Table of contents
- 2024 Has Been Off To A Great Start – And I Am Grateful
- When It Comes To Certain Things, I Will Always Be The Same
- The Same Problem In The Chinese Metaphysics Industry Still Exists
- Taking Charge Of Your Own Spirituality
- Embracing A Bit Of Determinism & Congruenc e
- A Good Life Is A Life With Common Sense
- My Wrathful Path Against Category 4 Chart-Holders
- Believe In Your Own Mind & Spirit – I Am No One’s Coach Or Guru
I can’t begin to tell you how much I miss blogging. It is the little time I have for myself to be in my own thoughts – to enjoy being human through the act of thought and reasoning. As weird as this may sound to most, don’t you find the human mind and spirit such a fascinating thing? For it can create and appreciate things that are beautiful and awe-inspiring sometimes? I always felt that most people don’t appreciate how fascinating it is to be sentient, to have a consciousness, and to be able to create and form meaningful bonds.
I guess it’s harder to appreciate these things in Singapore because most people are caught up with the pace of life here and return home utterly exhausted. It’s a bit of a pity, but it is what it is.
I don’t know about you, but I always think back to the last time music or scenery made me shed a tear or the last time I smacked the table after biting into food made from not just the freshest ingredients but with a lot of love and pride. The experience of being human is divine. It could also be as simple as waving to a toddler on the streets and seeing them wave back, and you smile because of that. All these moments are possible because of the mind we have, and if you never had those moments before, then seek those experiences because I personally find that the rousing of such positive emotions is the beauty of being alive. It is why we enjoy good food, why we travel, why we attend concerts, and why we love.
Perhaps that’s just my blessed Mercury and Jupiter side speaking, but really, I never knew I would enjoy being in my thoughts and experiences so much until I grew older. Trust me, I don’t ever feel lonely or left out – because I have my mind and spirit to be with, and with the internet, there’s always something to learn and explore. Even without the internet, there is always a book.
I know what many people would say, “Sean, it’s easy for you to say these things because life is good for you now.” I know it is, and I know I never say things without thinking about how fortunate I am and some of the privileges I have, but, at the same time, people tend not to realise what it took to get here. My trials and tribulations are so conveniently overlooked. Be that as it may, I’m fully aware everything can be taken away from me if I get complacent or if Heavens wills it – although I hope I’ve done enough good in my life to escape Heavens’ wrath.
As you can tell by now, I’ve been very active on my highly irreverent, highly entertaining Instagram page. It’s where I actively engage the outside world and decompress, but I think it’s important that I keep my blog alive to give people a deeper peek into my mind once in a while instead of just seeing the persona I use to deal with the world. You won’t be able to tell I have quite a bit of a flamboyant and irreverent personality from my blog (I think), and neither will you be able to assess my character just from my Instagram (I think). I definitely have a duality which people find surprising. They cannot reconcile the voice they hear online and seeing me in person. It’s funny because my friends who know me will go, “What the f***?!” and clients who eventually meet me will wonder, “What the f***?” but without the exclamation mark.
Work and social injustices usually get me worked up, and seeing my online persona in person requires me to be very comfortable with someone and talk about things that I feel strongly about.
Anyway, I wanted to write this post because I don’t know when will be the next time I have some quiet time to do this, although I think fatherhood will imbue me with an even greater sense of purpose, and that would probably spur me to do and write more. We’ll see.
2024 Has Been Off To A Great Start – And I Am Grateful
Aside from the noise I’ve been generating, life has been simple and serene, albeit still hectic due to work and getting ready to welcome new life into my home. I’ve been spending quite a bit of time reconnecting with friends, and I’ve never been happier.
The Pluto and Saturn transit last year has had a profound impact on my chart, and it has been a rather wild ride since last year when Pluto first made its ingress into Aquarius, which put many things into motion. As I said in my year-end post last year, 2023 did start off a little tougher, but I embraced the lessons, and 2023 still turned out to be a rather good year, with plenty of good memories of travels, spending time with loved ones, and a renewed sense of purpose for my career.
2024 has been off to a crazy and fulfilling start, and it’s arguably one of the best starts to any year I’ve had. The Chinese New Year peak, an influencer-friend posting about me and opening a floodgate, setting up a company, two media features lined up, catching up with friends before I don’t get to, and impending fatherhood. I’ve not managed to catch my breath just yet, and I’ve been crazy busy – but I’m enjoying every moment. There’ve been a lot of changes and developments, and I am grateful that they are good ones. For the first time in a very long time – I am excited about what life has to bring again.
This blog post is really just a series of random musings and revisiting some of the old blog posts I’ve written a long time ago, but are worth revisiting. I want to put these thoughts down in writing because I don’t think I’ll have this kind of bandwidth very soon.
When It Comes To Certain Things, I Will Always Be The Same
Let’s admit it. We all have things about us that will never change – things that make us uniquely us. I wish to remind everyone that I will always be the same when it comes to certain things. You should already know what these things are. My approach towards Chinese metaphysics and astrology, life, friends, and family will never change. It might be enhanced as I move into different stages of my life, but that’s about it.
Many people like to ask why I’m always angry or sound so angry. Sometimes, I am. But most of the time, I’m actually not – I just sound that way. I have the ability to put whatever is on my mind into writing unabashedly, and I am not afraid to say what I feel. That, alone, is enough to make people think I’m ‘angry’.
I know the tonality of my blog has changed in recent months. There’s a lot more focus on fun, case studies, and light-hearted things. Of course, there are still the occasional serious posts on things I feel strongly about. I’ve spent the earlier parts of my career addressing the philosophical aspects of Chinese metaphysics and astrology, and the more recent posts are more on the application of it and how the philosophical sometimes takes a physical form.
