Disney+'s Korean reality show "Battle of Fates" 《天机试炼场》

Intro:  The post below is taken from from my Bazi discussion group to show that I am still alive.  Current year of fire horse affects almost every earth citizen under the sun.  I hibernated for a few months.

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This is a "Survivor" version reality show for fortune-tellers covering Tarot Cards, 4P, face/ foot/ bone reading, mediumship, psychic, shaman, name-reading, Yi-Jing, .... etc; with 49 fortune-tellers competing (like Japan's "Iron Chef" 20+ years ago) for supreme.  This show is hot, especially in SE Asia.  Copycat shows with localized contents are produced in many Asian countries.

You can check reviews in YouTube by searching :  "Battle of Fates".  But English reviews are  briefer than Chinese (Mandarin) versions.  Chinese versions have episode by episode coverage in summary (so you don't need to subscribe to Disney+ or wasting too much time watching the whole series).

This link below is in Mandarin which provides a lot of details:
火爆韩综！四十九位通灵大师斗法，现场被死者附身召唤亡魂！一口气看完《天机试炼场》！

Below is a 4P chart of someone who hit the lottery jackpot in one of the episodes.

The show's explanation for hitting lottery is:  "Because this chart has may peer stars which symbolize wealth and also has both + and -wealth stars (Zheng-cai and pian-cai)".   Do you agree?  (Wu-earth DM here).

For "Wealth Bazi" members:  Do you think this DM can keep his lottery winning? 
For "Sickness Bazi" members:  What are the potential illnesses for this DM?

Some online discussions think this show is fake or highly manipulated like other reality shows, like edited out inaccurate predictions and only showing the accurate ones.

Many of these "destiny workers" or fortune-tellers have gone through bitter sufferings/ life experience or have a major void (e.g., missing a major family member, sickness, disability) in life.  This is quite common for practitioners whose work altering people's destinies.

With the world economy messed up by a few dictators, it is not surprising shows like "Battle of Fates" getting popular.  It satisfies people's need to find some methods for predicting their future.

 Ken Lai

© 2026 Ken Lai, all rights reserved.

Video Correspondence Courses: (click for details)

“Visual Bazi: Wealth Secrets and Maximization” w/ 18 hr. HD video
“Advanced Visual Form Feng Shui”  w/23 hr. HD video
“Visual Form Feng Shui” w/13 hr. HD video
“Applied Bazi: Sickness Forecasting and Management” w/33 hr. HD video 
“Destiny/Luck Mgmt. 1: Forecasting and Decision Support” w/32 hr. HD video
“Luck Enhancement and Misfortune Mitigation with Bazi and Feng Shui” w/ 45 hrs. HD video
“Feng Shui Toolbox: Sha-qi, Health/Wealth and Career” w/ 7 hr. HD video
“Period 9 Feng Shui Bible w/ P8/ 9 Period Upgrade Advisor” w/ 14 hr. HD video
“Practical Date-Selection Methods (incl. XKDG) w/ 12 hr. video
“Practical Imperial Qi-Men-Dun-Jia 4G” w/ 12 hr. video
“Professional Imperial QMDJ 4G” w/ 21 hr. video
“EZ QMDJ series: Astrology, Date/Task Selection, Annual Luck/ FS”w/ 3 hr. HD
“EZ QMDJ Advanced Feng Shui” with 4 hr. HD video
“Daoist Talismans for Feng Shui/Blessing” w/ 24 hr video
“Practical Door Feng Shui for Wealth” w/ 3 hr. video
“4-Pillars Forecasting Bootcamp+ ″ w/ 18 hr. video 

http://www.kenlaifengshui.com

Feng Shui of Clock Placement

The essence of Feng Shui is about balance of static and dynamic elements around our living environment.

According to Yi-jing ("Book of Changes", the source of Chinese civilization),  "Auspiciousness and inauspiciousness are generated from movements 吉凶悔咎生乎动).  Hence the placement of moving objects in any location, especially inside your home, could affect the well-being of residents much faster than stationary objects.  Items like fish-tank, water-fountain, clocks and the like should be placed with great caution.

For this post, the focus is on clocks, but the principles for other moving objects are similar.

