Nobody Panic - How to Decode the Zodiac

Episode Date: January 24, 2023

No idea what Year of The Rabbit means? Want to know which colours to wear to attract what? Author of How To Decode The Zodiac - Marites Allen - stopped by to explain how to create positive energy going into the new year (which is, as you might have guessed from the first line of this blurb, the year of the rabbit).Marites Allen's Book - Chinese Astrology: Decode the Zodiac to Live Your Best Life - is available here Subscribe to the Nobody Panic Patreon at patreon.com/nobodypanicWant to support Nobody Panic? You can make a one-off donation at https://supporter.acast.com/nobodypanicRecorded and edited by Naomi Parnell for Plosive.Photos by Marco Vittur, jingle by David Dobson.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/nobodypanic.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/nobodypanic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello, I'm Carriad. I'm Sarah. And we are the Weirdo's Book Club podcast. We are doing a very special live show as part of the London Podcast Festival. The date is Thursday, 11th of September. The time is 7pm and our special guest is the brilliant Alan Davies. Tickets from kingsplace.com. Single ladies, it's coming to London.

True on Saturday, the 13th of September. At the London Podcast Festival. The rumours are true, Saturday the 13th of September. At King's Place. Oh, that sounds like a date to me, Harriet. Hello and welcome to Nobody Panic, where we do a how to each week. I'm Stevie and Tessa, you're right here. Hello.

And this week we have a very special guest who is going to tell us all about how to decode the zodiac. It's the author of the book Chinese astrology, Decode the Zodiac to Live Your Best Life. We have Marites Allen patching in from Manila in the Philippines. Hello, hello everybody. An honor, a big honor to be on your show. Now, we are both born in the same year. So just to kick it off. Well, to kick truly back even one step further. Oh, so sorry. I'm too excited. Me too. But just for anybody who doesn't know anything about the zodiac for the total beginner, do you want to just, oh, maybe talk us through a little

bit about your background and what brought you to the zodiac, but also what the zodiac is for anyone who doesn't know at all. Okay. So at the beginning, of course, I didn't know. I didn't understand Zodiac, but you know, what happened was that I came from a family of 14. I'm baby number 10. So life was very difficult. And I got married early at the age of 23. So I had three small kids then. And I was an old from my first marriage. I was a single mother. And then, you know, there was another tragedy that I lost my mother in a tragic accident. And so I was like, how come there's so many bad things happening into my life. And then I have begun to study and learn feng shui. So you see feng shui is actually literally means as wind and water. You just have to go with the wind. You just have to go with the flow.

Because if you go against it, sometimes, you know, it's becoming even very difficult. So talking about how I started with that is, you know, I began to like sort of question like, why do bad things happen to good people? So this is how I learned feng shui. And then apparently when I was started, starting feng shui is that I was living in a house with a very bad feng shui configurations. All of us when we are born, we have our lucky colors as well. And directions when I sleep at night so I can top my career directions because, you know, I need to start a new way for my life so I can support my kids. And then fast forward, actually I also got married.

So anyway, I consulted a feng shi master. And this feng shui master said, oh, the two of you are not compatible. Then I said to myself, I'm going to prove my stars wrong. You know, I'm going to study and further my feng shui knowledge. And I'm going to give it a try. So, I mean, luckily, because of my practice of feng shui, you know, my husband and I are now running for 20 years. We had been living together for almost 20 years.

Amazing. So when you, just to go back to what you're saying about your lucky colors and your stars. Is this chart that you're talking about, the moment that you're born, that dictates your chart, your stars, your colors, everything's sort of set in stone from the moment you're born. Correct. Simply because when we are born, like all of us, all of us, when we are born, we are born at a different time, you know, a different day, a different month, and a different year. So there are four factors there. This is what you call the destiny pillar or the destiny chart. It's actually on inside a Chinese astrology book.

