they were thus jealously and closely guarded in a secret location.

The jewels had been blessed and charged by holy men centuries before and their power was legendary. More than once they had brought aid to the ruler of the time when the kingdom was in dire need, and they were sorely needed now, for there are always those who will seek to usurp the ruler of the domain, and it was feared that there was a secret plot to overthrow the Emperor.

Master Zhou had been called to the palace by the Emperor himself some weeks before, seeking advice on the troublesome matter. The Master was held in very high regard, and he had taught the Emperor in his earlier years when the Emperor was but a young prince.

As a reward for his service, the Master had been given his choice of quarters in the surrounding area and he had found a quiet place just out of view of the palace grounds, but close enough for safety and the convenience of the Emperor.

On the day Master Zhou was summoned, he was asked by the Emperor to divine the outcome of the troubles. He was told the whole story. The Master’s response was clear, immediate and direct: “Beware of false friends and guard your resources well. Be prepared to take a firm stand. There will be a complete and sudden change of direction.”

It seems that one-by-one, certain of the treasured jewels had begun to disappear beginning a month before. They were regularly checked by one of the Emperor’s most trusted ministers—a family member—who was beyond reproach and vouchsafed by the Master himself. Master Zhou knew people on sight. He had more than a few times caught out the then young prince in fibs to his father and mother, the Emperor and Empress at the time.

So, it was known that the minister had not absconded with the treasures. But Master Zhou could not see who had taken the jewels. Yet, his vision and inner guidance to the Emperor was beyond doubt—someone was out to usurp the Emperor. Perhaps there was black magic involved and his sight was clouded, keeping him from seeing the culprit. He did not believe so, but just to be safe, he had sent his young attendant to ask his old friend, who was an older Master himself, about the matter.The attendant now returned with the response, but Master Zhou was deeply troubled by the fear on the young man’s face.

About the time that Master Zhou had finished his morning ablutions a rather haggard, exhausted, young man with sad-looking legs came running toward him up the foot path. He collapsed at the Master’s feet. It was Master Zhou’s poor young attendant. He was barely able to speak; he was so out of breath.

The Master regarded him for a bit, told him to rest quietly and then promptly doused him with the bucket of water he had used for his own ablutions. The shock of the cold water was enough to revive the young man and give him enough presence of mind to relate his tale to the Master. As it was, the lad arrived after several days’ journey at the temple where the old Master was staying and he then proceeded to relate the meeting between Master Zhou and the Emperor, giving Master Zhou’s response and the entire story about the missing jewels.

The lad said the old man then sighed, went into a trance for a time and abruptly stopped—opening his eyes, looking directly at the young man—wide-eyed and with a look of absolute terror on his face. The young man said that once had caught his breath the old Master spoke to him in slow and even tones, in the most solemn of voices and said “Your Master is correct, but he is in peril. There is a usurper in the palace and Master Zhou must find him out. Have your Master announce a date for a gathering of the court—a week after the announcement, and then have the palace guard gather everyone in the court together and parade them past the Master at the appointed date. He will soon find the usurper of the realm. I smell a rat. Yes, your Master is in very deep peril, for the Emperor will lose faith in him if he cannot find the jewels.” The young mansaid there was a long pause after that wherein the old Master regarded him intently. It was the most uncomfortable moment of his life.

Then, all of a sudden and without warning the old Master burst into a fit of laughter so severe that all he could do was to roll of the floor and clutch his sides, unable to even catch his breath between paroxysms of hilarity.

He eventually caught his breath enough to motion the young man away, but as he did and between gradually diminishing fits of mirth, he gave one final message to the now terribly confused and terrified attendant: “Two days before the gathering, go before dawn with your Master to the small grotto near the treasury for the jewels and wait—and watch. There is a small path near the pond. Your thief will appear there. Follow him and you will find your jewels. They are all together and safe. Now, run! Run!! There is no time to waste!!”

The young man thought the old Master was a bit out in the woods—bonkers, crackers—so he beat a hasty retreat. He could still hear the old man laughing as he ran down the path away from the temple. Master Zhou’s fear was not helped in the least by the young attendant’s news, nor was he happy at all that his young charge had not brought anything back with him from his old friend. This was not a good result at all—not at all what he wanted to hear! So, he threw another bucket of water on the poor, bewildered young man and stormed off into the hut to think on things. Later that day, when cooler heads prevailed, he gathered his grumpy attendant, calmed him down and made his way to the palace to carry out the behests of his old friend. Despite the old man’s peculiar ways, he had always given Master Zhou good advice.

