Many ‘gurus’ today package ancient arts like Qi Men Dun Jia into ‘Manifestation’ courses, charging tens of thousands for what is essentially a ‘feel-good’ seminar. This article exposes the mechanics of these high-ticket funnels, explains why ‘bypassing karma’ is impossible, and teaches you how to identify legitimate metaphysics practitioners.

Recently, I witnessed a ‘Qimen Manifestation’ retreat happening in my hotel. Attendees had paid upwards of $30,000 for promises of ‘alignment’ and ‘miracles.’ As a seasoned practitioner, I need to be blunt: This is not real Chinese Metaphysics. This post explains why ‘manifesting’ without understanding your chart is a psychological trap, and why these ‘Celestial Retreats’ are often just expensive marketing funnels.

Wow, the planets must be warped or making love for me to write three blog posts within two weeks. Oh yes, Mercury Retrograde. My favourite period (pun is accidental) and cosmic PMS – PMS not as in premenstrual syndrome, but Planetary Misalignment Stress. Saturn has always gone direct and f***ing the hell off from Pisces, so yes, I feel invigorated.

Hello again, everybody. 2025 is coming to an end, and what has everyone achieved? I know – not much, especially when you’re in HR, or life coaching using Qi Men Dun Jia perhaps.

For those who follow my Instagram closely, y’all know that I just came back from a short family trip in Chiang Mai. I was feeling myself getting burned out and really needed to get away, and boy, it was a much-needed trip and arguably the best week of the year for me. This isn’t the only trip I’ve had this year, actually. I didn’t announce to everyone that I was overseas because it’s not something people needed to know.

The time I had with my wife and son was absolutely priceless. I’ve never seen my son so cute and engaged with not just his surroundings but also with us. The memories will stay with me forever. We visited many temples and markets and even went to the zoo, where we got to feed capybaras. We had the whole aquarium to ourselves, which made it incredibly immersive, and the fish looked way cooler than the ones we have in Singapore because they’re clearly bigger and older. Every day was the perfect excursion because there was something new to do and explore.

Seeing my son grow is the biggest joy in my wife’s and my life right now, and it always will be, and I can’t wait to pass down what I know to him and see him make good use of it to achieve great things.

Before I get to the crux of the post, I hope everyone will make it a point to take some time off and be with their loved ones – and yes, travel. Travel to see how big the world is, how small we are, and how lucky some of us are. The money you earn is only meaningful because you get to create such memories. If you don’t get to travel, please stop working so hard and spend time with loved ones.

I had a really great holiday. But of course, fate being fate, threw me one of the best cosmic jokes I’ve experienced in my entire career. I still laugh when I think about it because how can this not be fate?

My trip was fulfilling in more ways than one. I went there expecting it to be purely a family thing, but I got so much more from it, and you’ll find out why soon as you go through this post.

A Qimen Manifestation ‘Celestial Retreat’ Was Happening Right Downstairs

Of all places and of all timings, one of those “Qimen Manifestation” or “Qimen Alignment” experts held his retreat in the same hotel I was staying in, and he was even staying on the same floor, just a few rooms away. I don’t have to name names here. If you know, you know. There are only a couple who keep shoving this hotshit known as Qimen Manifestation in everyone’s faces.

I was halfway through my trip and was about to depart for my morning activity when the lift door opened, and I immediately recognised the person who walked out. Our eyes met briefly. This was the first encounter. I wonder if he thought to himself, “Is he gonna blog about this?” You bet your Qimen Manifestation a** I would, and you don’t even have to manifest it yourself.

The second encounter was when I was walking back to my room as he was exiting his. I focused my gaze on him, but he didn’t dare meet my eyes and kept his head down as he passed me, which made me curious about his body language because I did catch him exiting his room again from behind one day, and he walked with his head perfectly high.

The final encounter was on the day I was checking out, and he entered the lift with someone else who was busy gossiping about another practitioner from Malaysia.

Now, I know some people might be thinking, “Sean, you’re so f**ing shameless and presumptuous. He might not even know who you are.” That’s absolutely perfect and even better – because whatever I am about to write, in that case, should not bother him a single bit, because nothing brings me more peace than being irrelevant to other ‘practitioners’. I only want Lisa Manobal to know me if that isn’t obvious enough by now.

I know most of my readers can’t relate, but can you imagine how someone like me would have felt knowing that some of the very things I have very strong opinions about are happening right downstairs, with a fellow ‘practitioner’ sleeping less than 50m away?

Apparently, some people at this retreat recognised me, and I actually spoke to one of them. He wasn’t a participant per se, just someone who wanted to tap into the attendee pool for whatever reason, as he has an interest in Chinese metaphysics and is apparently running a related website. Accordingly to this tag-along person, he and I crossed paths many years ago virtually, but I didn’t recognise him because I couldn’t put a face to the name. We exchanged a few words, and I naturally asked a few blunt questions about the expert and what’s going on in the ballroom, to which I chuckled at the response, “He’s not teaching anything new”.

The whole encounter was very surreal because what the hell are the chances, and it’s not like I kept tabs on other practitioners and knew where they were going or which hotel they were gonna hold their event at. Even Guanyinma approved of the trip, and surely, she took this into account. Even if I had known, I would have made plans to avoid them to avoid the risk of ruining my trip. I think people should know by now that I am busy with work, fatherhood, family, and friends. At this stage in my life, that is all I care about. I couldn’t care less about what other practitioners are doing unless they pick a fight, or a client that comes to me has clearly been taken advantage of.

But dang, this story is too good not to write about.

Now, before anyone thinks this is going to be another practitioner-bashing post, it’s not. I’d like to think I’ve grown past that, and I will try to keep things as balanced and objective as I can. Most of the things related to other practitioners in this post were shared with me more than a year ago, and I have spoken about nothing until now because I think the stars have aligned and the time is right.

I am past the practitioner-bashing stage in my career because love and warmth have filled those parts that used to have the time and emotional capacity to throw a few punches at someone. Even if I do practitioner-bash again, please be assured that it is either for self-defence, or because something really, really needs to be called out upon, like when a practitioner thinks pasting pink paper on an oven is a Feng Shui cure, or climbing on someone’s table is required for a Feng Shui audit and then goes on to have the audacity to call me a “self-studied amateur” in the comments section when she got jealous that she wasn’t the one who got featured on media. Just so you know, yes, the person who committed the above two acts of mental illness is the same person, and until I get an apology or that she’s out of the industry, she will always be the butt of my jokes.

Yes, perhaps I have finally grown up, although, trust that I’ll still speak my mind when asked or provoked. I still enjoy being cheeky, though, because life’s too short to be a boring person.

To be absolutely fair to the practitioner I bumped into in Chiang Mai, he has done nothing to me, and a small part of me does think he’s a nice, earnest guy, albeit having a bit of an overeager and trying too hard vibe, which some of my followers who attended his sessions agree with. I am happy that he overcame some of his own hardships that I can relate to, and that Chinese metaphysics was a guiding light for him. I cannot invalidate his starting point because mine was the same – life was shit, and I wanted to find out why. Whatever I say here is not targeting him specifically, but rather the industry as a whole and my views on it. Expect a bit of flair, though.

There are some things, though, that I have opinions about and disagree with. What I am going to bash is this whole “manifestation” and “alignment” movement, which is a really shallow buzzword that is misleading and serves no purpose.

Whatever I say in the remainder of this post is not targeted at this particular practitioner, though there will be a few bits that relate to him. Just see this post as sharing some aggregated data and surveys, some insights, and some musings.

