CONSTELLATIONS // DANCING WITH FATE BY DIANA LU

A home a world away is shattered by gun violence

by Diana Lu

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EXCERPT //

Fate has a funny sense of humor. Our Chinese Zodiac year—Ben Ming Nian—actually conflicts with Tai Sui, the governing god of the year, also known as the Grand Duke of Jupiter, who influences our fortunes on earth. The monarch god does not like to share its grand year with others, so we should fly under the radar that year, asking for forgiveness for daring to think of stealing the spotlight. My Year of the Rabbit means misfortunes, setbacks, and potential financial ruin. The auspicious year that I waited for, I should have prepared for. “You have to protect yourself!” my friend Jenny had said. She and a few other rabbits gathered at the start of the new year, lighting incense and putting on red string bracelets as protective talismans. Elaine, who is also a rabbit, is a little less fearful than I am: “The way I understand it, [our Ben Ming Nian] is not necessarily bad luck; it’s more like, major changes, so it could be either big gains and big losses, good luck or bad luck, depending on your own awareness and protective measures taken.” Elaine offered to send me a red string bracelet, and with it, a piece of her love and luck.

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