I decided it was time to revisit the earlier parts of my career and touch on the blog posts tagged under “Must Reads”. This ‘recap’ post won’t be able to touch on everything, though. You are encouraged to read them, and I’d go as far as to say I insist that clients read them before they come for a consultation. I can be a very fun, novel individual, but the last thing I want is for people to think Chinese metaphysics and astrology are meant to be something trivial. Sure, astrology has a fun side to it – but its purpose will never be to entertain. I’m an astrologer, not an entertainer, and I’m only entertaining because I’m good with words and calling out illogical, stupid, and degrading things to the human mind.
The most important blog posted are tagged under “Must Reads“.
The past few months have seen me gain quite a few new followers, and I’m sure many more people will get to know me for the first time throughout the year. As expected from the surge, some people rushed to fill out the form like I’m some flash sale to ‘chope’/reserve a spot in the queue without first understanding how this field should be approached, only to get a severe dressing down from me because they treat this like some novelty.
I’ve made it a point to mention on every possible touchpoint – my blog, on my form, and in the automated emails everyone receives – that you must read and go through my blog, especially my “Must Read” posts. You might ask, “Why?” It’s because if you still feel your BaZi chart’s 10-Year Phases are an indication of your ‘luck’, or you feel like your life can change due to Feng Shui items, or if zodiac forecasts are accurate – getting a BaZi reading is pointless. You might as well just go on with your life and surrender to predestination.
Most people do not have a choice but to obtain their superficial knowledge of Chinese metaphysics and astrology from the internet or, worse, social media. Why? Because you cannot even Chinese. It would be a travesty if you feel that Chinese metaphysics or astrology is what you see or get from Instagram or TikTok. I won’t even call the content you find on most social media “entry-level” – most are pure garbage deliberately made to be entertaining, and it has zero substance. Let’s be real here: Most social media content is to get views and clicks, hopefully leading to a conversion or a sale. The educational part is often undermined because businesses have overheads to cover, and you want the kind of content that can quickly lead to a sale, especially when you’re someone new to the field and really need to make a living.
If you want real content that teaches you proper Chinese metaphysics and astrology – all you need is a bloody book, and dare I say, a Chinese book because most English ones are completely useless. If you are the kind of cognitively impaired and intellectually lazy person who feels what you see on social media is all there is to Chinese metaphysics and astrology, then that’s on you.
No practitioner, not even myself, can convey the philosophies or how you should approach astrology via a few posts or Instagram Reels. You need to understand that this field is based on thousands of years of observations that bring together life’s spiritual, psychological, physical, and even societal aspects of life. Why are the meanings of significators and planets in astrology the way they are? Because there are things with intrinsic existence which don’t require your perception to exist. Why can astrology sometimes even quantify, and why do the planet’s positions relative to each other matter? You realise astrology even deals with geometry, which was seen as divine in the past because it is the building block of reality. How we interpret the signs also needs to be adjusted for which era we’re in.
There is so, so much more. It’s impossible for me to convey all of that to readers in one lifetime.
The Same Problem In The Chinese Metaphysics Industry Still Exists
Using Chinese Metaphysics As A Quick-Fix
I’ve said enough about this topic, but I think I need to bring it up once in a while.
I will be blunt here and say that this problem only exists because of society’s ignorance and stupidity. The ‘practitioners’ I chastise are only able to survive this long because the average person in society, in all brutal honesty, is actually very, very stupid. Being stupid is not about whether you attended university or not – it’s how you live – and as per Bonhoeffer’s Theory of Stupidity, it is a moral defect, not an intellectual one.
To think that life has some magic shortcut is already stupidity in itself, but to think that Chinese metaphysics, BaZi, or Feng Shui somehow defies this brings stupidity to another level. Chinese astrology, for some reason, somehow also revolves around making money. It is so disgusting and shallow. I have nothing against making money, but please don’t misconstrue what the purpose of Chinese metaphysics and astrology is for.
Unfortunately, the media has always painted Chinese metaphysics as some kind of quick-fix, get-your-desires-fulfilled tool. Almost every incumbent or newly minted practitioner packages it the same way for reasons I can actually understand – but definitely disapprove of. I know everyone needs to make a living – but do we really have to do it this way? Are you even qualified to be a practitioner if you feel Chinese metaphysics is all about making money?
I will reiterate that ‘practitioners’ who sell items, no matter how cheap or expensive, are all useless low-lives to me. It doesn’t matter how old the company is or how old the practitioner is. You might find this conversation I had with a client in 2020 interesting. It is the first time I’m posting this:
I’ve said this before, but I know every trick in the book, and I need to know them to educate people about them. Making a generic forecast and prowling the news for an article aligned with the forecast is a clown act of confirmation bias, but ‘practitioners’ and so-called Feng Shui ‘life-hackers’ seem to find pride in being clowns more than anything else. It really doesn’t matter how old the Feng Shui company or grandmaster is or whether someone has learned from a school or not. A clown is a clown.
I have no qualms with people trying to sell jewellery, jade, crystals, or whatever. My peeve is with people who like to bastardize Chinese metaphysics by using it as a form of packaging to sell big-ticket, useless items. Even if no items are involved, therein lies other problems, which I shall talk about now.
The Spiritual Narcissism
I’ve made it a point to address this topic of spiritual narcissism because it’s another growing issue plaguing my industry. You could say it’s the number one pitfall for any practitioner or astrologer.
Whatever I say here are purely my personal opinions.
There is a peculiar trend of people suddenly appearing to call themselves “witches”, “healers”, and whatnot. There’s nothing wrong with other people choosing what they want to be called, and I have nothing against these people. In fact, I’ve always found them intriguing and wish to find out more about what they do. Deciding what title they want is their call, and I am no one to decide what they wish to do with their lives. I just find the trend interesting.
