Buckle up, New York City.
The five boroughs are in for a “challenging” Year of the Wood Snake, with the Lunar New Year predicted to bring major ups and downs — and upheaval for New York’s embattled leadership.
Not even the city’s largest leaders will be spared from the turbulence of the Wood Snake — the last of which slithered through the Big Apple in 1965, according to one Feng Shui master.
The Post sat down with master RD Chin in his Midtown “sanctuary” in the final days of the Year of the Wood Dragon to apply the ancient Chinese practice to predict the Big Apple’s fortune over the coming year.
“The purpose is just to give you a heads up, give you a peace of mind about what is going to come for this year,” said Chin, 71.
It is a common misconception that Feng Shui is solely tied to the harmony of one’s physical space, said Chin, an architect by trade who has been practicing for more than three decades.
The fundamentals of the practice can be combined with Chinese numerology, mythology and astrology — a perfect storm that, when laid out, can predict the coming months.
And what Chin found is that Gotham is in for a mixed bag in the coming new year.
“This is the year of the snake, the snake represents shedding your skin,” he said.
“It’s creating a transformation. It’s not just for New York City, but I think it’s for everybody — it’s going to be major changes going to happen.”
Chin started by utilizing the year 1653 — the year New York City was chartered as a city — to determine that the Big Apple would land as an 8 on the Loshu Square, a chart used in Chinese numerology.
Then, he lodged the square against the Ba-gua, a Feng Shui octagon that heavily relies on the five elements to maintain balance in life.
The city lands squarely as an Earth element in 2025, Chin determined — which is closely associated with real estate, properties, construction, architecture and other “earthy types of endeavors,” the “Feng Shui Revealed” author said.
Those industries could see a major boom — a prediction that seems to be on trend with market indicators from the last few months.
Those hoping to start a new career are also in for some good news — professions and careers are on the upward trend.
The film industry, as well as fine arts, IT, advertising and beauty, will also see a nice boost, Chin predicted.
Some industries, however, will not see the same prosperity.
Jobs that help or educate people, whether mentally or spiritually, including health care, will see major changes and “trimming,” Chin said.
This includes writers, teachers, publishers, agriculture, organic food, cultural publications, mental health practitioners, family counselors, nurses and doctors.
Dauntingly, financial institutions and banks will see instability, with drastic ups and downs forecasted to strike throughout the next year.
And finally, New Yorkers looking to take a trip in the coming year might want to start thinking ahead — but not without major planning.
“There’s going to be a lot of travels this year now that we’re out of Covid so-to-speak — but we have to plan for contingencies,” Chin said, pointing to its placement as a 6 on the chart, this year landing in a fire position.
“That means it could be a lot of challenges in travel.”
If there’s someone to blame for the turbulent year ahead, look no further than the embattled heads of city and state.
Both Mayor Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul each have their own formidable charts for the Year of the Wood Snake — which are likely directly affecting what the city will deal with in the months to come.
“Of course, it comes from our administration,” Chin said.
“And we as the residents of New York City, obviously, have to deal with that.”
According to Adams’ chart, he is a wood energy but is landing in a position of metal energy, which “chops down the wood.”
As for Hochul, she is stationed in the fire position, meaning the fire will melt her metal energy.
In other words, the governor has been in the limelight for some time now, but could be grappling with the ramifications of mounting upheaval.
“It’s going to be a major transformation of New York City because both she and him. Extremely challenging,” Chin predicted.
Although the predictions are daunting, New Yorkers shouldn’t be too surprised.
History repeats itself every 60 years, according to the Lunar Calendar, meaning the Big Apple will likely see a year similar to 1965.
That year saw plenty of triumphs in the city: the World’s Fair; the Beatles performed the first stadium concert in the history of rock at Shea Stadium and the first ever Mr. Olympia bodybuilding competition was held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
But there were also pitfalls, like the infamous Great Northeast Blackout, which trapped 800,000 people in the subways and thousands of others in their office buildings and elevators.
Sixty years before that, in 1905, the 47-story Singer Building was completed in Manhattan, becoming the tallest structure in the world at the time.
That same year, the city experienced the worst subway accident in history at the time when an above-ground train careened off the rails and onto Ninth Avenue, killing 13.
But if there’s anything to learn from Feng Shui — life is all about balance and every individual holds the power to offset this year’s predictions, Chin said.
“We really need to see ourselves as lighthouses,” Chin said.
“A lighthouse is that we maintain our integrity. We maintain sharing our light. We maintain sharing our vision of helping others, of sharing our wisdom and experience, but at the same time, we’re grounded to the earth amid all of this swirling waters of life.
“My proposal for New Yorkers is to become the lighthouse — really see ourselves centered amid all of these turbulent waters of New York City.”
Meditation is key in the coming Year of the Wood Snake, which can be achieved by indulging in the practice or by simply going out for a walk and hugging a tree. Finding ways to reduce stress is vital, according to Chin.
Performing one good deed per day is another way to dissipate some of the negativity in the world.
Additionally — and because Feng Shui is all about balance — Chin suggested looking toward the snake’s astrological opponent as a token of good luck.
“The lucky charm for this year is the monkey!” Chin said of the creative and clever Chinese zodiac.
“Get something with the monkey, or maybe you do monkey-type activities. That will balance off the challenges of this coming year.”