FENG SHUI PRECAUTIONS FOR CLOCK PLACEMENT

1.  One clock per room/location:  Too many clocks within a room will confuse the energy there.  People may feel uneasy or distressed.
2.  Clock shapes:  should be square/ rectangular or circular shaped.  Avoid triangular, hexagon and octagon shapes.  Odd-shaped clocks could generate bickering and arguments.
3.  Bed room clocks:  should be small and not too big.  Big clocks may cause distress and frequent separations for the couple.
4.  Big or grand-father clocks are not suitable for small home.  It creates imbalance visually and energetically.
5.  Clock should be placed in auspicious location and facing inauspicious direction to block and convert negative energy.
6.  Do not put movement (clock!) in 5-yellow disaster and 2-black sickness star locations or you will suffer disasters or sickness.  Exception is the grandfather clock with brass/copper bells which is the remedy of 5-yellow and 2-black stars.

Ken Lai
© 2019 Ken Lai, all rights reserved.

Video Correspondence Courses: (click for details)   
“Advanced Visual Form Feng Shui” w/23 hr. HD video
“Visual Form Feng Shui” w/13 hr. HD video
“Applied Bazi: Sickness Forecasting and Management” w/33 hr. HD video 
“Destiny/Luck Mgmt. 1: Forecasting and Decision Support” w/32 hr. HD video
“Destiny/Luck Mgmt. 2: Basic Bazi Therapy w/18 hr. HD video
“Destiny/Luck Mgmt. 3 w/ Advanced Bazi Therapy w/18 hr. HD video
“Feng Shui Toolbox: Sha-qi, Health/Wealth and Career” w/ 7 hr. HD video
“Period 7/8 FS Toolkit w/ Advanced Flying Star techniques” w/ 6 hr. HD video
“Practical Date-Selection Methods (incl. XKDG) w/ 12 hr. video
“Practical Imperial Qi-Men-Dun-Jia 4G” w/ 12 hr. video
“Professional Imperial QMDJ 4G” w/ 21 hr. video
“EZ QMDJ series: Astrology, Date/Task Selection, Annual Luck/ FS” w/ 3 hr. HD
“EZ QMDJ Advanced Feng Shui” with 4 hr. HD video
“Daoist Talismans for Feng Shui/Blessing” w/ 24 hr video
“Practical Door Feng Shui for Wealth” w/ 3 hr. video
“4-Pillars Forecasting Bootcamp+ 2019 edition” with 18 hr. video

http://www.kenlaifengshui.com

Feng Shui: Ghost-gate lines 鬼门线

The term "ghost-gate" (鬼门) exists long before the term "Feng Shui" was coined.  You can find this term in the ancient text of Yi-jing. 

Ancient text claims that "ghost-gate" is in northeast or Gen trigram, where spirits or ghosts entering or leaving.  Ancient people like to build temples on this location to facilitate spiritual communications.

Modern views do not think ghost-gate is really ghost-ridden, but the energy here is very "yin".

There are two types of ghost-gate line.  The line at the center of northeast region (Gen trigram) is called "outward ghost-gate line" 表鬼门. The other one at the southwest (Kun trigram) is called "inner ghost-gate line" 里鬼门.

These two angles have the most "yin" energy within 360 degrees.

In terms of Feng Shui, doors, toilet seat, stove, fridge, air-conditioner, washing machine, hi-fi, TV, wealth position......, should not be placed on this ghost-gate line.  Inauspicious events or misfortune may happen if items with movements are placed on these ghost-gate lines.  

Negative events will happen to male owner mostly if outward ghost-gate line is violated and to woman owner if inner ghost-gate line is provoked.

Negative effects will be more severe if main door sits on ghost-gate line.  It will be the worst if this door is also facing a T-junction or other form-sha energy like a "sickle sha" or "heart-piercing sha".

Ken Lai

© 2017 Ken Lai, all rights reserved.
 
