I never like to do my annual forecasts the same way every year, although I almost always refrain from the ever-useless Year Animal style of prediction.(at some point, must write a post on why this is so).

This year, I’m shaking it up and not doing it according to the Day Masters, but rather, adopting a winners/losers format using the 60 Jia Zi. (and if you don’t like the word loser, you can stop reading now – this blog doesn’t play nicety nice). Going by the Jia Zi  in my view typically provides more accuracy above the pure Day Master, and of course, is infinitely more useful than the ever so useless and dull Animal Signs.

A Jia Zi is the BaZi term for the entire Pillar comprising of Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch. The Day Pillar is basically the Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch that appears on the DAY of birth.

If you don’t already know your Day Pillar/Day Master, my friend Helene Weber’s Bazi Calculator is highly recommended for its clear presentation and accuracy with those pesky month changeovers that bedevil most calculators.

Onward…but first…methodology.

Begin with Presumptions…

2016 is the year of Bing Shen 丙申. So typically, we would place those Jia Zi that are in a favourable relationship (we assume Combination is favourable) in the Winners category since anyone who is friendly with the annual Grand Duke can expect a half decent year.

Of course, this is an ASSUMPTION since there are things in a chart that can throw a spanner in the works. If Water is not a favourable element (since 2016’s combinations will all produce water – i.e.: 申子辰 and 巳 and 申) then even though there is a combination with the Grand Duke, this may  not be favourable. If Water represents an unusable element, then again, the combination with the Grand Duke may also not be advantageous in any way. It goes without saying that strong Water Day Masters who combine with 丙申 will also not find 2016 advantageous, and would get moved into the Losers category.  GOOD is defined by ‘presence of good Stars’ (they being one of the three precious: Direct Wealth, Direct Resource, Direct Officer) whilst BAD defined is by ‘presence of negative Stars’ (they being 7 Killings, Indirect Resource). This however, is subject to the rule of strong vs weak DM.

On a preliminary basis, we would assume the following Jia Zi are advantaged going into 2016 by virtue of combination with the Grand Duke. Note that 辛巳 is a special Heaven and Earth Combination and so sits on the top of the pile.

Presumptively we consider the Day Pillars highlighted in Green to be on average likely to have a better year than the rest, since these Day Pillars are ‘one with the Force’ (the force here being the Monkey). However, the reality is that not all these pillars will be advantaged because the Combination isn’t necessarily favourable to all of them.

(if your day pillar is not in the lot highlighted, you can assume a neutral year, or a modest year at best. And no, we are not interested in people who are neither in trouble or doing exceptionally well in 2016 for the purposes of this post).

Further Analysis: Separate Wheat from Chaff, Boys from Men, Dire from merely UnLucky…

Now, of this lot of presumptively privileged ones, there are additional filters before they can truly be considered Winners for 2016. Day Masters that don’t use Water particularly well for example, would not be advantaged which means iffy outcomes in 2016 for 庚子 and 庚辰. （If you are not interested in the reasons and are just about winners and losers, scroll to the end).

Similarly, strong Water Day Masters are not likely to have a good 2016 either since the presence of Resource would not be favourable. Which means 壬子 and 壬辰 who are born in season or supporting season shouldn’t expect 2016 to be favourable for them even though things may look like they are going well (since there still is a combination with the year – remember, outcomes matter too, not just combination). This is because the Water Frame combination will yield the needless Rob Wealth Star, which is unfavourable for strong Water DMs in general and of course, no one likes Rob Wealth anyway. Weak Water DMs however will benefit from the Resource and Rob Wealth.

Strong Day Masters going through a Resource Combination in 2016 will also be unlikely to have a good year unless you are a retiree (in which, it will be fun!). So if you are strong 甲 and 乙 Day Master still in the rat race and still need your career to show some signs of progress, then 2016 may be an uphill battle since Resource is not favourable. As such, 甲辰 and 甲子will also have iffy 2016 (the impact of the 7 Killings being the key outlier effect to be considered) – cruise control is not a good place to be for Jia Wood DMs in general, since Jia Wood should not drift or float.

So, once we have eliminated all those who look good but are going nowhere (or as the Chinese say, 好看不好吃) we are in principle left with the following Jia Zi that can be said to be having a good year in 2016:

辛巳，戊辰，戊子，乙巳，己巳

That’s not very many people benefitting from 2016 but hey, not everyone can be lucky right?

The Low Down

Those who consider the analytical and theoretical prattle unnecessary just want to know the bottom line..here it is:

2016 BEST FOR CAREER

Xin Metal – 辛巳 is particularly advantaged – benefit from the presence of the Direct Officer Star in 2016. Weak Xin will do better than strong Xin, in terms of a change in job or promotion. Strong Xin may face competition for the job.

