An exploration of Feng Shui beliefs, personal clashes, and practical guidance for the Year of the Fire Horse 2026.

Words Betty Uy Regala (黄美智)
Art by Ayame Tuazon
February 23, 2026

I only started doing Feng Shui practices last Chinese New Year to usher in the Year of the Snake even if I am half Chinese (dad side), and went to Chinese schools until high school. I prepared a prosperity bowl, looked for 12 kinds of fruit, and scattered a combination of cotton balls and coins inside our condo unit from the main door when the clock struck 12:01 AM.

I also placed Tai Sui amulet cards for 2025 in my wallet and my husband’s without his knowledge because he does not believe in Feng Shui. I said that his Certificate of Admission to the Bar bears the date of June 14, 2004, the Year of the Monkey. Guess what his animal sign is?

I likewise noticed that certain establishments have water features. For one, the Property Management Office (PMO) of our condo has a large floor-to-ceiling waterfall feature and spans the width of the office windows. This water feature directly faces the office.

The PMO did not fix the waterfall feature when it broke a year or two ago. Consequently, the water has been emptied and the turtle is gone. It even placed the BoxPlus Digital in front of the office which blocked all its windows. In contrast, restaurants like Mary Grace Café have a working running water feature in their open entrances.

Water, which symbolizes wealth or prosperity in Feng Shui, is one of two auspicious elements in 2026, the other one is the Metal element. Windows and the main door of a space are the main entry points of energy or chi (氣) while turtles symbolize sure and steady progress.

My high school friends in Chiang Kai Shek College whose parents are both Chinese consult experts for major events like their engagements, weddings, high-ticket purchases like properties and vehicles, anything related to their businesses, and even death in the family.

One of the tools available in the consultant’s arsenal is the Feng Shui Geomancy, which is believed to have been in practice even before the birth of Jesus Christ. “You don’t lose anything if you follow them,” one of my friends said whose family is, shall we say, most blessed.

I remember having pictures of our angkong (grandfather) and ah-ma (grandmother) somewhere in our apartment and on certain dates, there would be food offerings, lighting of incense sticks, and at times, burning of joss paper money. This was all prompted by our ah-ko, the eldest sister of my dad, who lived on the same street as we did in San Juan. She provided us with all the accoutrements, and prepped the food to be offered.

Like my husband, our dad did not believe in these practices because, on one hand, he was a devout Catholic, and on the other hand, he was a man of science. He was an aeronautical engineer after all. When the family moved to a place outside the metro in the south and our aunt’s family to the north, the distance and her old age put a halt on these rituals.

As for me, I couldn’t care less for Chinese traditions. I knew that my Feng Shui animal sign is Rat based on my birth year. I lumped it with Western astrology where I read Libra forecasts for entertainment and that was that. I placed more value on an individual’s agency rather than what is pre-determined because if I knew certain outcomes, doesn’t that limit my free will?

In 2019, however, I started attending the ScalarPrana Energy workshops and events, which involved energy work explained through science, meditations, and the use of crystals and semi-precious stones. This opened me up or made me return to my Chinese roots, and I began reading up on Feng Shui, which also deals with energy or chi (氣).

I follow some local practitioners on social media, and regularly watch their reels. I also take note of what Paulynne Cheng, Joey Yap, and other experts of Chinese origin share on their YouTube channels.

In addition, when I reviewed my 2014, which unbeknownst to me until recently was the Year of the Horse—the Rat’s clash year—I faced financial and health challenges while working on a passion project documentary.

Funds earmarked for the production were stolen, I had misunderstandings with the director, and people’s (un)availability all came to a head. I had a heart attack scare where I was rushed to the ER of Makati Medical Center, which I attributed to the death of my father in December 2013. And, our dog also died. That’s a lot of coincidental obstacles crammed into one year.

The Fire Horse

After 12 years, another Horse year comes around. This time, however, I am armed with some knowledge on how to manage the clash year. To further my education on the topic, I attended the Michael De Mesa (no, not the actor) Feng Shui Extravaganza of the PakBet TV fame out of curiosity with remaining bits of skepticism. Plus, I also wanted to see a lion dance performance in person.

