2009 犯太歲的人 屬牛、羊、馬、龍、狗

2009年太歲己丑，生肖屬

牛-犯太歲 羊-沖太歲 龍-破太歲 馬-害太歲 狗-刑太歲

「刑」：象徵刑律、刑傷之意；抵觸相刑，亦稱伏吟。

「沖」：象徵沖擊、對抗之意；交戰相沖，亦稱反吟、歲破。

「破」：象徵損壞、破裂之意。

「害」：象徵不和、傷害、不合之意。

2009年之太歲為‘己丑’，姓名為︰潘蓋。相傳太歲主一年之禍福，犯太歲者大多有不測之災及損傷易破財，諸事欠順對財運身體都不利也易犯血災，官場的朋友易降職多小人之害，遠門不去，注意安全。

什么是太歲?

太歲是掌管一年凡間事務的天神，由六十位天界大將軍輪流值年，即中國的六十花甲。要知太歲的來歷典故必須從太歲的上司斗姆元君說來了。斗即北斗星群，姆即眾生得聖子，補裨造化，統悟[。一年春天，紫光夫人在后園九華曲池沐浴，忽然池中現出一寶座，紫光夫人登于寶座之上，得寶座靈氣修練得道，經七日七夜，紫光夫人化生金蓮九苞，蓮苞開花放射光芒，化成九座大寶樓閣，大寶樓閣混凝直射上天界，形成眾星群即斗姆生九子。斗姆九子即勾陳、北極、北斗中國三大星座，當中有六十顆星即為六十大將軍掌管人間每年事務，即為六十太歲了。由於眾星座中有不同位置，而這些位置古人亦以天干地支代表，而地支︰“子、丑、寅、卯、辰、巳、午、未、申、酉、戍、亥 ”即各星星座位置，亦即每年生肖。有刑、沖、破、害，故每年太歲與各人生肖便有機會出現刑衝破害的效應，而出現所謂的犯太歲了。

我國相傳如犯太歲之人，可用拜太歲之祈福方法來消災解難:

太歲共有六十名，而每年即由一位主管當年之神，管治民間百姓當年內發生之事變。若是開罪或沖犯，則會帶來以上之不祥效應。所以俗話說︰「太歲當頭坐，無福便有禍，無喜必有災。」我國相傳如犯太歲之人，可用拜太歲安太歲之祈福方法來消災解難。

人的出生生肖與太歲有著刑沖破害的不利關系，因恐冒犯太歲，故便有拜太歲的風俗傳統，其生肖與太歲刑沖破害，亦即天星十二宮位的關系。而十二生肖的刑沖破害亦有其不同的力量及影響，現簡介如下︰

刑 ︰刑即滿的意思，即生肖五行過旺，旺極而衰的現象，刑亦殘缺，傷損及轉衰之象。

沖 ︰沖即沖著而來的意思，有相戰的味道，是四種之中最猛烈碰撞的一種。

破 ︰破即有散亂及移動之象，破不及沖及刑的碰撞猛烈，是較為輕微的一種冒犯。

害 ︰害即與另一個生肖不能相合，命理稱為破合，即強行分開；與親，朋關係容易發生矛盾，不合諧。

沖犯太歲者一年之內會有不少麻煩，甚至會有凶災，原來以為很順利的事也老是出問題還易出意外的凶險，犯太歲的年份常常被認為是一個不吉利的年份故應特別注意。

There are alot of versions on which zodiac animals are actually in the 刑,破 and 害 relationship but based on what I have checked, the ones above should be the correct version. I have also attached the forecast of the Zodiac for 2009 on my Multiply site, courtesy of the Juxianguan website.

六字诀 Six Syllables Exercise

The following is an ancient Daoist exercise to balance the energies of the internal organs. In its oldest form, the practice comprises of reciting the sounds only but physical movements were added in later. This practice was made famous in the West by Mantak Chia, although the movements he uses are different from what is taught here.

梁代时的养生秘笈「六字诀」，是透过导引呼吸来锻炼我们的内脏，达致健身效果。「六字诀」是需要配合六个发音的健身操，六个发音则分别影响着相对的内脏：心、肝、脾、肺、肾及三焦。整套动作对呼吸、大脑以及内脏有好处，特别适合学生和都市人。动作比较缓慢，但必须配合呼吸。

第一式－－嘘 xu
　双手放腰间，向左转腰，把右手伸出至一半时读出嘘音，然后慢慢收回，再转到右边。左右轮流交替完成为之一次，并重复六次。由左转右前要收腹深呼吸。这动作有助疏肝利胆。

第二式－－呵 he (some practitioners pronounce it as ke, which works also)
　双手重叠从大脾上升至心口再向下压，下压时需要读出呵音。这动作帮助降心火。

第三式－－呼 hu
　接着「呵」的动作，双手配合呼气徐徐向上升，呼气时读出呼音，动作简单但要重复练习。有助调理脾胃。

第四式－－隋 si (pronounce as 四)
　两手向上托起，颈部尽量昂后，然后慢慢回到中间，双膝一松，双手推出时读出隋音。昂头时动作记紧要慢。动作有助颈部淋巴畅通、扩胸及增加肺活量，对肺部亦有帮助，更且生津止渴的功效。

第五式－－吹chui
　手放腹前，然后向两边推开，移至腰后肾的位置，再用力向下推。向下推时要同时读出吹音。这动作有补肾功效。

第六式－－嘻 xi
　双手手背相靠垂直放中间，然后向上面两边打开，双脚必须同时伸直。双手再由上方向下按，并同时读出嘻音。这动作可调理三焦。

You can visit the following site to watch the video: www.rthk.org.hk/elearning/morningexercises
You can read up more on the Six Healing Sounds here: http://baharna.com/chant/six_healing.htm


Regards
Alvin Chua

Memorising the Eight Trigrams (Bagua)

In the days I was learning from my first Daoist teacher, we memorise the Eight trigrams using rhyming formula (歌决) to do so. So here is the formula in the order of the Early Heaven Bagua:

乾三连 (translation: Qian, the three joined lines)

兑上缺 (translation: Dui, with the top incomplete line)

离中虚 (translation: Li, with the empty middle)

震仰盂 (translation: Zhen, the upright urn)

巽下断(translation: Xun, the bottom broken line)

坎中满(translation: Kan, the full middle)

艮覆碗(translation: Gen, the inverted bowl)

坤六断(translation: Kun, the six broken pieces)

The formula is actually the images that the Trigrams resembles.

Regards

Alvin Chua Kim Leng

Master Lo’s Feng Shui interview at Beijing Olympic

Master Lo’s Feng Shui interview at Beijing Olympic in Today in MSNBC: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/26136506#26136506 Cheers Alvin Chua

Feng shui masters turn 'wheel of fortune' in Singapore's favour

SINGAPORE, Aug 9, 2008 (AFP) - Officials in Singapore have changed the direction of the world's biggest observation wheel because feng shui masters said it was taking good fortune away from the city, a report said Saturday.

The Singapore Flyer, which opened earlier this year, had originally revolved so that it rose to face the business district and went down overlooking the sea, the Strait Times newspaper said.

However, masters of the ancient Chinese art of geomancy convinced the wheel's management to reverse it so that it was not taking fortune away from the city.

"A number of feng shui masters had approached us to tell us that the Flyer is on the perfect site to pick up the good qi (energy) flowing into Singapore, but it was going in the wrong direction," said Florian Bollen, the Singapore Flyer's chairman.

"The Flyer was going against the sun and taking fortune away from Singapore."

Bollen likened the change to the "completion of a perfect movie" to give a better story, but added that it cost the company a "six figure sum," the report said.

For visitors now riding one of the wheel's 28 air-conditioned capsules, their view starts with beaches and housing estates in the east and culminates with a vista of the business centre.

At 165 metres (545 feet), or 42 storeys, the Singapore Flyer is 30 metres higher than Britain's London Eye, said builders Great Wheel Corp.

Despite being a modern city Singapore is a largely ethnic Chinese nation, where traditions still hold sway.

A Nice Quote from Fang Wen Shan

“买书是投资报酬率最高的，花很少的钱就可以得到别人的心血。” – 方文山， lyricist of singer Jay Chou.