So sometimes, we as Fung Shui masters, when we analyze the chart of each person, like the two of you, you have your own, if you're giving your date and time of birth, I can, you know, go back and make an analysis of that. And I can already tell you what are your lucky callers for wealth. I mean, some people, they have so much money, but they cannot find love. You know what I mean? Some people, they have so much money, but they're really sickly. So there are like, depends on our circumstances. in life, what do you want to activate this time. So the reason why we came up with a Chinese astrology book is this becomes now like a

guidance, reference for everybody on what your particular animal signs may look forward to for any particular year or at the same time, how you can use your innate ability to navigate the rest of the year. Because I was going to say that when you're talking about, you know, how you came to astrology and the cultural differences over here is that astrology is so not part of the mainstream I mean it sort of is as in you get like your horoscopes in the paper

and that's about it and so it's quite this this book feels like also there's a huge interest in it like but this book feels like it's going to bring a little bit of that sort of depth and knowledge to us sort of coming at it from quite a you know I didn't even know what

what animal my year was to us out to tell me because we're the same year. So the four pillars of destiny. So the first pillar is the hour we are born. The second pillar is the day that we are born. The third pillar is the month that we are born. And the fourth pillar is the year that we are born. So our day, month and year. So everybody in the world, when we are born, we are born at a certain time, at a certain day, at a certain month, in a certain year. So this is what we call the four pillars of destiny. Now, in terms of analysis, we'll do like an instant, you know, analysis like that.

Because we have to just like think of it like we are like doctors. You know, and some people say, okay, something is wrong with me. I'm going to go and see a doctor. So you have to go through an x-ray, right? So on the x-bush, you will now analyze, ah, okay, there's something wrong in this bones over here, et cetera. Same thing when we analyze the chart. We can already see that, for example, a generic, I can tell you, that those who are born in the year of the dragon in 2022,

supposed to be this is the year for you for romance. And then in 2023, the dragons will have to sort of like take it easy because you can be like, you know, misunderstood. Arguments could be high. So I would advise you to say, you know, wear a lot of fire, element energy, such as colors red, big, or purple. I mean, if you want, we can go through the 12 animal signs. What are their characteristics, right?

Just, I'm so sorry, this is so stupid, but the zodiac years are totally separate to like the Virgo, Taurus, Libra, they're two completely separate schools of thought. Western astrology. What we are talking about now is the famous astrology. God is it. Okay. Amazing. Yes.

Yeah, I'm the 16th of September, 1988. at 2 a.m. That's my astrology chart. September, September, 1988, does that have particular yeah, characteristics? Well, because you are both born in the same year, you know what I mean? So, if the other one is born 12 years younger or 12 years older, that it's sort of like different. So what happens is that in the year, normally the 12 astrology site begins with animal sign rats. So rat is actually, in fact, if you think about it, the rat can go to different places, right? They can like, apparently rot can survive. They're like survivor.

They can like, you can put them into the famine or war. Rot will always find its way to survive, you know, because they can go everywhere. So those are like the risks of the rat. So they're really like perseverance, you know. The ox on the other hand, this is the second zodiac, actually are very, very strong. They're very like determined. They're very like, you know, they're very honest. They're very stable.

The next one is the tiger. So as we know, tiger is very strong, right? Tiger is very strong. I'm like the king of the jungle. And then we have the rabbit. The rabbits are Mick and Mug. The year of the rabbit is actually 2023 is the year of the rabbits. The following year 24 next year is actually the year of the dragon.

We have never seen dragon in our lifetime. We have seen the rat, the oaks, the tiger. you know, the rabbit, but never a dragon. The next one is the snake. So the snake is like, you know, they glitter, they slither through life. They're very smooth and calm, you know. But if you don't bother them, they will not, you know, harass you. But they practically are very smooth.

And then we have the horse. The horse, they always are being connoted as a victory. That's why if you're a business person, it's good to have a victory horse in the south corner of your home. So it's good to give it as a gift, the victory horse. And then we have the sheep. The sheep-born people are very strategic. They're very good CEOs.