I don’t want anyone to misinterpret me here. Part of me definitely wishes that people with special abilities exist – why not? It’s, well, useful. I encountered one such individual when I was as young as 8 or 9 and had ‘qi gong’ performed on me where I felt something. He saved my life and health more than once, and it’s a story I will tell someday. Now, these days, any Tom, Dick, and Harry is suddenly a Reiki master or an animal communicator after attending a weekend course. I entertained a few Reiki newbies, but all I got was an afternoon nap, and I’ve always wondered why animal communicators can only talk to dogs and not goldfish. Why is the special ability so special that only dogs are taken care of?
Over the past few years, I’ve encountered quite a number of people who claim they are psychic or have special abilities. Some were clients, some were stories, and some were ‘professional acquaintances’ whom I had the misfortune of having a quick meal with – although I asked for it because I wanted to quench my curiosities. My experiences with them are varied but not in a positive sense. They have always left me a bit uncomfortable, and it’s always a matter of how uncomfortable, mostly because I feel like I cannot have a proper conversation with them because they are so self-absorbed with just how special or gifted they are.
As you may know by now, and if you’ve followed me long enough, astrology, especially Chinese astrology, has a clear set of rules on what defines a good BaZi chart and a bad BaZi chart. I say this with no prejudice at all, but a lot of these people I’ve met who claim they have special abilities all turn out to have pretty challenging charts. It was interesting, but I was also not that surprised.
Sadly, astrology and the esoteric field are some of the first few options unemployed people choose as their next career. It has no barriers to entry, after all, and there are enough suckers out there for you to make a living. The people I’ve met cannot function in the corporate world and eventually turn to the esoteric industry after establishing the belief that they are gifted. I hate to say this, but my experience with them showed me how out of touch with reality they are, and some of their charts do show traditional signs of being mentally ill. Their BaZi charts are considered “Broken Structures” (破格) with no remedy, which naturally puts them under Category 4 charts.
Again, I say this in the most solemn way possible and without prejudice. A lot of such individuals I’ve come across who claim they have special abilities like prophetic dreams and whatnot are displaying textbook signs of mental illness and narcissism. Not all, but a lot. The most terrifying cases I’ve come across suffer from schizophrenia accompanied by grandiose delusion because they see themselves as special or the Chosen One capable of prophetic dreams. Everyone else, to them, is a lost sheep because we eat meat, are not blessed with psychic abilities, and whatnot. I have never seen people try to ‘out-spiritual’ each other to such an extent before, and it is worrying.
It is an interesting phenomenon, and I’m just putting down what I’ve been witnessing. This doesn’t mean I feel everyone who claims to be a witch, healer, or psychic is mentally ill. It’s just that, so far, I’ve not met anymore who lives up to their claim of having special abilities.
The Outright Scams
As shared in an Instagram post, I’ll have a media feature on Our Grandfather Story really soon. Part of the filming required the host and myself to get a reading done by one of the fortune-tellers sitting in the tents along Waterloo Street. The experience was, well, ‘interesting’. BaZi wasn’t used for some reason. Believe it or not, this is the first time I got my fortune told in Singapore – if you could even qualify it as fortune-telling. I definitely got my ass buttered, though.
The uncle asked for my birthday (without the time) and began mouthing off what was clearly a script. I decided to be cheeky and asked him if I could become a fortune-teller like him, to which he returned a firm “no”. I held in my shit that almost ejected out of my ass out of disappointment. I went further by asking him how’s my relationship with the woman who gave birth to me, and he said she would listen to me because my zodiac was Tiger, and Tigers, clearly, eat Dogs. I forgot to tell him dogs can have rabies. It was at this point I could not hold my shit together anymore and found it hard to stifle my amusement. It was interesting to witness someone pull nonsense out of his ass for a good 20 minutes.
My biggest takeaway from the reading in the tent was that – I’m a “handsome boy”. That was literally the first thing he said. So, thank you, uncle. When I’m intoxicated by imaginary libations, I feel particularly handsome, although, please, get your eyes checked sometime.
My purpose here is not to compare charts between practitioners and I am merely stating what I’ve observed and seen. What kind of charts other practitioners use in the esoteric field doesn’t concern me. I’m happy to have my chart, and thankfully, it’s pretty good. That’s really all that matters to me. *Wink*
Living With Spirituality
We are all on our own paths, and our paths do not need to cross, although it does sometimes. Whether our paths cross intentionally or not, meeting these peculiar individuals gets me questioning further the definition and purpose of being spiritual, which is getting blurrier and more convoluted with each passing year. “I eat vegetables only, and there I am more spiritual than you”; “I have voices speaking to me, and I am special, therefore I am more spiritual than you”. It does not make sense to me, especially in a world where even religion and faith sometimes disappoint us, and we no longer know who to turn to. Why do some people suddenly decide they can consecrate items? Or cast spells? Being spiritual and being mentally ill sometimes feels like the same thing, and that terrifies me.
I sometimes feel that we are misled to think that in order to embrace spirituality, we need to forgo logic and we cannot, well, be normal. Everything needs to be a sign from the universe; every bad event is suddenly a ‘psychic attack’ (whatever the hell that even means) or a hex from someone.
Having a positive and spiritual perspective of things is fine because it helps us make sense of why we go through the things we do and why we suffer. However, what I am observing instead is an utter lack of responsibility and gaslighting in the name of spirituality. Some people that I meet who claim to be spiritual have never once thought that their suffering and mishaps are due to themselves. It’s always someone else’s fault because others aren’t spiritual enough.
I cannot help but find it odd.
Astrologers Can & Should Be Normal, Functioning People
I know you know this, but some people in my industry deliberately make themselves look enigmatic and speak cryptically as a way of personal branding. That Taoist robe, that horsetail whisk, and that unnecessarily long beard that makes you feel like one’s pubes grew on the chin. Human minds are extremely fallible and, as stupid as it sounds, such behaviour does create an illusion of competency, and that’s just human. Such antics work great for people who can’t think critically or haven’t found their footing in life yet.