Cheap Feng Shui Books at Bras Basah

If you look hard enough, you can actually find some gems of books on Bazi and Fengshui at Bras Basah Complex (Basah means wet in Malay but I didn’t spot anyone in a wet bra there). I came upon Master Raymond Lo’s Four Pillars of Destiny at only $15 and also Joey Yap’s relatively new book “More Stories and Lessons on Feng Shui” at a much cheaper second hand price. And finally, guess what? I bought Vincent Koh’s Unveil Your Destiny for a whopping $8.90 only! What a steal indeed…Of course, it’s not all at one particular shop but these books can be found if you pop by a handful of shops.

Cheers
Alvin Chua Kim Leng

Feng Shui Class

Yipee... I am going for a Feng Shui class this weekend. Hahaha, finally I can polish up my Flying Stars knowledge. It's a neverending learning path and a lifetime is still not enough. Just realised that Mastery Academy was conducting their Bazi Module 3 class in the same venue during the that few days too and Joey Yap was the instructor. What coincidence to have two masters in the same place and same day.

Regards
Alvin Chua

Feng Shui Lo 卢恒立 走遍江湖谁敢踢馆？

Originally published on Nanyang.com on 2008/04/20 13:47:35
报道：吴梅珍 摄影：王宥文

Feng Shui Lo，不是风水佬。
“作为一项沿袭几千年的民俗，风水一直没有离开过中国人的生活。” -->-->王鲁湘《文化大观园》风水篇里有这一段话，叙述风水及华人的关系。似是而非的观点，看似点出了中华人民的生活形态，可是，隐约中，又觉得这个观念有些出入。 风水……，活在华人的生活，但在风水研究上，外国人或者可以说是受英文教育的那一群人比华人还热中。 在书局工作的友人发现一个现象，本地英文著名风水作者Lillian Too的风水藉书，一个月总要不定期的补货，反之，中文版的风水书就乏人问津。 为什么换了一个语言，有心学道者日益壮大？ 一些著名的大公司总裁如微软的比尔盖茨到中国租房子，要先请风水先生帮他看过，才敢用。 大马也有一些以英文为媒介语的风水师红到美国去，而登上本周《人物志》的——卢恒立，就是英文派的风水师，扬名国际的Feng Shui Lo。新年，他是一众英文电视台如CNN的指定测流年运程的Feng Shui Lo。 外国人都有民族骄傲，而且世界上的许多国家，包括美国最著名的伯克利大学在1973年就开始招收风水博士班研究生了，由此可见，外国人对风水的钻研并不逊于华人，卢恒立以黑头发、黄皮肤的姿态脚踏在异国教风水，多年来，难道没有外国风水师到他的课堂上踢馆吗？ 微怔，可能因为是记者的问题有些唐突。 请原谅我是受中文教育的。英文世界的景物、花草，犹如隔了一重山，这位“传闻”在英文界很红的Feng Shui Lo，没有听过，何来“红”之说。 卢恒立朗声一笑。 “这就要看江湖地位了。外国人听到我的名字，都不敢来踢馆。哈哈——”（注解：卢恒立洋名Raymond Lo。更多人爱叫他：Feng Shui Lo/广东话译为：风水佬）

中文领域对他陌生

卢恒立曾在国际著名电视台如BBC、ABC、探索频道、CNN、澳洲电视台曝光的熟面孔，是洋人电视台爱用的风水“佬”，也是中文领域对他陌生的主要因素。因他都是在英文媒体平台上出现。 他也是第一个在网上设立英文风水网站的风水师。（CNN曾就这个课题访问过他）。 比其他讲英语的风水师多了一个优势是卢恒立是香港人，他懂得广东话。 香港人，用英文走遍、俄罗斯、日本、新加坡、澳洲、德国、越南、香港，然后声称没有人敢踢馆——这就是鸡和蛋的问题了！都不懂是师父沾徒弟的光，还是徒弟的光芒照拂了师父。（但，我懂，他的课程都是美金收费，每天课程收费是300美金。） 总之5千多个教学的日子过去了，卢恒立在国外播下的风水嫩苗，已茁壮成大树。 有者出书、有些开堂授课，有者受邀国际风水协会去演讲，其中一位杰出学生就是邻国的风水师Vincent Koh。 卢恒立是在1992年推出英文版风水书，陆续有人找上门拜师学艺。

八字决定风水路

走上风水先生这条路，无关祖传，只是从小对星座、算命特别好奇，大学时期才开始接触风水。 风水可以让“好”变得更“好”，坏变得“更坏”。 心想，如果我懂得风水，也要摆个“好”风水，让我变得有钱有名。于是，把心理的想法转问大师：“是不是风水令你这么红？” 明显的，卢恒立误解了问题，他答说：“除了这样，没有什么可以令到我出名的。” 他转弯，我煞车，转问他：“是不是你的八字决定了你必然是这条路呢？” 云淡风轻，似是不经思考，他淡然回应：“现在也觉得是。当时并没有想到会走上这条路。”所以在1997年，香港回归时，卢恒立的人生也有了很大的转折，他辞去了大公司管理层的工作，成了全职的Feng shui Lo。

如何分辨风水真伪？

分享一个人的学习经验，有时，诚如一个旅人在沙漠中口渴了，遇到经验丰富的商旅带你去寻找泉源……卢恒立学了3年风水，犹然飘游于风水是真假的浮盘中。 如何分辨风水中的真伪，风水师是否有料？ “风水很容易骗人，八字是不能骗人的。”大师的定论，要听。 “风水先生叫你怎么摆，你不懂风水的真伪，你不能指斥说他不对；但八字，你可以指出他的误谬。八字多多少少都会说到你的过往、健康，他一帮你批命，你就知道那位师父是不是有料的。”

风水师必然会八字

风水和八字有关？
“一个人纵然对风水没认识，但总有常识，你应问师父为什么要这样做。 风水离不开逻辑推理、阴阳五行的理论，所以你要问师父，直到他的理由让你满意，你才可以相信。” 判断一个风水师的“可信度”，卢恒立教说：“一个风水师必然会八字，如果某些风水师是全然不懂八字的，纵然懂风水，也是皮毛；反之，一个风水师，看八字很准，风水相信也差不到哪里。” 一命二运三风水，很多风水理论都是在命理中显现的，卢恒立的风水师必然懂八字推理就在于此。 八字透析 健康密码 遇到一个相师，必然会请他指点迷津，接着就会问：“准不准？” 准不准。 有时会想，重要吗？ 重要的不是在算命过程中吐露的“讯息”吗？ 3月及4月，无预期的遇到了两位相师，一位是CNN，还是很多国际著名英文电台曾经采访过的港产风水师Raymond Lo（卢恒立），还有一位是本地印度星象学家Dr Krisnan，不要问：准不准的问题。 譬如我将卢恒立的2009年是癌症年的说法拿去问Dr Krisnan，他说明年的健康运的确不好，非典型肺炎还有借水传播的病都会卷土重来。

八字如何减肥？

在《四柱八字保安康》中文版（卢恒立著）的引言中提到，八字可以减肥？真的吗？ 都是文字的误差。卢恒立说：八字不可以减肥，而是通过八字明白自己怎么去减肥。卢恒立引用了很多风水术语，火、水、土的……统统不重要。重要是的他说：2008年及接下来的年，是旺减肥者年；还有要小心食物中毒。

水旺是癌症预兆

2009年则是癌症高峰期。所以奉劝各位今年起要留意生活起居、饮食等习惯。因罗马不是一日建成、疾病也不是一日养成。要减少压力、多吃抗氧化食物，总之是预防胜于治疗。 每个人都有自己的健康“八字”，意思就是从一个人的八字中就能渗透出此人的健康密码，卢恒立简称它为：“人体健康报告书”或者是基因体，你相不相信，单从个人八字，就能预知一个人未来哪个器官较容易出现问题，加以防范，在还没恶化前就抑止“恶讯”发生吧！