They're very good thinker. They have very great ability. And then we have the monkey. The monkey are very wise. They go up the tree. They look at around. And then, you know, before somebody else gets it, you know, they already get the opportunity there because they see they have the forward skills.

And then we have the rooster. the rooster again are also very intelligent. They are actually, they don't like politics. They would like to, they are like, they control and they, you know, they keep things to themselves. And at the same time, they're really very good nature. And then we have the dog. The dog, of course, you know, as the animal sun canotes, they are very loyal. You can depend on them, but each other.

And they are actually meek and mild as well. And then the boar, apparently the boar, they're very good in saving money. you know, they have the big stomach so they can store money and prosperity. So they symbolize the prosperity. So all of this, in fact, are in the Chinese astrology book, and they can also find in the astrology book, who are your allies in France? So these are the ones that you can, perhaps if you want to align yourself with someone, that you want to fall in love or want to have a relationship or want to have a business partnership,

then these are the so-called allies in France. So let's begin with a rat, drug, and monkey, you are allies and friends. So in fact, the three of us right now, because I'm born in the year of the monkey, and then you are dragon. So right, dragon and monkey are allies and friends. So you see, you see our destiny? Right.

You don't even know each other, but see how the universe has aligned us today. So beautiful. I don't know what's the animal side of Naomi, but we'll see. And then we have the ox. The ox allies in France are ox, snake and rooster. They are like the so-called intelligent signs of the sojack. And then we have the other animal signs, which are like the rabbit, the sheep, and the boar. So those who are born in the year of the sheep and boar are also going to have like so-called like an extra special attention

because it's the year of their friend, rabbit, right? 2023 is the year of the rabbit. Therefore, your allies, sheep and boar are also going to benefit for that. And then the last pairings are the so-called horse, dog, and tiger. These are also another affinity. So if you want to have a business relationship with someone, if you want to fall in love with someone, then it's good to have those, or to be with those allies in France.

Firstly, is the chart in the book so people can go in the chart and work out exactly what their animal is? Yes, that's right. And their animal science. There's actually like the so-called, why do we need feng shu into our lives, right? Why do we need this thing? Yeah. Now, we have to understand that there are three types of love.

Three types. The first one-third is what we call the heaven's luck. Some things are really like destined to be. This is only 33%. The second one-third is what you call the mankind lack. This is what you do to yourself. It is because of your actions and decisions. And the final one-third is what we call the earth luck.

This is what fomshu is all about. So by telling you that in 2022, supposed to be the lack of the dragons are, this is supposed to be the luck for your love. And then in 2023, it has turned into the dragons will have some affliction with misunderstanding, being misunderstood. So now that you know that, you can now take it easy and say, okay, I'll be careful now with the words that I say, or I'll be careful now with, you know,

Maritès told me that I'm a dragon. I should wear a lot of red or pink or purple because it will subdue your anger. Or maybe you can color your hair with something red or red streak or something like that. So this is how the top astrologies are very important in fact. So in the Year of the Rabbit, again, my friends, the Year of the Rabbit connotes some peaceful and harmonious scenario. because as we can see, the rabbit is a land animal. You know, they don't really like scream, right? The rabbits are very peaceful animal.

Unlike the past year of the year of the tiger, the tiger is very strong. In the UK alone, we have changes in the government. So there's a lot of tensions during the year of the tiger. Hopefully in the year of the rabbit, 2023, things are calmer and more peaceful. Oh, that's good to know. I was going to say, yeah, what can we look forward to

or just know about this the year of the rabbit. Fertile year, bit calmer. Yeah, it's actually a year. The year of the rabbit, 2023 is, I call it the year of reconciliation. It's the year of moving on and letting go. And this is also a year. Absolutely. The so-called star number four or the love and romance of 2024,