This is just a personal principle of mine. I feel that astrologers and practitioners should be normal, functioning people for a very simple reason. People often go to astrologers for so-called advice, but the advice can only be as good as how well the astrologer or practitioner has been living. An astrologer or practitioner can be in any of the four categories, mind you, and I’m sure you know where you wish to take your advice from. I don’t think I need to give examples here because it is common sense. You won’t take financial advice from a bankrupt, and I highly doubt you’ll take dating or marriage advice from a virgin.
Understanding a chart theoretically and intellectually will eventually stop being an obstacle because you just need to read and memorise, and apps make it so easy to plot a chart these days. The difficult part about being a practitioner is knowing how an astrological chart takes shape, how it feels, and what situations arise.
An astrologer or practitioner can be in any of the four categories, and I’m sure you know where you wish to take your advice from.
I enjoy meeting new people because the more people I meet, good or bad, the better practitioner I become. Although everyone should know I keep bad people at a distance, and I learn from them by not being them, I focus on living, living well and living effectively so that I get to experience what life has to offer. My experiences translate into better readings because I can draw from them.
Why is it that a millionaire can have an astrological chart deemed poor, and why is someone who is middle-income deemed wealthy? Why am I always so damn sure that a couple’s charts would paint the same story? I would have never had these insights if I hadn’t made it a point to live normally and talk to different people.
Taking Charge Of Your Own Spirituality
Again, whatever I’m about to say are my opinions and views I formed over the years. I do not need people to think like I do, nor do I want people to think I’m some sort of guide. I have zero intentions of that. What brings me more joy is knowing my views help people to start thinking for themselves, and it’s never about convincing someone to take on my beliefs and views.
Most of us usually turn to an adult, someone we trust, or an established religious figure to guide us on matters related to spirituality. In that process, we unintentionally lose our autonomy, but not that it’s a bad thing per se because entrusting these figures to guide us and losing a bit of autonomy is a normal part of the process and expected. That’s just how a mentor-mentee relationship works and why a relationship like this is sacred and requires a lot of trust. That said, a mentor-mentee relationship risks being detrimental if everything is one-sided, and I’d like to believe this applies to spiritual matters too. There is no Yin to one’s Yang anymore, and it goes off balance and risks becoming a one-sided, manipulative relationship.
The real pity, though, is losing our ability to think critically, and I don’t think this aspect of the human mind is something you need to lose simply because of faith or belief in a higher power. If change is the only constant, everything is impermanent, and religion is a social construct, then someday, whatever we used to believe in will probably change, too. If I have to live in a world where people think homosexuality is a sin and people it warrants capital punishment, then please don’t let me reincarnate because humanity is pathetic.
I’m not here to discuss what should change or what shouldn’t. Such changes are generational, and it requires the older generation to be six feet under sometimes before change can come. What I wish to say, though, is that I have never allowed anyone to decide for me what I should believe in or how to interpret religion and spirituality and how to apply it. I am the “F*** Your Mother” practitioner, and the funny thing is, I dare say telling people to f*** their parents has brought more peace to people than Asian dogmatic values have.
Having a community embarking on the same spiritual journey as you has its benefits, but it also has its downsides. I’m not discouraging it, of course. I’m just saying it’s good that you think for yourself. Imagine if I had no mind of my own and simply followed whatever was comfortable or convenient – I would never be the practitioner I am today. I would probably be like the morons out there practising BaZi and Feng Shui who still think inanimate objects have some effect on your life because of the spiritual hegemony (yes, Google this word, you TikTok doom-scroller).
I do not wish to be the kind of person who makes noise or argues for the sake of it. I, too, wish to get closer to the truth and find the rules and axioms of how to live a good, fulfilling life that is as free from suffering as possible. Going with whatever is louder and more popular and giving in to hegemony is completely not my style, and I think everyone should know that about me by now.
Do I need to stop drinking alcohol, be vegan, swear less, or always invoke the name of a religious figure all the time to be more spiritual or be deemed a better human being? I never once thought so. I also don’t understand why spirituality needs to involve religion or, more recently, the supernatural all the time.
Perhaps let me put it this way. If you wish to rely on someone for guidance on anything spiritual or religious, by all means, go ahead. That’s your life and your choice. What I am advocating against is giving your full autonomy to someone else to the point you lose yourself and your ability to think and that the relationship you have with the spiritual, be it through another person or yourself, becomes unhealthy. It is a huge pity to think your connection to the divine must be through someone else, especially when it comes to some new-age twat who can’t find hold on to their jobs for more than two weeks. Sure, some people are qualified to get you closer to how you wish to interpret or experience the divine, but most people aren’t. I never expected someone from the cult I wrote about to approach me for a reading, and as much as I hate to say it, weaker charts fall for such things.
The human consciousness is already a miracle, so why can’t the act of existing be a spiritual experience or phenomenon in itself? It’s just that, perhaps, some people’s spirits are more defiled than others, and the ego is mistaken for spirituality.
Why can’t we be deemed innately spiritual because we exist and have a consciousness? The fact that astrology works, whether you believe it or not, already hints that we are connected to the cosmos and the ethereal more than we think, and it doesn’t care whether you believe in it or not. I really don’t understand why spirituality needs to be something deemed esoteric and linked to the supernatural, the occult, or whatever all the time. Art can be spiritual; music can be spiritual; even food can be spiritual.
Life itself is a spiritual experience you can thoroughly enjoy or abhor depending on how you choose to live. I am sick and tired of incompetent, mentally ill people who can’t do anything constructive in their lives acting in a presumptuous position to define what it means to be spiritual for others and for society. Cults form because people don’t see what’s wrong with this.
There is no need to be pretentious about it by uploading videos of yourself crying or getting emotional over the injustices of the world, trying to virtue-signal all the time. I’ve also said many times that compassion is not about feeling intense emotions and crying all the time but an aspiration to alleviate suffering. I’d rather people do something constructive. Your crying and intense emotions do jacks*** other than draw unnecessary attention to your face that no one needs to see.