A few days later in the early morning before the dawn, Master Zhou woke his attendant and they made their way to the grotto near the treasury, following the old Master’s advice. The lad fell back asleep. The Master sighed and settled in for what was to appear. He watched the path intently, like an owl watching for prey.

Sure enough, just at the break of dawn, there was a rustle in the undergrowth at the path and Master Zhou’s mouth dropped open in astonishment at what he saw. There before him across the pond was one of the biggest yellow rats he had ever seen and to the Master’s astonished gaze one of the prized jewels was hanging from the animal’s mouth as it scurried along. Master Zhou poked his attendant, grabbed him by the arm and said “Come! It’s time to catch a thief!”, and they took off after the Yellow Rat. Being careful not to spook the animal, they followed at a safe distance, trying to be nonchalant about it all. They had to find those jewels! Eventually the Yellow Rat disappeared into a burrow in the underbrush. The two men sat and waited at a safe distance, careful not to disturb the Yellow Rat, waiting for him to leave the burrow. Eventually it did, and to their surprise and delight, every one of the missing jewels was found there, safely tucked away. They gathered them up, trying the best they could to restore the burrow to its original condition and went promptly to Master Zhou’s hut to wash the jewels.

On the day of the appointed gathering there was great turmoil in the Imperial court. One of the distant relatives had disappeared the night before, along with several of the palace guards. It was thought the guards had abducted him and were going to demand ransom for his return—perhaps some of the precious jewels.

The Emperor was beside himself with worry, not just for the relative, but for the realm as well. It was a dark day in the kingdom. Master Zhou suddenly had a flash of insight upon hearing what had happened. “Could it be?” he wondered.

He asked to go to the relative’s quarters and then it was confirmed to him: Yes, indeed, the relative was the would-be usurper, along with the guards. In his hasty retreat the relative had carelessly left behind evidence that clearly implicated him in the plot. In triumph, Master Zhou went to the Emperor and informed him, bringing a swift decree from the Emperor for the capture of the now hapless and soon-to-be very sorry ex family member along with entourage. What of the jewels, though? The Emperor was keen to know about that, too.

Master Zhou thought for a moment before responding, not wanting to appear to be a complete fool before the Emperor. How could he explain that a rat had taken the precious jewels? How could he have not seen the Yellow Rat in his visions? Indeed, he wondered to himself. It was a question that would perplex him for weeks later.

Then, he had an epiphany. “Your Excellence, I have a story about the jewels that you can relate to your children and that will eventually become a legend throughout the land.” As he laid the recovered jewels on the table before the delighted gaze of the Emperor, Master Zhou related his fantastic tale, all the while having to kick his attendant under the table to keep him from spilling the beans about how it all really happened. His story went something like this:

“Once there was a very wise man who possessed great vision. He could see the future and into the very hearts of people. One day he had a vision that the ruler of the realm was about to be overthrown from his rule by a devious and vicious minister in his court. The minister’s plan was to steal the talisman jewels and take away the spiritual power of the ruler, thus rendering him helpless before the minister’s attack on him. With the jewels thus in his possession the minister would then be all-powerful over the kingdom.

The wise man liked the ruler, though, because he was kind and benevolent toward his people. So, he hatched a plan himself in order to thwart the evil minister. He searched with his mind’s eye through the creatures of the forest and found one whose daring and craftiness matched the task at hand—a large and intelligent Yellow Rat. He sent a messenger to the rat and told him of the plan. The wise man’s plan was for the Yellow Rat to break into the king’s treasury by night and steal a jewel a night for a month, hiding them away in the forest until the wise man would send someone after them.
 
“Ah, but there are cats in the treasury” said the Yellow Rat. “Why should I get eaten to save a king who is nothing to me? What is in this for me if I go along with your plan?” The wise man said to the rat “You shall have great honor in the land and have a festival named after you. I will make certain that you are cared for in the rest of your days. You will want for nothing.” The Yellow Rat was pragmatic and no fool, so he accepted the offer and performed his task with great skill.

When the minister eventually decided it was time to carry out his evil plan he went to the treasury and broke in, but the jewels were gone. He was found out and beheaded on the spot. The jewels were returned to the ruler, just as the wise man had foreseen. The king erected a shrine to the Yellow Rat and named a year after him for his cunning and bravery, making sure that food was left at the shrine every day. The Yellow Rat lived the rest of his days very happily indeed.”

