| Unearthing the secrets of Chinese Divination: |
|
|
|
| Features | |
| Sunday, 07 February 2010 | |
Ting-Foon Chik explains the different types of Chinese divination and how to cultivate good qi in our lives.Interview by Suzie Wong. Read here about what happens when Suzie Wong gets her own fortune read by Ting-Foon Chik  What is the significance of birth date and time in creating a reading?It is the first breath you take that determines your four pillars chart as that is when you are separated from your mother and interact with the world by yourself. I need to know the birth date, time and location to create an accurate chart reading. If you don't know the exact time of your birth then with some effort it can be worked out. The I-Ching vs. Face reading vs. Astrology - which is the more accurate? They offer different purposes. The astrology is very good at looking at the cause of your whole life because your birth chart is determined by your birth date and the place date time and place of birth. According to Chinese astrology the first breath you take determines your character and destiny. So, astrology is very good at looking at the big picture over the course of your life. The I-Ching is fantastic for answering specific questions, that is the purpose of it. Astrology might help you choose the career you're interested in, and the I-Ching will help you know if you hear from your job interview. When I do a face reading I not only look at the features of the face but also the qi' (pronounced 'chi')or subtle tones of the face. The features can tell you things about your character whereas the tones of the face can give an indication of what's about to happen. I can read a certain amount from a photograph but for the tones of the face I need the person in front of me. I also look at the side profile as well. A face reading tends to be similar to astrology, it's better at looking at the big picture. The good thing about this is I don't need a birth chart I can just read the person. Divining the I-Ching: the scholarly method vs. the wen wan gua method A lot of the books on the I-Ching at the moment are more concerned with scholarly method of interpreting the I-Ching. I however use the wen wan gua method whereby I cast a hexagram using three coins and then I interpret the hexagram by looking at it like an image. The text method anyone can achieve with a book but to interpret the image you really need how to do that with an experienced teacher. Performing good deeds can bring good luck back to you. In accordance with the whole Chinese and Taoist belief system, I believe that if we do unexposed good deeds, the heavens bestow upon us good luck. Looking at people's life destinies I certainly believe doing good deeds help improve your luck. Feng-Shui your relationship and your career A lady came to me and explained she was experiencing a lot of problems in her marriage. Her career was going very well but her husband's career was not. I helped create some changes throughout her house which succeeded in helping her relationship considerably. As a side effect her husband also went on to get a promotion. Every house has good energy coming in and negative energy coming in. I enhance the good and cure the negative energy. I don't just look at one room as energy comes from the outside to the inside of every room. Can people emit qi after death? The feng shui of the houses for the living is called yang feng shui. The feng shui that deals with burial sites is yin feng shui. It is said that the location of the grave and the headstone can influence the luck of the descendant. It is important in Asian cultures to be filial. Finding your parents and ancestors a good resting place and honouring them is a good thing to do. However the evidence of its effectiveness isn't very compelling. All the emperors were buried in good spots but all the dynasties eked and declined. If it was effective then that wouldn't have happen. Do you believe in the afterlife? Yes. I believe that we are all spirits coming for a little visit on earth and then we go back to heaven and then heaven will give us an appraisal and we can come back. I believe in reincarnation. How can you drive away ghosts? Ghosts are trapped here, they don't belong on the earthly plane. If you tell them mentally that they are not supposed to be here and tell them to go away, that can be strong enough to make them go. There are certain energy patterns in houses that can attract ghosts but there are techniques to cure those patterns. If we can cultivate a good human energy around us do we really need Feng-Shui? Every person is an emitter of qi. Someone who has really good qi wherever they go everyone likes and feels comfortable with. That's what we call human qi. When we deal with your astrology chart we deal with heavenly chi. Earth qi is feng shui. It's there constantly 24/7. We spend a third of our lives asleep and when we're asleep the feng shui is still hard at work. Certainly I would encourage people to cultivate their own qi but you need to deal with the earth qi separately from the human qi. Can you meet someone and feel their energies i.e. if they are negative or unhappy? I think everybody who is sensitive can to a certain extent; you can see how they are from looking at their face and body language. Some of us are just more aware of it. How do you combat the bad energy of a negative person? How would you advise dealing with a negative person? If it's someone you know well then you need to understand why they are feeling negative, maybe bereavement or they have lost their job or split up from their partner. If there's a reason you need to be compassionate. Otherwise you need to make them aware of their behaviour and ask them to be aware of the impact they have on others. If there isn't a reason then you might need to consider your own well being and how much time and interaction you have with them. People can drain our qi but only if you let them. Do not take on their negativity. The reason we might let people drain us is because we try to help them, but they might not be willing to help themselves, so we feel we are pouring our energy to no avail. Sometimes if you don't let others drain you then they can't. Should I become vegetarian? Extending compassion to animals is a good reason for being vegetarian. In the olden days the emperors had diviners in the palace. It is said that before doing an important divination the diviners had to abstain from eating meat and drinking wine and consorting with women, in order for to help their communication with the universe. Becoming vegetarian is an individual choice. Magic numbers - are seven and eleven also considered special numbers in Chinese beliefs? In the Chinese language there are lots of words for one thing that sound like something else - like number eight bat' is lucky as it sounds like good fortune fat' Can your name shape your destiny? Yes to a certain extent. You can be given a name to balance your chart, for example, the four pillars there are five elements - water wood, fire earth and metal. In the chart of my own daughter she needs water and wood elements. So I gave her the name Lily - a flower that grows in water. Anything that is a plant or flower is considered wood energy and I chose a flower that floats in water as she needs water and wood energy. So in her case I have given her a name that will help her destiny. In the olden days Chinese astrology was often used to help choose baby name. What can we do to keep ourselves in a positive frame of mind and to stay healthy? Put good qi into your body, by eating good food that's fresh and cooked with care and love. You can also apply some basic feng shui tips of:
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it Tel: 0208 332 7588 Mob: 07740940888 Interview by Suzie Wong |
|