If you really are that spiritual, by virtue of that, I’m sure you believe in karma or some greater power that is keeping score. If that’s the case, you only need to worry about this greater power seeing it – you don’t need to do it for show, and you don’t need to virtue-signal. We all used to have that one friend who loves declaring he or she wants to help people, but you know they just want that validation, attention, and admiration. The best part? They did nothing right with their lives and can’t even hold on to a proper job.
Life itself is a spiritual experience you can thoroughly enjoy or abhor depending on how you choose to live. I am sick and tired of incompetent, mentally ill people who can’t do anything constructive in their lives acting in a presumptuous position to define what it means to be spiritual for others and for society.
The sick irony is that the worst people I’ve met in my life are always claiming to be spiritual, religious, or wanting to help people. Sometimes, in fact, most of the time – you’re already helping others by helping yourself instead of being an insufferable, narcissistic burden.
I’ve never allowed anyone to define what is spiritual or divine for me. For what it’s worth, Blackpink is divine to me, and they brought me more joy than my days sitting in the SJI chapel, thinking why my life sucked so much.
Embracing A Bit Of Determinism & Congruence
I’ve been asked this question of whether I believe in “free will or determinism” many times because I am an astrologer, and astrology deals with fate and fortune. I can tell you I do not have an answer. Free will and determinism itself present a paradox. The paradox arises when one tries to reconcile these two concepts. If determinism is true, then it seems that free will cannot exist because our actions are predetermined by prior causes, leaving no room for genuine choice. If free will exists, then determinism must be false, as individuals would be able to make choices independent of external influences – which we know doesn’t make sense.
Free Will vs Determinism
This topic has been debated for centuries, and there is still no answer. I am not seeking an answer because it does not change how I live, and I worry that the fixation on this makes us forget to live or ask ourselves how we should live. Suppose it’s all predetermined; will you use it as an excuse to stay a Category 4 piece of garbage? Suppose it’s free will; will you then do something about it? I believe in free will, but I also believe in determinism, and perhaps this struggle between free will and determinism makes life the adventure that it is, allowing us to find some meaning in our sometimes insufferable existence.
Free will vs determinism makes an interesting dinner-table conversation (my kind of conversation, at least), but the practical application of this is, in my opinion, to know it doesn’t matter. What I do believe, though, is cause-and-effect supersedes free will and determinism, and if you can control the “cause”, the effect will be different.
If you haven’t read this article I mentioned a while ago, do so. It provides a pretty interesting perspective: Recognise that free will is an illusion and reap the emotional benefits.
Determinism scares people and sends them into an existential crisis – I get that. But the fundamental issue is that no one can prove it, and astrology can only give us a glimpse of what determinism can feel like. Astrological charts can point out significant events, but their exact form will always elude us because if we are able to tell exactly how it shows up, we won’t know learn the lessons.
Is Saturn going to wreck you? Or is Saturn going to help you get an upgrade? Within that predetermined path, perhaps, lies a bit of free will. How you deal with your Saturn Return is going to determine your trajectory once you turn 30, and no one knows how you are going to deal with your Saturn Return. Perhaps free will vs determinism is that Yin Yang duality that gives rise to reality and that they can’t exist without each other. I’m not trying to be a lazy intellectual, but perhaps within determinism lies some free will, and within free will lies some determinism. We get the best – and worst – of both.
I’ve spent much of my career telling people that charts can be transcended, and a part of me will always say people can, although this is only reserved for the wisest of sage-like minds. But at the same time, there are also parts that you cannot transcend. I’ve said it time and again, but transcending your chart doesn’t mean you get to do whatever you want or achieve whatever you want. If it works that way, I would be travelling the world with the goddess Lisa Manobal by now.
There are some harsh truths to accept in this debate because the determinism part of the argument encompasses the family we are born into, our innate talents or lack thereof, and our character. In the eyes of astrology, these things are what you’re born with, and it does have a huge impact on the trajectory of your life. I know it feels unfair at times, but that is life, and you can only play the cards you are dealt the best you can. Whining, blaming, and victimizing won’t get you anywhere.
Let’s be real here. Most of us don’t even have the basic will to lose weight, stop doom-scrolling TikTok, and make our own bed. There’s really no need to worry about free will when you’re still getting your mother to do your laundry.
Congruency
This is the one thing that should fascinate any layperson, and we don’t need to be physicists studying Superstring theory or quantum entanglement to appreciate this.
I’ve always tried to demonstrate this in my case studies, bringing together different forms of astrology and also Feng Shui. If our world is truly governed by a set of laws and axioms, they will not contradict, and they will always paint the same picture. It is also logical and commonsensical.
However, for the longest time, the media has made simpletons believe that if you have a bad life or challenging chart, you can somehow make up for it by either getting a house with good Feng Shui or marrying someone with a good BaZi chart. You need to understand that it doesn’t work that way. The cause-and-effect chain of things and your life, for that matter, can’t be altered so easily based on a whim. If you’ve been living like a useless degenerate with major character flaws, you’re not going to be able to find a Category 1 spouse just because you suddenly feel like it.
Everyone you meet in your lifetime is but a series of cause-and-effect chain of events, and what kind of people you meet depends on what kind of person you are. Your chart is simply a reflection of cause-and-effect.
It’s really as simple as that.
A Good Life Is A Life With Common Sense
Let us not discuss grand schemes, the meaning of life, or anything too deeply philosophical. Let’s discuss common sense. Would you not agree that, sometimes, a good life is really just about common sense?
Some people whinge to me about being unable to save enough when the solution is simply to earn more. How do you earn more? You learn new skills, grow, add value, and don’t expect people to pay you more without working for it. Does that not sound like common sense? Some people ask me how one finds love. Love yourself first, heal from any wounds you have and do it properly. Do not end up being a spiritual narcissist in the process, and recognise you may be the problem, too. Be genuinely interested in getting to know others and their story, and see the beauty in connecting with another human being. Does that not sound like common sense?
