The Bhutanese and the
Himalayan people believe in the five properties, which shape our life. The five
life forces are very critical and one must know this as it shows the nature and
qualities of each family member in the given calendar year.
1. Amongst the five srok (སྲོག་)
or life force is the most vital for both male and female. It represents the
status of life strength. The life essence resides in the heart and it relates
to our vitality.
If one’s srok is negative or weak in the almanac,
then there is danger of illness or accidents which can lead to death.
2. Lue (ལུས་)
or body determines the general state of one’s health including good health and
bad health. Health is important for human well being and if one’s lue or body score is negative or weak in a
certain year, one may become ill or have health problems.
3. Wangthang (དབང་ཐང་)
or charisma and esteem refer to our personal power and prestige. It influences
our wealth, possessions, and also the ability to realize our goals. This is of
special importance for female persons. If wangthang is low or negative, one will struggle
to succeed in one’s projects and achieving one’s goals. One would be subjected
to difficulties and trails of life.
4. Lungta (རླུང་རྟ་)
generally rendered as wind horse, is linked to one's fortune and luck either at
birth or for the year. It is our capacity to keep bad circumstances away. Lungta acts as coordinator and binder of all
life forces. If one’s lungta is bad or weak, one will be
unfortunate and unlucky. One’s repuation may be at stake it will be difficult
to achieve anything. New projects such as starting a business will be
unsuccessful.
5. Lah (བླ་) is linked to our mental and emotional stability. It is a
protective force. Sometimes lah becomes disconnected and wonders from
the body and needs to be brought back by performing rituals. Mischievous spirits
can steal Lah usually. When this happens one becomes sick. If lah is low or negatibe, than there will be
mental disorders. One’s mind will not be stable. In general, there will no
peace of mind. When lah is bad we can face danger. When we
enter house that contains unhappy spirits or ghosts we can sense their presence.
To find the status of these
five properties of life, one an use the animal sign of one’s birth and consult
the status in an annual almanac. It is complicated process to calculate on
one’s own. Thus, it is easier to consult an almanac. In the almanac the five
properties are presented with following scores for the specific year for each
animal sign.
1. 000 means the best
2. 00 means very good
3. 0 means good
4. 0X means neutral
5. X means bad
6. XX means very bad.
Phub
Dorji Wang is a freelance writer on Bhutanese religion and culture and
frequently write on Facebook to educate Bhutanese public. The article was edited
and improved by Dr. Karma Phuntsho.