There were two local Feng Shui events on February 7 but I chose this one because it had a more comprehensive program: one-and-a-half hours devoted to individual Chinese astrology or the animal signs; and the same chunk of time dedicated to Feng Shui of living spaces. Master Michael also gave general tips on how to navigate the year.

He revealed that we are already in the Year of the Fire Horse which commenced on February 4, 2026 following the Solar Calendar System that ushered in Li Chun (立春) or the Beginning of Spring. The commonly known date of February 17, 2026, a special non-working day in the Philippines, follows the Lunar Calendar System.

We all heard versions of the gloom and doom scenarios for 2026 from other mystics and Master Michael confirmed them: the overwhelming fire energy gives rise to extreme weather events that could cause floods; quakes; eruptions; and plagues. Let’s not forget however that the Philippines sits within the Pacific Ring of Fire, and has regular volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

*Mayon Volcano on 31 Jan 2018 | Photo rom the PHILVOCS-DOST FB Page*

ScienceKonek, a youth-led media organization that has partnerships with the government, reported that “from January 1 to December 31, 2025, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) recorded over 21,789 earthquakes, averaging about 60 tremors every day. Of these, one reached a magnitude 7.4, eight were between 6.0 and 6.9, and 66 fell within the 5.0 to 5.9 range.”

Two negative events are said to take place in June, which is the Horse month, and December, which is the Rat month.

As an aside, it helps to know if your home and workplace are located in high-risk earthquake zones. If they are, you may want to check your Local Government Unit’s (LGU) emergency plan, and align it with your own family’s emergency strategy. For floods, landslides, and storm surges, the government has reactivated Project Noah (https://noah.up.edu.ph/).

Master Michael said it’s a year of small wins and not a year of big changes. On the work front, this means a laser focus on what you’re good at or on one thing that would yield more results. This is not the time to shift careers. He also repeated to audience members to be reminded of and be guided by their personal values.

He also revealed that 2027 would even be more difficult before we could experience the upward surge in 2028. He assures that something beautiful will come out of the two-year struggle similar to how natural pearls are developed over time.

The Individual’s Bazi Chart

*Ba Zi Calculator from Feng Shui in Motion’s Website*

The event required pre-registration because the individual kits they handed out came with the participant’s own detailed Bazi chart based on the hour, day, month, and year of birth or the four pillars. To get your own free Bazi chart, just search the internet for a free Bazi calculator. One of them is https://fsinmotion.com/bazi-calculator/.

To guide you on how to understand your Bazi Chart, here is Pauline Cheng’s YT video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bb7Dtyd7uo.

In the Bazi chart given in the event, each pillar has a row for Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, and Hidden Stems. My Day Master, highlighted in green, is Jia Wood. I tried the fsinmotion.com Bazi calculator, and my Day Master came out the same: a Tree or Yang Wood.

In the main section of my Bazi chart, I smiled when I saw two Star of Arts because I work in the arts. They were in my Day Pillar and Month Pillar. I also have a Star of Aid in my Hour Pillar.

There are many details in my chart that are worth delving into. I have yet to watch the video of Cheng for this. For instance, there is a section called the Luck Pillars, which maps out my lifespan from 1 year old to 90 years old in 10-year groupings. There is also a Key Information section which identifies which animal signs are my benefactors, and which are good for relationships and academic pursuits. It also showed my three health concerns, as well as my suitable professions.

Another section of the chart lists my individual Favourable and Unfavourable elements, directions, colors, and numbers. Some are different from the general auspicious and inauspicious elements, directions, colors, and numbers for 2026.

The Four Pillars

*Photo taken from Michael De Mesa’s Feng Shui Extravaganza 2026*

For my fellow Rat-born, do not despair. The birth year, which encapsulates the general mood, is but one pillar. You also have to look at the three other pillars of Hour, Day, and Month. Using the free Bazi chart calculator, you could find out your animal sign for the Hour Pillar, which represents Career; the animal sign for the Day Pillar, which represents Relationship and Health; and the animal sign for the Month Pillar, which represents Wealth.