Let me give you a relatable example: I sometimes feel like slapping the living daylights out of someone because they are so bloody stupid. These are my emotions, and being the good Buddhist I am, I respect that these emotions have arisen in me. But my rationality tells me that if I really do slap them, I’d end up in jail and on the news. I acknowledge that I have my dark sides because I really hate stupid people, but I am rational and smart enough to know not to engage them, and I believe the common sense thing to do here is to find the middle path and walk away simply.
Some people will ask, “How do I know what is common sense, then?” Unfortunately, no one can teach you that, although I feel it can be developed as long as you’re able to calm your mind down, think, and find some balance between your emotions and rationality. Of course, I understand some things require more than just common sense. Falling in love is scary, and it requires us to confront our wounds, but I guess the point is to be aware of this and then choose to do something about it.
I don’t know how many people feel this way. Human emotions are beautiful, and I embrace them. Like I said, I embrace both the good and the bad. I don’t suppress them, but neither do I intensify them. Swinging from positive emotions to a negative one and back to a positive one, is sometimes just the beauty of being. Of course, I’m not saying you should be mentally unstable. I’m just saying that as a Buddhist and someone who studies Yin and Yang, I’ve learned to embrace my emotions, be comfortable with them, and rise above them.
I’ve said this in one of my blog posts before: I will never disallow myself to feel a certain way, but I will always make it a point to understand why I’m feeling the way I’m feeling.
I have no solution to develop common sense, although the axiom of balance might apply here. You would agree that the person who is 100% emotional would be insufferable and incapable of making good decisions, and the person who is 100% rational would cease to be a human being. I don’t know about you, but I am always trying to find a good balance between the two, and it is my way of living effectively. I know life and situations are not so binary where we can simply pick between logic and emotions, and even if it is binary, the infinite iterations of binaries give birth to incredibly complex situations and decisions we need to make. For example, how do you know whether divorce is good for you and the children? That’s something no one can answer for you, and you’ll have to find an answer you can live with.
In my ten years as a practitioner, I observed that “Common sense is not so common” is indeed true. I don’t blame people for not being able to make a decision when things get complex, but in spite of that, some things need not be asked, such as, “Do I need to work hard to be rich?”
My Wrathful Path Against Category 4 Chart-Holders
It’s funny because it’s as though my reputation as a practitioner was built on my abhorration of Category 4, bad BaZi chart-holders, and because of that, people think I am unempathetic, arrogant, and elitist. The funny thing is that the people who are offended are Category 4 chart-holders themselves because it hits a raw nerve, but they’ve never once bothered to spend a minute thinking about whether their actions and existence have brought more happiness or suffering to others.
I grew up as the kind of Buddhist who felt I needed to be kind and compassionate to everyone, only to grow up to realise that Mahayana was not my style. I do better by defending people against those who aren’t kind and compassionate, and I really don’t see anything wrong with that. My pilgrimage trip to Bhutan during my birthday last year made me remember that the wrathful path of practising Buddhism exists, and I’ve committed myself to this path, knowing the risks involved.
The things I’m about to discuss below see me treading on thin ice. These are very sensitive topics, and I’ve always wanted to discuss them in more detail, and I shall try. I request that people don’t twist or misconstrue what I say. I know life can be tough and unfair – you really don’t need to remind me of these things. But please remember I don’t whine about my past and use it as an excuse for my shortcomings, and because of that, I have a better marriage and life than most. I’m also a practitioner, and I know what life can be like, but it is what it is.
Are Category 1 & 2 Chart-Holders Elitist?
I ask myself this quite a bit, although I’ve already formed a conclusion from a long time ago. If you know me well enough, you should know what this conclusion is. I’m framing it differently this time so that people can appreciate what I wrote about in the past. From the perspective of astrology, it would be a huge mistake to think being Category 1 or 2 means to be elite, although let’s talk about elitism for a bit because this notion of Cat. 1 and Cat. 2 is about being elite is what people seem to believe.
There are some slight variations to the definition of elitist:
- Relating to or supporting the view that a society or system should be led by an elite.
- One who is biased in favour of those with high status
- Befitting or characteristic of those who are inclined to social exclusiveness and who rebuff the advances of people considered inferior
I think it should be clear to everyone that the day I spoke about Category 1 chart-holders vs Category 4 chart-holders is when I officially made it clear that we are not born equal. Our rights are definitely equal, and they should be, but I don’t think we are as individuals. I don’t know what kind of reality you live in – but we are not. I think people need to know the difference here. Do you really want to be deemed equal as someone who sexually assaults minors?
I don’t mind being ruled by the elite because, whereas I may know a thing or two about governance, I simply don’t have the ambition or mood to want anything to do with such matters. Imagine all the Category 4 people you need to take care of. It is an honour I can do without. Imagine the world to be ruled or led by Category 4 imbeciles. We would probably make ourselves extinct within two decades.
But like all things, there is a flip side. I acknowledge that merely allowing the elite to rule and have control is not the perfect system because we don’t take into account their character and moral compass, which is hard to measure. Singapore had a taste of what that meant last year as it was the most disgraceful period for Singapore politics since the country’s founding. If I ever had a choice, I would rather have Plato’s definition of an ideal society where a Philosopher King rules. I guess the modern-day parliament plays the collective role of the Philosopher King these days.
You will be surprised to know that Democracy was never seen as the best government system by the ancients. I’m. not saying that I agree with this, but it is definitely an interesting thought, and I would encourage you to read up on why this is so. To people in the past, the ideal society is one where everyone knows their place in society and fulfils their duties diligently. You don’t try to do things you’re not born to do or meant to do, and you would agree with me that most of us once got into trouble because we did something we weren’t supposed to.
