Interview with Master Goh Guan Leong

In this edition of Interview with a Master we sit down and chat with one of the industries most entertaining and charismatic Feng Shui Master’s from the Way Feng Shui Group – Master Goh Guan Leong.  Having great interest in Chinese Metaphysics, Master Goh endeavours to learn and discover this mystical field of study. In 2003, he sought guidance from his mentor, Master Chew, enabling him to realise his potential in Chinese Metaphysics. In 2005, he joined the Way Feng Shui Group as Life Analysis Master and with enlightenments from Grand Master Tan Khoon Yong,  his knowledge in Bazi and Feng Shui reached a higher level.

Master Goh constantly improves upon his knowledge and skills, allowing him to provide a wide spectrum of services such as name selection, career mapping and residential feng shui analysis. He is also a writer who has published several hot-selling books. His debut book, “Essentials of Four Pillars of Destiny” is highly recommended for those interested in Bazi Life Analysis. His latest works under the Four Pillars of Destiny series are “The Key To An Ideal Name” and “Is Your Marriage Predestined?”.

Beyond these, Master Goh’s outstanding talks at the International Feng Shui Convention (IFSC) in 2005, 2006 and 2012 affirmed his role as a proficient public speaker. Other notable events where he provided life analysis services include the Singapore 2006 IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings and Singapore APEC 2009. With his wealth of knowledge on Destiny Analysis, Master Goh is also a lecturer at the Way Academy.

1. How did you first become interested in Feng Shui? Please share some of your path of learning with us.

To be very frank, I used to be a ‘non-believer’ of Feng Shui.  I was very skeptical about the effectiveness of arranging the position of furniture, doors and the like in changing one’s destiny.

My ignorance and perspective began to change when I started to learn this ancient Chinese methodology from Grand Master Vincent Koh in the year of 2001.   

I started to see things from different angles.  GM Vincent Koh provided me with a firm foundation on the theoretical aspects of Chinese Metaphysics.   This is the point which got me interested in Feng Shui.  However, I was doubtful whether it works or not during that period of time. 

My advanced studies with Grand Master Tan Khoon Yong since 2002 convinced me of the effectiveness of Chinese Metaphysics.  Under GM Tan’s guidance through countless physical sites visits and Feng Shui audits, he provided me with plenty of opportunities to personally witness and experience (again & again) how this ancient Chinese wisdom is applicable in the real world and achieves desired positive results which help in improving  the destiny and luck of others.   From then onwards, I have complete faith in Chinese Metaphysics.

2. Many Feng Shui consultants feel that the further they study Feng Shui the more confused they become.  Did you experience this during your own journey, and if so how did you overcome it?  

Indeed that is extremely disturbing for any Chinese Metaphysics enthusiast, including myself. The different schools of thought can be so diverse that it can be contradictory.

However, such confusions made me ponder and keen to explore even further, the various schools of Feng Shui.  Some sounded logical while others are ‘illusions’.

It is only through practical application of the theories to real life situations that we can then verify and validate its effectiveness.

3. What made you turn Feng Shui into your profession?

It is without doubt that I have a strong affinity with Chinese Metaphysics from the very first day I started my journey of learning. However, it never came into my mind to become a professional Feng Shui Master.  It was merely my hobby and passion as an ‘amateur’ Master, while I still carried on my job with a comfortable and stable career as a Human Resource Practitioner.

It is, perhaps, the will of the invisible forces which ultimately changed my career path.  The economic recession struck my previous company severely and company closure seemed to be the only choice.  At that cross junction I was experiencing mid-career crisis and was caught in a dilemma.  Should I continue with my profession as a HR Practitioner, or should I follow my passion or calling to be a professional Feng Shui Master?

I sought GM Tan’s advice during a Feng Shui consultation.  “You are destined to be a Feng Shui Master” said GM Tan.  This remark boosted my confidence greatly and strongly reaffirmed my decision to make a career switch; to be a full time professional Feng Shui Master.

GM Tan even extended his invitation to me to co-write 4 books on Chinese Metaphysics.   Under his relentless guidance and encouragement the books were well received by the market. Under his strict personal coaching and mentoring, I began to gain confidence in undertaking mega projects.

What made me turn Feng Shui into my profession?  I would say ‘invisible forces’ changed my path.

Who ‘made’ me to be a professional Feng Shui Master?  I would proudly declare that he is none other than Grand Master Tan Khoon Yong.   Thanks for the trust you have in me.

4. Is Feng Shui widely accepted and applied in your country and do you face any difficulties explaining Feng Shui to your clients?

Reactions to Feng Shui are often varied; some associate it with superstition while others believe that it is rational. Nevertheless Singaporeans in general are rather receptive to Feng Shui and it has continued to influence the daily lives of many. 

Of course there are still a handful of Singaporeans who are strong non-believers of Feng Shui. Some even despise it due to personal biasness. Explain to them? Change their mindset? Prove to them?  As the misconceptions (and perhaps resistance) are deeply ‘rooted’ in their minds, any attempts to explain or to convince to this group of non-believers can be meaningless and may even end up with unnecessary debate. I would rather save my time and efforts in serving the needs of genuine Feng Shui subscribers.

5. What is the most common reason that people engage you for a consultation?

There are 101 reasons why people seek Feng Shui consultation. In the past, wealth and career are the main reasons for residential Feng Shui services. However from my personal observations, humans are more health conscious nowadays.  Hence, improving health and enhancing the chances of giving birth are on the rise recently.

As for commercial Feng Shui consultation; in addition to improving the ‘bottom line’ (wealth) reason, creating a harmonious working environment seems to be gaining more and more importance.