Video Correspondence Courses: (click for details)   
“Applied Bazi: Sickness Forecasting and Management” w/33 hr. HD video 
“Destiny/Luck Mgmt. 1: Forecasting and Decision Support” w/32 hr. HD video
“Destiny/Luck Mgmt. 2: Basic Bazi Therapy w/18 hr. HD video
“Destiny/Luck Mgmt. 3 w/ Advanced Bazi Therapy w/18 hr. HD video
“Feng Shui Toolbox: Sha-qi, Health/Wealth and Career” w/ 7 hr. HD video
“Period 7/8 FS Toolkit w/ Advanced Flying Star techniques” w/ 6 hr. HD video
“Practical Date-Selection Methods (incl. XKDG) w/ 12 hr. video
“Practical Imperial Qi-Men-Dun-Jia 4G” w/ 12 hr. video
“Professional Imperial QMDJ 4G” w/ 21 hr. video
“EZ QMDJ series: Astrology, Date/Task Selection, Annual Luck/ FS”w/ 3 hr. HD
“EZ QMDJ Advanced Feng Shui” with 4 hr. HD video
“Daoist Talismans for Feng Shui/Blessing” w/ 24 hr video
“Practical Door Feng Shui for Wealth” w/ 3 hr. video
“4-Pillars Forecasting Bootcamp+ 2017 edition” with 18 hr. video
“Advanced Visual Form Feng Shui” w/23 hr. HD video
“Visual Form Feng Shui” w/13 hr. HD video
http://www.kenlaifengshui.com

Bagua Questions: Pre-heaven, Middle-heaven and Post-heaven

In 2011, I wrote about the 1000+ years mystery of "middle-heaven bagua" that is supposedly the human level of bagua.

http://kenlaifengshui.blogspot.com/2011/09/in-search-of-human-bagua-i.html
http://kenlaifengshui.blogspot.com/2011/09/in-search-of-human-bagua-ii.html

A German reader wrote me about this middle-heaven bagua.  But I have a policy of not answering emails from people that I do not know (except placing course orders).  But he is so persistent, so I post his questions here for anyone interested to answer.  Other than correcting some minor misspellings, the following is taken verbatim from his email.

Dear Master Lai,

I am a private researcher of yjing the last 20 years. Because of studying a variety of books with contrary views and theories – I am lost and frustrated over the years.

When I read your blog and statements on the web, I got the impression, that you really have the fundamental plain true basics.

I would be pleased and thankful  for your help.

My main questions are:

1. is the houtian superpositioned on the xiantian bagua or the other way round to generate the 64 hexagrams?

2. How come the sixiang into being ? Through the middle line of a trigram, combined from earlier and later bagua, or through luoshu / hetu number grid.  Is sixiang a combination from both arrangements? You spoke of a middle gua?! Or is sixiang build from the other /uppermost bagua?

Does young yang stand in the east with lower line yin and upper yang or is it the other way round. Same for young yin in the west?

3. how does the nine palaces (eight houses) are connected in generating the 64 hexagrams?

I would be so happy to get your reply and support.

Best regards from Germany,

xxxxxxx

PS:  Ken's comment:  These are profound questions good enough for a few PhD dissertations.

Video Correspondence Courses: (click for details)   
“Advanced Visual Form Feng Shui” w/23 hr. HD video
“Visual Form Feng Shui” w/13 hr. HD video
"Applied Bazi: SIckness Forecasting and Management" w/33 hr. HD video 
“Destiny/Luck Mgmt. 1: Forecasting and Decision Support” w/32 hr. HD video
“Destiny/Luck Mgmt. 2: Basic Bazi Therapy w/18 hr. HD video
“Destiny/Luck Mgmt. 3 w/ Advanced Bazi Therapy w/18 hr. HD video
“Feng Shui Toolbox: Sha-qi, Health/Wealth and Career” w/ 7 hr. HD video
“Period 7/8 FS Toolkit w/ Advanced Flying Star techniques” w/ 6 hr. HD video
“Practical Date-Selection Methods (incl. XKDG) w/ 12 hr. video
“Practical Imperial Qi-Men-Dun-Jia 4G” w/ 12 hr. video
“Professional Imperial QMDJ 4G” w/ 21 hr. video
“EZ QMDJ series: Astrology, Date/Task Selection, Annual Luck/ FS”w/ 3 hr. HD
“EZ QMDJ Advanced Feng Shui” with 4 hr. HD video
“Daoist Talismans for Feng Shui/Blessing” w/ 24 hr video
“Practical Door Feng Shui for Wealth” w/ 3 hr. video
“4-Pillars Forecasting Bootcamp+ 2017 edition” with 18 hr. video

http://www.kenlaifengshui.com

Accidental Feng Shui Battle

A few years ago, I put my surplus "wealth cat" figurine, a relic from my old retail business,  in the NE window of my house.