The Hellish Practitioner Stories That I’ve Been Getting Recently

Now, before I begin, I want to say that some of the stories I’ve been getting recently deserve a blog post rather than a mere IG story that vanishes after 24 hours. All these stories have culminated to the point that, yes, I need to take a shit on my blog and unload.

There are a few, and let me start with the first one.

The Made Practitioner Who Loves Forecasting Death

First and foremost, it is extremely taboo and unethical for a practitioner to forecast someone’s year and time of death. Even if a practitioner is good enough to see it in the charts, it must not be said. But you don’t have to worry about this because most practitioners don’t have this ability.

Unfortunately, I had a similar encounter a few years ago, which I briefly mentioned. In late 2022, I met someone who had been dabbling in astrology, and she was arguably jealous of my career and what I had in my life. She went on to act like a good person and warned that my wife would perish. Even though I have technical knowledge that this isn’t going to happen, it still sent me into a panic. This was the 2023 story I briefly mentioned, and the encounter with this Cat. 4 low-life, who is probably going to suffer for the rest of her life, is the reason I got started in Western astrology, because I know I can do better.

The client above basically came to me for a second opinion, and if you read her questions in the form, you can understand why she was sent into a meltdown, because which parent would want to hear that their children will perish in a car accident or fire?

I took a look at the ‘report’ she got, and it was basically all computer-generated garbage. To have the gall to forecast death and yet no technicals were explained is something that deserves burning in Hell for.

A practitioner’s job definitely includes giving caution, but it is definitely not to induce unnecessary panic or meltdowns, especially when you’re not even good enough to analyse a chart.

It seems like this ‘practitioner’ runs the same routine on most people, but what perplexes me a bit is that there was no item or ritual upsell after. So, for whatever reason, this person likes to induce fear in others – I really don’t know. It’s a very weird behaviour which seems like creating havoc for the fun of it.

The 70-Year-Old Practitioner Who Probably Has A Divine Pen*s

This is probably one of the best and most outrageous ones I’ve heard in a while.

You know, sometimes you see a news article about some soothsayer or fortune-teller who ends up violating their client. This is starting to feel like one of them, although thank f*** I didn’t hear, “Oh, they slept together,” because I know how this 40-year-old lady and this 70-year-old practitioner look like now and I don’t want that image in my head.

I don’t think I need to say much here because such stories are honestly nothing new. Someone claims he’s chosen by the Heavens and has special powers, but goes on to do everything unconstructive and twisted with these so-called claims.

The Rest

There are a lot more stories that people may or may not know about. There’s no need for people to know, because the industry is small and esoteric, and it’s mostly just gossip and lunchtime banter for some.

For example, if you remember what Sunshine Empire is, it is a Ponzi scheme dressed up as an MLM company, and its head, James Phang. Do you know that James Phang’s brother is a practitioner running a rather well-known Feng Shui company here?

I have no comments about the practitioner and the company. The only thing I want to know is whether Captain Pak Jiao above can see in 5-dimensions.

Of course, when a practitioner has his wife send a templated BaZi report to everyone, or buys fake social media followers to appear more legitimate, I have to call it out (see the blog post above). This practitioner has been MIA for a while, but I’ve been told he’s making a quiet comeback. He drives a Lamborghini, by the way.

The A**hole, ‘Arrogant’ Practitioner

This will be none other than yours truly – me. I definitely deserved to be bashed in some ways, too.

I want people to believe me when I say this, and I am not being coy, but I won’t call myself a “nice” person. I will just call myself a person and a Yin side and a Yang side, and I have said many times, I embrace both the light and the dark side of myself. The dark side of myself is the part that dares to write what I write, knowing it will offend others – but for what purpose?

I get called arrogant a lot for many reasons. I unapologetically tell dysfunctional Cat. 4s to f*** off. I write blog posts that seem to make me look like I’m on some moral high ground.

I can understand the criticism of my curtness towards Cat. 4s, although it is wrong to have some morals and standards, though?

Arrogance is “having or revealing an exaggerated sense of one’s own importance or abilities.” Trust me, I remind myself of the definition of arrogance and the limits of my abilities. I get things wrong all the time, and I will never be afraid to admit it.

I can be very, very cocky, though, especially in situations when I know I can call out BS and get away with being completely unhinged in my criticism. There’s a difference!

I think at the end of the day, all I want to say is that practitioners come in all forms. Pick whoever you like, but know you can’t get everything, and sometimes, you get nothing.

Now, I really want to get to the crux of the post. What I wrote above ain’t it at all.

I Find The Whole Qi Men Dun Jia Manifestation Movement An Absolute S**tshow

I really, really want to talk about the hottest shit in Chinese metaphysics and the entire spiritual realm right now – which is “alignment” and “manifestation”.

Can someone, for the love of all things spiritual, please tell me what it is? What is this fabulous thing that instils more hope than the 3rd coming of Buddha and the 2nd coming of Jesus? Tell me, before I get my first ‘coming’ of the day.

I asked A.I. what the definition of “alignment” is, and here’s what I got: “Alignment is the state of being in harmony between your inner self and your external life, where your actions, thoughts, and desires are consistent with your deepest purpose and values.”

Fine, I dig it. It sounds cool. But then again, that’s just common sense too, right?

No one told you to stay in the job you don’t like or in the toxic marriage. You are the one clinging. The word “alignment” also suggests that something has to be put in a correct relative position, hence the word “align”, right? So what exactly are you aligning with? What is the relative position here? Your subpar Cat. 4 chart that you refuse to accept that you have?

Also, don’t you agree that how we act externally is already a reflection of who we are inside? There is nothing to ‘align’ because nothing is misaligned in the first place – you acted the way you are because you are who you are. This whole alignment nonsense feels like something made up to give people less accountability for their actions and karma. I hate to use myself as an example, but do I blame the thing I went through on being misaligned? No, I was young and childish, and ignorant, and it was going through pain and setbacks that I realised this and decided to change.

Isn’t alignment simply just growing up, maturing, and being f***ing accountable for your own suffering for once? Are people that ignorant to get that? Alas, may I invoke my favourite quote in Chinese metaphysics, 「天才與白痴亦天生注定」。

As for manifestation: “Manifestation in the spiritual realm is a broad concept, but at its core, it refers to the process of bringing an idea, desire, or intention from the non-physical (spiritual or energetic) realm into the tangible, observable reality. It’s fundamentally connected to the idea that everything in the universe is made of energy, including our thoughts and feelings.”

Sounds pretty cool too. Positive psychology for the win.

You know, the most stupid thing about Qimen Manifestation is that when the people who believe in it defend themselves by saying that it’s not just about thinking, but also about action and tuning in to cosmic frequencies because the cosmos flows through you. It’s a lot of spiritual fluff that sounds nice but doesn’t do much other than create an aura of mystery and the idea that there is really some great secret to success and happiness.

The irony is this: If they were the sort of people who knew what action to take in the first place, they wouldn’t be in the situation where they need to attend such spiritual retreats to comfort themselves. Yes, you participated in a Qimen class, and the information can be helpful, but please remember you’re still working from a base. When you have a weak character, as reflected by your weak BaZi chart, learning Qimen or not is not going to make a difference.

You know, this whole manifestation thing has been around for the longest time because I’m sure you’ve seen this book a long time, and it was the hottest shit everyone’s wanking off to since I was in JC.

The “law of attraction” is basically making a comeback with a vengeance, and “manifestation” is the buzzword not just for the esoteric industry, but for Gen Zs too, apparently. I’ve read the book a long time ago when I was 17 or 18, and believe it or not, I did practice it as though it was really a thing.

