Feng Shui for the masses

On a nondescript street full of hairdressers, barbershops and the ubiquitous fast food at the corner, the store crammed with trinkets caught my eye. A row of shelves displaying Chinese good luck charms and little wax candles stood in front. A sign advertising lucky charms and blessed decors was hanging outside the store. Red buntings and posters on how to attain wealth and success for the New Year adorned the entrance. It was a Sunday afternoon, the start of the Year of the Metal Tiger. I was looking for fragrant incense to light for my annual Chinese New Year ritual when I spotted the store, After checking out a pack of incense sticks at the shop’s entrance, I asked a store hand for directions to the nearest Chinese Buddhist temple. “We have one at the back," he said. Peering inside the almost-gloomy interior of the store, I was amazed to see a little altar at the back, with a small Buddha statue and an incense holder on top of a low table. Behind these sacred items was a wall plastered with images of the Kuan Yin Buddha, Tibetan buddhas, and other spiritual icons. That was my humble introduction to the Yin Yang Charms and Feng Shui Store at # 500 Bustos Street, near the corner of Carriedo Street in Manila’s Chinatown district. For the past five years, this little feng shui store has been a little wonder of its own at the same location. Free feng shui reading The store sells more than 1,000 items -- from lucky Sherpa Kamana amulets probably obtained from Tibet, to dzi bead bracelets (brown or brick-colored beads made of wood or hardened glass with "eyes" drawn on them) and Happy Buddhas (the rotund and round-faced laughing ones). These items promise to bring good luck, prosperity, protection and sometimes, love - and a husband, wife or lover - to the wearer.

But the main attraction of the store are the FREE feng shui readings conducted by the shop's proprietors and "feng shui masters" -- Brother Ben and Brother Manny. These distinguished-looking gentlemen are always behind their glass counters, giving advice to those who are seeking to find out their future, especially at the beginning of the Chinese New Year. From December to late March, or just before and after Chinese New Year, the store has a special promotion: a "free reading" for customers who buy at least 200 pesos’ worth of items. On regular days, consultations cost 200 pesos per session. Brother Ben will not strike you as the archetypal feng shui master. He does not sport the usual red Chinese robes with mandarin collar and black kung fu shoes we often see on television, nor does he speak Chinese or Chinese-accented Tagalog. Instead, Brother Ben comes to work in the casual garb that he has been wearing everyday for the last five years. He also speaks colloquial Tagalog fluently -- much better than mine! In fact, Brother Ben came into feng shui consulting in a very roundabout way – he was exposed to the craft through his Chinese-Filipino herbalist father's friends during his younger days. A registered pharmacist, Brother Ben became so engrossed in the science and art of feng shui that he took it up fulltime and decided to set up the store on Bustos street with his business partner, snow-haired Brother Manny. Lucky number When you consult Brother Ben, he asks about your purpose first or the question that you have in mind. Afterwards, he asks for your name and birthday then proceeds to find out your lucky "kua" number, which determines your lucky and unlucky directions. This comprises the basic principles of feng shui. Feng shui is the art and science of perfect placement. It presupposes that the placement of objects and a person's locality affects luck and predisposition towards prosperity, health and happiness. Using my kua number which is 6 and my Chinese horoscope animal which is the dragon, Brother Ben tells me that my luck will turn better in 2010. "Last year was not a great year for you," said Brother Ben, of which I can only agree (put smiley face here). "But this year, by your element which is wood, it will be much better," he continued. Brother Ben also points out my stubbornness as an inherent characteristic of my dragon persona. "As a dragon, you always like to have your own way, and can be frustrated and fickle-minded when you don't get it," he further explained. "It can be a very good characteristic for doing business. However, your strong ways might create discord and ill-feeling among other people." He advised me to use my natural element to curb my stubborn streak. "Wood, which comes from plants, indicates that you can bend to circumstances, if need be," Brother Ben said. "This means that you should also exert efforts to socialize with people" -- something that was so much on my radar the past year. More Pinoy customers Asked why he calls himself "brother," the feng shui master said it makes him more approachable to people, especially the masses. Brother Ben believes that feng shui should be accessible to all social classes. This is the main reason why most of the items sold in his shop come with a product description that contain simple explanations of the rather complicated concepts of feng shui. Compared to ten years ago when feng shui was pretty much unknown to the general population, Brother Ben observed that more people, particularly non-Chinese Filipinos, are becoming interested in the craft and consulting him for various reasons. "Five years ago, when we started the business, our typical customer was a Chinese or Filipino of Chinese ancestry inquiring how to attain good luck," said Brother Ben. "But now, majority of our customers are native Filipinos." He asserts that the purpose of feng shui is to help people attain peace and happiness, which can eventually lead to prosperity and good luck for the seeker. Customers consult him about a variety of concerns ranging from career directions to success factors and how to have harmonious relationships. "We even got a request from a quarreling couple, requesting how they can make their marriage less chaotic," he said. "This we can do by advising them on the correct and auspicious placements of objects and themselves in their homes and offices." Brother Ben believes that the increasing interest in feng shui services may be attributed to the desire of people to make their lives better in a very competitive and turbulent world. "Contributory to this interest in feng shui is the state of the economy lately," he said. "If the economy is bad, then feng shui services are also sought after. We give them advice on how to make their economic situation better. It gives us good business too." However, Brother Ben is quick to add that feng shui practitioners are not taking advantage of the unfavorable economic situation. "We do this to give advice to people who are asking for it. Secondly, we certainly would like to give the seekers a positive outlook in life, regardless of the situation. This is the purpose of feng shui," he calmly explained. – YA, GMANews.TV