I’d like to open up the post by mentioning what a client-turned-somewhat friend said in jest to me recently. This client-turned-friend said, “You seem to like to offend everyone.”
That’s technically not true because it’s not something I like per se and “everyone” feels a tad unfair. It’s just something that happens because I’m blunt and I like injecting some crude humour into my conversations with friends sometimes. Most of the time, though, it’s attributed to the fact that I’m not shy about dressing down someone if I feel they need it.
The truth is that the truth hurts. Can’t help it.
With that spirit in mind, let’s open up this post by offending some people. Human Resources is the most hated department in every company. Did you chuckle? If you did, great because we all know it’s true. Just kidding. Then again, maybe I’m not. Then again, maybe I am. It really depends on your current mood when you’re reading this ain’t it?
I honestly don’t know how this notion came about but ask anyone in the corporate world about that statement and you’ll get a really funny response. Perhaps to put it in a balanced, fair manner: It’s not that the HR industry is a dumping ground and that there’s something wrong with people who chose HR as a career path. It’s just that we’ve all had some unpleasant brush with HR at some point in our lives and they tend to make the best common enemy in an organization and nothing binds people together like a common enemy. It’s disappointing to know that they will do whatever it takes to protect the company but not you, even when the fault is on the company. It’s understandable why HR has to be like that and it is what it is. We are just a “resource” in human form.
Trust me, I definitely had many unpleasant brushes with HR. Some of the stories were rather epic but I’d rather not share them on my blog for now.
Anyway, this post is more of an interesting case study than a reflective or philosophical post you’d usually expect. I also felt it’s a good chance to let people know how I’m like when I’m with clients I’m close to or clients who are more like friends now. This is a story of how my client-turned-friend got lowballed by HR and how they got their reputation. Thankfully, by the will of the Heavens, there’s a happy ending and my client managed to come out on top with the help of Qi Men Dun Jia wielded by an offensive practitioner.
Here’s the story.
How The Story Unfolded: A New Job Opportunity
I have this really lovely client who has been consulting with me since 2018. She was presented with a new job opportunity and she needed an emergency Qi Men Dun Jia divination to decide whether she should take up the job and even paid extra to jump the queue:
It was a much bigger role in a much larger company and she was basically afraid that taking on the role would be the wrong move because she wasn’t prepared for it. Instead of handling just a local portfolio, she’ll be covering 9 countries.
My client is a close follower of my blog and the notion of not all job opportunities or promotions are worth taking has always been on her mind. If I recall correctly, she did pass on another role a few years back because it didn’t feel right. It’s a topic I talk about once in a while because some career moves may seem good on the surface but may turn out otherwise for a variety of reasons. She also remembers from her consultations that 2022 is not meant to be an easy year for her which was why she’s cautious and thought of me when this opportunity was presented to her.
Qi Men Dun Jia Comes Into The Picture
Long story short, my client basically passed the interview for the regional marketing role and the offer was on the table. All that was left to do was to sign the contract. For some cosmically unknown reasons, HR came back with a lower salary package than agreed:
I asked my client if she still needed me to do the Qi Men Dun Jia forecasting/divination for her because if she has decided to forgo this ‘opportunity’, she doesn’t need to waste the money on the reading. She opted to continue in order to see what the Qi Men Dun Jia chart will say and this was the chart that came up:
As this is a question that revolved around career, these would be some of the key symbols we’re looking at:
- First and foremost, my lovely client is represented by 乙 Wood which is at the bottom-right sector of 乾 Metal.
- The job opportunity would be represented by 开门 which is in the top-middle sector of 离 Fire. 开门 has a 空亡 there which symbolises a position that is vacant.
The above two are the key focus areas of the chart and we would then need to look at what Qi Men Dun Jia structures appear and some of the hidden inner works of the chart. One mistake I made with the Amber Heard vs Johnny Depp trial was that I forgot about the seasonal effects in Qi Men Dun Jia, so I’ve been actively reminding myself that that will change some of the conclusions drawn.
Given the information that was already presented and that HR lowballed here, here are the signs that stood out:
- The first thing that stands out is that 乙 Wood is in the lower-right sector of 乾 because that is its Tomb (墓) position. Just from this, we can immediately tell that she’s being put in a spot and disadvantageous position because being in the Tomb position is basically being in a low-energy, stuck state.
