Do you believe that the way the stars and planets were aligned during your birth can have an influence on your fate? Do you think it’s possible there’s an unseen energy that propels you forward in life?

Astrology is the study of the movements and positions of planets, and how they influence our fate. Feng shui, on the other hand, is a system of laws that governs arrangement and orientation based on the flow of energy (chi). Believers say it can play a role in influencing a person’s successes and failures in life.

Recently, I was given the opportunity to attend the Feng Shui and Astrology 2015 seminar conducted by world renowned astrology and fengshui consultant, Dato’ Joey Yap. Truth be told,I am slightly skeptical that my destiny could be determined by the stars. Nevertheless, whether you read your horoscope for fun or as a basis for earth-shattering decisions, I would like to share with you a few lessons I picked up from the seminar.

For starters, go to http://www.joeyyap.com/ and get your personal BaZi profile. BaZi is an art of fortune telling that uses your date and time of birth to foretell your destiny or luck. The online BaZi tool in the website will tell you your fortune for this year (your fortune reading result is different for every year).

A simple way to read your BaZi chart is to see if there are all five elements (metal, earth, wood, fire and water) in it. If all five elements are there, you have a pretty good outlook for year 2015. If you see a lot of earth elements in your BaZi chart, it means that you have a lot of resources (ie, free time). However, too many earth elements in the chart may not necessarily be good as it can be interpreted as having too much time on your hands.

The wood element symbolizes money, so keep an eye out for this element in your chart. If you have a lot of wood elements in the upper half of the BaZi chart, it means that other people will be able to see you getting the money. If it appears on the lower half, the money will not be visible or obvious to others. A simple way to envision it is this – if the wood element appears on the upper half of the chart, you will probably buy a new, shiny car and everybody will know you came into some cash recently. If it appears on the lower half of the chart, money might be going into your account and no one else but you will know about it.

The third element, metal, represents discipline. If you have numerous earth (resources) elements and no metal (discipline) element in your BaZi chart, beware. You might end up wasting a lot of your time on social media or simply sleeping too much if you’re not careful! Having said that, if you don’t have any wood (cash) but you have metal (discipline) and earth (resources) elements, you can still make money this year.

Another important element to look out for is water. This element stands for rationality and wisdom. The fifth element, fire, is not to be underestimated as well. It is an element that symbolizes strategy.

Having learnt how to roughly interpret the BaZi chart, I realize that ultimately, your destiny still lies in your own hands. The stars and planets may be aligned to impart on us some negative or positive chi (energy), but we can always do something about it. If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. And if it gives you lemonade, just enjoy the drink!

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