Want more lady luck? Try fengshui

When clients want Mr Zen Neo to guarantee that "the money will come rolling in", the fengshui consultant's standard response is: "I'd like that too.

"And if I can guarantee you that, you'd not be seeing me now."

The man, who is in his early 50s, says in a mix of English and Mandarin: "Such demands irk me. How can you expect success without hard work?"

People pay geomancers for life analyses based on a person's date and time of birth. These fengshui masters also help in selection of auspicious dates for various types of occasions, auspicious names for people and companies, and personal characteristics appraisals.

Mr Neo's fees can range from $88 for a simple date selection to as high as "some tens of thousands" for a more "elaborate" reading.

His profession has garnered him a semi-detached bungalow "somewhere in Bukit Timah" and he alternates between driving two luxury cars.

He gets annoyed when he hears snide suggestions about his wealth.

"Why can't geomancers be rich? Please, you are paying for expert advice and of course, that means we are qualified professionals," defends Mr Neo, who has been practising fengshui for nearly 30 years.

The wealth of fengshui masters became a hot topic of late when well-known geomancer Goh Chuen Meng, tried to take out a court injunction to prevent his long-term mistress from selling two properties.

A national newspaper carried a diagram charting the various relationships between the master and his women.

When Mr Neo is asked about the case, he bellows with laughter.

He adds: "I can tell you honestly that there are at least three women in my life right now and I treat all of them fairly.

"Do I love them? Of course. But I can also tell you that from the reading of my personal life analysis, one relationship looks set to end soon...and a new one will begin soon."

Mr Neo confesses that he uses his reading expertise to seek new partners - particularly "the ones who can complement certain aspects in my life or career positively".

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"I'm sure some people will be very critical (of his declaration) but I'd rather be honest than lie about it," he says unabashedly.

A good practitioner, he feels, does not insist that his clients must buy fortune or good luck emblems.

"Some practitioners set up an alternative business and make money by selling the items at exorbitant rates," he says.

"It does not mean that people who want you to buy these emblems are cheats. But, frankly, they are not really a must."

He has seen an increase in requests by companies who want him to appraise their potential hires. He sees an average of 10 a month, compared with two to three in the past.

Says Mr Neo: "Often, it's for top or crucial positions and clearly, the corporations want to ensure that the best man - or the most ideally suited one - is hired for the job."

And sometimes, he claims, his clients prefer to cut their losses than hire someone they had in mind after they hear his analysis.

He recounts an incident about three years ago. "This company had already offered the position of finance controller to a prospective employee, but from my reading of his 'ba zi' (eight characters derived from date and time of birth), I felt that my client had more to lose if he was hired."

As a result, Mr Neo's client offered the prospective employee compensation for reneging on the agreement.

"About a year later, that man was in the news for misappropriating funds from the company he had joined," he says.

He insists that the practice is not mere superstition.

He explains: "Fengshui is based on the concept that everything in our environment and even in our body has a life force or energy, better known as 'qi'.

"The art of finding a perfect balance of the positive and negative aspects of this energy produces a vibrant qi."

Mr Neo adds: "As practitioners, our job is to help you ensure that all things are in harmony with the surroundings."

Secrets of the trade

1. Always carry your luo pan - the Chinese magnetic compass that is used to determine precise locations in fengshui - with you. You don't know when someone may just want a reading on the spot especially if you are out on business visits.

2. Sometimes, it can be hard to convince really superstitious clients to accept your readings or recommendations. But if you have to put your foot down, be firm.

3. When a client accuses you of giving wrong readings or recommendations, don't get upset. Instead find out what went wrong and offer a second reading, but check that they have provided accurate details.