如何逢凶化吉？

“大师，我行衰运？怎么办？”……卢恒立打了个比方。 一个人行衰运，必然是五行不平衡，而五行不平衡最先会打击到的必然是健康。 没钱不要紧，但没有健康就怎么都不行。 所以，卢恒立会教导的方法有三： 一个人走衰运，第一个要注意的事就是怎样保持健康。 第二，走衰运是五行不平衡，平衡的方法就是找一个人和你“合”。也就是找一个老公、生意伙伴或者是一只八字和你很合的宠物，五行欠水，可以找一只多水的狗。（啊！宠物和老公……卢恒立说：现代人对着宠物的时间可能比与老公相处的时间还长，所以宠物效应可能更强。唉！社会的悲哀） 第三是风水。“运气越差，越要靠风水。”大师将风水比喻成人体的免疫系统，当你的运程很好时，不管你的睡房风水怎么不好，你也是少感冒少病；但当有一天你的运程离去，你的免疫系统被攻袭了，小小的风水问题都会致命，所以当一天走衰运，更加要注意风水。 用玄学的方式去帮运，要做的就是这三大步骤。

Complains about Feng Shui Masters

I was going through the Internet today and stumbled upon a few posts on separate forums of clients complaining about the Feng Shui Masters that they have consulted. These Masters are actually very famous in Singapore and one even came from a family feng shui lineage. Thus, it comes as a big shock to me what their clients commented:

Posted by ANDREW1936 on February 13, 2005, 03:52:09 AM
“Hi, I just come across this website. I know I'm a bit late but would like to share my experience. A very bad experienced. Like you said, he charge expensive, I paid about $6K to $7K for my 3 storey terrace, guess what, I’m a bankrupt now. And he charge $288 each for my wife and my bazi, guess what, we’re divorced now. After moving in 1997, the very Chinese new year eve, I saw one of my 3.5m tall red bamboo tree turned black, I was terrified knowing it might be a sign of bad luck coming and guess what he advised? Just replace the tree. The very year my luck went down all the way and within the 3 years, everything are gone, lost about 3million and I'm a bankrupt now. I don't blame him totally, but this is what I got from his fengshui advised. I really puked and regretted and have only one sentence for you. NOT WORTH FOR THE MONEY PAID EVEN NOW HE PAID ME FOR HIS SERVICE.”

Posted by 3RLau on January 18, 2008, 01:25:02 PM
“Hi everyone. When I read the 1st posting on (Name of the master removed), I thought I was too late to advise/comment. U guys just relived & reminded me of (Name of the master removed). After reading, I felt I am a lesser fool. I paid less than $100 for him to advise me what types of career I am suitable & what to avoid. I got this deal through his sales promotion in 1987. I took the opportunity to evaluate him B4 I actually engaged him to set fengshui for my new house. Of course, I didn't buy his service eventually. He spent less than 10 minutes giving me less than 5 advises. When I requested him to explain 1 of the advices, he "tsk" and tell me I don't need to worry too much. Again, when I asked him how to improve my career luck, I’m not sure whether he had heard me or not, he didn't respond, gave me the face! As though I owed him a living. Then, he told me that was all he could advise. Oh, I have forgotten to mention, his bunch of girls in red, were also less friendly to be customer service. Mine was an appointment and I waited for almost an hour. But I didn't see anyone coming out of his room. If he reads this, perhaps he can use my/our comments as fengshui guide to see why he failed his business. Unfriendly, insincere, not enough knowledge, no business acumen is just some. No need fengshui 1st. Let's talk about business in the real world. You can't meet the 1st 2 quality, how r u to maintain friends, let alone customers. To him, this is my advice, is F.O.C.”

Posted by zookeeper (zookeeper) on Monday, November 26, 2007 - 12:23 pm
“Hi all, I would like to complain. Condemn this so called reputable fengshui master in Geylang. (Name of the master removed)! Even though this has happened for 3 weeks already but I’m still fuming mad as that idiot has given us the WRONG DATE! He actually wrote the wrong date on the consultation paper for us and silly us for believing him we happily booked our wedding dinner on that date.

My Future Mother in law went to see him before the tong shu was supposedly out. We immediately went to book the hotel that we like and a couple months later when the tong shu was out, I went online to check out of curiosity to see if the dates he has given us is good. And I was shocked to see that 20 Jan 08 is actually a very lousy date for marriage. It specifically said "Bu Yi Jia Qu"... so I went to ask him during our second visit as we need him to give us the timing to leave house etc.

I asked him how did he come up with the dates. He snapped at me very rudely immediately. Accused me of not trusting him but I said its weird that the tong shu will say that its not recommended for marriage, only then did he look at the piece of paper with the dates that he has written for us. He simply said, “oh I wrote wrongly”. And asked how come we didn’t check!!! At that point of time I jumped and yelled at him.
And he refused to apologize, insisted that its alright and he will pick a good timing for us. What kind of crap is this? Who wants a good timing on a lousy date? He rest assured me saying that don't worry I guarantee your marriage will be fine! I was farking mad at this point of time already. He’s already so old and 1 foot in the coffin. What can he guarantee? I didn’t mean to be nasty but his f#$% up and irresponsible attitude really made my blood boil. The last straw was when he told us not to be so pantang... if we are not pantang why would we pay $200 to go see him... he's ridiculous!

Forgive my ranting please but I think his actions needs to be highlighted here as I dun think he respects us as his client and he has no professionalism at all!”

Decoding Destiny With the I Ching

By Shoba Narayan
How to use this ancient Chinese divination tool to glimpse the future - and to better understand where you are right now.

Who wouldn't like to know what tomorrow holds? Every ancient culture, it seems, has devised methods to foretell the future. Europeans had their tarot cards, Native Americans had their cowrie shells, Japanese looked into tea leaves and the Chinese depended on the I Ching or the Book of Changes.

I was exposed to The I Ching as a young girl and remember being shocked by the accuracy of the answers. My question had to do with a boy I was attracted to. Would he ever like me back, I asked? After throwing a die, I was referred to a certain page which offered an answer, albeit a cryptic one: Wherever the sister goes, the brother follows. It was true. I befriended the boy's sister and soon enough, he became my boyfriend. I have been a fan of the I Ching ever since.

Written over 5000 years ago by a Chinese sage named Fu Hsi, the I Ching is based on eight trigrams, which look like three rows of three lines (---) one below the other, each of which means a different thing. Fu Hsi developed these trigrams based on his observation of nature and the correlations between different parts of the universe-heaven and earth, fire and water, wood and metal, yin and yang, creation and destruction. And therein lies the first lesson of the I Ching: Everything is interconnected.

Much of Taoist philosophy is based on this interconnectedness. The great Taoist scholars and sages could foretell events by observing seemingly unrelated elements. For instance, a crow's incessant cawing could indicate that a visitor was approaching. In the modern world, we call these omens and pay little attention to them. But as Chinese fortunetellers will tell you, "Just because you can't see the sign doesn't mean that it isn't there."

And therein lies the second lesson of the I Ching: In order to see the future, you have to have be deeply rooted in the present. In other words, you won't see any signs if you are haring around, all stressed out and overscheduled. You have to slow down a bit, observe the world around you and gauge what you see. You have to pick up on subliminal signs and allow your unconscious thoughts to flow through. As Carl Jung writes in his brilliant commentary on the I Ching, "I would sit for hours beneath the hundred-year-old pear tree with the I Ching beside me, practicing the technique by referring the resultant oracles to one another in an interplay of questions and answers. All sorts of undeniably remarkable results emerging alongside meaningful connections with my own thought processes which I could not explain to myself."

This point was driven home to me when I met Master Raymond Lo, an expert on the I Ching. Based in Hong Kong, Raymond Lo or Master Lo as he is called has written books and gives classes on feng shui, divination, and the I Ching all over the world including Singapore, Hong Kong, and the U.S. A smiling man with a gentle demeanor, he met me early one morning before going off for a day of private consultations. After we discussed the I Ching, he asked if I had any personal questions that I wanted an answer for. It seemed like an opportunity too good to pass up.

My husband and I had been talking about moving towns for a long time. We liked where we lived but wanted a few changes. We wanted to live closer to our parents because they were getting old, and offer our children a different school system. When prompted for a personal question, I immediately blurted, "Will we move?'"

Instead of divining, Master Lo smiled and said, "Let's try to improve the question, shall we?"

I nodded, wondering exactly what he meant.

"When you ask if you will move, do you mean that you want to move within the next one year or the next five years?" he asked.

"Within the next one year," I replied.