Now, I am all for positive thinking, but as a practitioner who is all about Yin and Yang, I need to mention that anything taken to extremes will backfire. If you are Chinese and you don’t know what 「 物极必反 」 means, then do everyone a favour and reincarnate in Switzerland in your next life.

The Psychological Trap Of Manifestation

Let’s not even bring up the philosophical or metaphysical counterargument I mentioned above; just use some common sense and science. Please just go on to Google anything about the problems with the manifestation mindset, and this is what you’ll get:

I would urge everyone to read up on the dark side and pitfalls of this whole “manifestation” movement. There are a lot of articles out there. Even if you do believe in manifestation, it’s only wise that you read up on both sides and the Yin and Yang of it.

So what happens when you put all your positivity and emotions into one thing and fail? What next? Is someone just going to tell you, “Oh! You didn’t manifest hard enough! You don’t want it bad enough, and you’re not aligned enough!” Or perhaps pay more to join the inner circle where true Qi Men Dun Jia secrets are revealed?

If I were to explain it through the lens of astrology, if manifestation was simply about feels and actions, and taking things to the extreme: If you’ve ever met someone with four or even five planets in a sign like Pisces or Cancer – depending on the House placements, you might think that they are the embodiment of compassion or love, but I can tell you they are some of the biggest tedious imbeciles you can ever meet. If you ever met someone with an Aries-heavy chart, they are some of the most passionate idiots you can find.

Too much of something, somewhere, is never a good thing – even when it’s positive thinking or manifestation, whatever you wish to call it.

Dear Cat. 4 s, Qimen Manifestation Won’t Allow You To Live Like A Cat. 1

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Astrology, in any form, is not a wish-granting tool. It is not a shortcut to fixing your problems and fulfilling your desires – and it never will be.

Suppose you are an uneducated and cognitively impaired Cat. 4 who attended some Qimen course, and you know the basic applications – it doesn’t mean you will live like someone with a top-tier BaZi chart. You’re just going to be a less burdensome Cat. 4 f**ktard. I’m sorry to inform you that the limits set by your BaZi will constrain you, and this is something you must accept. That doesn’t mean I am advocating fatalism and that you shouldn’t try to achieve your goals, but everyone and everything has limits.

You might think that attending an emotionally charged Qimen Manifestation seminar is enough to let you live the life of your dreams, but I am here to remind you that accepting your limits in itself is also a form of wisdom, because please look at what happens when you’re given what you’re not even ready for.

You want love? You want marriage? Can you actually handle it? It’s an absolute “no” for some people. You want to do business and earn money? Can you actually handle it? It’s also a “no” for most people. People often fail to realise that they’re not actually ready for some of the things they want in life. Mere positive thinking, in the form of “manifesting,” isn’t going to cut it because if “manifesting” is all that’s required to grow up and mature, that’s a bit too easy and naive.

Read a bloody book and maybe lose some weight, so being such a bore and a chore. That works infinitely better than “manifestation”. Harsh, but true.

The irony of it all, though, is that Cat. 4s, who actually can’t think for themselves (they can’t think at all, actually), are the best cash cows for such events.

I think people need to appreciate when I say that when a Cat. 1 BaZi chart-holder tries to manifest, and when a Cat. 4 tries to manifest, the results can be very different.

At the end of the day, it’s not about how good you are at manifesting. It’s who you are at the core and your personal cause-and-effect. 30+ years of wasting your life away, and you suddenly dream of a blissful life in your 40s? Just how naive are you?

The Same Playbook & The Standards Out There Are Atrocious

I know how I sound and how it makes me look when I say such things, but I really want to reiterate again that the standards are atrocious, which I attribute to the wrong starting point and intent, and also for the really pathetic notion that a lot of CHINESE (I SHOUT “CHINESE”) Metaphysics practitioners can’t even read Chinese properly.

Even if you can read Chinese, you would expect one of the longest-standing companies to at least not simply read from a piece of paper and actually analyse a chart in-depth. Don’t get me started on practitioners who don’t even know what Follower Charts (从格) are and went on to deduce that my client would be divorced and have a horrid life – but he’s a c-suite professional.

The playbook for new practitioners is always the same. Most don’t wish to go through the grind and actually stand for something. Someone will suddenly appear, claim to have learned from top practitioners, and eventually become a practitioner themselves. They will then engage a marketing agency (and the same one even), gather people in a hall, upsell, and scale. Do you remember the days when YouTube always showed you an ad where someone with a really f***ing annoying face goes, “Give me 15 seconds of your time, and I will change your life.” It’s the same for Chinese metaphysics, basically. It’s always about the sale because if you don’t, you go hungry, or perhaps not get the Lambo you want, which one of the practitioners drives.

Now, there are even things like “Learn BaZi in 1 Day” and other nonsense, but yet, I have not once seen them do a proper reading or case study. Then we have people who sell templated reports, and tell you what your lucky element is and call that a reading while they go off to livestream and peddle items.

You know, it’s been 12+ years since I started doing this, and even I didn’t put focus on teaching until recently, but people I know who took a few classes and have been in the industry for less than a year are coming out to teach.

There are actually other controversial coaches out there who my followers brought to my attention, but I am not in a position to comment because I’m not a coach. But if a coach wants to package what they do using Chinese metaphysics, then yes, I will say something.

Please remember that my industry is unregulated, and unless there is a clear criminal breach of trust or an offence against the government, it’s just a “willing-buyer vs willing-seller” scenario.

A lot of the Qi Men Dun Jia theories and buzzwords you see going around are also made-up to feel more palatable, which I get, but the truth is it doesn’t do jacks***. For example, I have no idea why the 9 Deities in Qi Men Dun Jia are being used to slot people into archetypes. Qi Men Dun Jia is a divination tool and should not be used to assess someone’s character or personality in depth, and it is pointless to slot people into 9 archetypes because, surely, the human psyche is more complicated than that.

Where I Suspect Qimen Manifestation Originated From

There is a Branch of Qimen Dunjia called 「法奇门」 (Fǎ Qímén), and it is the esoteric, ritual-based branch of Qimen Dunjia (奇门遁甲)。 What practitioners like myself do is called 「理奇门」 or 「数奇门」， which focuses on theoretical analysis and strategic calculations. 法奇门 involves the use of rituals, incantations, talismans, mantras, hand seals, and mystical practices to influence energy, summon spiritual forces, and alter outcomes. Its origins are deeply intertwined with Chinese metaphysics, Taoist occult traditions, and folk religion.

Qimen Manifestation, in my opinion, is basically a modern-day, bastardised version of 「法奇门」。 Also, 「法奇门」is a Taoist art, and you are venturing into the occult, basically.

First of all, let me be absolutely clear here and say that people who generally attend such Qimen celestial retreats, if I may say so, are lost, weak-willed losers mostly. To think they are capable of doing anything Taoist ritual related is a joke.

Secondly, what these Qimen celestial retreats teach is nowhere close to what the original 「法奇门」is like. It is a lost art, and even if it isn’t, you should only expect actual Taoist priests to be able to teach you something like that, not people who had a history of failed businesses and then suddenly appear as some spiritual manifestation guru.

Qimen Manifestation is trying a bit too hard to be 「法奇门」，which may not even be a real thing other than being a cultural–spiritual heritage reflecting ancient Chinese cosmology and psychospiritual technology. Even if it is a thing, it is considered a hidden art, requiring initiation and ethical discipline which the trainer on stage and the participants are absolutely not qualified to do.

I mean, look at the marketing material produced after. People in the ballroom are doing awkward dances, silly group games, and singing. What a joke.

Qi Men Dun Jia & Electional Astrology

Now, everything I’m writing here isn’t meant to say that Qi Men Dun Jia doesn’t work. Of course, it does.

