In the incoming Year of the Wood Dragon, which spans from 10 February 2024 to 29 January 2025, middle-aged women, specifically those between 40 and 60 years old, will reign supreme. This ushers in the Period 9 in feng shui that marks a time of rapid change and intense energy, as opportunities for growth and progress abound.

At 55, feng shui expert Marites Allen, who gave an overview forecast in a recent media event, has been reigning supreme in her chosen field for the last 20 years. That's why she gets the honor of being acknowledged as the "the Real Feng Shui Queen."

A wide, warm smile appears in her fully made-up face as she talks to DAILY TRIBUNE about the rewards she gets from practicing her profession: "You'll be surprised because just like what I said, when I started feng shui, I didn't know that there's such a thing as a feng shui industry. Remember, when I started feng shui, it's like, 'Can I make it?' Because this is a Catholic country.

"So, when I started feng shui, I would say it was the biggest change that I had to do. There were worries, there were doubts. Like how could you do this in a Catholic country? Are people really gonna believe you and follow you?

"And you know what, I really just followed it through because feng shui has been a very important part of my life. I used feng shui when I was down and in very depressing state. By doing feng shui, wearing my lucky charms and my lucky colors, facing my lucky direction when you sleep and when you work, it has improved my life."

Greatest joy

She added, "If you ask me what is the greatest joy, of course, it all started with myself. After that, when I really began to share information to the public, year after year, I'm telling you, I'm getting a lot of private messages. I do a lot of consultation. I've met and I've been with really important people I never imagined in my life. I only saw them on television, but now they would invite me to come to their places.

"At the same time, it had enabled me to connect with the public as well. That is why every year, I have this activity with SM Supermalls, with Robinsons as well. Because it is my chance as well to really connect with people. There are so many things, countless of joy and privileges."

Before Allen, feng shui has been largely represented by Chinese practitioners, usually men, who become visible during the time of Lunar New Year to make pronouncements on which animal signs will be lucky or unlucky. Then they will go on saying anything to do with luck.

"In feng shui, you don't have to be Chinese," she says with a laugh. "It might have come from Chinese perception [or tradition], but honestly, it's all about energy. I always say this: no matter how popular one can be, no matter how much money you have in the bank, no matter how much you've achieved in life, when your luck says, 'Take it easy because this year is going to be challenging for you,' then principle of feng shui follows. Feng shui is not a religion, it's not magic and it's never a superstition."

Beyond lucky

Allen goes on explaining the three types of luck: Heaven's Luck, Mankind Luck and Earth Luck. The first one is "what you're born with, what destiny has given us." Next, it's "what you do to yourself" based on your action and decision. Lastly, what has feng shui got to do with your life.

"I came from a family of 14," states the 10th child. "So, life was very difficult and the only thing that our parents could give us was education. They said, 'There's nothing we could give you but education.' You know what, we had to try harder. We had to go to the farm every summer. We're from Masbate town. We had to experience selling halo-halo in our neighborhood para mayroon akong (so that I'll have money for) allowance. I had to dry the palay, so my parents could sell it."

"That was my destiny. I couldn't change it," she says, then correlates it to the next two types of luck. "So even in my own difficult time, I really strived to get my MBA, and I achieved it. By knowing already what your lucky and unlucky times and schedules, then it's very easy for you to navigate the rest of the year. That's why feng shui is very important. Heaven, Earth and Mankind. Feng shui can never answer for anything and everything. It's there as a guide. But it's very important."

To those who don't believe in feng shui, she only has this reply: "I just say, 'Okay, I already told you that in 2023 that the bad sectors are these or in 2024, the lucky sectors are these. If you really don't believe in feng shui, you do the renovation, you drill a hole, you do all the noisy things and renovation in the bad sectors, I can guarantee you that bad things will happen to you.

"In feng shui, it's better to be safe than sorry. But there's a difference between a forecast and a prediction. Predictions are set in stone. It's bound to happen. In forecast, it's most likely to happen because of the energy."

Aside from giving feng shui consultation to many "important people," including business magnates, celebrities and politicians, Allen also runs several enterprises. Frigga, for one, takes care of the feng shui books and objects she sells. She really puts into good practice the higher education she got from the Ateneo Graduate School of Business.

"My business, my feng shui practice is recession-proof," she exclaims. "During Covid [pandemic], when everybody was quiet at home, it was also the time a lot of people were asking for my consultation, even when I was in England." She maintains a home in its capital city, London, with her husband Nick Allen, a British national who works as an international executive, and their four children.

"My consultations did not stop. The more that the person is going through a bad luck, they want feng shui. Now if they're having a good luck, they also want feng shui because they want to maintain it.

Looking good

As for her youthful looks and outlook in life, Allen credits the mellowing effect of reaching middle age, plus a bit of yoga and meditation in the morning. "I really adopt things like 'you just let it go, whatever happens now, let it be.' Unlike before, when I was a bit younger, I wanted things to be perfect."

Now here are few tips that don't involve feng shui: "Do you know that the last five minutes before you go to bed is going to be very important? So, whatever you think in the last five minutes before you go to sleep, it's going to marinate that for the next eight, 10 hours of your sleep.

"If you're thinking of the last day's work, or you worry about money, or you worry about relationships that went wrong, or you worry about many things before you go to sleep, then it's going to manifest in your subconscious mind. So, the next day, it becomes reality. Therefore, why not gift yourself, like tonight, 'I'm going to be sleeping, maybe imagining that I'm gonna look healthy, wealthy.'"

She shares more of her formula to a good life: "I tell myself, 'I love you' in the morning. Because our body is 75 percent water, so our water in the body has memories. If you keep telling yourself the opposite, that you're ugly. Then you're gonna be ugly. But if I tell myself I'm pretty, happy and bring good vibes to the people, it radiates.

"I just say thank you to myself. 'Thank you, you're beautiful. I love you. I love myself.' Always live and wake up each day with a purpose. Because when a person uses the purpose, then everything else follows. The fact of the matter that we have a roof under our head, if we have a bed to sleep on, we have food to eat for today, that is more than enough. I always bring a gratitude notebook.

"I also have my doubts and my anxieties. I cry, I laugh. When I have to cry, I cry. When I'm frustrated, I let it out. What else can I do? I'm just a human being. Crying is very healthy. Letting go of things is very healthy."