| Rantburg is pleased to present your 2007 Planning Guide. A great deal of expert analysis was compiled and collated at no charge to you, the loyal Rantburg reader. This document should be displayed prominently in your home or office along with the Farmer's Almanac, the eleventh edition of My Big Blue Book of Nostradamus (Annotated), and the Daily Racing Form. |
The world can expect a roller-coaster ride of conflict and unrest, natural disasters and a plunge in global stock markets once the Year of the Pig begins, Chinese soothsayers say. As the world farewells the Year of the Dog on Sunday, believers in Chinese superstitions have been busy consulting fortune tellers, feng shui geomancers and a wealth of new books for the year's fortunes. Chinese fortunes are based on a belief that events are dictated by the different balances in the elements that make up the earth -- gold, wood, water, fire and earth.Feng shui expert Raymond Lo said that according to ancient Chinese belief, the Year of the Pig is symbolised by two elements -- "Fire sitting on water is a symbol of conflict and skirmish, and this may bring a relatively less peaceful year with more international conflicts and struggles," he said. Lo said the last time such an arrangement appeared was in 2002, the year that followed the September 11 terrorist attacks. "It is anticipated that there will be more international conflicts and disharmony, which will even lead to regional warfare, uprising and unrest, or the overthrow of governments in certain countries," he said. The elemental arrangement for 2007, with fire standing on top, could represent openness, optimism and warmth, but it can also bring fire disasters and huge explosions, Lo said.
The Chinese calendar moves in 60-year cycles, meaning the world will experience in the new year events similar to those that took place in 1947. In that turbulent year, the Cold War began in earnest when then US president Truman declared his anti-communist doctrine and the Soviet Union rejected a US plan for atomic weapons control, sparking the nuclear arms race.