Before I digress too much, I need to be clear that this one post is not enough to discuss what is the best form of government; that’s not the point of this post.
Do I Wish To Be Elite?
If you ask me, “Sean, do you wish to be elite?” I will proudly declare to you that I do. Because I wish to be good at what I do, leave an impact on society, enjoy life a little, see the world, and not waste this precious life of mine whining. Have I done anything, sacrificed anything, shed blood and tears to grow closer to being an elite? I have. I wish to be elite because I want to be a highly functioning being and be rewarded for my contributions, and if I choose to do something, I wish to be the best at it. Is that wrong?
But still, that doesn’t mean I have to be an elite to be considered a Category 1 or 2.
I’ve always wondered why people don’t try to differentiate between being elite and elitism, and I’m referring to the bad kind of elitism. Suppose someone is a high-functioning individual who has worked his or her way up the corporate and socioeconomic ladder and has become what we deem elite. If he or she creates jobs and one day decides to be a politician, is that a bad thing?
I think people fail to realise that someone’s willingness to grow, improve, and do well in life doesn’t impose on someone who doesn’t. For example, my existence doesn’t stop anyone from becoming a practitioner, although people may choose me over another practitioner. Is it my fault for wanting to do a good job so that my clients and people who trust me benefit and that people come to me instead of someone else who can’t do an equally good job?
Wanting to become an elite also does not deny anyone else’s opportunity to progress. The elite doesn’t actually have special privileges where they pay less taxes or have resources handed to them that others don’t. However, this is often overlooked because it seems that the elite has access to more resources – and they do, but by virtue of what they’ve worked for. That said, the elite are taxed more, and resources are allocated to those less privileged to receive help. Responsible governments will also remove any system barriers that impede social mobility which gives everyone a chance to work for the life they want.
Trust me, I know life can be unfair, but lamenting about what is fair or what isn’t won’t change anything. You, as the grown-ass adult you are, should understand this. What’s more important is to remember no one is stopping you from growing or progressing, and no one can stop you from choosing to be content and happy. You are sometimes your own biggest hurdle, and Category 4 chart-holders are, unfortunately, the embodiment of this.
I have nothing against the elite as long as they are not exploitative, and I personally feel that the existence of elites has its merits because Heavens forbid our policies and future are determined by Category 4 imbeciles who think the world owes them something. I think you just need to look at some of the opposition parties members in Singapore to know what I’m talking about. Please also remember that such things are relative – I may be elite to some people but non-elite to the truly elite at the top 1%, living in good-class bungalows.
I don’t care where I end up on the spectrum. Some people consider me to be an elite only because I’ve found something I am good at, enjoy doing, and can make a living with. But can we all take a step back and see what’s truly important here? To be considered an elite for the sake of it? Or to find fulfilment in what we’re doing?
On Privilege
Now, I can already see the counterargument coming, which is that some people are more privileged. I know “privilege” is often seen as a dirty word, and I completely get where people are coming from. I remember there was a time when it felt as though it was wrong to be privileged, and people would often speak up against it or invalidate someone’s achievements because of privilege. Privilege felt like a weapon for others to use against others who have what they don’t.
Why are some people born privileged, and why some aren’t? The easy way to end the debate is to say, “It is what it is.” And it really is what it is.
What do you suppose society should do then to ‘solve’ this issue of some people having privilege whereas others don’t? Should all newborns be taken away from their parents, thrown into the slums, and everyone starts life exactly the same as in a Spartan-like RPG game and engage in battle royale after as we level up according to how well we play the game of life?
You don’t need astrology to teach you this. Life itself will teach you that there are certain things in life that you simply can’t control. It is not your call, and you have no choice but to deal with it and play the hand you’re dealt with. Yes, some people have privilege, and we should respect that some people are actually doing good with their lives with that privilege. Needless to say, we should also honour those who have done good for society even though they weren’t born privileged, and you would agree that they are even more worthy of honour and respect.
A lot of the comforts we have now are made possible by both privileged and unprivileged people, and I guess what’s important is to focus on what they did and how they got there instead of focusing on what no one has control over.
Now, I completely agree that a privileged person who squanders and abuses their position ought to be chastised and punished, but privilege in itself, or the privilege of others, is not the cause of your sufferings sometimes.
Let’s put it this way, and I will be brutal: It’s no one’s fault that you were born, so why don’t you just STFU and focus on living a good life, and stop making so much noise for once?
The above discussion was discussed long ago in my blog post introducing the four categories. Why do Category 2 and Category 4 chart-holders, who have equally challenging starts to life, end up so different? Yes, what separates them is their Elemental Phases, or 运， and what people don’t understand is what “运” is because your Chinese standards are atrocious.
Suppose you are so woke, wise, and logical about life and reality: Instead of invalidating the achievements of others who have put in more effort than you, why don’t you direct the vitriol to the right place and blame your parents for everything then? They were the direct cause for your lack of privilege, aren’t they? If you want to be a social justice warrior, then be fair. Go blame your parents – don’t blame other people. They didn’t shit you out into this world.
Again, my point is this: We can sit around and whinge all day, or we can focus on living well and effectively, taking responsibility, and growing to our fullest potential.
You Don’t Have To Be An Elite To Be Category 1 Or 2; Elites Can Be Category 4
Now, for the crux of this section.
Whatever I say here is nothing new, and I will say it again, but a Category 1 chart-holder doesn’t mean they need to be a doctor, banker, or lawyer. I think we forget just how many messed up people there are who hold your so-called prestigious jobs. You can be a chicken rice seller and still be a Category 1 – because who said a good life is determined solely by money and status? I am not trying to be tone-deaf here, and I know handling one’s finances can be stressful, but I come from a position where we will never be happy until we know why we are working and earning money. If you’ve found your purpose and you feel like you’re creating value for society, by all means, get out there and earn as much as you can, and be happy.