"Are you moving to seek an improvement or to escape a bad situation?" he asked.

"To seek improvement," I replied.

"Do you desire this move or is it being foisted upon you?" he asked.

"No, it isn't being foisted on us," I said.

"In other words, you desire to move to a new location within the next one year but want to know if the move will improve your situation or not," Master Lo said.

"Exactly," I replied.

In divining, whether it is through the I Ching, tarot cards, or tea leaves, half the answer can be had by simply framing the question to accurately reflect your circumstances. When you run into a psychic or a fortune teller next time, don't jump to ask the question. Reflect on your circumstance and figure out exactly what it is your heart desires.

Once I asked the question, Master Lo asked me to roll three Chinese coins three times and noted how they fell-heads up or tails up. Then he began an elaborate process of giving each combination of heads and tails a Chinese character with a yin and yang connotation, allotting each character with a specific element (there are five elements in Chinese philosophy; water, earth, fire, metal and wood) and doing some mathematical calculations to deduce which of those elements 'conquered' the other.

Ancient I Ching texts explain that this time taken to formulate the answer allows the subliminal subconscious elements to flow through. Many English I Ching translations advocate using bamboo stalks just like the ancient times rather than the quicker coin method. The idea behind it all is to tap into the intuitive, unconscious part of one's self in order to achieve the answer. This slow process of calculation also makes one open to the universe and its suggestions, they say.

Whatever the reason, Master Lo's answer to my question resonated with me. It was specific, and it offered reasons and solutions. You will not move house, he said, because you will lose money and are more attached to your current property than you think. All of which were true. We knew we would lose money with the move but wanted to do it anyhow. I knew I was attached to the current property which was why the move remained a decision we agonized over rather than merely execute.

I asked Master Lo if he referred to the I Ching to ask personal questions himself.

"Not often," he said. "The I Ching is remarkably accurate and one has to have the strength to stomach what it says because it may not be the answer you want."

My sentiments exactly.

It is possible to practice the I Ching anywhere in the world. You don't have to travel to China to use this particular oracle. There are excellent English translations available at almost any bookstore, so you can do the practice yourself in the comfort of your own home. That said, interacting with Chinese master like Raymond Lo taught me several invaluable things.

1. Take the time to formulate a 'good' question. Be specific about time frames (whether it is one month or one year or five years), about what it is that you desire (money, family, power, health, wisdom). As Master Lo explains, some questions ask one thing but imply another. When a person says, "Should I sell my house?" what he is really asking is whether he will make money on the transaction.

2. Follow all the steps explained in the book to get your answer. If possible, take the harder route, i.e., procure and use bamboo stalks rather than the easier coins as part of the process of getting answers. It will allow your mind to settle and your unconscious to simmer through.

3. Be prepared for the answer. It may not be the one you want. Test the answer to see if it works.

These three things will set you on the road to viewing the I Ching as a collaborator rather than as a mere book. They may get you started on the road that Carl Jung took when he came into contact with the I Ching. As your familiarity increases, you may choose to use the book every morning just to get in touch with your inner self, your psyche. Rather than using it to foretell your future, you may end up using it as a vehicle to get more in touch with your present. And that, as any Taoist monk will tell you may not be a bad thing.

(Article originally published on http://www.beliefnet.com/story/154/story_15417_1.html.
Disclaimer: The copyright of the article is owned by Beliefnet. No part or parts hereof are my original intellectual properties and are published here solely for personal, non-commercial purpose. Removal request of any of the above published intellectual property can be sent to me shall there be any conflict legally.)

Why bother to Create?

Check out these video clips on Planet Earth in relation to the Universe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-14bBhHCMU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL4cFjmnQT8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDNEV9EW06g

After watching these clips, to think that a great Creator made us would seem absurd. We almost do not exist in this universe and to think that we are alone in it also is illogical and a complete waste of space.

Regards
Alvin Chua

Hyotan

I was watching Japan Hour this morning and the show was introducing a rural part of Japan. The small town specializes in making Hyotan handicrafts. What? What the hell is hyotan?

Hyotan is the Japanese name for the calabash, or what is commonly known as the hulu or wu lou. It is used in Feng Shui to cure the Black 2 Flying star in Xuan Kong Fei Xing and in Japan, it also happens to be a good luck symbol and thus the big array of handicrafts the people make from it.

The show then went on to show the process of growing the hyotans and emptying them when ripe and finally drying them. It was quite eye-opening as normally we only get to see the end product and not when they are still on the trees. Also, I now know the Japanese's name for calabash.

Regards
Alvin Chua

Dream of an Feng Shui Master

I think my obsession with feng shui is getting to my head. I actually dreamt that I was looking for some books on feng shui in an old bookstore. I asked the owner whether he has got any books in Xuan Kong Flying Stars and behind him a hand holding a book sticked out from behind one of the shelfs. I walked closely to take the book and realized the man was a Malaysian Feng Shui master (I shall not mention his name). He told me the book was written by him but it is now out of print. The one I am holding is an old copy but the only one available. I then went on to express my wish to master the study of Feng Shui and hope he is able to give me guidance. He needed more time to think about it and I bid him farewell, leaving the store with his book.

It was a very vivid dream...

Regards
Alvin Chua

Ill-obsessed with Predestined fortune

While browsing through a forum on wedding, I stumbled upon a member who shared her story of a friend who got too obsessed with his good astrological birth chart and screwed up his life thereafter. I think this story can serve as a cautionary tale about relying excessively on our predestined fortune and forgetting about our hard work and effort in life. The member’s name is “dIver (decembermi)” and her post was dated Friday, January 11, 2008 - 11:59 am:

“Hub and I had a guy friend who likes to gambles, then he went to a fortune teller on day who told him he will have a sum of "heng cai" in 2 years time, very big amount of money. Not long after that, his heart is not in his job liao, believed the fortune teller's word and thought in this case no need to work hard, he gambles even more, buy big amount in 4D. Now, he's missing in action. He borrowed $ from multiple loan sharks, dun dare to go home. Steals his sister's money and go around asking for more money. Then, he asked me to take my IC go borrow 20K for him, say he need to pay interest and pay back the boss the money he steal. When I refused, he turned up at my mother in law's house knowing my MIL (mother in law) will be alone at home, wanting to borrow money. My MIL was so scared as he refused to leave or let her call me. Then he started to sob, and walk around the kitchen, looking the knife! I was fuming when my MIL managed to call me, at the same time worried, agreed to give him a few hundred. He took the money, and hours later my SIL (sister in law) called to say he's still waiting downstairs, to stalk her and borrow more money. The very night, i called and scolded him upside down. Then decided although friends for so many years, he's history liao. Heard from a common friend not long ago, he has got 7 loan sharks chasing for money and interest every day of the week. The whole groups of close friends all wish that he hadn’t visit and believed in the fortuneteller.”

Remember this:

"Life is a card game. God dealt you the cards (predetermined destiny and luck) but it’s up to you to play the game (education, karma and diligence)."

Regards
Alvin Chua

The Power of Numbers

I saw in the Straits Times today an advert of a seminar by Mr Oliver Tan. It claims to teach a unique method of calculation using the Pythagoras methodology of your date of birth and from it one can discover one’s character, personality and life's destiny. Said to be a new discovery in metaphysics made by Malaysian Master, Mr Oliver Tan who spent 6 years on it and the method is supposed to be amazingly accurate. The following link explains more about in Chinese:

http://www.chinapress.com.my/topic/newyear08/default.asp?sec=Text&art=0206n10.txt

Regards
Alvin Chua Kim Leng

CHINESE METAPHYSICS BOOKS I HAVE READ SO FAR

Below are titles of books on Feng Shui that I have read, and I have listed them here just in case I forget. Those with a "* " are good and recommended for beginners while those with "**" are good for more advanced practitioners. I have literally gone through all the feng shui books in the whole National Library collection, Kinokuniya, Borders and Popular bookstores. Estimated that I have looked through around 80% of the feng shui books available nationwide, the remaining 20% comprises mainly of Chinese books as there are too many of them and mostly written in traditional arcane jargon. But generally, only the best made it to this list as I have already sifted out the rubbish and the Black Sect stuffs. Those I highlighted are highly recommended and can be considered must-have.

