Unpredictable year expected from the Goat

Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The exhausting pace of the Year of the Horse will give way to the more docile Year of the Goat on Saturday, but those expecting calm weather all year round will be disappointed as the normally docile Goat could turn unexpectedly nasty.

Unpredictability is the norm for the Year of the Goat, according to Chinese astrologers.

"Fluctuative, stagnant, and apprehensive" was how paranormal and feng shui guru M. Sukma Dipura described the upcoming Year of the Goat.

He predicted that the overall situation would be slightly better than last year, but warned that people should continue to be prudent and tighten their belts.

Practicing at Pusat Pengobatan Tradisional dan Konsultasi Spiritual (Center for Traditional Healing and Spiritual Consultation) at Mangga Dua shopping mall, Central Jakarta, Sukma predicted business success in the areas of banking, the stockmarket, and gold trading this year.

Good fortune will also bless those whose businesses are concerned with medications, oil and gas, chemicals, telecommunications, and information technology (IT), he said.

Don't expect much from the property market this year, as oversupply will overshadow the industry as it struggles to attract investors both domestic and international, Sukma warned.

Internationally, the Year of the Goat will be marked by efforts at reconciliation, peace diplomacy and the settlement of conflicts, befitting the Goat's desire for peace and tranquility.

Wars, international conflicts, and animosities usually end in the year of the Goat. For example the 1919 Year of the Goat was marked by the Paris Peace Conference which accepted the principle of a League of Nations, and in 1991 the Gulf War ended.

However, leaders should be aware of the Goat's devil-may-care attitude as it deals with international pressures on the country's domestic policies, most conspicuously from the United States and Australia, Sukma said.

While not taking sides may be advantageous at times, it may also be perceived as a lack of support for the position held by others, and as such may make for criticism or unsettling times.

One should be especially careful around August, September, and towards the end of the year as the Goat's moodiness may create tension and security problems, he added.

More of the Goat's unpredictability will surface in the romance scene, with the year expected to be one of "romance gone awry", according to the Chinese geomancer.

Infidelity and divorce will be on the rise this year, and one should be on the lookout for frictions within relationships, Sukma said. One should be extra careful in one's behavior as misbehavior will be far more noticeable and open to challenge.

Health issues to watch out for this year are ulcers and problems with the digestive tract, the liver, the heart, hypertension, infections in the urinary tracts, sexually transmitted infections, and AIDS.

Just as the Year of the Water Horse was marked by heavy flooding, this year, the Year of the Water Goat, will be no different. The danger of flooding will continue during the year, with additional fire hazards, landslides, and volcanic eruptions.

One complete cycle of the Chinese lunar calendar takes 60 years and is made up of five cycles of 12 years each, symbolized by 12 animal signs. During the complete 60-year cycle, each of the animal signs is combined with the five main elements; wood, fire, earth, metal and water.

The fundamental part of Chinese philosophy is the inter- relationship between these five elements, which are divided into conducive and controlling interrelationships.

Experts believe that those born under the Chinese sign of the Rat, Chicken, Snake, Dog, Goat or Ox will face increasing levels of difficulty this year beginning from the very light (the Rat) to the heaviest (the Buffalo).

People born in the year of the Goat (1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003) are said to be proper, patient, moderate, righteous, sincere, creative, mild-mannered, and sometimes shy. At their best, they are artistic and fashionable, and at their worst they tend to be easily overcome by their emotions, or are pessimistic and withdrawn.

Famous people born in the Year of the Goat include Michelangelo, Mark Twain, Mikhael Gorbachev, Mick Jagger, Pamela Anderson, Mel Gibson, Nat "King" Cole, and Hulk Hogan.