Hungry Ghost Month: Fear, Energy, or Opportunity?

The Hungry Ghost Festival began on 23 August this year, just a week ago. Yet, even before it officially started, I was already hearing strange and unsettling stories from colleagues and customers:

• Bracelets with strong protective crystals like Black Gold Super 7 and Pietersite snapping suddenly without impact.
• People feeling extreme lethargy, even after proper rest.
• Crystal beads developing holes, cracks, or suddenly losing their shine.
• Clear crystals turning cloudy at a rapid pace.
• A sudden wave of unexplained illnesses.

Creepy, isn’t it? Are these signs of ghost or spirits wandering among us, or something deeper at play?

Personally, I joke that I am the “hungriest spirit” I know, always greedy for food. I’ve never had crystals snap or cloud over in my hands, never have I also encountered an actual ghost, God forbid! Still, every August without fail, my body responds. I fall sick. I feel drained and sluggish, with strong urges for naps. Perhaps that’s why cafes and bubble tea shops thrive during this season too :P

So, what exactly is this shift in energy all about and why is it so significant this year?

Every year without fail, CRZtales will begin preparing for the festival in May to be in time for August. This year, however, we began earlier in April and brought in three times the usual amount of crystals, about 70kg of big raw tourmalines, selenites, clear quartz and petrified wood. Why? Because I knew the demand would be way higher.

Here’s why 2025 feels heavier: this year’s Lunar Seventh Month overlaps almost entirely with September in the Gregorian calendar, which is usually not an energetically easy month. Combine that with the Hungry Ghost energies, and you get an double-layered intensified effect.

Additionally, we have recently entered into period 9 with September numerologically also a 9. Take 9+9 and you will get a 18, add to reduce that down to a single digit and it is still a 9. Nine is the number of completion and new beginnings. Triple 9 means triple impact. Some of you may feel restless, unsettled, or even fearful. Others may feel a strong push to finish projects and start fresh.

As if that’s not enough, we are facing two eclipses this September to add to the mix: a total Lunar Eclipse on 7 September and a partial Solar Eclipse on 21 September. These are cosmic crossroads and turning points, seasons of closure and new open doors. For those who resist change, you may feel stressed and overwhelmed, developing fearful negative energies. But if you know how to make use of this shifting energy and flow with it, you might find opportunities opening in unexpected ways.

And here’s a fun fact and a tip for you: the human body doesn’t know the difference between fear and excitement. The body’s chemical reactions are the same. It’s only your brain that decides how to label it.

So, how will you move through this period? Will you fight against the current or ride the flow?

Stay tuned for my next post: What if Hungry Ghost Festival is also a season to reconnect, honor, and celebrate?