(5-96) Have you ever had the feeling that some days there's not one single phone call, and other days the phone just won't stop ringing. Sometimes you feel like talking to someone, and you dial the number; if one is not home, the following 3 or 4 numbers are all unanswered. I once had a friend whom I value so much, I simply cannot bare to have a bad phone conversation. I began to observe the pattern of my phone conversations during the day. I experimented a few times, the correlation was surprisingly accurate. If I had a few pleasant phone conversations before calling him, then we would always end up with a pleasant phone conversations. If I didn't, and tried to forced it and called, I would end up with no answers or bad, abrupt conversations. This is what Chinese called good moments (shi chen), or good timing. Good and bad moments come and go, the key is to be aware of them, and make the best of them.

The best fortune telling is not to predict with the alignment of the stars and the moon, or with some prescribed formula. It is with the understanding of shu-li (mathematics and reason) or qi-ji (agreement with probability). The best fortune tellers in Chinese history are great scholars with insights and understandings of shu-li and qi-ji. Here is a good story to exemplify such understanding:

Around 200 AD., during the Three Kingdom period, there was a famous fortune teller named Chou Xuan. His specialty was to forecast the future with dreams. One day, a high official wanted to test him, and went to ask Chou: "I dreamed of a straw dog. What's the meaning of it?" A straw dog was a sacrificial item used during religious ceremonies at the time. Chou answered: "You will have a delicious banquet meal." Later, the official went out, and did have a delicious banquet meal. The next day, the official went to Chou and asked again: "I dreamed of a straw dog. Why?" Chou answered: "You will fall off your wagon and break your leg. Be careful." It was true again. Days later, the official asked Chou again: "I dreamed of a straw dog last night. Why?" Chou said: "Your house will be on fire. Beware." Later, the official's house caught fire, and Chou was correct again. The official was puzzled and went to Chou: "The last three times about the straw dog were not dreams. I made them up to test you. How could they be so true?" Chou said: "You were motivated by the gods to say so. It is the same as a dream." The official said: "I dreamed about the same dog three times, how come each time I would have a different result?" Chou said: "Straw dog is a ceremonial object. Therefore, when you first dreamed it, you would have a great meal. (It is customary to have a banquet after religious ceremony. All foods offered to gods would be used for human consumption afterwards.) After the ceremony, the straw dog would usually be tossed and perhaps run over by a wagon. That's why when you dreamed of it the second time, I guessed you would fall off a wagon, and break your leg. After the straw dog was destroyed, there was not much use of it but to burn it. That's why I predicted your house would catch fire the third time."

It may be a story designed to give us a few laughs. However, shu-li and qi-ji are an important aspect of fortune telling. If you believe in certain kinds of formula, like the birth dates and the stars, then you are missing a whole lot. Cleanse your mind and be observant. See if you can predict a few things yourself. The goal of fortune telling is not to change the future but to know your fate and broaden your view. The so called "zhi ming da guan".