Feng Shui

1. 飞星改运显锋芒 (上下册) - 白鹤鸣 Pak Hok Ming (Hong Kong) *

2. 自学改运速成秘籍 (上下册) - 白鹤鸣 Pak Hok Ming *

3. 玄机赋飞星赋精解 - 白鹤鸣 Pak Hok Ming **

4. 风水显灵镜 - 白鹤鸣 Pak Hok Ming

5. 全天候风水杀着 - 白鹤鸣 Pak Hok Ming

6. 旺宅化煞22法 - 白鹤鸣 Pak Hok Ming *

7. 学风水的第一本书 - 李居明 Li Kui Ming (Hong Kong) * and **
Quite a good book but this author cum Buddhist teacher has the tendency to mystify his teachings. Moreover, many of his predictive methods using Flying Stars are abit too exaggerated.

8. 风水之道 - 李居明 Li Kui Ming

9. 玄空飞星风水 - 林国雄 Lum Kwok Hung (Hong Kong) *

10. 居家风水教科书进阶版[外煞篇] - 谢沅瑾 Hsieh Yuan Jin (Taiwan)

11. 居家财运风水教科书[个人篇] - 谢沅瑾 Hsieh Yuan Jin *

12. Basic Science of Feng Shui - Vincent Koh (Singapore) * and **
This book I believed is the textbook used by student attending the Feng Shui course at Singapore Polytechnic. It is very comprehensive but lack the detail instructions. But nevertheless, a handy book.

13. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Feng Shui - Elizabeth and Biktashev, Master V Moran; Joseph Yu (Canada) *
Teaches the Eight Mansions and Flying Stars methods. Very clearly explained with a few examples thrown in to illustrate the formulas. Excellent for beginners.

14. Flying Star Feng Shui Made Easy - David Twicken (United Kingdom) *
Teaches the Flying Star method in a concise manner. Also covers some higher-level theories like, Zhen Shen, Ling Shen, etc. Not the best book on the subject but great as a complementary text.

15. Stories and Lessons on Feng Shui - Joey Yap (Malaysia) *

16. Feng Shui for Homebuyers - EXTERIOR - Joey Yap (Malaysia) *
One of the few books that talks about the important aspects of Forms analysis, without which the Li Qi formulas are all useless. Excellent as the book is filled with diagrams and photos that give one a clear idea of the forms he’s talking about. There are many good books on Forms but mostly in written in Chinese. This book thus helps those who can’t read Chinese. The only bad thing is that a majority of poison arrows are not covered and most of the time, no remedies have been given for the bad Feng Shui forms.

17. Feng Shui for Homebuyers - INTERIOR - Joey Yap (Malaysia) *
Similar and just as good as the one above on exterior forms.

18. Dragon Magic – Lilian Too (Malaysia) *

19. Applied Pa Kua and Lo Shu Feng Shui – Lilian Too

20. Lillian Too's Flying Star Feng Shui – Lilian Too *

21. Lillian Too's Flying Star Feng Shui for the Master Practitioner – Lilian Too **

22. Flying Star Feng Shui for Period 8 - Fengshui - Lilian Too

23. A Guide for Exterior Fengshui - Tan Khoon Yong (Singapore)

24. Hottest Fengshui Tips for Your Home – Tan Khoon Yong *
A good one that answers many of the common questions people asked about Yang Zhai (Feng Shui for the living).

25. The Secrets of the Five Dragons: Feng Shui and Singapore’s Success – Tan Khoon Yong
Boring book as most of the sites mentioned are not accompanied with detailed diagrams.

26. The Science of Feng Shui – 林质彬 CP Lim (Singapore)
Basic stuffs with a bit of Eight Mansions. Mostly about interior forms. This author charges a bomb for his workshops.

27. 民俗择日与风水 - 林质彬 CP Lim (Singapore)
A very brief book with almost nothing instructional in it. I am not sure why the author bothers to write it.

28. Fung Shui: A Guide To Daily Applications - Peter So Man Fung (Hong Kong)
A self-styled Master that is very famous in Hong Kong but I find his methods are strange and some of them are created by himself. He uses the door facing to determine the house unit and he advocates having the kitchen in a inauspicious sector is considered bad, contrary to normal Bazhai method. To him, changing the stove is equivalent to changing the period of the house. He teaches alot of incorrect knowledge but is still very popular. He is trained in Bazi but his Feng Shui is self-taught I think while his Flying Stars knowledge came from Lee Kwok Hung after attending some of his classes. However, he seems to possess excellent knowledge in landforms feng shui.

29. Flying Star Feng Shui - Stephen Skinner (United Kingdom) * and **
The best book written by him, in comparison with his rest. Highly recommended for those starting on Flying Stars.

30. Fengshui: The Pillars of Destiny - Raymond Lo (Hong Kong)

31. Feng Shui & Destiny for Managers - Raymond Lo *

32. Feng Shui & Destiny for Families – Raymond Lo *

33. Practical Feng Shui for the Home - Albert Low (Malaysia)

34. Personalise Your Feng Shui: A Step-by-step Guide to the Pillars of Destiny - Evelyn Lip (Singapore)

35. 中国风水罗盘 - 程建军 Cheng Jian Jun (China)
Not really a Feng Shui but an academic work that talks extensively about the evolution of the Luopan. Great knowledge that will help in the study of Feng Shui.

36. Feng-shui: The Ancient Wisdom of Harmonious Living for Modern Times - Eva Wong (United States) * and **

37. A Master Course in Feng-shui - Eva Wong * and **

38. 极品玄空大厦论(第一与三册) - 杨椗光 (Hong Kong)

39. 玄空阳宅学 - 陈柏瑜 (Taiwan) * and **
One of the best Chinese books around talking about Xuan Kong. It covers almost all the theories, from the basic to the advanced.

40. Feng Shui for Skeptics: Real Solutions without Superstition - Kartar Diamond (United States) * and **

41. Feng Shui : How to Create Harmony and Balance in Your Living and Working Environment - Belinda Henwood and Howard Choy

42. Feng Shui Demystified: A Comparative Compendium on Flying Star Feng Shui and The Eight Mansion Formula - Ulrich Wilhelm Lippelt (Thailand)
An average book. For people equipped with some basics. The author seems to be greatly influenced by Eva Wong's book since her school of Xuan Kong is discussed extensively.

43. Feng Shui Demystified II: A Comprehensive Course on Flying Star Feng Shui and Famous Water Formulae - Ulrich Wilhelm Lippelt (Thailand)

44. 玄空飞星: [学理篇] 卷一与二 – 陈癸龙 Johnny Chan (Hong Kong)
A relatively new series but many of the chapters are too short. Volume 3 – 5 have yet to be released.

45. The Feng Shui Matrix: Another Way to Inherit the Earth - Kartar Diamond (United States) * and **
The author requested me to write a review for her book, so here it is:
This book is unconventional in the sense that it is not structured in a step-by-step boring way typical of other books. Instead, it is filled with many stand-alone chapters that can be referred to and applied independently. Her writing style is highly engaging and her years of experience provided her many stories, which she shares in many parts of the book. These real life accounts normally talk about vivid characters that make it an enjoyable read. Fun aside, the book is backup with authentic Feng Shui theories that have been simplified for the non-professional audience. It covers the Eight Mansions method in particularly the use of the personal trigram as well as Xuan Kong theories illustrated with easy to read diagrams. It also teaches the auspicious directions derived from one’s zodiac sign (the Heavenly Stems and Branches of the Year pillar to be exact, if you know what I mean), which is never taught in any English books (except in works of fellow graduates of AFSI). It is not the first book any beginners should be reading but definitely the next essential text on the list for further venture into the study of classical Feng Shui. A must-have in your Feng Shui library to complement the other basic books.

