Media Coverage

ADELINA Pang obviously lives the good life. She wears a ring with a whopping solitaire and other classy platinum jewellery, sports a gem-encrusted Rolex and drives a Jaguar.

The 37-year-old also positively glows with health.

She defies the stereotype of geomancers as wizened old men, and looks more like a well-heeled society lady.

Before she took up geomancy 10 years ago, she was the personal assistant to the CEO of a multinational corporation. She speaks English and works with a computer besides her luo pan (geomancer’s compass).

’I suppose fengshui is a calling. I guess I was born to do this.’

She took up the art when fengshui dramatically improved the health of her first-born more than 10 years ago. Married to a businessman, she has two daughters aged 10 and six.

Ms Pang studied under a famous geomancer now in his 70s and is today very sought after in her own right.

She has been interviewed by the BBC and CNA and is regularly sought out by newspapers in Singapore and the region.

Besides lectures and courses, she also does more than 20 readings a month. Her client base ranges from yuppies to some of the biggest corporations in Singapore.

Q Aren’t fengshui masters supposed to be old men carrying big luo pans? You, however, are a woman, speak English and use a computer. Does that work against you? Or is it an advantage?

A There’s a Cantonese saying: ’You don’t call every man with a moustache your father.’ My sifu (teacher) once told me that geomancers in the past all looked old probably because their masters would impart their knowledge a bit at a time. By the time they had learnt everything, they had become ancient.

My sifu set up a school and I did structured modular courses and had to sit for exams. Modern geomancers do not wear robes or are affiliated to temples. Be careful of big titles and too much window dressing.

I think being a woman works to my advantage. Some folks, especially women, are more comfortable with me. After all, there are often stories about how they get molested or cheated by quacks.

The world is also changing, we have to be modern. The fact that I speak English puts people at ease. My PDA and my handphone keep me organised, I can retrieve information easily for reference.

Q You guys charge hundreds or even thousands for a reading. Sounds very lucrative. If I were to lose my job and still needed to live comfortably, how easy is it for me to learn the skill and be a geomancer?

A Frankly, I invested not only a lot of money, but also time to learn geomancy. Of course, there are many self-taught people in practice. I won’t say it’s easy or hard. Having a sifu to give guidance is best. But like he says, it’s often a matter of affinity.

You can read up but you have to decide if the info given is accurate. The roots of fengshui are traceable to the classic I-Ching (The Book Of Changes).

In recent years, pseudo or New Age fengshui has become popular. It’s really about marketing items which claim to bring good luck, gimmicks to cheat laymen. Authentic fengshui, as opposed to pseudo fengshui, deals with matters of energy and is personal to each individual.

Q So is it an art or a science? Are geomancers like priests? Is it a calling?

A It’s a natural science. There are formulas and methodology. It’s not plucked out of thin air. Fengshui has nothing to do with religion although there are grand masters who are also Taoists. Fengshui can be practised regardless of any religious belief, culture, race and in any part of the world.

Q In Chinese, geomancy means wind and water. If I were to install lots of aquariums in the apartment and keep the fans running all day long, will it help?

A Having lots of water in the wrong place can cause more harm than good. Instead of bringing you more wealth, it can bring you more headaches and quarrels. Keeping the fan running all day will not only give you a huge utility bill but also more trips to the doctor.

Q Ever since moving into a new apartment, my friend has broken off with his girlfriend and been constantly frustrated both professionally and personally. He refuses to see a geomancer because he believes that a person shouldn’t believe in mumbo jumbo and instead take control of his own destiny. What is your take on that?

A Fengshui is not mumbo jumbo. It’s understanding the forces of nature and how to tap into your energy cycle to make things work for you.

Effective fengshui is not ready-made. It’s not a homogeneous effect that applies to everyone and everything. The best results require a highly personal approach, and recommendations specifically tailored for an individual based on his date and time of birth.

Your friend may like to visit my website adelinapang.com to use the kua calculator. It generates a personalised reading. With it, he can find out what his favourable directions are. He can use these to position his bed and stove. Hopefully, he has his main door facing one of his favourable directions too.

Q Is the Merlion a good fengshui symbol for Singapore? Why?

A The Merlion is our guardian of wealth. It keeps the water moving in our Singapore River, so that the qi (energy) would not be stagnant.

Q The Year of The Monkey is upon us soon. Tell us what we can look forward to.

A For those of you wanting to get a new home, this is one of the best times because the property market will be depressed. Husbands should watch their wallets because their better halves will be spending more time travelling or at spas beautifying or keeping themselves youthful because the metal (jewellery) and water (travel, spas, beauty) trades will be buoyant.

People born in the Year of the Monkey and the Tiger should keep a low profile because they offend the Grand Duke or the Commander of the Year.

Q Apparently a shop here in Singapore has been doing a roaring trade selling red underwear with monkey patterns. People buy them because they believe it will bring them good luck. What do you think?

A This has nothing to do with fengshui. I guess for some people, red undies are a turn-on.

However, there is a double spring this year which means good tidings. So, the Year of the Monkey is a good year to get married or have babies.

Q Finally, I’m dying to strike 4-D. Can you give me some fengshui tips to better my chances.

A Try putting a water feature in the north part of your house this year because the prosperity star is in the north this year. When you strike, remember to buy me coffee.

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