Qi Men Dun Jia is a divination technique, and most people can relate to this by seeing it as something similar to going to the temple and getting a 签。 You ask a question, and you get a response – just that Qi Men Dun Jia shows it to you in the form of a chart instead of a stick. The Western version of this is called “horary astrology”.

Choosing a good time to execute important events is also a valid technique, and we call that “electional astrology”, something which Qi Men Dun Jia can also do. The charts are usually consulted only when the event is really significant, and quite frankly, events that are arguably already written in your chart, but you want the event to unfold smoothly.

Suppose you are this dumb AF, incompetent Cat. 4 who has a crush on someone handsome or beautiful and would really love to have this person as your life partner. Consulting the charts and choosing an auspicious time to confess isn’t going to make this person suddenly want to marry you. So, again, there will be constraints set by your BaZi chart.

There are also technicalities which no one bothers to ask, such as whether you should use 时家，月家， or 年家 Qimen. If my goal is years away, should I use 年家奇门 to ‘manifest’ then? No one bothers to ask such things. Alas, which can of Qimen plotting formula you use is irrelevant because, again, you don’t get to live like a Cat. 1 when you’re actually a Cat. 4 who knows Qi Men Dun Jia. A Cat. 1 who doesn’t even know what astrology is will always have a better life than you because their core, soul, and karma are already different. This is the thing people are not seeing.

It is incredibly naive to think that attending a Qimen Manifestation retreat equips you with enough knowledge and experience to use Qi Men Dun Jia effectively.

My purpose with this post is to keep everyone a bit grounded because what you’re about to read next is the reason why, if you’re a Cat. 4 imbecile trying to learn this from some watered-down course, you are going to step on a landmine.

This Is The Part Where I Hesitantly Step On This Qimen Manifestation Expert’s Toes

I’ve not paid attention to this particular ‘practitioner’ until this event because there was no need to, because I know it’s just another person who is employing the same playbook. I only know that someone else who did the same thing many years back faced karmic backlashes. I know what I write here will step on his toes and trigger him, and it might seem as though I am here to cause trouble or break his ricebowl. Before someone tries to throw the term “defamation” here: Justification, fair comment, and I dare say qualified privilege, because by vintage and experience, I am his senior. Thank you for bowing to me as you walked by. Perhaps I misread the body language. Nothing I say here is non-factual in any case.

I say this with absolutely no ego or malice; wrecking his ricebowl is not my intention, and I will never be able to. He will always have his target audience, I can assure you. The world is big enough.

What I write here is for my followers – not his. The only thing I will say is that I am a bit disappointed because I feel he could have done it better and in a more meaningful way, although he has to accept that coaching and Qimen don’t mix well.

Now, ironically, this comes from his own Facebook:

Someone actually showed this to me a long time ago, but as I said, I had no time to care. He shared a screenshot of a text from his coachee, I presume, and if I understand the text correctly, he was scammed and is now under a Debt Repayment Scheme (DRS). Whether or not the DRS was established before or after he or she got scammed, I don’t know. Imagine someone already struggling financially, spending another $20,000 to $30,000 on Qimen Manifestation coaching, only to delude him/herself that he or she have manifested an incredible investment opportunity.

The last text is what gets to me, and it is exactly what is wrong with the whole “manifesting” shebang. You can tell that the self-gaslighting and cognitive dissonance are at their finest because instead of admitting that naivete, incompetence, and greed were at play, there was some other spiritual explanation, when it is just a coping mechanism.

Is attracting financial abundance really that difficult, or does it always have to involve astrology? Because, as far as I’m concerned, you simply need to enjoy doing something and stop being so f***ing lazy and stupid sometimes.

The articles on Psychology Today very accurately pointed out the risks, and it is exactly what happened here. The irony is that this Qimen Manifestation expert shot himself in the foot by giving us the best example of why this whole “manifestation” mindset, if unchecked, can be dangerous, especially when the people who try to wield this knowledge don’t know what they’re doing and think transcending charts is simply about thinking, feeling, and then doing.

I have said time and again that transcending charts is also sometimes about letting go of what you’re not meant to have, and perhaps when you do, then Heaven will think you’re ready for what you’ve been longing for all this time.

I am surprised this was used as an example to showcase how ‘proficient’ he is at Qi Men Dun Jia because it seems to me that he doesn’t realise it communicated anything but that. Not a very intelligent individual, if I may say so. If he sees this and removes his Facebook post, it’ll be even funnier, but I’m sure he won’t now now that I’ve said it.

It is incredibly disappointing and disturbing that the very same Qi Men Manifestation expert is saying things like “How To Get Rich Fast Using Qi Men Dun Jia and Feng Shui” or claiming to experience miracles. This is not just misleading but also exploitative for reasons I don’t think I have to explain, and it is everything I have been against since the beginning of my career. You are paying this person $30,000, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that he has journeyed from debt to prosperity. The use of the word “miracle” qualifies anyone to call this an outright scam.

Now, before anyone thinks that, “Ah, Sean is jealous that he doesn’t get a huge crowd in a hall and probably doesn’t as much.” Let me just say a few things.

First and foremost, my family has taught me that how much I earn doesn’t mean much if they are not healthy and happy. If I have enough, I am content – and I do have enough. I do have some stretch goals, and I am very open with my friends that I really do want a bigger house. What for? For my family and children to run around in it, of course.

Secondly, gathering a bunch of people who can’t think for themselves, who I know are Cat. 4s, after having made them pay $20,000 to $30,000 to attend something I know will not change their lives, is not something to be proud of, or rather, something I would be proud of. I’ve spoken about autonomy many times, and the last thing I want is for people to submit their autonomy to me, thinking I have a magical pill for their problems.

Let me just summarise it in very, very simple terms, and I am saying this both as an astrologer and Buddhist: If Qimen Manifestation retreats like this only make you grow more attached to your desires and give you the false hope that you actually deserve them, it is very, very dangerous.

Please peruse what’s below:

That text has been sent to me since last June, but I said nothing about it, so please believe me when I say my practitioner-bashing era is over and I have no interest in what other people are doing. My son just arrived in this world and was a few months old, and that was all I cared about. But alas, whatever happened in Chiang Mai and Mercury Retrograde was probably the reason why I think I have to say a few things – but just a few.

Firstly, I don’t feel Chinese metaphysics and astrology should be shoved down people’s throats, and my friends will know I’m not someone who gives unsolicited advice, and I will always ask for permission first. The salesy side of Chinese metaphysics is something I oppose because if someone doesn’t need astrology or Qi Men Dun Jia at this juncture of their life, they simply don’t need it. There is no need to try to inspire commitment and MASSIVE ACTION (as they always say in coaching) by making people pay $7,500 upfront, especially when this practitioner’s post clearly shows that some people are already financially struggling.

Secondly, a Yearly & Monthly Qimen Calendar is not with $2,997. Get a good app for $50, learn some Chinese, and everything is in there. You can call it ‘clever’ marketing or even misrepresentation if you will, but for goodness’ sake, a calendar is not worth $3,000.

I don’t wish to comment much beyond saying that this is the same playbook I see for ‘up-and-coming’ practitioners. Everyone can come to their own conclusions based on what others have shared with me. There is way, way more than what I’ve put here, but I won’t put up everything. Perhaps this is why this person didn’t dare to look me in the eye: I do feel it’s a bit predatory and opportunistic. My only hope is that this person didn’t misuse Qimen to see who he can close for $30,000, because that is a clear abuse of the art, and I guarantee you will have severe karmic repercussions. But as I said, a part of me would like to think he’s a good person and give him the benefit of the doubt, although I don’t like what I am hearing so far.