46. Ancient Feng Shui's Ultimate Secrets For Home and Office - Gisi Stupp (United States) *

47. 致富的宝库 – 财位 - 宋英成 Song Yin Cheng (Taiwan)

48. 智慧的泉源 - 文昌位 - 宋英成 Song Yin Cheng (Taiwan)

49. The Luo Pan - Feng Shui's Most Fundamental Tool - Francis Leyau with Eugene Ng (Malaysia) * and **
The best English book around on the use of the Luo Pan. It teaches traditional opening / closing of the Luo Pan and also the correct method of holding it which many Masters nowadays totally do not know (and dare to call themselves masters!). The author is the direct lineage carrier of Master Tan Yang Wu's Xuan Kong Flying Stars Method so the content are all genuine stuffs. Definitely a must-buy if you are serious about Feng Shui. Visit his website at: http://www.fengshuimastery.com/. His assistant, Eric Teoh is doing a good job promoting their courses. I intend to get their other book, the Xuan kong Da Gua Date Selection Method, which I believe is another excellent book. In fact, it is now my dream and long-term goal to learn from Master Francis Leyau.

50. Feng Shui In The City: A Practical Handbook For Modern Urban Living - Jason Fong K.L.
A basic book on Forms especially external ones. The author is a student of a renowned Malaysian Feng Shui Master, Liew Yoke Chai and also Yap Cheng Hai, I think. Plenty of photos to give you a pictorial guide but the remedies are rather steeped towards folklore instead of genuine feng shui, such as the hanging of the Chinese wok (used for cooking) to defect negative Shas outside the house.

51. 旺宅设计实例集 - 梁超 Liang Chao (China)
Said to be one of the most experienced Xuan Kong Flying Stars master in mainland China. Good author as he has thousands of actual case studies to share over his years of consultation. He is trained as an architect and his work provided him opportunities to test the Flying Stars theories. His proven methods provide a different perspective to the ones commonly taught in the English-speaking world.

52. The Feng Shui Continuum: A Blueprint for Balanced Living - Kartar Diamond (United States) **
I bought my autographed copy straight from Kartar Diamond before it hits the stores in summer 2008. Thus, I think this is probably the first online review written on this book. Although the early parts of the book talks about Feng Shui basics which seem to be a replication of the author’s first two books, the second half of the book is what makes the book worthwhile and another excellent book on the subject of Flying Stars. The best part is the chapter on interpretation of the flying stars combinations, in which Kartar gives exclusive insight to the effects of the combinations through her years of experience. A must-have for graduates of the American Feng Shui Institute.

53. Form School Feng Shui – Master Peter Leung (Canada) *
This is a simple book on Forms but mainly talking about the internal forms. External forms are briefly covered in terms of the Four Guardian Animals, streets outside the house and simple external Shas. The internal forms mentioned can also be commonly found in other books. The topic on the central axis of the home and the toilet sha are feng shui principles discovered by Peter Leung himself through his years of practice, therefore these concepts help make the book more interesting. There is also a checklist at the last few pages on what to look out for fengshui-wise in relation to the problems one encounter. A short book that is barely 100 pages but a good introduction to the author for those who have not heard of him before.
Rating: 3/5


Bazi

1. BaZi - The Destiny Code - Joey Yap*
One of the best English book on the subject. The pace is a bit slow as the knowledge is written as a series of books in mind but excellent for the beginners.

2. BaZi The Destiny Code Revealed – Joey Yap*
This is the sequel to the Destiny Code. An excellent piece of work and delves deeper into the study of Bazi. A third book in the series is in the midst of making.

3. Classical Five Element Chinese Astrology Made Easy - David Twicken
An average book but it seems that it was written some time ago and would be considered a gem back then when most of the other English books only write about the Chinese zodiac. Nothing much on interpretation techniques especially like the chapter on Romance (which is too brief to have any significance), but since it is a fundamental book you can still buy it if you are totally new to Bazi.
Rating: 3/5

Date Selection

1. The Art of Date Selection: Personal Date Selection - Joey Yap*
Probably the only book you ever need to do personal date selection. The methods here will be good enough for you to apply to everyday events. Simple to understand and in highly readable writing style. A must-have.

2. Date Selection in Feng Shui: the Xuan Kong Da Gua method – Master Francis Leyau with Eugene Ng (Malaysia) **
This is the second book I got from the Central Academy of Feng Shui. An excellent book on date selection for Feng Shui purposes, but before you rushes out to buy the book, be warned that this book is not for amateurs. The authors have stated clearly in the book that it is not meant for beginners and I couldn’t agree more. You can’t get far through the book if you are not well versed in the basic concepts like San Hui Fang (Seasonal Combinations), San He Ju (3 Combinations), the determination of the house’s sitting, the Luoshu and Hetu numbers, the detailed methodology of coming up with the Four Pillars. Also, you need to have a San Yuan Luopan handy since you will need to refer to it from time to time. It took me sometime to really start getting used to the terminology as my teachers taught me everything in Chinese in the past. However, once you get the hang of it, the wealth of information present in the book will make it all worthwhile. Could it be that I bought my book on a Sui Po day? (Stuffs bought on a Sui po day are known to get spoilt quickly). As some pages of it are falling out already when I just barely had it for a week. Or maybe I was going through the book so many times that I am wearing it down to shreds. A must-have if you are not able to learn at the Central Academy of Feng Shui in person but yet want to learn Xuan Kong Da Gua date selection. This method is applicable for both Yang and Yin Feng Shui.

DVD

1. Discover Feng Shui With Joey Yap (The TV Series) - Joey Yap*

2. Feng Shui for Homebuyers (7 Discs) – Joey Yap*

3. Xuan Kong Flying Stars Feng Shui Beginners Workshop – Joey Yap*
Nothing much except for beginners. Info easily available from books in the market.

4. Feng Shui For Period 8 Seminar – Joey Yap*
While it is focused more in terms of Period 8, the first half is wasted on the elementary stuffs. An average piece.

5. 峰生水起精读班 (Feng Shui Lecture Of Master So) Vol 1 & 2 – Peter So*
Good presentation of Landforms in Hong Kong. Covers mostly Eight Mansions and some introduction to Flying Stars. Teaches the use of cures for Eight Mansions which other masters seldom teach. However, his Flying Stars method is highly questionable, such as the changing of stove constitutes a change of period for the house. Watch it for the coverage on Forms Feng Shui.



Regards
Alvin Chua

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Visit to Bright Hill Temple

Here are some photos of my recent visit to Bright Hill Temple in Singapore. This temple is said to be designed by the late Wu-chang Sect Feng Shui Master, Venerable Hong Choon, who was the monastery's abbot from 1947.















The giant Buddha statue in the Venerable Hong Choon Memorial Hall














The memorial stupa of Venerable Hong Choon

The room that Venerable Hong Choon used to stay. Now it is made into an administrative office of the temple.

Venerable Hong Choon's tablet is located here for visitors to offer obeisance to.

The inside view: His tablet and life-size statue.

Notice the deliberate tilting of its entrance in accordance to San Yuan Feng Shui principles.

Regards
Alvin Chua

Apartments or Landed Property?

In comparison to landed property, selection of a apartment unit with good feng shui is so much more important. This is because there is very little you can do to remedy any feng shui flaws inherent after you bought the house. These are the difficulties for apartment dwellers:

1. When the kitchen is in a bad sector, you can't relocate it. The possible positions for the stove is also highly limited.

2. When there is a missing corner, you can't fix it but for a landed property, you can build a n external wall to compensate for the missing sector.

3. If the bad flying stars are all in the important parts of the house, you can do a major renovation (including the roof) and possibly change the period of your house if it is landed property but for apartments, there's no way you can do this as your unit is only a small part of the whole building. Renovating your apartment alone will not change the period.

4. When the apartment's main entrance opens to a inauspicious direction, you do not have the luxury of using an alternative entrance (unless you are Superman). You also can't relocate the main entrance since the developer (e.g. HDB) have restrictions on this.

5. Many apartment's bedroom now are designed with only one possible bed position. So you can't do much if it is your bad sleeping direction.

6. You have no control of where the toilets are located in an apartment unless you are the developer. Too bad if your wealth stars end up in the toilet.

In conclusion, for those intending to purchase a flat / apartment, consulting a Feng Shui practitioner during your house hunting is far more important then after you have bought the house.

Regards
Alvin Chua

An Interview with Master Tan Khoon Yong

I found an interesting and rare interview online today of Master Tan Khoon Yong:
http://www.timeout.com/sg/en/aroundtown/feature/what-its-like-to-be-a...feng-shui-expert

Regards
Alvin Chua

The Barnum Effect & the Forer Effect

In our practice of Feng Shui, great care must be taken when analyzing the charts and giving interpretations. We should always question ourselves about the information we derive and give to clients; does it fall under one of the effects below? Similarly, when seeking consultation from feng shui practitioners and astrologer, is the analysis really accurate or is it your own subjective validation?