is actually at the center of the chart. It's called number four. When we see the number four, which used to recite again, like what I said, with the dragon and snake, the number four now moves at the center of every home. Number four means getting married, having babies, engagements, traveling. So there's going to be a lot of travels. You've mentioned quite frequently about colors that are associated with, for example, dragons. And there are ways that you can, like, wear colors to tame anger for example so like there are other i'm guessing other ways in which the zodiac can be used for each individual so you know to kind of move through life and temper their own kind of maybe less helpful um personality traits what what other elements can you can bring

to your life through the um the kind of knowledge of the zodiac as it were for example I mean, you know, if you're driving in a car, for example, right? So maybe, you know, I mean, if we can change our outfit, like an outfit to wear, then we can put the colors, right? So you can also apply it to the colors of your car. Like for me, I actually sign in green because green for me is my wealth element. If you go through our Chinese astrology book, it can actually sort of suggest you that, you know, this is your dominant color.

Now, if you can say maybe, you know, even the shoes that you wear or even the shoes that you wear or even the sacks that you wear or even the underwear that you wear. I like the idea of, yes, like we go about our days, we wear clothes, we select colours, but we don't really give much thought to them. And there's something really nice about, you know, getting to know what kind of colours work for you and having a bit more intention whenever we basically do anything, because that can only be a good thing whether or not you, you know, were brought up really believing in the zodiac or some people who listen will be.

kind of people that don't really believe it, but like they will also, intentions are always like, you know, better than just sort of thoughtless purchasing. Yeah, I think even if you, maybe this is your first introduction to the Zodiac, or you're thinking, it doesn't really make it, you know, you may not believe it, but you're like, okay, but making a decision every day to be like, this is going to be my difficult year, I'm wearing positive colors, I'm wearing, I've made these decisions in my life with what I'm wearing and how my room is laid. out and all these things. I'm making active choices regardless of the of where they've,

the origin of them. Yeah. They're still bringing you to a positive place. Yeah, it's almost like self-care. A version of self-care. You're connecting to yourself and the world around you. And however you do that, it's always going to be positive. So I read once that where you have a mirror in your house, you should make sure it's reflecting something that you want to increase. Yes. So it's very, very important to place the mirror in the dining table, for example. So you can sort of like multiply the food that you put on the table. I've got a mirror on the wall that I can't take off. And it's behind a door. I feel very anxious about it. Because then I'm just, if I, what if I, what if I put something on the back of the door? Are there ways to reflect? Bad Feng Shui.

I'm worried about my mirror. But how far is it from the stairs? Does it face any stairs or, or window? No, it doesn't face any stairs. If the door was closed, it would just face the opposite wall, and that's just a little dressing table. So I could put something there, I suppose. But when the door is closed, maybe I put something behind the door, a little picture or some money or something. Does it bother you, though?

Like, does it bother you, or not really? No, it doesn't bother me. I just now when we started talking, I remembered this thing about the mirror, and I suddenly were like, oh, no. What if I'm manifesting just more doors into my life? If you want to make use of that and capitalize on that, if the mirror is already there.

So why not enhance the opposite side of the wall with, I don't know, like a picture or painting of arijuana or, you know, because arijuana are good for money, you know, or fishes like that. So you can make use of that to double it up or maybe a picture of an ink or anything that connotes wealth for you. Or maybe make it like if it's me and if you want to travel, maybe. maybe you can enhance it with the map of the world. Are there any more sort of, because some of our listeners will be living in kind of small apartments

or they'll be living in houses, or they'll be living in lots of different types of places. So it's difficult to kind of think of specifics. But are there any more like mirrors and any more helpful enhancers that people can use? Whatever we do, there's always eight compass of the space, right? north, south, east, west, like that. And each of these directions actually belongs

to each animal sign. So because you are both dragons, I would encourage you to locate the southeast part of your apartment. Because southeast is actually your own personal animal sign location. Now, what if the southeast is, for example, what if the south is like a storage or a kitchen? You know, so you could be like lighting up

and burning your luck, right? But if it happens to be a bedroom or main entrance, then it's good because you can activate it better. But if it becomes like storage or like toilets, then you just keep flashing your luck away. So those are the functions. Oh, God. What should we do, though, if our toilet is in our southeast corner? Well, I think for now, you know, I think don't panic when we are here.