6. Do you practice Yin House Feng Shui and if so do any of your clients engage you to select an auspicious burial site?

Though I have been actively involved in Yin House Feng Shui by assisting Grand Master Tan Khoon Yong in both local and overseas locations (including Indonesia, Hong Kong, China and Thailand), my main area of interest and focus still remains on Yang House Feng Shui.

By saying that, I have to admit that Yin House Feng Shui is an interesting area that is certainly worth further exploration.

At WayOn Net we handle various aspects of Yin House Feng Shui, such as:

• Land burial
• Sea burial and
• Cremation

Experience tells me that Yin House Feng Shui is definitely much more than Feng Shui theory, as it includes religious and cultural aspects as well.

7. What analysis methods do you use during your consultation process?

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8. From your point of view, do you think the knowledge of destiny analysis is important when it comes to Feng Shui?

I strongly subscribe to the theory of San He Feng Shui and San Yuan Feng Shui.  Together with the use of the Four Pillars of Destiny, they form my core system of evaluating the environment, as well as the human aspects.

To me Feng Shui is an art as well as a science of searching and examining external and internal environment with the sole purpose of ‘matching’ the needs of the occupants. The knowledge of Destiny Analysis is definitely an equally important aspect of the entire process.

Hence, the old saying goes……

First is Life（一命), Second is Destiny（二运) and Third is Feng Shui（三风水）

In my practice, I start my Feng Shui consultation process by first examining the needs of the occupants through Destiny Analysis. Such preliminary analysis of destiny enables me to look for important factors such as the occupants’ current state of life and favourable direction(s) etc.

The main focus for the physical visit to the site shall be to perform a detailed examination of the physical environment. When both the environment and human factors are considered carefully, effective Feng Shui recommendations can then be made.

In short,

Effective Feng Shui =  Human + Environment

9. Please share with us a case study you have done which you found to be most interesting.

Feng Shui audits are always fun and interesting. I would like to share a case I have audited recently in Indonesia.  The main objective is to illustrate the important fundamental Feng Shui concept of Attracting, Re-Directing and Retaining Energy (藏风纳气).

Before we proceed, let’s first examine the meaning of Qi (气).

What is Qi (气)?

In his ‘Book of Burial’ (葬经) Grand Mater Guo Pu (郭璞大师) of Jin Dynasty (晋朝) defined Qi (气) as:

“ 夫阴阳之气，噫以为风，升而为云，降而为雨，行乎地中而为生气，气乘风则散，界水则止，古人聚之使不散，行之使有止，故谓  ‘风水’ 。”

Literary it is translated as:

“The Qi (cosmic breath) of Yin Yang is conceived in the wind, but it turns into cloud upon rising, rain upon descent, and then permeates the ground as life force (vitality).  It is dispersed by the wind, and bounded by water.  Ancient Chinese gathered this Qi (cosmic breath) and prevented it from dispersing, and hence the genesis of Feng Shui. ”

Hence, attracting Qi, Re-Directing and Retaining Qi is equally important.

Let’s begin our story…….

My client acquired a piece of land for his new home. During the site audit it was found that:

1. This plot of land is rectangular and elongated in shape (approximately 20m x 60m).
2. It was observed that the walls of the surrounding residential units were mostly constructed at least 9m in height (Diagram 1) due to safety issues. This implies that the upcoming unit is going to be surrounded by ‘HIGH Walls’.

Diagram 1

As we can see, this plot of land is rectangular in shape, thus an elongated building structure seems to be the only choice.

From the perspective of Feng Shui, the main drawback about an elongated structure is such that one cannot effectively ‘draw & attract’（纳气) the Qi (and natural light) into the entire living space (especially the rear of the building).

The situation is worsened where the entire given space is surrounded by high walls of at least 9 meters. In Indonesia it is a normal practice for surrounding and neighbouring residents to construct ‘High Walls’ (approximately 9m) for privacy and safety reasons (especially Indonesian Chinese).

The high wall structure not only blocks the exterior views (left, right & rear), it also prevents Qi and sufficient natural light from entering into the living area (Diagram 2).   The stagnancy of Qi and insufficient natural light are the most critical issues that need to be resolved.

Diagram 2 – Physical Environment & Constraints

In view of the above constraints, the Concept of ‘Quadrangle Courtyard’（四合院) was proposed and accepted by the client.

Instead of adopting the usual ‘looking out’ at exterior scenery (which is almost blocked by the surrounding high walls), why not consider a ‘looking in’ approach?

Hence, a centralized courtyard (with beautiful landscaping and a pond) is created.

Besides having the nice interior scenery, sufficient Qi and natural light can also be drawn (纳气), retained (藏气) and re-directed (导气) effectively from the courtyard into the entire household, ensuring an even distribution and retention of Qi and natural light.

Diagram 3 – Traditional Quadrangle Courtyard (传统四合院)

It is only when Qi (气) is being attracted into the premises and retained that the theory of Flying Star can then be effectively applied.

This is a South facing (向午) site with the Flying Stars Chart (Period 8) erected as below (Diagram 4).   Generally speaking, South is one of the most auspicious directions in Period 9 (2024 – 2043).

Diagram 4 – Flying Stars Chart (Period 8)

10. What is your Top Feng Shui Do and Top Feng Shui Don’t?

Feng Shui is an Art as well as a Science to improve the well-being of the occupants. Hence, to be an effective and ethical Feng Shui Master, do exercise extreme care and diligence when carrying out your duty as a Professional Feng Shui Practitioner.

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