In terms of  Feng Shui's 24 mountains (directions), cat is "yin" and it is put in the NE side.

The NE side of my house is my left side neighbor Vic's SW side.  He has a SW window facing my NE window.  He saw this strange looking cat statue staring and waving its paw towards his house and felt threatened.  He knows that I teach metaphysics and wondered if I tried to voodoo him.

So he put up a  triangular "777" sticker on his SW windows to deflect my wealth cat energy.  I guess "7" is considered lucky number in western thought.  You hit the jackpot when you get "7-7-7" in a slot machine.

However, "7" is not a lucky number in traditional Chinese thought.  The Chinese count the period or unit of one's passing in terms of 7 days like the "first seventh" refers to the first 7 days after one's death. The 49 days after death is the "last seventh" which marks the day the departed goes to heaven or hell.

But to me, "777" can be interpreted as hitting the jackpot which is great.  In terms of Yi-jing, I can also see "777" as a "Ming 蒙" or "immaturity" hexagram, which is an accurate reflection of reality:  two "old" teenagers goofing around.

Last year (2013),  San Sha ("3-killings") negative energy were in yin, mao and chen mountains (directions) .  I had removed the wealth cat and put a pair of Ki-lun figurines there to fix San Sha.

Vic saw two new monsters replacing the fat cat and panicked.  He had responded with putting two cat figurines,  a tile with a heart drawn on it and a "444" sticker on top of the original "777". Who the hell did he get the ideas from?  I had laughed my head off when I saw this hodgepodge of objects and numbers.

Chinese dislike the number 4 because "4" sounds like "death".  But I see "444" as a different number without 4 with some mental twists.

"444" over "777" forms the "Heng 恆" or  "consistency" hexagram with Yi-jing.  It means old habits do not hurt but could be changed for the better.

With two cats sitting on SW side of the house, it will dampen his wife's grip on him (Do you know why?).  Vic at least gets some benefits out of this accidental Feng Shui battle.

Vic and me are both metal daymasters.  Cat is classified as wood in terms of elemental nature in Chinese metaphysics. Wood is the wealth element to a metal daymaster.  But wood is my favorable element but unfavorable to Vic because he is a weak daymaster (please refer to my previous blog on wealth potential).  So his cat figurines will not affect me or even bring me some money but may drive him to overspend or lose some wealth opportunities.

I will give him a Feng Shui talk when my lawn needs mowing.  He had traded a few rounds of lawn mowing for metaphysics advice with me before (Ken note: Yes, the lest that you can get for taking my courses is to trade the knowledge for lawn-mowing service).

If you want to learn these numerology and hexagram symbology, you can take my "Destiny and Luck Management: Forecasting and Decision Support System".

Ken Lai

"Destiny/Luck Mgmt. w/ Bazi- Basic/ Advanced w/18 hr. HD video each
"Advanced Visual Form Feng Shui w/ 23 hr. HD video
"Feng Shui Toolbox: Sha-qi, Health/Wealth & Career" w/ 7 hr. HD video
"Period 7/8 Feng Shui Toolkit w/ Advanced Flying Star techniques" w/ 6 hr. HD video
"Practical Date-Selection Methods (incl. XKDG) w/ 12 hr. video
"Professional Imperial Qi-Men-Dun-Jia 4G" w/ 21 hr. video
"EZ QMDJ series: Astrology, Date/Task Selection, Annual Luck/Feng Shui"w/ 3 hr. HD
"EZ QMDJ Advanced Feng Shui" with 4 hr. HD video
"Daoist Talismans for Feng Shui/Blessing" w/ 24 hr video
 "Practical Door Feng Shui for Wealth" w/ 3 hr. video
 "4-Pillars Forecasting Bootcamp" with 12 hr. video

 http://www.kenlaifengshui.com
 http://kenlaifengshui.blogspot.com