“The astrologer’s purpose is not fortune telling or entertainment; it’s to show people how to live effectively.”
“The astrologer’s purpose is not fortune telling or entertainment; it’s to show people how to live effectively.” This has always been my favourite quote because there is no better way of describing our role. I can assure you that if you can live effectively, you will definitely be happy – and what’s more important than being happy?
Believe me when I say this, but I have met many rich and powerful people who aren’t happy. I can’t share their stories so openly because of who they are, which makes it even sadder because these people sometimes don’t even have someone to turn to because they don’t know if the people around them are with them because of who they are or what they are. What is the point of being so rich and holding such a powerful title when, well, no one loves you, or you don’t have good health? Do we really need to get cancer before we finally decide to shift our perspectives and seek some balance in life?
If you have a purpose, find fulfilment in what you’re doing, and lead a balanced life, you will definitely be Category 1. As for money, don’t worry. It will come. As a practitioner and from all the cases I’ve seen, I can assure you it will come.
Privileged or not, elitist or not, the Category 4 chart-holder squanders, defiles, abuses, exploits, and whatnot. They bring suffering to not just themselves but also the people around them. As for why someone can be like that, I really do not know, and I guess it’s a good thing I don’t because it is a state of consciousness akin to being in Hell – and I don’t want to experience that.
If you are someone with a purpose, and you find fulfilment in what you’re doing, and you lead a balanced life – you will definitely be Category 1.
If you are a normal human being who isn’t afraid to voice your own thoughts once in a while, you probably detest Category 4 chart-holders as much as I do – just that it’s inconvenient for you to voice it out because you’re in a corporate setting, and being too vocal only gets you a coffee session with the most useless and inhumane department in the world known as “Human Resources” where people who don’t know what to do with their lives go (you can take a joke, HR, because you are a joke). I am in one of those industries where Category 4 people love approaching, but fortunately, I am able to voice these issues out.
I’ve never seen a Category 4 chart-holder happy, successful, or capable of making good decisions. They lead imbalanced lives and are completely dysfunctional, which eventually leads them onto the path of unhappiness and suffering. Getting a reading will not change the fact that they are Cat. 4 – it usually feels more like a slap in the face because these people lack the self-awareness to know they are actually Cat. 4. There have even been cases where Cat. 4 chart-holders call me a Cat. 4, which was interesting (and amusing).
A very good example of typical Cat. 4 behaviour and mentality would be this, and every Singaporean should have caught wind of the news by now:
The level of self-entitlement, slothfulness, toxicity, and victim mentality is so baffling and nauseating that you question how much people survived for so long. What makes it even scarier is that other Cat. 4 people defend Cat 4s, and this is why there will always be societal rifts between those doing well and those not doing well because that is just the Yin and Yang nature of things. Those not doing well demand empathy, but they don’t realise those doing well want empathy too, but in the form of recognising they worked for the lives they have. This tension is why society is the way it is and the “Comments” section on social media is the way it is.
Have I met people like Ms Coconut? I definitely have. I recently found out that Mr Coconut’s owner is a friend of a friend, meaning he should be around my age. The incident should have been his Saturn-square-Saturn event that 37/38-year-olds go through, and this lesson will probably bring his company to greater heights and make him more careful of who he hires.
If you are the sort of person who makes the people around you go, “I do not wish to be like you,” you are definitely a Cat. 4. Are Cat. 4 chart-holders happy? I can assure you that in my ten years of being a practitioner, I have not seen one who is.
Why do we meet these pieces of garbage, degenerates, and useless low-lives? Because they remind us we truly, truly can be better. They are cosmic fertilisers. They rot, decay, and disappear so that we can grow. To me, no other explanation makes sense. If you are garbage and filth, and I have to tolerate your existence – you rot so that I can grow, and I will have it no other way. I wish I had an answer to why such cosmic garbage exists, and my thoughts in the above blog post are the only ones I can think of. I won’t use the word “hate”, but the wrath I have towards Category 4s reminds me that I will never want to be like them, and I will always protect my friends and loved ones from them.
Offended? Only if you are Category 4. You piece of garbage.
Believe In Your Own Mind & Spirit – I Am No One’s Coach Or Guru
At the end of the day, I do not need people to say, “Sean, I agree with you.” I’m not here to start a cult, and I don’t need followers to believe in everything I say. Those aren’t my intentions. Believe it or not, I’m an introvert, and I love my alone time. The last thing I want is for stupid people who are vanilla and boring AF to bug me all the time for simple things that can be solved with some brain activity and common sense. Observing the physics of watching paint dry is a lot more fun than talking to some people.
I said it before, I said it above, and I will say it again. Thinking about these topics and looking at them from multiple angles is important. You might not reach a conclusion, which is fine because the process is sometimes good enough, especially when we live in a world where there are no absolutes. But for Heaven’s sake, please THINK.
I’m getting to the age where I’m really too tired and too old to care what you think and wish to believe in. If you feel Feng Shui items work, by all means, continue to believe in them, especially given that you’re the weak-willed sort who can’t accomplish anything in life. I pray that you can come up with a better argument for what they work instead of “everything has energy and vibration”. A dildo also has energy and even more vibration – so please shove it up yours for good luck.
There is no greater power and no more effective way to transcend your chart and have a better life than believing in your own mind and spirit. But mind you. I am not saying you charge forward like a tedious, egotistical imbecile, thinking you can achieve anything you want just because you have intense emotions.
But please, believe in your own mind and spirit first, no matter what.
The journey continues. I will soon be a father, and I look forward to how this career of mine develops and takes shape after I become a parent. There is so much more to share – theory on astrology, astronomy, history, philosophies, and stories. I wish I had more time to write, but we’ll have to wait until another day.
After so many years of shitting on others… It’s finally time to get, literally, shat on.
– Sean
