(206) Awash with fortune telling too much fortunetelling?

By Janet Shin

People seek various ways to find a solution when they go through hardships or make important decisions. Consulting others who could suggest an answer may be a natural approach for many people.

Someone say that saju becomes more popular during recessions as people want to know why their lives are so hardscrabble and when they can escape the dark tunnel. They also want to read specific figures’ fate during the important transfer of political power, such as presidential elections as now, while they are always eager to know their own destiny for the critical events of their life ― weddings, success, death or failure.

Fortune telling in Korea has evolved depending on demands of the times. It has progressed but on the other hand, also experienced stagnation and regression.

Shamanism has always been there accompanied by “gut,” a practice of exorcism. Face reading has been on the decline because of its limited predictions with a comparatively narrow scope of reading. However it catches people’s attention most easily and quickly without cumbersome preparation. It doesn’t have to plot symbolic letters or cards which cannot convince people as themselves without specialized interpretation. We can read faces in any circumstances and it is facile to deliver the readings.

Feng shui has made a transition from a bigger scope such as reading natural landscapes to designing living environments in modern times. It retains positive consequences since it draws people’s attention toward the environment and the energy atmosphere, or “qi.” Owing to its affirmative influence and yet still holding Oriental spiritual teaching, it has established faith not only in the East but also in the West.

Tarot cards are taking their place among young people with the rapid introduction of saju cafes. Many people are inclined to meet a Tarot master to read their fate for its mystic scenes in movies and TV dramas that show certain fatal portentous prophecies becoming true.

Saju has taken a stable position in fortune telling but it has also transformed by connecting with online services. Considering its profundity and intricateness, however, the way it is interpreted simply by inputting individual birth days through the Internet, doesn’t seem particularly reliable. Saju can’t be read by mass connection while the Internet has easier accessibility to a multiple anonymous public.

During the New Year season, various materials are used to tell a year’s fortune, which is called “tojeong bigyeol” in Korean, or tojeong’s secret reading. If they are reviewed just for reference, they are not to be blamed.

There are so many fortune reading websites aiming only to make money. Their information is either too general or meaningless. They try to attract as many clients as possible by stimulating curiosity and induce them to pay. Love is one of the popular sections to ingratiate people.

Not only saju readings but many other types of fortune telling are provided on the Internet. Talismans are also offered for those who are in the utmost discomfort. Of course, people have to pay more for charms. Meanwhile, they instigate people to change their names, convincing them that all their misfortune results from a badly spelled name. This obviously looks like a very profitable business. It is no surprise that so many people are changing their names recently, encouraged by fortune tellers. Actually, about 30-40 percent of my clients ask me for confirmation on whether to change their names saying that they were told to do so by other fortune tellers. In the majority of cases, my answer is no.

Daily fortunes have always been one of the most read sections. Some others serve dream interpretations as daily bases. Most people think all fortune tellers can interpret dreams. However, dreams are rather related to psychological territory.

As a saju master, I trust that certain parts of everyday affairs can be highly credited to our dreams, if interpreted properly. Those who have a higher level of awareness and concentrate on something with intent, can acquire tremendous information from their dreams. However, we should be careful not to be indulged by conventional wisdom. It should be interpreted considering one’s own personal experience and situation.

In these days leading up to the presidential election, so called notable fortune tellers are seen on many TV programs to read the fate of major candidates. Some read their saju, others their faces. Even shamans appear on our screens to forecast the conclusion told by their psyche. They may become popular temporarily for stimulus-craving audiences.

Ultimately, people will learn that curiosity and truth are not always coincident. We should have our own wisdom not to be misled by others.

Information: Are you interested in learning more about the ancient Chinese teaching about the “Four Pillars of Destiny?” For further information, visit Janet’s website at www.fourpillarskorea.com, contact her at 010-5414-7461 or email janetshin@hotmail.com.

The writer is the president of the Heavenly Garden, a saju research center in Korea, and the author of “Learning Four Pillars.”