What I am very curious about, purely from a business operations perspective, is how he managed to get so many staff members to conduct the event. Perhaps it’s volunteers from previous retreats who are still under his coaching program, or perhaps it’s a partnership with another Chinese metaphysics company, which he initially learned from, and which I know is a valid model because of this post here.

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Basically, I had a client from 2016 who went to study Chinese metaphysics with a company, spent $100,000, ended up working for the company, and was told, I think, that he had to share, I think, 70% of what he earned if he were to use that company’s brand name.

Doesn’t matter.

Anyway, may I just say I have never seen my industry in such a big clusterf*** of a shitshow because, and to be fair to everyone, I’m going to bring in another practitioner now.

I did my part by covering the name, but if your branding is so strong that people instantly recognise the colour, that’s not my fault. But hey, free marketing for you. I’m sure some of you have seen advertisements of other practitioners calling “Qimen Manifestation” an outright scam. (OMG THE FORBIDDEN WORD “SCAM”!) And I guess with that comment, it imbued them with the right to charge an even higher amount, AND HAWT DAMN THERE ISN’T EVEN A TRIP TO CHIANG MAI INCLUDED! Come on, you can do better. At least a trip to Sentosa Universal Studios, please!

Again, no comments other than to say there’s a bit of hypocrisy, since they do have blog posts on Qimen Manifestation and ads on “alignment”, but just no inner circle (awwww!). Perhaps this fella is really that legendary because the Feng Shui items he sells are in the five figures. But then again, why not just apply Qi Men Dun Jia instead of calling Qi Men Manifestation a scam through Facebook advertisements, though? But holy f*** I am clearly missing out. Trying to bag $45,500 just like that does sound to me like you’re worried about a cashflow issue.

If someone felt that fees justify the value derived, I would be the first to charge that amount and even higher. That said, most people don’t need this sort of bespoke Qi Men Dun Jia service unless they are a businessperson with an empire to optimise and a lot of enemies to deal with. Even if someone like that were to appear, chances are they’d do well even without Qi Men Dun Jia and a divination once every few months is more than enough.

Just as a trivia: The client who sent me the pricing card above was the one featured here.

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Bro, if your boat sank every month, then yes, you probably need to pay someone $45,000 for Qimen divination every f***ing day and throw in an exorcism while you’re at it because you’re cursed AF. And if you’re reading this, that boat ride with my family and BBQ onboard will happen.

Anyway, the last post that will make your jaw drop, although I don’t know who this practitioner is:

What’s better than a phone wallpaper? It’s a phone wallpaper that brings you good luck for not nine, not ninety-nine, but NINE HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE DOLLARS!

Again, I want people to believe me when I say I have no ego involved in all this, because getting my ego involved in the above is silly, because look at how outrageous and moronic everything is. I am really just having a good time, laughing my a** off seeing one practitioner preach and advertise Qimen Manifestation while another practitioner calls it a scam, and seeing everyone panic about their overheads, sell merch, contradict themselves, and more.

Every Qi Men practitioner, whether they call it manifestation or strategic execution, has claimed that their clients have had breakthroughs. I honestly don’t see that happening.

Trust me, I have everyone’s birthdays, even their spouses. I have my ways of getting it, and it’s not just via someone’s Facebook. I can’t wait to wish my Chiang Mai buddy a happy 46th birthday on 24th November next year. His wife’s chart paints a similar picture. (Thanks for posting your birthday celebrations publicly, by the way.) If I wanted to be an a**, I could case study it and let everyone understand why I said some charts are meant to be practitioners, and most aren’t. I already know what I need to know, and I just need the patience to let a few years play out to see exactly how Heavens wants this to play out, but it feels like eternity already.

It’s really uncanny: this person is about to enter a new 10-Year Phase very soon, and I wonder if our fateful encounter has anything to do with it. Of course, that’s not to say I would have anything to do with his success or failures in his next 10-Year Phase.

I will say the fair and objective thing here that if people find whatever they bought or signed up for useful, I am no one to say it’s not. I can only pray that you know what you’re doing, having attended some watered-down courses mixed with ice baths, meditation, and yoga sessions. You know, meditation techniques such as Vipassana meditation are supposed to help you “see things as they are”, not delude you into thinking you’re some special star sprite in the universe.

Alas, I am entitled to my opinions, as with the rest of the practitioners.

As always, you do you.

Why Coaching And Chinese Metaphysics Don’t Mix Well

Now, I have long been asked by others why I don’t go into coaching or incorporate coaching into my consultations. I always tell my clients I’m not a coach or therapist – I am not trained in those. What I will do is have a very honest conversation with you through the lens of astrology, as a temporary friend, hoping you can see a different perspective. 点醒, they say in Chinese.

If you think hard enough and critically, I don’t think I have to explain why coaching and astrology don’t really mix well. If you want to excel in one and execute it to its fullest extent, it will get in the way of the other. This should be common sense.

I think it should be clear that I am a purist when it comes to what I do, which is why I cannot agree to mixing Chinese metaphysics and coaching, especially when I know all these Chinese metaphysics coaches can’t actually decipher a BaZi or Qi Men Dun Jia chart properly because most of their time is spent on marketing and organising events rather than actual practice. Similarly, I am sure many conventional coaches out there will not be too keen on mixing Chinese astrology into coaching, because why would they?

I would love to see a Cat. 4 chart-holder ‘Qimen manifest’ his or her way into a fulfilling marriage with a Cat. 1 chart-holder. That is simply not going to happen. If it does, come and rub it in my way, and I won’t be offended – I would be very happy for you because I would be honoured to be in the presence of a sage.

Again, my view is that you cannot do both things well at the same time and execute them to perfection, which is why such spiritual or celestial retreats to me will always be such a spiritual wanking session. Mixing Chinese metaphysics and coaching lets you get away with doing both sloppily while pretending you are doing some good for society.

Is your chart not good? Receiving coaching then. Isn’t the coaching working? It must be your chart’s problem. People actually get trapped in a mouse wheel and milked dry.

Let me give some very, very simple examples.

Internal Locus of Control vs External

Coaching shifts the client towards an internal locus of control, but astrology often compels you to believe that certain things are out of your control because, well, you’re simply not born with a certain kind of chart, karma, and life.

Qi Men Dun Jia doesn’t actually allow you to control your external reality. It describes the current environment and how it might change, with the hope that you will know which path is best to take. Now, you might say, “Then I’ll just wait for the environment to change, then!” Sure, and I agree. But again, please remember your environment will be bound by your BaZi natal chart, and whether you are born a high-functioning genius or an imbecile makes a difference.

Suppose someone’s chart tells me that he or she cannot be an entrepreneur, but this person happens to be a Cat. 4 dingus and wants me to coach him or her using the “Law of Attraction” or “Qimen Manifestation” to become a successful businessperson. What do you think happens here? It will not be different from flogging a dead horse, or perhaps an intellectually disabled horse in this case.

As a coach, I would think people will want me to tell them that anything is possible and achievable. But as an astrologer, I know that is not possible. What then?

Perhaps the solution is to start a small business and do a side gig, as I have told many people before. Then it just proves my point – I don’t need to coach you, and you don’t need to pay $30,000 to hear something like that. Just find the goddamn time and figure out how to create a website, and maybe be interested in something for once. But you’ll realise most people don’t even bother to do that, but would instead believe that some app they’ve been told to invest in is the next big thing, but got scammed instead.

You might not end up filthy rich, but at least you’d understand the joys of earning your own salary and enjoying the fruits of your labour. But no, most people don’t even take the first step.