- Although 开门 is in a Fire sector (离) and she is in a Metal sector (乾) which is supposed to mean she does not get the job under normal circumstances, we need to take note that these two positions share an Early & Later Heaven Trigram relationship. The job is technically hers already because the offer was being made, which is probably why the Qi Men Dun Jia chart reflected this.
- Two interesting signs also stood out and that is the position of 戊 Earth and 壬 Water because both of these Stems are in their 击刑 positions. You might be wondering what’s the significance of these two symbols.
- 戊 Earth appears with 值符。I interpret this as the company not deploying its resources properly because 值符 is involved here, so there are some signs of the company mishandling the situation.
- 壬 Water is the Hour Stem here which we can take into account when assessing a situation, so it being in its 击刑 position clearly symbolizes that any movement, or action, is not going to be favourable. You’ll see that 壬 sits on 癸 Water and 癸 Water appears with 开门， so there’s a link to the situation at hand.
There are several other interesting symbols and signs to point out but I’ll put a pause here.
I told her that if she needed more reassurance, she can go to a temple to cast a divination lot (签) and see what it says. I told her I’m very confident it will say the same thing.
The events that proceeded to unfold got interesting.
What Happened Next Was Unexpected
My advice to my client is that if she feels that the package is unfair, she should definitely say “no” and maintain stability in her life now because 2022 was not meant to be an easy year for her in the first place. Taking up a new, bigger role and feeling imbalanced about the compensation is not going to do her any good. The Qi Men Dun Jia chart above is clearly unfavourable for her, so saying “no” felt like the right tactical move.
She really did end up rejecting the role and it’s not often you hear people passing on an opportunity that has a higher title which allows you to cover way more markets.
So I was supposed to do a write-up for the initial Qi Men Dun Jia chart I did for my client and got in touch with her a few weeks later. She had some updates:
To cut the story short: After my client rejected the initial offer, the hiring manager called her back and found out that HR, for some reason, decided to offer a lower pay package than agreed upon. As for why HR decided to do something like that, no one and not even the hiring manager knows but one thing we know for sure is why HR is (usually) the most hated department in any company. Perhaps the HR personnel is the kind who wears a pi xiu bracelet thinking it’ll make him/her smarter and cutting costs by screwing someone over is the way to boost her KPIs.
I did a couple more Qi Men Dun Jia divinations for my client because the situation changed and it came with some interesting results. I’ll just dump them here for my own reference if I ever want to look back at this case study:
The first chart was generated before her meeting with the hiring manager and the second one was after the meeting and knowing that they are willing to bump up her pay. I won’t go into the technicals in the interest of keeping the post light.
There are some positive signs this time but the general theme is that she will be very stretched. She’s not fully ready for the role which the Qi Men Dun Jia chart does point out. Her BaZi chart hints at the same and she’s aware of this as well. The big question is that in spite of all this, should she take the job?
For the heck of it, I did a Yi Jing divination for her as well when I usually just use Yi Jing for my own purposes. The signs were interesting:
Just because you see a lot of “凶” there does not necessarily mean it’s a bad thing and that it’s a straight “no” for taking up the job. The journey and how things unfold will be tough but it doesn’t mean you won’t end up somewhere good. We still need to look at the individual lines of the hexagram, especially the changing line of the hexagram which in this case is line 1. Line 1 or all the three hexagrams above a very positive and it has a theme of being prepared and persistent.
Here Comes The Funny Bit: Temple Visits & Rain
I’ve been telling my dear client to head to a temple since 31st May but she only ended up heading there on 23rd June. This part is really fascinating and it always points back to this belief of synchronicity and that things are meant to happen when they’re meant to happen. One thing most people don’t appreciate or realize is doing divinations is considered a fated event, which is why it only seems to work when you are sincere because it is that sincerity that is a precursor to any fated event if you get what I mean. If something doesn’t matter to you, it’s not part of the grand plan.
My client had attempted to head to the tempted three times but it rained so she basically didn’t bother. Insincere AF, I know. When the time came that she had to make the final decision on whether to sign the contract or not, the temple beckoned, but alas, it freaking rained again and she almost gave up on going. By Heaven’s will and virtue of my expletives, she finally decided to embrace the elements and brave the rain. Casting divination lots aren’t allowed yet because of Covid measures but the temple attendant was very kind to let her do it secretly because saying “no” to someone in need in front of the Goddess of Mercy would make one a very, very bad boy.
Pardon the expletives and I’m not going to bother to censor it this time. That’s how I’m like outside of work and when I’m close to someone so if you are suddenly able to see my profile pic on WhatsApp and I start cussing in my chats, know that I see you as a friend. Again, if you just met me, please do not “bro” me.
