Ghost Month in the time of COVID-19: What you need to know

The Ghost Month Festival is upon us. It begins on August 19 and to last until September 16, reaching its peak aka Ghost Day on September 2.

Feng Shui coach Johnson Chua likens the Ghost Festival to the movie "Coco," when the gates of the spirit world open, allowing the ghosts or spirits to move among us in the physical world, i.e. Earth.

"Nabubukasan yung hell — pero actually hindi naman 'hell' yun as we know it, more like spirit world," he clarifies. On Ghost Day, which this year falls on September 2, is when all of them are expected to be among us.

Like most Ghost Months, the water element appears the most problematic, Johnson said. While that means "anything related to water disasters," Johnson takes the COVID-19 situation in consideration.

"To be honest, at the beginning of the year, we really didn't see this, COVID-19," he said of the Feng Shui predictions for 2020, Year of the Rat. "What we saw were 'big changes' occurring but we didn't expect this type of big change."

Upon seeing how 2020 is turning out, Johnson looks at two elements to try and explain the situation better: "The combination of the metal element (which is the element of the lungs) and water (which signifies flow and spread)."

"For Ghost Month, we're still looking at water — anything related to water disasters (uncontrollable waters) but this can also mean internal sickness. There is water movement but people can't move. Nasa bahay lang tayo — so what happens? We become frustrated, we start having emotional problems."

In Feng Shui, Johnson says, emotional problems can manifest in our physical health. For instance, fear and lack of confidence often translates to lower back pain, which in turn can mean a kidney problem.

Meanwhile, frustration and depression, which Johnson says are connected to the metal element, can lead to weaker lungs. "Di ba pag mabigat ang dibdib natin, saan ito bumabagsak? Sa lungs. So humihina ang lungs natin."

As before, Johnson's number one piece of advice during Ghost Month is to keep positive and maintain your emotional health. "Negative emotion are very unstable and kapag unstable ang emotions mo, malaki ang chance na mapaglauran ka ng ilang spirits."

He adds, "Negative emotions weaken your aura and when they see you are weak, puwede kang pagtripan." 

Positive emotions meanwhile, will attract positive spirits. This is the reason why offering prayers during Ghost Month is also a highly recommended. "When you offer prayers to the spirits, it's like sending positive energy to them, and when they feel this positive energy, they will also send positive energy back to you," Johnson explains.

Apart from offering prayers, the practice during Ghost Month is to also offer money (gold paper), food, and incense. "Let's look at Ghost Month as a charity month of the spirits by offering these things to make the spirits happy."

And when they are happy, then positive energy come from them too.

According to Johnson, offering incense gives them hope (which comes from the light) while the smoke is something of a bridge for them. And because the spirit world isn't too different from our physical world, money and food go a long way for them there, too.
   
Ghost Month falls under Chinese culture and tradition, and as such, there are some practices that's been accustomed specially for Ghost Month. For instance, they avoid beginning anything new.

"Ang idea kasi diyan is, baka may mataaman kang spirit. When you're constructing a new house, you're going to a corner that you have not been to — baka may spirit duon na mataaman mo." 

From building a new house, it's now come to mean beginning anything new: signing a contract, opening a new business, even marriage. All these, Johnson says, is best avoided during Ghost Month.

"Ang talong palagi diyan is: May natamaan ka bang spirit?"

If it is possible to delay a medical procedure, Johnson says delay it. "Kasi there have been instances na mabagal na paggaling [kung Ghost Month yung procedure]. Pero syempre kung puwede lang. If it's an emergency, of course you have to do as your doctor says."

Johnson says Ghost Month and Feng Shui are two different things. Ghost Month is under culture and tradition, while Feng Shui is a philosophy and a practice that involves energy.

"When there are things na hindi mo talaga maiiwasang gawin during Ghost Month — kunwari, kailangan mo na talaga magpatayo ng warehouse kasi maganda ang business, then you turn to Feng Shui to try and get the best condition possible for building that warehouse. Hanapin mo anong date ang pinaka auspicious, or saan pinakamaganda ang energy."

Johnson's main concern for this particular ghost month is still COVID-19. "It has really destroyed the emotional health of a lot of us. So many of us are frustrated and depressed — maraming nawalan ng trabaho, business is not picking up. So we really have to take care of our emotional health during this time."  
  
He reminds that negative emotions will make you weak, attracting negative spirits. Keeping positive however,  will also attract positive spirits.

"Ang gustong-gusto kong sinasabi ngayon sa mga nagpapa-consult sa akin is: In times of darkness, be the light," Johnson, who now does Feng Shui consultations online, advises.

"What does this mean? You create your own opportunity. What can you give? What can you offer?"

Perhaps it would do all of us good to use Ghost Month as a period to reflect on our lives, count on our blessings, keep positive, see how else we can create opportunities for ourselves, and after Ghost Month, perhaps we can begin. — LA, GMA News