Free Will vs. Determinism

This is an age-old debate that the best scientists and philosophers don’t have an answer to. Because there is no answer, coaching and astrology, in my opinion, do not go well together, as they are essentially the same debate: free will vs determinism, but in a practical form.

The Cat. 4 Who Shits On Everything

Let me just put things in a very concise, Sean-esque way. Everyone has seen the kind of stories I’ve put up and the kind of hopeless degenerates I deal with.

So tell me… Coach simi f***ing lanjiao? Try coaching some of the Cat 4. shittards I’ve met, and you’d wish you reincarnated sooner than they do.

If it’s not clear by now, I’ve resolved this dilemma a long time ago – and I will just focus on being an astrologer, and that’s it. If the stories I share and what I write move you in some ways, that is more than enough for me. Coach a Cat. 4? Fuggoff, please. Just go read a goddamn book because god knows when was the last time you even touched one. So again, coach my balls when self-improvement is not in you in the first place?

By the way, did you know $30,000 can afford you the best coaches in the world, and then even have A.I. versions of themselves now? Perhaps you could give those a try instead of something that’s not here, nor there, tries to be everything, but good at nothing. Why not just focus for once in your life?

How Qi Men Dun Jia Manifestation Is Packaged For Exploitation

I wouldn’t use the word “scam”, but there are definitely some elements of exploitation, in my opinion, based on everything that I’ve observed in the industry.

Everyone needs to know a few things:

1. Qi Men Duna Jia as a wish-granting, instant gratification tool: Qi Men Dun Jia should not be seen as a wish-granting tool. In fact, nothing in astrology is wish-granting. People love to conveniently think that “manifestation” is “cause-and-effect”, which is an oversimplification of what real cause-and-effect and karma are. Suddenly deciding to adopt positive thinking is all that it takes to override how undignified you’ve lived for the past 30 to 40 years, and now you’re finally finding a tool to comfort yourself. Again, I am strongly opposed to packaging Qi Men Dun Jia and Chinese metaphysics as a get-rich-quick scheme. It is going to harm many people.
2. ‘Commanding’ Deities: Humans are arguably the most defiled living beings on Earth and in the universe. It is not just arrogant, but also blasphemous to think that deities are something you can command and bend to your will.
3. Saying anything to close a sale while contradicting themselves: On one hand, some of these clowns say that Qi Men Dun Jia allows you to command deities so that you can tap into your superpowers. On the other hand, they then talk about alignment and going with the flow of the cosmos or whatever fluffy way they wish to put it. So it is about commanding the deities and the universe, or is it about alignment? The framework and philosophy are nonsensical because they contradict themselves in such a jarring way.
4. Psychological manipulation tactics: If you are one of those people who, unfortunately, find yourself where your ‘manifestation’ didn’t work, or worse, you invited a calamity like the scam victim above. What then? Are you going to be told you didn’t ‘manifest’ right, or that your vibration was too low?

The sales funnel for such Qimen Manifestation programmes is straightforward: a hook, the course itself, an upsell, and then a retainer. There will be a free webinar, during which they will sell an entry-level course, then upsell an inner circle or spiritual retreat, after which they will try to put you on a retainer as your coach.

All these said, if you really, really feel that Qimen Manifestation retreats and coaching help you even after hearing both sides of the story – then as always, you do you.

Contradictions Within The Qimen Manifestation Movement

There lies more contradictions within the whole Qimen Manifestation movement, and it’s surprising that people don’t see it – which may I just say the people who need such nonsensical retreats aren’t capable of critical thinking.

On one hand, Qimen Manifestation experts promise that Qimen Manifestation can change your life and help you get rich quickly, and on the other hand, they talk about alignment without properly defining what alignment really means or what the parameters are other than “alignment” being balanced between your internal self and external environment.

Then it leaves me to ask this question: “Are you supposed to command the universe or are you supposed to flow with it?” What is it exactly? On one hand, we have clowns saying that you can command some deity as though they’re your servant, while on the other, they tell you to align, without addressing the issues that the relative position and benchmark, which is your lack of a spine, character, and Cat. 4 subpair chart, is what you’re actually aligning to.

So suppose that this contradiction makes Qimen Manifestation and the alignment movement void, then what is it that really matters at the end of the day? I hope everyone gives this some thought and think about whether throwing about such buzzwords as though there’s some meaningful and secret before it matters.

Nothing Can Change Your Life But Yourself: The Tools Don’t Matter If The Wielder Is Crap

I really, really baulk when I hear things like “Transforming Life With Qimen” or “Winning Every Year With Qimen” and whatever, because they’re misleading, and such things are only said when you know someone wants to close a sale.

I know it sounds cliché, but only you can change your f***ing life. Qimen cannot do that because please take a close look at the wielder, and if you are not worthy of wielding it, forget it. The notion of wanting to ‘win’ every year is also incredibly toxic because some years are meant to be tough and deliberately so, and I would go as far as to say that suffering is needed and absolutely required for some people to wake up. Yes, you can frame difficult years positively, but please don’t overdo it and gaslight yourself, avoid the negative emotions, and the lessons involved. There is a reason why Saturn is Saturn and why everything in Chinese metaphysics has a Yin and a Yang.

Also, you do know that you don’t need Qimen or pay someone $30,000 to remind you to work hard, live right, and cut out toxic people, right?

I have said this countless times. Changing your life and transcending your chart is possible, but please know what’s required and what’s at stake, and that it is not something that can be achieved in days, weeks, months, or even years. Transcending your chart requires you to possess the mind and spirit of a sage. If it were about the emotional high, then you might as well say narcotics would be enough to change lives. Any legitimate practitioner or well-written Chinese book on Chinese metaphysics will tell you to change your life, simply change your heart. 心与念改了，命就改了。

Because if your heart and mind change, surely, how you act, think, speak, will change, and when cause-and-effect kicks in, you will notice life starts to get different. Perhaps this is the only kind of ‘manifestation’ you need to know, and the type of manifestation that you should have started with 30 years ago.

The real problem is not you not knowing Qimen or manifestation – it is you thinking you need to pay $30,000 for a Qimen Manifestation retreat when all you have to do is have the common sense of being a dignified human being with the ability to self-reflect. Bringing in Qimen is only for packaging, since it sells well. Sometimes, a reel of a live Qi Men reading pops up, and I indulge in it. I recall in one of these videos a lady asked when she would find love, and she basically got told, in a hall full of people, to read a book so she’d be more interesting to talk to, and to improve her appearance by 10%. Yes, people pay for such things, although I’m going to side with the practitioner this time and say that if someone is stupid enough to pay money just to hear this, then yeah, just take the money to tell them the obvious.

「了凡四训」is a book on changing fate, and it is free, but you chose to go spend $30,000 on some Qimen retreat, thinking it’s going to do something.

But yes, you do you.

Karma You Cannot Escape: The Story of Maha Moggallana – Buddha’s Chief Disciple

Can Qimen Manifestation all so conveniently help you transcend your chart and karma as though you have to answer for nothing? I want to use a Buddhist story of Maha Moggallana.

He was one of Buddha’s chief disciples and was known for his incredible supernatural abilities. He was brutally beaten to death by a group of bandits because he could not escape his past life karma of murdering his parents.

Perhaps this is all just a Buddhist fable to you. Perhaps it is not. Of course, murdering one’s parents is an extreme case of karmic repercussions, but my point is that if even Buddha’s closest disciples cannot escape his karma, what makes you think you can escape yours by simply attending some nonsensical celestial or spiritual retreat that dangles what to me is a false promise packaged by dumbing down an ancient art form?

Oh, wait, I forgot, most people who attend such events can’t think.