So the cool thing is that my client drew the 91st lot from the temple and it actually paints a very close parallel, if not, an exact picture of what’s going on for her career situation. This was after I did the Yi Jing divination for her if you’re paying attention to the timeline in the screenshots.
The 91st divination lot from the temple basically goes:
好展愁眉出众来
前途改变喜多财
一条大路如天阔
凡有施财尽畅怀
– Guanyin Divination lot 91
To put it in layman’s terms, it basically means that if my client is able to live up to the challenge, there are going to be ample opportunities and abundance ahead. It paints an extremely similar picture to the Yi Jing divination. It’s a bit harder to tie it back to Qi Men Dun Jia as it doesn’t usually decipher situations metaphorically or tell you what is the lesson to be learned although the Qi Men Dun Jia chart does make it clear that it’s a good opportunity because of the state of 开门 in the chart.
So now, after a span of a month or so of going back and forth with the hiring company and a very vulgar practitioner, my client has taken up the role and a new challenge awaits her. A new path has opened up for her and it’s likely the path that will lead her into her best 10-year phase that’s on the horizon. Whether everything that has transpired is considered fated or altered by Chinese metaphysics, honestly, no one will know.
If I were to tie this back to her BaZi chart, this post would be even more interesting but I won’t post it here for now. Basically, her golden age will start to slowly kick in once 2026 is here but there will be some difficult years first and I’m referring to the Wood part of the 12-year zodiac cycle we are going through right now. The next few years will definitely be tiring and stretch her but it’s a required phase for her before the golden age kicks in. Good phases precede bad ones and vice versa. This is the endless cycle of Yin & Yang. This is the reason why I’ve always argued that you need to see every year and 10-year phase and interconnected and how one phase leads to another.
It’s all a cycle at the end of the day and those who survive the tough years required to forge one’s character will be the ones who end up on top. I’ve blogged about this many times.
Some Key Takeaways
One theme that my readers will notice in my blog and my practice of Chinese metaphysics is that whatever is meant to happen, will happen. Whatever is meant to happen is basically the 「在天成象，在地成形」 process and how reality unfolds. One thing people keep forgetting is that there is an order to things and that “essence” leads to “form” which I tied my best to explain in my blog post about the concept of ‘qu xiang‘ (取象). Essence, or things and notions with intrinsic existence, will have physical manifestations on Earth. Physical manifestations do not get to decide what the laws of the universe are and to believe in this is to get the order of things wrong.
I don’t believe in tricks, magic feng shui items, or hacks because it comes from a place whereby we assume we get to determine what nature’s laws are and we get to influence them using stupid little tricks like a jade mountain or feng shui tree. It is as ridiculous as me saying that the most auspicious event that will happen to you this year is that I take a hot steaming dump at your front door because I get to attribute meaning however I want. Fertilizer brings life and bringing life is auspicious, no?
My point is: Heavens decides what something is supposed to mean – not us. We can only try our best to interpret it correctly.
Case studies like the above really fascinate me because it really, really feels like there’s something out there watching us and guiding us. You start to appreciate how events are linked and why some things are meant to happen.
I hope everyone enjoyed the case study above and the glimpse of what I’m like when I’m with friends and clients close to me.
Now for the serious part.
I’d like to take this chance to reiterate that my job as a practitioner is of a messenger. I am doing my very best to be good at what I do so that people do not get harmed or misled in the process and that I deserve the fees I am charging. The conveying of the message, unfortunately for some, needs to pass through a medium known as a blunt a****** called “Sean”, so sometimes, some special snowflakes need to come with a bit of mental preparation.
One thing I wish to address quickly is this comment that I keep hearing, and it is that which is that “Sean is arrogant”. Trust me, I know how I am perceived. I believe I brought this up before but I can’t remember when but figured it’ll be a good time to reiterate some strong messages.
I know I said in my previous thanksgiving post that I want to focus on myself and not be distracted, but that doesn’t mean I stop talking about the difficult topics especially when I know they can be useful to some readers. Whatever I say next does not just apply to my life because I’m sure people who believe in living a good, dignified life would agree with me.
I’d like to get my Category 4 haters and newly-minted ‘practitioners’ who have something against me to clearly define what “arrogance” actually means. It’s also a good thought experiment for people who, fortunately, do not fall into this category and perhaps suffer from imposter syndrome. If I am the type who thinks I have nothing else to learn, infallible, or perfect, then yes, I am arrogant. But am I that sort of person? That’s for no one to judge other than Heavens and it is my conversation with the Heavens alone.