Although 2016 looks good for Yi DMs, Bing Shen is a Direct Officer see Hurting Officer presentation of the Jia Zi and thus, denotes both positive and negative outcomes for  Yi Wood. Although Yi Wood is not the least phased by being trapped in the middle of minions and superiors, no one likes a year when they have minion problems and boss problems at the same time. Still, promotion prospects and greater power and authority are on the cards for Yi Wood, although the step up will not be without headaches. That being said, 申 does contain the Three Precious of DW, DR and DO and so on a balance of outcomes, Yi Woods will find 2016 has a few speed bumps, but overall bodes well for career. 乙巳 will have the best outcomes for career in 2016, whilst 乙卯 will be the runner-up in the career stakes. 乙亥 on the other hand, will have an extremely problematic 2016 – all other Yi Woods will be neutral in 2016. (neutral meaning, neither exceptionally bad nor exceptionally good and as such, not of much interest from an astrology standpoint).

Jia Wood will not experience the Direct Officer see Hurting Officer problem and sees a slightly-better Eating God controls 7 Killings presentation in the year. However, 7 Killings is almost always very hard on the Jia Wood, especially 甲寅 or Jia born in February. And in theory, the 7 Killings Star is not considered a favourable one, even though it is necessary for Jia Wood. As such, Jia Wood will experience a lot of pressure on the job (especially those starting a new job or those in mission critical jobs) and there is tremendous stress as well on Jia Wood in 2016.  Going forward, Jia Wood will experience Direct Officer see Hurting Officer in 2017 丁酉, which doesn’t help after a year of stress in 2016. However, those Jia Wood who begin a new job in 2016 or change jobs in 2016 should not get too comfortable and need to be constantly vigilant as there is a high risk of losing their job in 2018. Hello pressure cooker for Jia Wood.

Runners-up in the Career Stakes: Geng 庚, Bing 丙 and Ding 丁.

Geng Metal sees 7 Killings in 2016 and whilst this may suggest some career advancement prospects, the presence of another Geng in the Stem downgrades the value of the 7 Killings Star above. Bing and Ding Fire DMs will also experience opportunities and advancement as far as career goes, although these opportunities will not land on their laps but will require some effort in order to secure.

2016 BEST FOR WEALTH

Where there is a 3 Harmony Combination that produces the Wealth Element, that DM benefits the most financially in the year. As such, 2016 will be a BUMPER WEALTH YEAR for Earth DMs, no doubt a welcome respite from the rather dry 2014 and 2015. However, not everything is equal.

Specifically, only Wu 戊 and Ji 己 DMs that contain the Dragon 辰  will do really well in 2016 because the presence of the Monkey completes the 3 Harmony Combination and produces the Rat via silent push. Therefore, 戊辰 stands to have the BEST YEAR in 2016 when it comes to money, with both Indirect and Direct Wealth opportunities, specifically opportunities arising from investments in equities or currency appreciation. 戊子will be next in line for a top money year in 2016, although the degree of outcome will largely depend on whether or not there is a Dragon somewhere in the chart/Luck Pillars to move the Combo along. No Ji Earth DM has the Dragon so Ji Earths must be born in the Dragon Month or have a Dragon Year or Hour in order to benefit financially from 2016. At a stretch, 己巳 might do better than the rest of the Ji lot on the basis of the Six Harmony combination with the Monkey, but this would be considered a vastly inferior combination to the 3 Harmony.

All other Wu and Ji will benefit somewhat from the Monkey in 2016 financially but not as significantly as 戊辰 and 戊子. Indeed, 戊午 and 己亥 should be cautious in 2016 of potential financial LOSS, as a result of financial greed, particularly 戊午.

In the runner-up position when it comes to Wealth in 2016 are Bing and Ding DMs. However, as there is a Rob Wealth Star for Ding, and Friend Star for Bing, this offsets somewhat the positive outcome when it comes to wealth. 丙寅 in particular may experience wealth loss due to the clash, and 丁亥 will have legal problems (income tax audit anyone?) arising from partnerships and financial investments.

Although Water DMs see Wealth in the Stem, the presence of another Water Star in Growth within the Monkey downgrades any real opportunity for serious wealth in 2016. Strong Geng and Xin DMs should also expect 2016 to be tough financially, although coming off the back of two good Wealth years in 2014 and 2015, there should be some financial insulation. However, it is best that strong Geng and Xin DMs remain vigilant and not expect a repeat performance in terms of wealth opportunities in 2016. Things will dry up very fast come August 2016 and so it is best to put away some nuts for the long autumn and tighten the belt in anticipation of a generally tougher financial state going forward.

2016 BEST FOR RELATIONSHIP

Wu and Ji Earth males benefit the most from 2016 in terms of relationship opportunities, although the year will be best for 戊辰 and 戊子. 戊午 on the other hand will experience relationship stress, with potentially every girlfriend completely unable to pass the ‘mother in law’ test.