Okay. What we can do is, you know, we can always activate the outside of the toilet. So maybe we can put it with like some plants. Remember, we can put some plants or, you know, small tree, you know, some living space, living ornaments inside the area. So again, as what we were discussing, like, feng shu is not magic. It's never a religion and it's never our superstitious. The rule of the thumb is if you feel like you.

your life is beautiful or, you know, auspicious or, you know, you already have the things that you want in your life, then I would encourage to not change it. Basically, it really depends on the person. So now in my life, as I grow older, I'm 54 years old, you know, I want to change. Like, for example, I want to have time for myself because all through like the last 28 years of my life is really like all about my kids, the attention is all about my kids. So what about me? So our changes, our circumstances and life changes. So it's really apt to the person on what particular option you want to activate this time.

There's no right or wrong. I suppose with the astrology allows you to get to know yourself and your individual characteristics a little bit more through what year you were born, your birth chart, and then you're able to, if I may, I actually got my birth chart done a couple of months ago. and it was astonishingly accurate to the extent where I felt quite scared but also so comforted. Yeah, it was like an online, it was via email. I used to be a journalist and I did an interview with an astrologer a couple of years ago and she always said like, I'll do your birth job for you, I never did.

And we never got around to it. And then she emailed saying, like, I've got some time if you want to. And yeah, it was really cool. And I like, and I, I, I really, I really, I really love that sort of stuff just, just because I feel like it, as human beings, we really need to, we really need to feel like we have a sense of self and sometimes an identity and sometimes that gets lost in today's sort of world where you just feel quite nebulous and quite distracted and quite, you're not sure who you are. And, you know, are we our choices we make? Are we our job? Are we our friends? I mean, all these different things. And it's quite nice to have a core centre of being like, well, I am this. sort of person and I respond well to this and it's a good starting point to even when you're asking the questions it kind of allows you to understand yourself like when we did a episode about

tarot cards and it was more about the questions that you're asking than it is almost the tarot cards it's it's what you want and what out of life and how you feel so yeah it is fascinating like what you said this is like a preview on on who you are knowing who you are and even your colleagues and family. And it's very useful for your partners, for your family members, for your, you know, like, for example, my husband is like I was born in the day of a young earth person. So earth is like a mountain, you know, like how can you move a mountain? So, and he's even born a year of the old. So you can say that, you know, he's very stubborn, he's very firm. And, you know, this is his, is, his structure. So either you have to stick

and understand that or, you know, either like you just sort of like give up, right? Because there are people that you, that's it. When they make a decision, this is the decision. And then it's very difficult to sway, you know, the way. Whatever we do in life, you know, whatever circumstances we are in, I always say like, you know, just keep going. And who knows, you know, the universe always has something better and in store for us. I always say that. Whatever your trudges of today could be your happiness of tomorrow. And always remember. that, you know, when a window or a door is being closed, another one opens. Oh, thank you so, so much. I feel I'm really excited to read the book. I'm very excited to go

and do my chart and find out my colors, my shapes, my bits. Thank you so, so much. And everyone listening, get on, get on Maritesh book. So it's January 24th it is in the UK. Chinese astrology, decode the zodiac to live your best life. And Maritas Allen.com you can get a starting point for your colours and your lucky directions and like dip your toe into the Chinese astrology world which I'm very excited to do. I'm snorkeling gear on ready to go in fully. Have a lovely year of the rabbit. Do we say happy year of the rabbit? Yeah. Happy year of the rabbit.