Do I feel that I am better than others in certain ways, or better at what I do in Chinese metaphysics? Of course, I feel that I am. But if being cognizant or confident that you are better at certain things than others means that you are arrogant, then by that logic I suppose being a decent person is to be a loser and degenerate – because the only way to not be arrogant is to be right at the bottom and not be good at anything. You would definitely be exonerated from this vice if you are bad at everything, or useless, then I guess good luck dealing with the vice of being a sloth.
The above is a notion that Category 4 chart-holders, and Category 4 ‘practitioners’ for that matter, will never understand to their own demise because the rest of the world cannot be better than them for some reason. So again, who and what exactly is “arrogance” when you live in a reality where others, somehow, cannot be better than you?
I absolutely love it when people are better than me in whatever I do because there’s something new to learn and there’s room to grow. That’s what makes life fun and rewarding. Some of us got to where we are because we got to learn from someone better than us. What I cannot stand, and I’m sure everyone feels the same, is people who aren’t good at what they do pretending that they are, lying about their experience and credentials, harming people along the way, and yet, have the audacity to call someone else arrogant. So again, exactly who is arrogant and what is “arrogance”?
Figure that out and perhaps no practitioner will ever have to tell you your BaZi chart is a low-quality one and why nature’s laws dictate that you’re born to be a failure.
At the end of the day, no one can judge us other than the Heavens. It is our conversation with whatever mysterious force is governing the universe. One can lie and present a farce to others but one cannot lie to the Heavens.
Like I said right at the beginning: The truth hurts. But what makes some people different from others is that they embrace it and make it a point to grow instead of whining that life’s unfair.
I am quite certain I am not the only one who thinks about these things or is accused of being arrogant. The dynamics between people who are doing well and those who aren’t are basically Yin and Yang at play. Yang represents those doing well and growing then Yin is the opposite. Both sides love to hate each other. When doing well is taken to the extreme, of course, arrogance follows and basic knowledge of Yin & Yang knowledge will tell you that Yang taken to an extreme will give birth to Yin, which is why pride comes before a fall. The same goes for the Yin side of things: Suffer enough and you’ll tell yourself this can’t continue and something has to be done and that’s when growth starts.
My point is this: For those who are doing well, it’s important to not get carried away because as I said, Yang taken to an extreme will lead to Yin forming. For those not doing well, hating the opposite, which is referring to Yang and the people who are doing better than you are not going to get you anywhere as well. There’s something to learn from both sides. In layman’s terms, it’s actually extremely cliche, which is that those doing well should remind themselves to be humble and be kind to those who are less fortunate, and those not doing so well need to be reminded that, sometimes, it’s their responsibility to do what is required to get out of the rut they are in.
Whatever I say here is no different from what I’ve been saying all along, which is to seek balance. Life is a constant balancing act that I, personally, am terrified of messing up.
I’ve been really depressed at one point in my life and I’ve also been really arrogant at some other point. Now, I just want to be neither. There’s no word I can think of to describe a balanced human being other than the word “balance” itself. I know it sounds boring, but the fun part of it comes from how we express this form of balance. It doesn’t mean we cannot be ourselves.
I’ve said this before, but if I were really this arrogant bastard my haters think I am, you can be assured Heavens will punish me accordingly. I will not have the life, nor the wife, nor the friends I have now.
My so-called flair in writing and my bluntness will remain and I am unapologetically the way I am, just like how no one should be ashamed of who they are unless, of course, you’re a destructive force in people’s lives.
Anyway, to end off, these laws that I study do help me make a bit more sense of the world although it doesn’t explain everything. I always wished these laws can help me make sense of things like why a government can decide what women should do with their bodies, or why some people feel it’s alright to invade another country, but those are really beyond me and I have no metaphysical way of making sense of it. Perhaps in time, I will.
But I guess the most important takeaway from this post is this:
Human Resources is arguably the most hated department in any company. Sue me.
Oh shut up… Were you expecting some thought-provoking, inspirational way of ending this blog post? Not in the mood and not today! I’m nice enough to add the word “arguably”… *Wink wink*
– Sean
P.S. In case I need to point it out, I’m saying what I said was a joke, not that HR is a joke. But you’re free to interpret it however you wish according to your reality. 😉
