Q&A Sunday: Chinese Astrology for Tigers

I'm excited to have stumbled upon you via Pinterest. I found a link for your podcast, started listening, and it really fed my interest in feng shui and Chinese astrology. I'm moving into a new apartment next month and am soaking up all the knowledge and expertise you offer...thank you!! I have a small question related to astrology. I'm looking for a strong resource for a 2016 Tiger astrology reading. I'm confused about my career and the next steps to take and would love some clarity! Do you have any suggestions on this? Thank you so much!

Jennifer S., Madison, WI

Hi Jennifer, 

Congratulations on the move, and thank you so much for following the podcast and blog! I'm happy to hear you're finding them helpful. :) I hope you get settled well into your new apartment! Be sure to check out our tips for that too!

I can tell you some basics about the Tiger in a Monkey (2016) year. In the Chinese Zodiac system, there’s a wheel that shows the relationships between different animals. I’ve included an image above. You can see that Tiger and Monkey are actually diagonal from each other which indicates an opposing relationship. Now, this doesn’t mean it’s “bad,” but it does indicate a challenging year for you. Similarly, Horse and Rat are opposites, Dog and Dragon and so forth.

What does a challenging year mean? Well, you may need to face the qualities of the Monkey which are not as easy or natural for you. And challenges give you an opportunity to grow and stretch, right? Monkeys are playful and clever, they can maneuver through most situations. On the other hand, Tigers are more humble and grounded. So it’s possible that a Tiger in a Monkey year will feel a bit ungrounded and learn to be a bit more premeditative about how they move forward.

You can also carry a charm with you that is a three-dimensional representation of the year animal’s best friend. In the Monkey year, this would be the Snake, and you can find one in the Holistic Spaces store! The idea in Chinese Astrology is that when you carry a charm of the year animal's best friend, the year animal will see that image of its friend and be so enamored that it brings you no harm. So you can see why carrying one brings protection and good luck!

In my podcast with Doris Ingber, Welcome 2016 Chinese New Year with the Fire Monkey, she goes into her forecast for the Tiger in 2016, and we also chat about the Four Pillars, Chinese astrology that uses the zodiac animals. In the Four Pillars, you have an hour, day, month and year animal. So there is much more to learn! I’m not sure about any accurate online sources for the Four Pillars, but I highly recommend seeking out a practitioner for a Four Pillars reading. Doris Ingber is great. I also can recommend another good friend, Beth Grace, who also has a monthly newsletter with more info. They would both be great at giving you guidance on your career path. And of course feng shui always helps! Keep an eye out for an upcoming blog post about how to clarify your career path with feng shui! Thanks for the idea! :)

by Anjie Cho

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday" (formerly “Question of the Month”).  We will be answering questions submitted by our readers.  Click here to submit any Feng Shui or Green Design questions!

Saying No with Anjie Cho

featured this week on Say Yes Podcast

I'm excited and honored to be featured on Laura Yamin's podcast, "Say Yes Podcast." This week Laura and I talk saying "no," and the positive transformative power it can have in our lives. Listen in to the podcast or check out our media page!

I believe many of you would agree that there are simply too many things that are happening in our life. We have too many things to deal with, too many choices to choose, too many decisions to make. So how can we inject more positive energy and more yes-es into our life? As strange as it may sound, saying no is actually one of the ways to saying more yes-es in our life. How so? Our guest today will tell you her story of saying no, and how it has impacted her life.

I’m really happy to have Anjie Cho here today as our guest. Anjie is a licensed practicing architect and Feng Shui expert. She uses Feng Shui and holistic design principles to help people create holistic home and work spaces. Anjie is here today to share with us her experience in saying no.

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4 Tips for Buying Sustainable Wood

As you're creating your holistic space, there will almost definitely be situations in which you need to seek out wood in some way or another. Whether to add a wall, redo flooring or to replace an entertainment center, the uses for wood in our society are numerous. Unfortunately, the wood we use is often in danger of extinction and is not often harvested in an eco-friendly, sustainable or respectable way. 

Not only can using certain harvesting processes significantly reduce the number of certain types of trees on our planet, it can also displace many species of animals, as well as indigenous people who call these forests home. In addition, unsustainable, at times even illegal, practices can contribute to poor water quality and environmental issues as well. 

Since trees produce the very oxygen we breathe, opting for a sustainable route on this front is a no-brainer. But actually putting this into practice can be difficult if you don't know what you're looking for. Keep these tips in mind when hunting down wood for new projects or searching for that perfect coffee table. 

Seek out Gold Standard

The FSC, or Forest Stewardship Council, is well-known as the highest standard in ensuring that wood is sustainably harvested. This organization takes great care, from the initial cut to the final product, to ensure that wood delivered to the masses is produced with high regard for the environment, animal species that live in these forests and indigenous people who depend upon these trees for livelihood. The FSC has an easily identifiable label stamped on each piece of certified sustainable wood, which is available at most supply companies. Before anything, look for this option. If you cannot find it, ask in depth about the origin of the wood you have your eye on. 

Avoid Tropical Woods

Though it's ideal not to buy any wood that isn't certifiably sustainable, purchasing certain tropical woods can do even more damage, based on the fact that these trees do not grow as quickly or in as great of numbers as other materials. If you're in the market for any of the woods below, look for the FSC label, ensure that it's been sustainably harvested, or seriously reconsider. 

  • Big Leaf Mahogany

  • Spanish Cedar

  • Caribbean Pine

  • Ipe

  • Rosewood

  • Teak

  • Ramin

  • Merbau

  • African Mahogany

  • Okoume

Know WHERE Your Wood Originated

If you're unable to find the type of wood you want with an FSC label, it's important to ask the right questions in determining whether your particular selection is contributing to deforestation and other negative outcomes. For certain woods, including Beech, Pine, Oak, Douglas Fir and more, the geographical area of harvesting is just as important as the actual process. This post in Eluxe Magazine is a great resource for determining whether you're buying legal, ethically harvested wood. 

Keep an Open Mind

Wood may be one of the most elegant, timeless and sturdy options for building, but it isn't the only one. If furniture is your end game, be open to other options, like bamboo, wicker, plastic wood or a plastic-wood composite, all of which can significantly reduce the harm done to our forests, while still providing beautiful options for holistic living. 

Other options include seeking out reclaimed or recycled wood, both in building projects and in completed furniture, or checking out your choices of used furniture on trusted sites like eBay. In this case, be sure to clear the wood of any predecessor energy before welcoming it into your space! 

by Anjie Cho