From fortune telling sticks, to praying to Tai Sui, I visited Wong Tai Sin Temple to consult with a Feng Shui master about my luck for the year
It’s officially Year of the Ox, and since the ox is my Chinese horoscope, that means I’ll be facing fan tai sui (犯太歲)—offending the Gods who guard one’s health, wealth, career and marriage.
In Chinese astrology, when the Chinese zodiac cycle circles back to your animal sign at ages 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72 and (hopefully) 84, 96 and 108, you’ll suffer from fan tai sui, a superstition that believes you’ll have a bumpy, unlucky year ahead. And it’s not just the Ox who has to be careful—star signs who are in conflict with the Ox will also be facing Fan Tai Sui. For this year, that refers to the horse, dog and dragon zodiac signs.
While I’m not usually a superstitious person, I wasn’t about to take any chances. After all, bad luck is literally scheduled into my year, and if it’s possible, I’d like to avoid all the promised sicknesses, financial losses, relationship problems and disputes please.
See also: Chinese New Year 2021: Astrology Tips for The Year of The Ox
Incense and fortune telling sticks
I decided to turn to the experts, and made my way to Wong Tai Sin temple, a well-known temple dedicated to Wong Tai Sin, a deity known for his healing powers. Once there, I went through the standard practices: offering incense, praying for better luck, and kau chim (求籤)—the old-age fortune telling practice where you kneel in front of an altar with a cup of numbered sticks and pray while shaking the cup until a singular stick falls out. The number on the stick represents one of the oracles, providing an answer to the question you asked during prayer.
While I didn’t have a particular question in mind, I went into kau chim with the wish that everything in my life will go smoothly this year. After some intense shaking of the cup, a stick with the number 52 fell out—a “middle” stick, which means there would be a mixture of both good and bad luck.
I was directed to a Feng Shui master who could interpret the stick for me further, and found Master Tsang, a Feng Shui master at the temple who specialises in all things related to Chinese astrology and fortune telling.