A feng shui master typically begins the process by consulting the annual Chinese Almanac, a divination guide that lists the days in the year that are generally auspicious, average, and inauspicious. After they’ve shortlisted the potential dates, they take into account specific details of the upcoming event to ensure there is minimal conflict. 

“Firstly, we have to understand the event’s purpose—is it to get married, move into a new home or launch a business? Then, if the event involves a specific location, the feng shui direction of the place has to be ascertained,” explains Master Tan. 

“If it’s for moving into a new house or commencing business at a shop space, we have to take into account where our client will sit or face. This is relevant as we do not want the selected date to be incompatible with the location.”

While it isn’t always necessary to take into account one’s ba zi when selecting an auspicious date, it should be factored in if the event is a wedding or birth. 

“If there is a wedding, whereby the purpose is the union of two people and their families, we will not only require the birth dates of the bride and bridegroom, but also that of the key family members attending the ceremony,” asserts Master Tan. He adds that this is to ensure that their birth charts do not ‘clash’ with the selected date, and that the date will not have a “negative impact” on them. 

“And in the event of a birth, the ba zi of the mother should be reviewed to identify the favourable and unfavourable elements and to ensure the selected date does not affect her. The date and time of the induction also has to be carefully considered as it will determine the baby’s ba zi, which will in turn influence their character, luck cycle, strengths, and weaknesses.”

What do “favourable” and “unfavourable” elements mean? It’s really about the degree of balance. When it comes to a ba zi reading, the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal and water) in the person’s are analysed, and favourable elements refer to the elements that are “required to bring about balance in their chart”. Unfavourable elements do just the opposite.

“For instance, a person born in the summer season (June/July) will likely have a strong fire element in their ba zi, and may require either water or earth element to bring their chart to a more balanced state. In this case, water and earth are favourable elements while fire and are unfavourable elements,” illustrates Master Tan. 

On the fence about picking an auspicious date? According to Master Tan, picking a ‘good’ date for important life events can have a “life-changing” impact. 

“An auspicious date helps you to have a good start in your life journey by leveraging on good timing and energy. It’s akin to doing the right thing at the right moment, which means you can harness more positive outcomes down the road,” he affirms. 

“It is common for mums-to-be to have feng shui masters pick out auspicious dates to induce births. The practice not only boosts confidence, but also provides a peace of mind to the mother. In addition, the chosen birthdate is like a gift to the baby as it is a blessing.”

That said, it may not necessarily be catastrophic if you inadvertently select a neutral or even inauspicious date for an event, so if you find yourself in this scenario, don’t freak out just yet. 

“It only means that you were not able to leverage on good time and energy for the occasion. The consequence may not be necessarily catastrophic and the events that follow also depend on the natural course of development,” he adds. 

“You may face more challenges along the way but it doesn’t necessarily mean something will go wrong.” 

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