Buddha Discouraged Astrology

I’d also like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that Buddha did forbid astrology for monks and discouraged it amongst laypeople, as recorded in the Pali Canon, because it distracts people from the real causes of their happiness and suffering. That said, astrology did reintegrate into Buddhism later, especially in places like Tibet and Bhutan, which is why there’s even a University of Astrology in Bhutan, which I had the pleasure of visiting.

But my point is this: There is a reason why Buddha discouraged it because what he said still applies and is still happening today. Astrology, in all forms, can be a distraction and even a weapon for exploitation for some.

If you don’t know how to use it or don’t have the character for it, you shouldn’t touch it. Because what I can say is that I’ve seen tons of people trying to ‘use’ astrology but end up messing up their lives instead, with annual zodiac forecasts being the prime example of why people aren’t meant to touch astrology because they don’t understand it.

Throwback To Some Stories I’ve Shared

I’ve mentioned this somewhere in my blog before, and a few times in fact. I want people to know that I have gone through Large Group Awareness Trainings (LGATs), which use the same techniques that cults use to indoctrinate people, and I suffered a mental breakdown when my mind was torn between the emotional high and reality. You could even say that the leadership programme I attended is somewhat like a cult. That was 2007. I don’t want to say much because that was a long time ago, and the details don’t matter. But do me a favour: Google what LGATs are and Project MK Ultra, and you’ll know where my mind has been and why I am the way I am today.

I will always be open to opinions and new ideas, but I will not submit my autonomy to anyone.

Let me dump a few links here so that everyone can do their own research.

https://culteducation.com/group/828-asiaworks/2175-asiaworks-mass-marathon-and-large-group-awareness-training-comes-to-asias.html

https://culteducation.com/group/828-asiaworks/2175-asiaworks-mass-marathon-and-large-group-awareness-training-comes-to-asias.html

My point is: The human mind is extremely malleable, and if one has a weak sense of “self” and spirit, it’s easy to fall prey to just about anything. If you feel that changing your life is simply about an emotional high you get from some event, good luck. I’ve been there and tried that. If you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into, it is very, very dangerous.

So really, good luck.

My Conclusion On The Qimen Manifestation Shenanigan

I know I said a lot above, so let’s just put it in straightforward point form:

• I am definitely not against coaching. There are great coaches and manifestation experts like Anthony Robbins and Joe Dispenza whose work I’ve gone through before. It still feels a little ‘woo-woo’ sometimes, but it works for a lot of people, and I hope science can prove some of the things they say, such as Joe Dispenza’s “quantum field” and whatnot, which is basically the manifestation everyone loves. I do have to point out that the “Becoming No One”, according to Joe Dispenza, reminds me of Buddhism’s anatman, which is great because if you do things without ego, that’s when the real magic happens.
  
• The emotional high you experience is great. I have experienced it for myself too. But a mere emotional high won’t do anything in the long run. If an emotional high is all that is required, then people would just be taking drugs and using that high to do something. But no, you get addicted to that high and live in delusion that you can do something you’re not meant to do. Or worse, coming back down from that high sends you into depression or a state of panic. That emotional high will not last, and it is an illusion that distracts you from the real work, which, may I just say, you should have started doing long ago by yourself, without the need to spend $30,000 for someone to tell you.
  
• The community you get involved with in a spiritual retreat is no doubt great, and I have experienced it for myself in both proper, organised religion settings and cult-like settings. That said, please remember that when you get home from the retreat, reality hits, you’re on your own again, and there will come a point when you realise the people who went with you have their own shit to deal with and will not be there for you. If you need such a retreat, chances are you already lack a support circle, so be ready to face things alone again. That is, of course, you’re paying someone a shit ton of money who is willing to pep talk you anytime when he or she feels like replying. The people I met in such motivational courses or retreats did not actually become high achievers. Most still suffered after attending such courses, and it was finally embracing their suffering that they knew they had to change.
  
• What I am against is packaging coaching with Chinese metaphysics, and then saying Chinese metaphysics can help you get rich quickly. The coaches and ‘experts’ involved in these retreats are not even good at what they are doing, and they’re welcome to prove me wrong anytime. You can be a purist coach or bring in science, but this whole Qimen Manifestation thing is a cancer that needs to die because I feel it’s going to cause more problems than fix them. Do not mix Chinese metaphysics and coaching, do a sloppy job for both, and then get away with it by making a spiritual retreat about group activities and ‘rah-rah’ stuff and getting rich quickly.
  
• As much as I detest Cat. 4s because they refuse to put in the right effort to change their lives, I still very much believe that changing your life and fate is possible. But please be reminded that it will take way more than just attending some spiritual retreat where you took an ice bath, swallowed some fire, and learning some shallow shit about Chinese metaphysics. As much as I’m glad you enjoyed your emotional high and got fed common sense stuff like you need to slow down and reflect, please remember the road ahead of you is arduous, and you will be tested.

My Honest Thoughts When I Saw The Qimen Retreat Attendees

Again, what I say here is not an attack on any practitioner, nor an attempt to undermine them. They can do what they want – I really don’t care. But I will say what I feel compelled to say and what I genuinely feel.

I think most people who believe in astrology and Chinese metaphysics know that 看相， or physiognomy, is a thing and a legitimate practice. It’s not my speciality, but I am quite confident in my ability to assess someone’s general vibe and character. As I always say, Cat. 4 people give off a certain vibe and look because what you are like inside will surely show up in your face.

I was basically having an ‘out-of-body’ experience, seeing what was happening in front of me, and gazing at everyone attending the event whenever I could. Unsurprisingly, most were middle-aged and older, and there were a few young people and old couples who seemed to really want to be there, and I’m happy for them.

The emotion that came up mostly when I saw the participants was actually pity. As for the staffers and volunteers, I had other emotions, but I’ll keep them to myself for now. It’s nothing malicious, because I know they were simply earning their salaries.

I can’t help but feel that most attendees didn’t look happy, which shouldn’t surprise anyone, since I guess that’s why they’re here in the first place: anyone with an already high-functioning life won’t need this sort of retreat. They look miserable, and I will say the uncomfortable thing that they look like the typical Cat. 4s I encounter, though I can assure you the marketing material that follows will paint a different picture. It’s either bitterness in their eyes or a sense of loss under a facade of newfound confidence. Soulless. If I wanted to be blunt and physiognomic, most of them actually look really dumb. Something feels really, really off about everyone, and they remind me of the people who are stupid enough to be in an advertisement saying a 5-figure Feng Shui item helped them.

I managed to find some of their Facebook profiles after everyone began posting about the retreat, and it’s exactly what I expected: people who post about spirituality and growth all day, saying that they’ve been doing inner work for 10 years, but still end up really, really pathetic and mediocre. 10 years and you’re still… Just that? There is a reason why I feel everything is just a spiritual wank – because it is.

At breakfast, the ones I saw sat alone, looking at their phones. Those who did sit with someone weren’t talking to each other and were also looking at their phones. You don’t have to be a practitioner to know some of them will probably never find the kind of love they wish to have in their lives or find something they are genuinely passionate about, because anything that is done is either for money or validation – and not for itself. Why is it that someone always has to find it for them? Have they not explored on their own volition before? They take a few Chinese metaphysics courses and call it their newfound passion, when it is just a coping mechanism because you do not call yourself a practitioner when you show no interest in Chinese history and philosophy and can’t even speak Chinese.

Of course, I hope that the 5D4N retreat changes that – but not that I’ll know, and not that I care.

