I have an annual tradition at my site, Lainey Gossip: I post Chinese zodiac readings passed on to me from my Ma, the Chinese Squawking Chicken, for the year ahead.

Luck operates on rhythm; it rises and it falls. No sign will be lucky all the time. Some signs will be luckier than others. Good luck doesn’t necessarily mean you’re the shit and can you do anything you want. Bad luck isn’t necessarily bad, sometimes it just means good luck is taking her time to arrive, waiting to see if you deserve it. If you’re running a good luck streak, you have to be just as careful as you would if you’re on a bad luck streak. Because luck is fragile, fleeting, and fickle. You must always respect and protect it.

A note to everyone before we begin though, particularly for this year. We are about to begin a Fire year. Through all the years that we’ve been doing this, Ma has tried to simplify her zodiac readings as much as possible because it can get to be quite a science. For this year, however, since the strength of the Fire could potentially be quite strong, she wanted me to try to explain the Five Elements because they have an impact on the advisories. Traditional Chinese culture is governed by Five Elements: Fire, Earth, Metal, Wood, and Water. Each of us belongs to one of the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac. And we also all have our corresponding elements. The elements can work together or they can work against each other. This is the relationship between the elements:

Earth helps Metal

Metal helps Water

Water helps Wood

Wood helps Fire

Fire helps Earth

Earth hinders Water

Water hinders Fire

Fire hinders Metal

Metal hinders Wood

Wood hinders Earth

Here’s where it can get kind of confusing though: the elements and the Chinese zodiac don’t always have to match up. For example, this year itself will be a Fire year. But a child born this year, after February 16, during the Year of the Dog, will be a Wood Dog, not a Fire Dog. This is some sophisticated Feng Shui/astrology sh-t that we don’t have to examine that too closely right now. Ma says all we need to know is that Fire is the element that will be felt much more strongly than others this year. Fire is not calming. Fire can hurt and burn—our relationships, our careers, our finances. So we all need to hydrate, no matter our sign, no matter the element, but certain people born to and of certain signs and elements have to be extra careful. Like if you have a summer birthday, whatever your sign and element, you want to stay cool.

Ready? To find your Chinese zodiac sign, click here.

This content originally appeared on Lainey Gossip.

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