“What a delightful story!” said the Emperor. “Now, what really happened and who really took the jewels? I want his head!” “Now, now!” said Master Zhou. “It is enough that the jewels are back in safe keeping. I have taken care of the thief with magic. He will never bother the realm again. You can be sure of it. Some things are better left unsaid.” The Emperor was not pleased, but he accepted the advice of the Master, for he knew he could trust him. Master Zhou’s attendant could hardly contain himself. It was all he could do to keep a straight face. The Emperor saw the contorted expressions of the young man and asked Master Zhou what the problem was. “I think he has problems with lung” said Master Zhou. “I have given him some new disciplines and he is still adjusting to them. I had better take him back to my hut and see what I can do for him.” and, at that, they took their leave.

Some weeks later and after Zhou’s attendant had been given instructions about court etiquette, a messenger arrived bearing a note and a package from the old Master at the temple. It was simple note. It read: “I am happy to hear that peace has been restored to the Imperial court and the precious jewels have been recovered. It pleases me that you told the truth to the Emperor about what really happened with the jewels. My little yellow friend performed his job very well, did he not? He deserves that shrine. He almost lost his own head to cats many times. Please accept these small gifts as gratitude for your services to the Emperor. I knew his father well in my younger years. The jar of pickled walnuts is for the boy. He needs to learn to laugh and to see through old men’s trickery. It is time for me to go to the Golden Fields now. My work here is done. May all prosperity and attainments come to you both, my friend of old.”

The old man was gone. The other items in the box were the old man’s ceremonial implements. He had left them to Master Zhou. “What a precious jewel has been taken from us this day!” Zhou said to the lad, as he shed a tear. The old Master had planned the whole scheme for the recovery of the jewels, and the Yellow Rat had indeed been his willing servant, as had Master Zhou without his knowing. “The old trickster!” Master Zhou thought to himself. His heart warmed at the thought, a smile breaking across his face. “He even planted the story to the Emperor in my head!” The shrine to the Yellow Rat stands by the grotto to this day.

- - - - -

Kung Hey Fat Choi, Everyone!
(May prosperity be with you)

It is good to be back with you again. As you will see, this is a two-part letter. In this first part we will have a look strictly at the Chinese New Year—the Year of the Yellow (Granary, or Earth) Rat. In Part Two we need to look at several factors from the Western astrological side for the New Year because those factors support what the key words from the Chinese astrology tell us.

There is more than the usual happening astrologically at the inception of this year, so I have had to send out more than one letter. As I think we will see, 2008 is going to be an important year in many ways. It will be a year full of change, reversals, power plays, learning to save for a rainy day (Those rainy days will be ending in the latter part of this year for Australia. Sorry, folks.), and learning about who our true friends really are. The story, though a long one, is from the book I am in the process of writing (the reason I took my sabbatical), so I left it in its entirety. For the time being, at least, I will keep my correspondence to you to the full moon letters, which I am reinstating in a week or so. It is a year of beginnings, but often with a twist, folks. So, with that, let the Year of the Granary Rat begin!

The Rat in Chinese astrology always begins a cycle in their Four Pillars astrology. The first of the twelve animals, it was said to have tricked its way into being named as the animal to begin the cycle of the Great Year (the 12-year Jupiter cycle). The story goes (to be very brief): One day the Buddha called up the animals to decide how the years would be named. Invitations were sent to twelve animals, including the Cat, but the Rat tricked the messenger and stole the Cat’s invitation. So, the Cat did not show up when the naming of the years was done and the year got named after the Rat instead. When the Cat found out he had been tricked and missed out on the honor, he vowed to get even with the Rat. Cats kill rats for that reason to this very day. So the story goes.

There are many variations of this story, of course. Rat Years, as with all the zodiac animals, occur every twelve years, beginning in 1900 for those of you who want to see if you were born in a Rat Year, so 1936 is a Rat Year, for instance. The Rat’s season is Winter, its direction is North, its ruling planet is Jupiter, its lucky gemstone is the carbuncle, it rules the eleventh Hsiu (lunar mansion, or constellation)—the Void—and it belongs to the Northern Celestial Quadrant, called the Black Tortoise. The 11^th Hsiu is associated with the Sun or Neptune and Sunday, which is considered inauspicious. From The Imperial Astrologer *, we have the following synopses on the Rat:

“RAT: (From the 12 Animals section) The Rat represents charm, adaptability, creativity and inventiveness. Rats are quick witted, bright and sociable-ostentatious. They can also be irritable and upwardly mobile. A crafty and opportunistic character who will use friends before eventually losing or dropping them, Rats are erratic in financial matters. They are bright and gregarious, with a love of gossip. They can be nasty when riled. Especially good with detailed and complex calculations, they have a remarkable command of abstract notions. The Rat represents Commencement, the beginning of cycles, with a 1st House connotation in Western astrological terms.”

