By: Jullie Y. Daza
ONCE a year the Vatican summons exorcists to Rome to attend an international convention of exorcists. Once a year the International Feng Shui Association (IFSA) holds a convention of Grand Masters and experts. There are more things to learn than are dreamed of in our philosophies.
Last week, as soon as the ASEAN summit came to a close, 130 members and guests representing eight countries gathered at Marco Polo Hotel in Ortigas to deliver lectures, provoke questions, and provide solutions for beginners and those keen on pursuing feng shui as a vocation. Grand Master Stephen Skinner, who has written books, published magazines, and appeared in court as a resource person in the celebrated case of the Hong Kong billionaire who willed her fortune to her lover who was also her feng shui “master,” said a book published in 1927 somehow anticipated the rise of skyscrapers as “one mouth, many families.” The tenets of feng shui are as valid today as when they were first recorded 2,002 years ago, though the ephemeris is updated every new year.
At a dinner hosted by feng shui expert Princesse Fernandez for her colleagues, Grand Masters Skinner, Tan Khoon Yong, and Vincent Koh of Singapore, Victoria Khilinich of Ukraine, and Tyler Rowe of Australia gladly lifted a corner of the veil to shed light on a “technique, not a religion” whose believers are legion worldwide, and growing.
Master Tan: The Philippines’ land form is that of the phoenix, America’s that of the dragon. Phoenix and Dragon are friends. Earthquakes are possible in 2018, “up north, China.” All his clients want is “how to make money, la.”
Master Koh taught feng shui for 10 years. One look at a person’s house and a glance at his Four Pillar, “and you can tell how healthy he is.”
Before Victoria became a feng shui expert, she was an ophthalmologist and interior designer. Now her feng shui practice takes up all her time, “it’s become so popular but they don’t want to pay!”
Princesse, who has attended previous conventions in Melbourne, Shanghai, and Bangkok, picked a profoundly mercantile subject for her lecture: using feng shui to select a commercial site. Yes, everyone just wants to make money, so Princesse obliged with planning the estate, tapping into good energy to maximize space potential, and increase commercial success. The Force-tune be with you!