Barnum effect
The Barnum effect is the name given to a type of subjective validation in which a person finds personal meaning in statements that could apply to many people.
For example:
You have a need for other people to like and admire you, and yet you tend to be critical of yourself. While you have some personality weaknesses you are generally able to compensate for them. You have considerable unused capacity that you have not turned to your advantage. At times you have serious doubts whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing.
If these statements sound like they came from a newsstand astrology book that may be because they did. Such statements are sometimes called Barnum statements and they are an effective element in the repertoire of anyone doing readings: astrologers, palm readers, psychics, rumpologists and so on.

If the statements appear on a personality inventory that one believes has been especially prepared for you alone, one often validates the accuracy of such statements and thereby gives validity to the instrument used to arrive at them. If Barnum statements are validated when they have originated during a psychic reading, the validation is taken as also validating the psychic powers of the medium.
"Barnum effect" is an expression that seems to have originated with psychologist Paul Meehl, in deference to circus man P. T. Barnum's reputation as a master psychological manipulator who is said to have claimed "we have something for everybody."

Forer effect
The Forer effect refers to the tendency of people to rate sets of statements as highly accurate for them personally even though the statements could apply to many people.
Psychologist Bertram R. Forer found that people tend to accept vague and general personality descriptions as uniquely applicable to themselves without realizing that the same description could be applied to just about anyone. Consider the following as if it were given to you as an evaluation of your personality.
You have a need for other people to like and admire you, and yet you tend to be critical of yourself. While you have some personality weaknesses you are generally able to compensate for them. You have considerable unused capacity that you have not turned to your advantage. Disciplined and self-controlled on the outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure on the inside. At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing. You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. You also pride yourself as an independent thinker; and do not accept others' statements without satisfactory proof. But you have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others. At times you are extroverted, affable, and sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, and reserved. Some of your aspirations tend to be rather unrealistic.
Forer gave a personality test to his students, ignored their answers, and gave each student the above evaluation. He asked them to evaluate the evaluation from 0 to 5, with "5" meaning the recipient felt the evaluation was an "excellent" assessment and "4" meaning the assessment was "good." The class average evaluation was 4.26. That was in 1948. The test has been repeated hundreds of time with psychology students and the average is still around 4.2 out of 5, or 84% accurate.
In short, Forer convinced people he could successfully read their character. His accuracy amazed his subjects, though his personality analysis was taken from a newsstand astrology column and was presented to people without regard to their sun sign. The Forer effect seems to explain, in part at least, why so many people think that pseudosciences "work". Astrology, astrotherapy, biorhythms, cartomancy, chiromancy, the enneagram, fortune telling, graphology, rumpology, etc., seem to work because they seem to provide accurate personality analyses. Scientific studies of these pseudosciences demonstrate that they are not valid personality assessment tools, yet each has many satisfied customers who are convinced they are accurate.

The most common explanations given to account for the Forer effect are in terms of hope, wishful thinking, vanity and the tendency to try to make sense out of experience, though Forer's own explanation was in terms of human gullibility. People tend to accept claims about themselves in proportion to their desire that the claims be true rather than in proportion to the empirical accuracy of the claims as measured by some non-subjective standard. We tend to accept questionable, even false statements about ourselves, if we deem them positive or flattering enough. We will often give very liberal interpretations to vague or inconsistent claims about ourselves in order to make sense out of the claims. Subjects who seek counseling from psychics, mediums, fortune tellers, mind readers, graphologists, etc., will often ignore false or questionable claims and, in many cases, by their own words or actions, will provide most of the information they erroneously attribute to a pseudoscientific counselor. Many such subjects often feel their counselors have provided them with profound and personal information. Such subjective validation, however, is of little scientific value.

Psychologist Barry Beyerstein believes that "hope and uncertainty evoke powerful psychological processes that keep all occult and pseudoscientific character readers in business." We are constantly trying "to make sense out of the barrage of disconnected information we face daily" and "we become so good at filling in to make a reasonable scenario out of disjointed input that we sometimes make sense out of nonsense." We will often fill in the blanks and provide a coherent picture of what we hear and see, even though a careful examination of the evidence would reveal that the data is vague, confusing, obscure, inconsistent and even unintelligible. Psychic mediums, for example, will often ask so many disconnected and ambiguous questions in rapid succession that they give the impression of having access to personal knowledge about their subjects. In fact, the psychic need not have any insights into the subject's personal life; for, the subject will willingly and unknowingly provide all the associations and validations needed. Psychics are aided in this process by using cold reading techniques.
David Marks and Richard Kamman argue that
once a belief or expectation is found, especially one that resolves uncomfortable uncertainty, it biases the observer to notice new information that confirms the belief, and to discount evidence to the contrary. This self-perpetuating mechanism consolidates the original error and builds up an overconfidence in which the arguments of opponents are seen as too fragmentary to undo the adopted belief.
Having a pseudoscientific counselor go over a character assessment with a client is wrought with snares that can easily lead the most well intentioned of persons into error and delusion.
Barry Beyerstein suggests the following test to determine whether the apparent validity of the pseudosciences mentioned above might not be due to the Forer effect, confirmation bias, or other psychological factors. (Note: the proposed test also uses subjective or personal validation and is not intended to test the accuracy of any personality assessment tool, but rather is intended to counteract the tendency to self-deception about such matters.)
…a proper test would first have readings done for a large number of clients and then remove the names from the profiles (coding them so they could later be matched to their rightful owners). After all clients had read all of the anonymous personality sketches, each would be asked to pick the one that described him or her best. If the reader has actually included enough uniquely pertinent material, members of the group, on average, should be able to exceed chance in choosing their own from the pile.
Beyerstein notes that "no occult or pseudoscientific character reading method…has successfully passed such a test."

The Forer effect, however, only partially explains why so many people accept as accurate occult and pseudoscientific character assessment procedures. Cold reading, communal reinforcement, and selective thinking also underlie these delusions. Also, it should be admitted that while many of the assessment claims in a pseudoscientific reading are vague and general, some are specific. Some of those that are specific actually apply to large numbers of people and some, by chance, will be accurate descriptions of a select few. A certain number of specific assessment claims should be expected by chance.

There have been numerous studies done on the Forer effect. Dickson and Kelly have examined many of these studies and concluded that overall there is significant support for the general claim that Forer profiles are generally perceived to be accurate by subjects in the studies. Furthermore, there is an increased acceptance of the profile if it is labeled "for you". Favorable assessments are "more readily accepted as accurate descriptions of subjects' personalities than unfavorable" ones. But unfavorable claims are "more readily accepted when delivered by people with high perceived status than low perceived status." It has also been found that subjects can generally distinguish between statements that are accurate (but would be so for large numbers of people) and those that are unique (accurate for them but not applicable to most people). There is also some evidence that personality variables such as neuroticism, need for approval, and authoritarianism are positively related to belief in Forer-like profiles. Unfortunately, most Forer studies have been done only on college students.

Regards

Alvin Chua

(defintions taken from the Skeptic's Dictionary website)

Encounter with Grandmaster Yap

I was attending a company dinner at Sheraton Tower last Saturday. After I arrived at the place, I immediate proceeded to the ballrooms at level 2 as I thought I was late. I saw Grandmaster Yap Cheng Hai as he walked slowly down the flight of stairs. He stopped midway along the stairs and spoke to a couple. Both of us exchanged glances as he probably knew that I recognized him from the look on my face and there I was trying to make sure I did not mistaken someone for him.

Reaching the ballroom, I realised I was too early and quickly went back to the lobby, mustering barely enough courage to request for a photo with him but damned it, he had already left.

What a pity, to have missed the opportunity of taking a picture with the Feng Shui legend...

Regards
Alvin Chua

Master Raymond Lo's Interview on CNN

Master Raymond Lo's Interview on CNN on the Year of the Rat (2008)

Regards
Alvin Chua

Thank You for Visiting My Blog

I would like to thank you all for reading my blog. The site meter have recorded 4650 visits and page views of 10,800 (must divide these numbers by half since probably many hits are from myself, haha!). Thanks again. While this blog is more of my personal journal, I am pleasantly surprised that there are many people who share the same interest out there.