In addition to the ‘standard’ interpretations of the Rat, we also have to consider the larger mythology of the Rat:

“RAT: (From the 28 Animals of the Lunar Mansions section) All of the interpretations from the Twelve Animals section apply here as well. Rat meat is said to be a cure for baldness. Rats are said to be able to divine a person’s luck for the whole year and predict happenings 1000 miles away. It is a Yin animal [notionally] and it is an emblem of timidity and meanness, though also of sharp intelligence. It is one of the Five Feared Household Animals, and was said to be able to bring on insanity. It is inauspicious in astrology. The Rat is said to bring disturbed sleep and debauchery. It is an indicator, too, of writers and historians.”

I think historians are going to have a good time with 2008 when all is said and done. As you will see in the second part of this letter (to follow tomorrow), much of what is said about the Rat above holds true both in the Western astrology and in what tends to happen every time a Rat Year comes around. Since we are talking about the Earth Rat here, let’s have a look at what happened the last time we had a Year of the Granary Rat—1948—to gain some perspective.

1948 was a huge year, historically. The World Wars were finally finished and a new, colder version was just starting. Much of the world was undergoing reconstruction after suffering the decimation of WWII. About a week before the lunar New Year started, Gandhi was assassinated and the year started with much of the world in mourning his death, not to mention trying to put a World War behind us. In addition, and to name but a few events, we had the Chinese Revolution (Tibet was invaded the year after), the establishment of Israel as a country, the Marshall Plan, the communist takeover of Czechoslovakia, the establishment of the International Court of Justice, the partitioning of Korea, the partitioning of Berlin, the Stalinist purges of the Jews in Russia, the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Irish independence, the international war crimes tribunals, Dewey defeats Truman (we all know what really happened), Hell’s Angels was founded, the first Project Blue Book (a year after the Roswell event), the establishment of Echelon (electronic surveillance), the transistor was invented, the first television broadcasts took place, two-year community colleges were established in the US (trades schools) and Marilyn Monroe was proclaimed “Artichoke Queen” in Salinas, California. Aside from a couple of points, 1948 was a year of beginnings that changed the face of the world in the most profound ways, from the tiniest (transistor) to the large (Marshall Plan and Communist takeovers).

Even 60 years before that, in the 1888 Year of the Granary Rat, there were some inventions and events that changed the world in many ways. We saw the patenting of Coca Cola, the first electric automobile, the development of the pneumatic tire, slavery was abolished in Brazil, the Department of Labor was established in the US, Eastman Kodak was founded, electrocution was first used as capital punishment, the Fraternal Order of Moose was established, shorthand was developed, we had the first beauty contest, the first contact lenses and The Secret Doctrine by H.P. Blavatsky was published. Let’s not forget the first ball-point pens, either.

Earth Rat years seem to have a capacity for life-changing events and brilliant application of the soul’s wisdom. Such years can also bring about some of the worst and most separative instincts in people, too. The two most recent Granary Rat years set the stage for major dispensations of spiritual teachings to the West, primarily, and to the world at large, secondarily.

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Author of  The  Secret  Doctrine

The publishing of The Secret Doctrine introduced esoteric Buddhism to the West and really introduced the seeds for the New Age movement decades later. The communist takeover of China in 1948 and the subsequent invasion of Tibet in 1949 saw the spread of Tibetan Buddhism throughout the world in the decades to follow. It has been a horror to the Tibetan people, to be sure, but the blessing to the rest of the world in having the Tibetans in our midst has been immense. Earth as an Element is about karma. It is the Saturn Element in Chinese astrology. Earth as an Element sets things in place and also brings them to closure. It is also one of the more meditative of the Elements, tending toward circumspection. 2008 will be a year of many closures and commencements, all under Law and with great opportunities for those who can recognize and seize them. How many people would have seen the possibilities inherent in the lowly transistor, for example, or how it would change world culture in the years to come? Were it not for that little invention, you probably would not be receiving these letters.