I have Ox in my Hour Pillar (Career), Dog for my Day Pillar (Relationship and Health), another Dog for my Month Pillar (Wealth), and Rat for my Year (Mood). Master Michael presented equivalent percentages for each life aspect placed in its respective pillar. So even if my Year Pillar is, say, less than 40%, my other three pillars have 60% scores and above.

However, if you have two Rats in two of your pillars, personal safety should be a high priority in 2026. For example, a Rat in your Day Pillar and a Rat in your Year make you a Double Rat. For your own peace of mind and if budget permits, you may buy amulets for protection or do one even better—consult a Feng Shui expert.

Feng Shui for the House

The first step requires an accurate determination of the “facing directions” or the North, South, East, West sectors of your house. Please note that this is not based on the geographical position of your house. Before going to the event, I already know where our condo unit’s facing directions are.

For those who do not know, here is a simple general guide from https://www.taoismandmanifest.com/:

Using a Compass or App

You can use a traditional compass or a smartphone app for checking the facing direction. Both tools work well if you use them the right way. Studies show that iPhone compass apps can be very accurate, with only a small difference from traditional compasses. Still, it’s smart to keep an analog compass as a backup, especially if you use an Android device, since those can be less reliable.

Here’s how you can get the best results:

1. Stand at the main entrance, facing out.

2. Hold your compass or phone steady and level.

3. Make sure you are at least 1-2 meters away from metal objects, cars, or electronics. These can mess up your compass reading.

4. Align the bottom of your phone or compass with a straight line, like the edge of the door or a wall.

5. Take a reading and write down the degrees and direction.

6. Move to the center point of your house and repeat the process.

7. Take several compass readings from different spots (inside and outside) to make sure your results are accurate.

In my experience, wherever you are in the house, you will get the North-South-East-West directions of your place. For condo units, the main door of the unit is the point of reference, and not the building’s entrance, Master Michael said. For other house orientations with parking spaces or other structures, kindly search the internet on how to get the facing directions.

For Master Michael, the North ranks last when it comes to auspicious areas in the house while the South sector only comes in second to the last. He treats both sides as inauspicious since these two sectors mirror each other.

According to skillon.com, the Tai Sui or the Grand Duke Jupiter resides in the South sector in 2026 specifically in South 2 or 172.6° to 187.5°. Another local Feng Shui expert even challenged unbelievers to do some hammering or create loud noises in the South side of their homes to experience for themselves the negative consequences.

The general guidance for the North and South directions is to keep them quiet. If a TV set is there, it needs to be moved to the auspicious locations of East, West, and South West, which can be activated by Feng Shui items on specific days. Average directions, which are neither auspicious nor inauspicious, are the North East and South West, which similarly need activation, on specified dates.

Aside from the South and North, North West is another inauspicious direction for the year. PakBet TV offers products for these sectors to counter the negative energies that are likewise activated on certain dates.

Cheng had the same advice as Master Michael in placing metal objects in the South sector (and also North for the latter). Dumbbells or kettlebells could be placed in these sectors but they are not to be used. To reiterate, Metal and Water are the two auspicious elements of the year, which can balance the intense fire energy. Other internet sources suggest placing bowls with (still) water in these areas.

General auspicious colors, on the other hand, include blue, black, white, and gold.

There is a lot to unpack after the event, and I realized that what I know now (though considerable) barely scratches the surface, and boy, do I have a lot of questions. I still have a lot of cleaning to do before February 17 comes, especially our main door and the windows beside it where energy enters. I also have to reposition the filing cabinet and our work table in our home office because the table currently faces the South sector where the Tai Sui is, which is a no-no.

As a Feng Shui newbie enthusiast, I have been doing some of its practices as a soft guide. At the end of the day, I still believe in making our own luck. We still need to get up in the morning to work and contribute something of value to the world. There is still action required on our part even if the action is buying a lottery ticket.

Master Michael said something along this line when he was closing the event: belief in Feng Shui gives it power. I agree that it is faith—whether in God, a Higher Power, or in ourselves—that could move mountains.

Kung Hei Fat Choi (恭喜发财) everyone!

2026 in Feng Shui

Truth, Valor, Art