Having my wife and son there with me presented a stark contrast that was hard to ignore, so yes, the emotion invoked was pity. I think everyone should know by now how serious a practitioner I am, and that I have done my very best to be consistent and transparent about my thoughts, flaws, and how I conduct myself. Trust me, I have never once done stupid shit like sitting with my back facing a certain auspicious direction and ‘commanding’ a certain Qi Men deity. I am a practitioner myself, but I hardly look at my own chart as I go about my life, and everything still turned out OK. Also, seriously, who are you to command a deity?

If you wish to assume that there is a deity out there you can actually ‘command’, perhaps you should have known that they have been watching you since Day One, and watching your every move and your every thought. If they really have been watching you, then tell me, do you really think you deserve the things you are asking for then?

And suppose you need to do these silly rituals to remind yourself of basic human decency and dignity, like working hard, having goals, confronting your issues, and finding your direction. In that case, I honestly don’t think what you need is some Qimen Manifestation course, but maybe some time alone to read books and reflect, or having some proper friends who will call you out on your shit and your absolutely pathetic and undignified existence.

You took an ice bath during the retreat? Congratulations, because I really hope the lessons learned from the ice bath are going to be enough to help you transcend your chart.

The tools you need are all free. But if you wish to use spirituality and Chinese metaphysics as a coping mechanism, you do you.

I’m not entirely clear on the itinerary, but if this spiritual retreat involved staying in the hotel for 5 days, what a pity, because do people not realise what Thailand has to offer in terms of spirituality and that it is the Land of the Buddha? (Update: I looked at the Facebook profile of some of the attendees, and it turns out that they really did spend the entire 5 days at the hotel.)

I’ve spoken about spirituality before, and I won’t spend another essay sounding like a broken recorder. But again, anything can be spiritual. The love for your hobby, friends, and children can be spiritual because, in those moments, you lose yourself and know life is more than just about you. Time with your loved ones is also limited and will be gone someday; it is in that loss and impermanence that it takes on meaning and spirituality. If you are the sort of imbecile who thinks that you have to dabble in astrology or Qi Men Dun Jia to be spiritual. Well, you’re an imbecile, which is why you think spending $20k to $30k is going to do anything for you.

I find it very sad that people can be in their 40s but are still so utterly lost that they think they can find answers and happiness through something I completely disagree with, and you have no idea just how many people out there are still lost and simply drifting through life.

Believe me when I say there are a lot of people out there who are utterly lost, and I don’t even need to give examples from my client base. What do you think my industry thrives on exactly? Yes, it thrives on people being lost and looking for hope.

All these people said, from a coaching and wellness perspective, that if the attendees had a good 5 days’ worth of relaxation and whatnot, I’m happy for them. My only concern from the Chinese metaphysics angle is how the inappropriate application of it, or the illusion that you know what you’re doing, is going to cause problems for some people, such as the person who ended up manifesting a scam, which, again, proves my point that people who attend such events generally aren’t very bright people, but make extremely good cash cows.

I’m also comforted knowing that the majority of the attendees, if I may put it bluntly, are middle-aged and old people who probably just need a bit of a mental and spiritual wank. I’m glad I hardly saw any millennials and Gen Zs there, because surely we can do better.

Alright, I guess instead of offending one practitioner per blog post, I’d just offend all of them in one. I’ve offended about five practitioners in this post and a whole hall of people.

Let’s move on.

The Most Fascinating Encounter And Unexpected Spiritual Retreat of My Own

There were moments when my wife caught me zoning out and in a daze, to which she asked, “Are you OK?” I told her, “Don’t worry, of course I’m OK. I just can’t believe what’s happening in front of me.”

We visited Wat Phra Singh Woramahawihan the day after I realised the Qimen Manifestation event was happening at the hotel. I spent some pockets of time sorting out my thoughts and figuring out what I was feeling as I went about my day.

What happened next was perhaps one of the most serendipitous encounters of my life.

As I was paying for the tickets to the temple, the guard asked me, “Where are you from?” to which I replied, “Singapore”. The guard had a strong reaction and immediately pointed to the monk beside him, exclaiming, “Same!”

Of course, I cannot help but ask, “What in the hell are you doing here?” Me being me, I even asked, “Are you escaping the law or something?”, to which the monk chuckled and said “no”, of course.

The monk’s name is Patrick, and he used to be in IT. He told his parents he would try monkhood for a year, but it has been 17 years. He is 48, but my wife and I thought he was in his mid-30s. Clearly, stress ages most Singaporeans. I told him what I do for a living and asked him for advice, to which he gave a very practical and wise answer: “Do not get involved in others’ karma.”

I chuckled and mumbled under my breath, “Holy f*** you have no idea”. I’ve never wanted to get involved, but as always, and everyone should know by now – I’ll say what I want to say, and I pray that I’m doing the right thing.

We also spoke about Buddhism, monks, spirits, etc. He suggested going around the stupa 7 times, which I did while praying that the Heavens would bless my wife and son, who were waiting for me patiently somewhere.

One reason I felt pity for the participants was that some of the temples here hold great significance, yet most people don’t know about them and would rather be stuck in a ballroom for 5 days doing awkward dances and things you can do at home. If not for the monk, I would have had no idea that the temple we visited was a Tier 1 Royal temple and that it doesn’t just hold relics but also a 1,200-year-old statue known to be the most 灵 (‘wish-granting’) one in Thailand.

There is an entire world out there with its history and culture to explore, and there is the Buddha right there for you to gain inspiration from, but, again, people would rather be stuck in a ballroom learning about something they are never meant to understand or learn from content that doesn’t even scratch the surface.

So yes, my spiritual retreat didn’t cost $30,000. It started with a “What the hell are you doing here”?

Anyway! Patrick, if you see this, please reach out when you’re back in Singapore! Also, if anyone is heading to Chiang Mai, please let me know so that I can pass a message!

Finding Myself Caught In Between Two Worlds

Meeting the monk was a pleasant surprise that I wasn’t expecting. I can’t quite put a word to the emotion, if it can even be called an emotion. Perhaps it’s inspiration, perhaps it’s fascination. Or maybe it’s the juxtaposition of what I’m witnessing. There I was, witnessing a hall full of people who, if I may say so, think they will find peace and happiness by ‘manifesting’ what they desire through “Qimen Manifestation“, and there I was, meeting someone who has no desires at all.

Is this what Heaven and Hell look like?

I have never met someone willing to just “let go” like this and stay as a monk for 17 years. I would think most would have given up and disrobed.

How fascinating it is to meet someone who chose the path to enlightenment, while also witnessing an entire group of people on the pathway to Hell packaged as some form of twisted enlightenment. It is unfortunate that people choose to go to the Land of the Buddha, but instead of learning to let go of their attachments, they find shortcuts through spiritually tainted and dangerous notions of how one is supposed to find peace and happiness.

In the words of the tour guide I met in Bhutan, “There are many paths towards enlightenment.” Choose wisely.

I am, at the end of the day, a Buddhist too and my practice of astrology is not separate from my beliefs. Our charts are a reflection of our karma, and as another monk puts it, “the birth chart is a picture of what we would look like as enlightened beings if we were able to transform the negative karmic mental patterns into their corresponding wisdom qualities through meditative practice and right action.”

At the end of the day, I am definitely not saying that the people I saw do not deserve peace, love, or happiness. But surely there is a better, more grounded way to do so, where real self-awareness, rather than delusion, can develop, and the suffering ceases. Astrology, in any form, is not supposed to make you feel like you have control over or have the right to command the universe. It is meant to humble you and make you realise the world works in mysterious ways you can never imagine.

I have always asked myself if the way I’m doing things is alright. I dare not say I’ve got my answer, but I’d like to think I’m getting closer with this incredibly serendipitous holiday.

I return with a full heart and a spirit set ablaze. What a trip.

– Sean