Bing and Ding Fire females broadly benefit the most from 2016 in terms of relationship opportunities. Between Bing and Ding, it’s a difficult call on who will have a better year. Although Ding sees Direct Officer in Growth, none of the Ding Fire DMs will have a combination opportunity, except for 丁巳 (which is offset by the presence of the RW star in the year). By contrast, although Bing sees 7 Killings in Growth, 丙辰 and 丙子 benefit from the 3 Harmony Combination, which makes them the top candidates to get across that all elusive marriage aisle in 2016.

Xin and Geng Metal females will also have opportunities for relationship advancement in 2016, with Xin edging out Gengs because its a Direct Officer for Xin and also a Combination with Xin (although Geng females should not be too worried – remember 2017 is 丁酉 so start kissing them frogs in 2016…). All bets are on for 辛巳 in particular in 2016 as far as marriage goes given the Heaven and Earth Combination, unless the 辛巳 lives in a nunnery. Strong Xins however will find that although 2016 presents opportunities for relationship, there may be some confusion as to whether or not the relationship is platonic ala When Harry met Sally or an actual love affair.

2016 ANNUS HORRIBILIS

If you don’t fall into any of the above categories, it would be good to avoid the annus horribilis category. Not having a good year isn’t a problem as long as you are not having a bad year.

2016 will be toughest on 丙申 Day Masters because it is a Fu Yin year. This is the year of fog, the year of I don’t know what I am doing and the year of career, relationship and everything in the middle crisis. As such, it is best for Bing Shen DMs to sit tight and avoid making any changes if possible. Remember, in times of uncertainty and crisis, it is best to just carry on the way you have been carrying on and make no changes.

2016 will be also miserable for 壬寅 as they will experience a Fan Yin. It’s generally a toss up as to who does worse – Fan Yin or Fu Yin candidates. Each of course, experiences a different manner of annus horribilis. Generally speaking, fog is probably not as bad as Heaven and Earth Clash, which is the case for 壬寅. The advice remains the same which is to sit tight and avoid making any changes if possible although this will be extremely difficult, especially for male 壬寅 experiencing relationship pressure, or wealth issues. For those who are interested in knowing specifically what is bad for 壬寅, top of the list is health problems (specifically bone/joint issues, sports injuries to the foot, ankle, head), followed by travelling mishaps (car accidents in particular always tend to increase in frequency in Monkey years, and Ren Water DMs tend to be very impatient drivers), and health problems for mothers of Ren Yin DMs, along with increased risk of marital tension generally, staff problems at the office, and financial pressure.

ANY DMs seated on the Tiger ( 甲寅， 丙寅，戊寅，庚寅，壬寅） should expect a uniformly bad outcome in 2016, given the strength of the clash with the Monkey, which is a most unpleasant clash. DMs seated on Tiger must be particularly careful of sports injuries (involving the lower limbs) and car accidents. If the Spouse Star is affected (i.e.: 戊寅 female or 庚寅 male) then there will be a very emotionally stressful relationship issue in 2016. 庚 寅 must be particularly vigilant of loss of wealth, which may come very suddenly and unexpectedly, with possible legal issues to follow on that loss of wealth.

DMs seated on the Pig (乙亥，丁亥，己亥，辛亥， 癸亥）  must be exceptionally careful in 2016, especially those seeing RW, Officer or Wealth in the Monkey such as 辛亥， 己亥, 癸亥 and 乙亥. Pig-Monkey is a Harm, and typically denotes legal issues or problems.

Broadly speaking, DMs that are seated on the Snake will stand a chance of 2016 being a memorably bad year although for the DMs seated on Snake, there is a chance this could turn around if Water is a favourable element, resulting in a year with the good, bad and ugly. 乙巳 for example, will have Nobleman Luck  because the Combo-Destruction produces Water, which is the Resource Star. By contrast, 丁巳 gets the Officer Star out of the Destruction, which could be good or bad, depending on the problem at hand. 己巳 will bumble as a result of the Combo-Destruction but will somehow end up with a few pennies in their pocket. 癸巳 should not expect positive outcomes from any financial opportunities in 2016 (it will be a case of looks good but is an empty purse) and should avoid partnership like the plague (or women for that matter, for male 癸巳).  辛巳 has a Heaven-Earth Combination but the outcome of the Destruction is an outlier since Xin likes Water but there is also a removal of the Officer Star.

Specifically Pig 亥, Snake 巳,  Tiger 寅 Together.

Avoid travel during Monkey (August) month.

No Pig 亥, No Snake 巳, No Dragon 辰, No Rat 子, no Tiger 寅…

If your chart contains no Pig, Snake, Dragon, Rat or Tiger, then the year will be uneventful generally for you. These DMs will be in the neutral category for 2016 – not always a bad place to be, although it does mean opportunities will also be limited.