Feng Shui expert Joey Yap, the founder of Mastery Academy of Chinese Metaphysics, launched the fourth book in his BaZi the Destiny Code series titled The Power of X: Analysing the 10 Gods (JY Books Sdn Bhd; RM48) in January this year.
The first book in the series, BaZi the Destiny Code, came out in 2005, and was followed by BaZi the Destiny Code Revealed, in 2006. The third book, The Power of X: Enter the 10 Gods (JY Books; RM48) was published last July.
"In Chinese astrology, there are two specific systems. One is called purple star astrology and the other, BaZi astrology," Yap explains.
He points out that animal signs are a small section of BaZi, which basically shows how animal signs affect a person's life.
"BaZi means eight characters and these eight characters are basically made up of the elements and animal signs.
"For me, it's more like a code of reference and if you can unlock this code, you can unlock your destiny."
According to Yap, a person's destiny is made up of two portions. "One involves understanding who you are and the second, what happens to you as a result of being who you are."
Yap says astrology itself cannot provide an accurate prediction of one's destiny because there is this element called free will which gives you the prerogative to decide to do or not to do something.
There are western as well as eastern astrology practices and Yap says there is no such thing as which is
a better system. It is all about the practitioners.
"All look at the same stars but give them different names. The systems have the same effects but have different interpretations."
He points out that his books are modern interpretations of the ancient Chinese art of astrology.
His BaZi the Destiny Code series is based on information he had collected over the years from various teachers he had met here and abroad.
In the first book, Yap writes about taking control of our lives, beginning with understanding not just ourselves, but also our destiny and, most importantly, our luck.
The second book delves deeper into the subject and is all about doing the right thing at the right time.
The first two books in Yap's series highlight the character of a person, with a chart in the first book to help you analyse your character.
He says: "Your character can be an asset or a liability. All the good or bad things that have happened to you could be due to your character.
"We look for strengths and weaknesses of your character. We want to work on the weaknesses so that we can make things better.
"The second thing we want to learn is how a person thinks. Ultimately, everyone wants to be happy."
Yap goes on to introduce readers to the 10 gods (or stars) in the third book and tells us how they influence our lives while the latest book helps us to uncover our special gifts.
"A lot of people don't know what they are good at. Early in our lives, we want to discover what our gifts are. The sooner we discover them, the sooner we can enter the path of least resistance to realise our goal."
Yap, who has been in the field of feng shui and Chinese astrology for 15 years, says having met people from all walks of life, he notes that wealthy (self-made) people knew that they have a gift or skill. Luck did not come into play as they faced hard times too.
"It's extremely important that you find out what your gifts and talents are," stresses Yap.
Book four is also about planning. "If you don't have a strategy for yourself, the chances of success are slim."
He says that the whole idea behind his books is to help people to have some control over their fate so that they can determine their own destiny.
"It's not about asking yourself: 'What is my fate?' It's about controlling your destiny and becoming a better person in the end."
Yap says he could not put all the information he had compiled into one book because there was so much to write about.
"These books are to help you understand yourself better and also to understand the people around you, more so because people around you play a big part in your life."
Yap believes his books are life-changing in many ways. "All you have to do is make an effort to read them," he says, adding that he is targeting another three books for his BaZi the Destiny Code series.
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