Regards
Alvin Chua

Determining the Facing of a Apartment

Determining the Facing of a Apartment: Different Feng Shui Masters’ Perspectives

This is one of the most confusing aspects in the practice of Feng Shui and I have compiled most of the methods here. Whether the advice given by your Feng Shui consultant works or not is dependent on this factor. Using an incorrect method can mean the whole audit has turned to naught. Take a look and you can see how messy the standards can be. By the way, the term apartment here would refer to high-rise buildings that normally comes with elevators e.g. condominiums.

Disclaimer: Please note that this is not a comprehensive guide but only notes taken along my research journey. There are many factors like concepts of Yin Yang Dong Jing (Yin and Yang aspects, Movement and Stillness aspects), internal and external Luan Tou (Forms) and experiences that cannot be put in writing. Some masters use a few of the different methods and they will choose the method most appropriate depending on the actual situation. There are also masters who sworn by their one method only. There are no hard and fast rules about it. There will be mistakes since I did not learn from the masters personally and thus are based on my deductions only from readings from all possible sources.

The Main Door of the Unit as Facing:

Yap Cheng Hai 叶清海 (Malaysia)
Notes:

This is what Master Yap Boh Chu (the son of Grand Master Yap Cheng Hai) wrote in The Sun Property Plus when asked about the facing of an apartment unit:

(Dated 25th November 2005) You are absolutely right, it is more difficult to define the facing of an apartment. Some feng shui schools consider the balcony as the facing, while others consider the apartment entrance or the main entrance to the block as the facing. For me, it would depend on the circumstances. I would usually consider the apartment entrance as the main facing and my case histories have proven me to be correct.

(Dated 17th February 2006) Problems crop up when determining the facing of a house, especially for a condominium. Certain masters would determine the facing of a condominium from the balcony, basically standing at the balcony door looking outwards. We have found that this is not necessarily correct. In most cases we would use the actual entrance door of your condominium, standing inside the unit and measuring outwards. Why measure outwards? This is the direction the Qi is coming from.

Also, this is an extract from an article in The Sun Property Plus titled “What to do for Condos and Apartments” in which Master Yap Cheng Hai and his son explain more about apartment facing:

(Dated 15th April 2005) For a landed property, the direction it faces is equated to the direction of the main door. There is no quarrel here. But what about condominiums and apartments?

The confusion arises because the owner has to enter the common entrance to the condo or apartment grounds before getting into his or her own unit within the block. So, which entrance is considered the property’s main door? The common entrance (foyer) or the one that leads directly to the owner’s dwelling?

With the popularity of condo and apartment living on the rise, its a question many are asking. We ask Grandmaster Yap and his son, Boh Chu, who point out that there are two options one can consider. This is provided for under two major schools of feng shui — Ba Zhai (8 mansions) and the popular Flying Stars.

Ba Zhai
This school of feng shui is very clear. The entrance to the respective condo or apartment unit is considered its main door. So, this is where the owner should tap his auspicious direction.

On the other hand, while the common entrance to the condo or apartment project is not important to the individual unit owners or dwellers, it is important to the developer.

Flying Stars
Some find this school of feng shui confusing. The entrance is considered as the qi koh or mouth of qi (energy) of the property. In other words, the main door represents the mouth of the property — where the all-important qi is ushered into the premises.

In ancient China where feng shui originated, most dwellings had only one main door and a back door. This is often no longer the case in modern times. Condos and apartments, in particular, have multiple entrances — the guarded gate, at the respective block and, often, the balcony door.

Some feng shui practitioners see the main entrance to a condo block as the most important. Others point to the balcony door instead, reasoning that as the largest opening in the unit, this is where the greatest inward flow of qi is. Yet another school of thought insists that the main entrance of a dwelling should be the unit door itself.

Conclusion
The Yaps consider the specific door to a condo or apartment unit as its main entrance because this is the door that determines one’s entry into the dwelling. The next important things would be the entrance to the condo or apartment block, where relevant.

This is, however, only a guideline and not a definitive answer. Diligent feng shui practitioners should take into account the direction of both doors — common and specific.

“In our opinion and experience, the balcony door does not qualify as the main door. This is taking into consideration that the doorway is defined by the action of entering and exiting a property, and in the process, bringing in the qi from outside the property,” say the Yaps.

One can’t possibly walk in through the balcony door, nor can one exit from the balcony door to leave the unit.

Imagine if your unit were on the 20th floor. It would be impossible to ‘enter’ the balcony from the outside unless you are into extreme sports, rappelling from the roof or with the help of a helicopter!

The same applies to windows. They cannot be considered ‘entrances’.

Peter So 苏民峰 (Hong Kong)
Notes:
In his instructional videos titled "Feng Shui Lecture Of Master So Vol 1 & 2", he has explained that the main door of your own unit is the facing, never the balcony or the windows since you do not enter your home via them. We should use the elevator door on our level as the facing reference if we are analyzing the feng shui of the entire level. The main entrance of the whole building is used only if you are the developer or owner of the whole building.

The Most Yang Side of the Unit as Facing:

Pak Hok Ming白鹤鸣 (Hong Kong)

Joseph Yu (Canada)

Larry Sang (United States)

Lynn Yap (Singapore)

Heluo aka Roel Hill (The Netherlands)

Kartar Diamond (United States)

Chen Bo Yu 陈柏瑜 (Taiwan)

Eva Wong (United States)

Fan Rong 梵羢 (Taiwan)

The Most Yang Side of the Unit as Facing Provided the Main Door Is Not At Sitting Side:

Tan Khoon Yong (Singapore)

Neo Zhen Jue (Singapore)

The Facing Is Based On the Level of the Unit:

Edward Li Kui Ming 李居明 (Hong Kong): For level 1 to 5, use the main entrance of the whole building. Level 6 and above, use the unit’s door facing.

Lilian Too (Malaysia): For level 1 to 8, use the facing entrance of the whole building. Level 9 and above, the side with a view from the balcony or patio will be used as the facing since this is akin to living in the high mountains and the Qi distribution will be different.

Cecil Lee (Singapore): For level 1 to 7, use the unit’s door facing. Level 8 and above, the side with a view from the balcony or patio will be used as the facing.

The Facing Is Based On the Facing of the Whole Building:

Joey Yap 叶威明 (Malaysia)

Vincent Koh (Singapore)

Song Yin Chen宋英成 (Taiwan)

The Facing Is Based On the Main Entrance of the Whole Building:

Yeung Dengkwong 杨椗光 (Hong Kong)

Johnny Chan陈癸龙 (Hong Kong)

Stephen Skinner (Malaysia)

Lum Kwok Hung 林國雄 (Hong Kong)
Notes: In his book on Xuan kong Flying Stars, he wrote:
“我的经验是以门为向。就是在建筑物的大门外度坐向。如果有多支门的，就以写有门牌或建筑物名字的那一支为向。”

Below are some interesting apartment floor plans, which do you think is the facing side of each of them?

Are the methods above applicable to these apartments? I firmly believe that Mr "Qi" will not arrive and enter an apartment unit just because a famous feng shui master says so. It comes in accord to the landscape and the physical structure both externally and internally. Is it able to understand the facade that the architect had intended the building to have? Can it be contained in a skeletal structure (with minimal walls and multiple openings) and influence every household under that same roof? Will it come knocking at an entrance facing a Ming Tang or another entrance used by most of the occupants? A young master from my neighboring country says that he has learned from many Hong Kong masters whose expertise are in high-rise buildings' feng shui and his method of determining the facing is the correct one. But if this is so, how come the few most famous Hong Kong masters (see the list above) could not agree on a standardized method and none of them uses this young master's method?

As for the use of the main door, Master Howard Choy has indicated to me the parts in Shen Shi Xuan Kong classic that states that it is not used to determine the facing of a house. Here is one of the page from the classic:




















Also, in the Bazhai classic "Jin Guang Dou Lin Jing" (Classic of the Dipper Casting its Golden Light) , there's indication that the house's facing is not the main door's facing.


Regards
Alvin Chua