So, with all this information in mind, what do I see for 2008? Earth and Fire will dominate the first half of the year. There is thus a decided emphasis on finishing up, finding one’s inspiration and moving on to greener pastures. Speaking of greener pastures, the rain will tend to dry up and stay that way for the next couple of years, in Australia at least, starting in the second half of the year. Earth is fairly strong all year. It will be weakest in the 7^th month. Earth ‘controls’ Water in Chinese astrology. Next year is an Earth Year as well, so water concerns will come to the fore. Are you listening, ministers? Water types (especially in the Day Pillar**) will be more stressed this year. They had more control in the past two years. Now the tide has turned and events will conspire to moderate things. It is time for Water types to look within and not so much out in the world. The types that will do well over the next couple years are Wood (Earth is Wood’s ‘Money Element’) and Metal (Earth ‘feeds’ Metal). Fire types might feel drained this year, especially, but they can bring some good work to fruit if they apply themselves.

Government will change in the US (more on that in Part Two). The Neocon agenda will fade into the background. Don’t take that as a good sign. It will simply be working where few people will see it. Such a scenario is typical of Rat Years. Security issues, especially monetary ones, will have to be strongly examined. Saturn (Earth) rules restriction and security. We already see what is happening with the financial wobbles in the world, especially in the US. Earth, of course, governs mining. Australian industry should boom in the mining sector. The forestry sector and the Green Movement can both highly benefit over the next couple of years as well. The most productive part of the year will be the second half. Count on the first six months of 2008 being a time of readjustment and moving on. After that we can all get on with business. 2008 is what is called a ‘double blind’ year, meaning that the start of Spring (Li Chun) does not take place in that particular year. It is an inauspicious indication and points to stuck energies and issues, an inability to see one’s way clear and lessened potential (Spring is about growth and rebirth). That is, of course, a collective indication. Individuals can take full advantage of the year if their own makeup, astrologically speaking, fits in well with the Year’s dynamics. Look for bright lights in the populace to appear. Crisis draws out the Soul in people, and Earth as an Element has a way of bringing about events that conspire to do just that (introduce crisis). Remember the old saying: “Necessity is the mother of invention.” In addition, the tendency is for people to have to pay the price for their ‘sins’ in Earth Years.

I will keep things brief here because there is so much to cover, but I wanted to take a brief look back as well as forward and see how we fared last year. I compiled the specific forecasts I made for last year. A lot of it was quite general, but of the specific forecasts, I had the following for 2007:

*The Howard government may well be in for a big battle this time around come time for elections. (They were)

*National governments will have to answer more to the people than they have in the past. (They have)

*Governments in the world are going to have to make some big concessions this year if they want to keep the populace happy. (They didn’t and paid the price)

*It will be a wetter year. (It has been in Oz)

*Weather patterns will be more moderate (Well, they moderated, whether or not they were more moderate)

--The preceding points were relative to the world. The following apply more to personal matters, and you can gauge your own experiences last year against them.

*Last year (Dog) was like a huge mirroring effect in that life constantly seemed to hold us to account for ourselves and our respective pasts, not that we necessarily saw it that way. Many people felt victimized to a greater or lesser extent. This year will see a reversal of that, even though there will still be issues around the past to tidy up.

*Beware of hidden perils if one is to leave a pre-existing situation

The preceding is not to see how I did as a forecaster, but to show that Chinese astrology works and can work quite well in a given situation. To get even more specific about the year to come, we will have to cover that in Part Two of this letter. See you all there.

Malvin

*The Imperial Astrologer Chinese astrology software. Produced by and available through Esoteric Technologies: www.esotech.com.au

**The Day Pillar in Four Pillars astrology represents the self. The Element that rules it is called the Day Master and the entire chart for an individual is read against that Element.

As an additional note of interest: The seven sins according to Mahatma Gandhi were: 1) wealth without work. 2) Pleasure without conscience. 3) Knowledge without character. 4) Commerce without morality. 5) Science without humanity. 6) Worship without sacrifice. 7) Politics without principal.

Photo of rat from Wikimedia Commons, altered in PhotoShop.
Photo of heliodor gemstone by Jane Sherry.
Photo of lotus pond, Wikimedia Commons, altered in PhotoShop.
Photo of Chinese sage, Wikimedia Commons, altered in PhotoShop.