IT was early 1970s and Stanley Tham Fook Cheong had just returned from Australia with a degree in accountancy. He later on settled down and run his own firm. A bright future beckoned for the young man.
But an encounter with Thai astrology master Pramaha Arjan Piyawanno changed his life forever.
“I have always had a special interest in astrology — the study of stars, planets and the likes — from the early days in my hometown in Kampar.
“I would read the horoscopes but merely out of fun and nothing else. I didn’t take them seriously,” he says.
Prahama whom he met in 1978 however, changed his view on astrology altogether.
“He taught me the power of astrology, the mythical and spiritualism — matters which I didn’t believe in before.”
Tham was taken in by Pramaha’s wise demeanour.
“The man was simply amazing. He not only gave you sound advice but was also able to consistently make accurate predictions, given the correct date, month and year, the hour and minutes. There were many instances where what he said about me and my friends were true. To me, he was a true astrology master.
According to Tham, Pramaha also said that he would not be practising accounting forever. That he would meet someone who would change his life forever and would embark on things related to helping people.
“At that time, I was quite sceptical. I was already an accountant and quite successful too. Why would I want to do something else?” he reminisces.
As fate would have it, Tham later met feng shui master Wong Hwa Yi, who eventually bequeathed his knowledge to Tham.
“He was a client. A day before he went back to China, Wong said I was ‘the chosen one’,” he adds.
Tham thought long and hard. The words of his astrology master echoed in his mind. He was convinced that feng shui was his destiny. He later got his wife’s consent to study geomancy.
For the next eight years, Tham became Wong’s student. At the end of it, he became so well-versed in it that he became a master feng shui exponent himself. The rest, as they say, is history.
Unlike some feng shui practitioners who use ornaments such as animal models and coins to bring good luck, Tham only gives advice, based on what he feels and sees.
For him, feng shui energy should only come from the environment.
Like all feng shui masters, Tham uses a Chinese compass called lo-pan but it is special to him as he inherited it from his master.
He will normally bring along this compass to a client’s house or other location to study the feng shui elements there.
“One cannot dispense feng shui advice by studying pictures or plans of buildings,” he adds.
Tham bases his advice on the cycle of five elements — metal, wood, water, fire and earth — and also on astrology.
According to him, anyone can become a feng shui practitioner, provided that he has faith in it and is clean inside and out.
Since feng shui is about helping people in many ways, like warding off accidents and bad luck, bringing better health and happiness to one’s family, the practitioner possess good traits himself.
Incidentally, Tham has apparently made accurate predictions about some Hong Kong and Taiwan movie stars and politicians, even the political future of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
-What’s in store for the Dragon Year
“Those born in the Year of the Dragon are ambitious, full of energy and will be successful in their undertakings,” says Tham.
They are brave and unafraid of challenges, he adds.
He adds that some industries will prosper, especially those in the Wood element, for instance, textiles, clothing, education and newspapers.
The Earth industries that will face obstacles include mining, quarry, farming, property and construction. Industries linked to the Fire element such as electricity, oil, alcohol, fashion and computer-related fields will not do well.
Facing the same fate are those Metal element industries, for example, banking, finance, motor and automobile.
The Water industries, meanwhile, will do quite well, especially those related to tourism, transport, fishery , seafood and import/export. By and large, it’s also a good year to switch jobs, if one’s astrological signs are favourable.
