|
YANGON: Across from Yangon’s golden Shwedagon
Pagoda, Khin Myint Myat sits under her newly repaired roof and
sketches a star chart that she says explains both the cyclone in
Myanmar and the earthquake in China.
“This is the year with the
combination of three bad factors—the dangerous planet Mars, the
dark planet Kotu, and the watery side,” she said, drawing a
diagram of the stars while thumbing through an astrology book.
Even after the twin catastrophes
of the cyclone here and the earthquake in China, the outlook for
Myanmar, and the rest of Asia, is not good for the remainder of this
year, Yangon’s revered astrologers agree.
“There will be another wave of
natural disasters—either powerful storms or devastating
earthquakes— in the region again before the end of this year,”
Khin Myint Myat said, amid the din of hammers working to repair the
home next door.
Khin Myint Myat’s own roof was
blown off when Cyclone Nargis ripped through Myanmar on May 2 and 3,
but she retrieved the tin sheets and hammered them back on.
Less fortunate victims of the
storm have been trekking to visit astrologers like her in the
desperate hope of learning the fate of loved ones who were swept
away in the storm, which left more than 66,000 dead or missing.
Numerology plays an important
role in the daily life of this devoutly Buddhist country, where
people turn to astrologers to determine the most auspicious times
for weddings, traveling or making business deals.
Faced with the incomprehensible
destruction of the cyclone, many people are now turning to
astrologers to help start rebuilding their lives.
In the town of Hmawby, north of
Yangon, 70-year-old astrologer Min Theinkha receives at least 200
visitors a day at his “Full of Blessings” compound, including
many who made the long journey from the hardest-hit regions of the
Irrawaddy Delta.
Min Theinkha has little comfort
to offer them. He said the cyclone was part of the universe’s
karmic balance, a tragedy written into the nation’s fate.
“Disasters are unavoidable in
astrology. All we can do is pray for the victims,” he said.
“Disasters like this can happen
when numbers in the year add up to 10,” he said, adding that after
2008, the next dangerous year is 2017.
“There could be another storm
this year, but it will not be a big disaster like this,” Min
Theinkha said.
In Myanmar, years ending with an
eight are particularly significant.
In the year 888, ancient Burmese
texts say that three kings died, ushering in a 20-year reign by a
tyrant despised by the people for executing a group of Buddhist
monks.
Thailand-based Myanmar analyst
Aung Naing Oo said many inside the country believe this ancient
history has parallels with the current political crisis.
Myanmar’s previous dictator Ne
Win was toppled during a prodemocracy uprising that began on August
8, 1988 —a date now remembered as 8-8-88.
The ruling junta, including the
current leader Than Shwe, seized power during the bloody unrest that
followed.
In September, Buddhist monks led
new antigovernment marches, which were again suppressed by the
military as security forces fired on and beat the protesters.
The historical similarities have
raised cosmic concerns of new turmoil as August 8 approaches this
year.
“The year 888 symbolizes the
death of kings, the installation of bad kings,” Aung Naing Oo
said. “Than Shwe has been in power for about 20 years now, he has
killed monks, he has been a bad king.”
--AFP
|
