So who’s
afraid of ghost month?
Marge C.
Enriquez August 25th, 2015
Inquirer.net
IT’S ALSO VENUS RETROGRADE. BOTH FENG SHUI AND ASTROLOGY WARN THAT
IT’S NOT A GOOD TIME TO START VENTURES, PROJECTS OR
RELATIONSHIPS
The world has never been the same
after Sept. 11, 2001—the day when a series of synchronized
terrorist attacks aimed at America’s famous landmarks claimed the
lives of 2,966 people.
Then again, on Aug. 23, 2010, the
world witnessed the siege on a hijacked bus in Manila, filled with
Hong Kong tourists who were taken hostage by a former policeman.
Three years ago, on Aug. 18, the
aircraft carrying Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo crashed in the sea of
Masbate.
These tragedies, although extreme cases, coincided with the
ghost month, says feng shui expert Johnson Michael Chua. The ghost
month is believed to be an unfavorable time in the Chinese lunar
calendar. Ghosts—souls who are restless because they can’t find a
body for their rebirth—are said to emerge from the underworld.
Their agitation produces bad omens for people who encounter
them.
To appease these spirits, people must
offer food and entertainment.
Ghost month is the seventh month of
the lunar calendar, based on the moon’s cycles. A moveable date, it runs this year
from Aug. 14 to Sept. 12.
A highlight is the ghost day, which
falls on the 15th day of the seventh month—Aug. 28 this
year.
Its origins draw references from the
Buddhist scripture, Ullambana Sutra, based on the teachings of
Gautama Buddha to the monk Maudgalyayana.
Buddha told his follower that his
mother could be liberated from her punishment of being sent to the
realm of the hungry ghosts. Buddha instructed him to offer his mother’s ghost with food
blessed with Buddha’s mantras. The offered food would satisfy her
hunger.
Rebirth
Maudgalyayana was also advised to
offer food to the religious community on the 15th day of the
seventh month. The practice would finally allow his mother’s spirit
to experience rebirth to a noble family.
Hence, Taoists and Buddhists carry
out such rites on this day to free the dead from their
anguish.
Business transactions, marriages,
moving house and other important events are taboo this month. It is
believed that the ghosts would create
obstacles.
“During a contract signing, the
ghosts might hover and can interfere. It doesn’t necessarily
translate to 100 percent bad luck, baka may palya,” says
Chua.
He cites instances when businesses
and relationships didn’t work at this
time.
Once, a new milk tea shop opened in
Binondo on ghost day. “We thought the owner was brave. The business was doing well in
the first three months, but for some reason, it closed shop in less
than a year,” Chua notes.
A client moved house on Aug. 8, 2008,
believed to be lucky since it fell on the eighth day of the eighth
month in the Western calendar. Friends surmised that the eights in
the date meant good luck.
On the contrary, when he moved during
the ghost month, he lost his job and his fiancée dumped
him.
Despite skeptical partners, a
businessman opened a real estate brokerage firm in the ghost
month. The
people in the office reported an eerie presence and other
mysterious occurrences, such as a sudden gust of cold air in a
totally enclosed area. The businessmen and his partners eventually
had a falling out.
Inquirer Lifestyle asked
Filipino-Chinese friends in the fashion industry if they believed
in ghost month.
Anthony Nocom, SM menswear designer
of his eponymous label, has an altar in his home dedicated to the
gods. It has been a family tradition to offer food and fruits and
burn joss sticks on the first day of the ghost month in the Chinese
calendar.
“I grew up honoring the tradition,
remembering the do’s and don’ts during this period. One has to take
caution at this time,” says Nocom.
Designer Peter Lim and his family
avoid visiting hospitals, attending funerals, moving homes and
undertaking major business transactions.
“The gates of hell are open so that
the souls of the other world are free to roam in ours,” says
Lim. “Our
daily rituals during the hungry ghost month include offering
sacrifices so that the hungry ghosts won’t harm us. We offer rice,
meat and fruit. Some families eat vegetarian meals and set extra
place settings for each deceased family member. Red candles,
incense and paper money are burned on the 28th of August, when it
is believed the hungry ghosts return to
hell.
“Miniature paper items like cars,
houses and clothes are also burned as the living want to ensure the
deceased have all the material goods they need for the coming
year.”
Although knitwear
designer
Lulu Tan-Gan isn’t as superstitious,
she still takes precautions. “I avoid construction and renovation
during this period. It’s like you’ve been warned, but you challenge
it.”
Retreat
To neutralize the negative effects of
the ghost month, the Chinese also put up entertainment, aside from
food offerings.
“There are places where a performance
is going on, but the chairs are empty. Ghosts are believed to be
seated,” says Chua. “The more we entertain and satisfy these
spirits, the happier they become. If they are happy, good fortune
will come. Once people make offerings, business will
improve.”
A popular resource person in media,
Chua was exposed to feng shui by his father. He honed his craft by
studying under such grandmasters as Lillian Too of Malaysia
and
Raymond Lo of Hong Kong. Chua holds
consultations, life readings and date selections of auspicious days
for special events, checks floor plans and assesses lots for good
chi or energy.
During ghost month, he advises
prevention such as carrying an amulet of Chung Kwei, the Taoist
deity who is said to trounce bad omens. Black tourmaline, obsidian,
tektite and jet stones supposedly filter negative
energy.
“Ghost month is nothing to be afraid
of. My last word is that negative thoughts or ill will invoke these
vibrations,” says Chua. “These will go away when our energies are
positive.”
Meanwhile, astrologers such as
Georgina Solina don’t believe in a ghost month. “We go by the
transits or movement of the planets and how their energies affect
us and the solar return (birthday horoscope for the year). If there
is a bad transit, it is an individual case,” she
says.
Still, ghost month coincides with
Venus retrograde, which runs from July 25 to Sept. 6, 2015.
A retrograde means that a planet is moving backwards on its axis
around the sun. The counter clockwise movement of the planet causes
a weakening of the energy. This results in sudden upsets and
delays.
If it falls on Venus, the ruling
planet for professional and personal partnerships and money, expect
obstacles, blockages, financial challenges and volatile
interactions.
“It has the same effect as the ghost
month,” says Solina. “It’s not a good time for marriage or starting
any kind of relationship. However, the retrograde has a substantial
meaning.”
She explains: “The law of Venus is to
prosper in business and in other relationships. But the energies
don’t seem to move because something needs to be examined. It’s a
time to retreat and turn inward. We are being called upon to look
into our spiritual values and realize why certain things happened.
Developments are being blocked at this time. When Venus moves
forward after Sept. 6, doors will open.”