Llewellyn Journal - How Feng Shui Favored Michael Phelps

Is feng shui still Greek to you? After this intuitive look at the top U.S. swimmer in Athens, the answer should be "not anymore."

Athens – once considered the most cultured city in Ancient Greece – is ringed by hills that overlook a body of water. The words feng shui literally mean "wind" and "water" in Chinese. Additionally, feng shui supposes that "water" equals "money." Nineteen-year-old Michael Phelps III indeed got rich with eight swimming medals, 6 gold and 2 bronze, in the August 2004 Olympics. Now for our scoop: although his lucrative TV commercials suggest that he won the medals "through practice," an explanation based on feng shui is much more convincing.

First, notice how Phelps and other male swimmers – like sumo wrestlers – show off their navels to the gallery and then get down on all fours. Both are actually accessing chi energy at a decisive moment – moments before the gun for swimmers, and during the endless staring match for sumo wrestlers in the ring before they suddenly lunge forward at each other. Chi (or universal energy) is a basic concept in feng shui. The seat of human chi is located in the tan den, about two inches below the navel. The sumo wrestler keeps his hips low and the buttocks pushed back so that a strong spiritual force builds up in the hips and lower abdomen. The tan den is the center of gravity, equilibrium, and power. When Phelps leaps into the water, he is harmonizing his personal chi with the supportive environmental chi of the pool. He powers up and deftly executes the dolphin kick with his butterfly strokes – a process of balancing his personal chi with the nurturing water chi.

The second feng shui observation relates to the five elements (metal, water, wood, fire, and earth), which are distinct expressions of human chi. A person is born with a combination of these elements, but the date of birth in the Chinese lunar calendar determines which element is optimally expressed. That becomes the signature element of the individual's chi. Phelps, born on June 30, 1985, is to the Chinese an "Ox wood person" – meaning that he was born in the Year of the Ox and possesses the "wood chi signature." He is truly as big as an ox (though not yet in the league of sumo wrestlers). His wood chi signature endows him with a sense of self that thrives in water, since water nourishes trees. People with wood chi signatures are considered "water world friendly" (WWF). People with metal chi signatures are also WWF because metal (minerals) enriches water. Fire and earth people are deemed "water world antagonists" (WWA), as water extinguishes fire and earth dams water. Not surprisingly, the overwhelming majority (83%) of the 52 U.S. male Olympic swimmers were WWF. 17 percent were WWA. All but one of the medal-winners came from the WWF group.

The third feng shui factor in Phelps’ favor is this: the wood person's main virtue, according to Taoist doctrine, is benevolence. How did Phelps exhibit this trait? At the last swimming event of the Athens Games, he gave up his spot in the 400-meter medley relay to his teammate, Ian Crocker. Phelps had edged out Crocker in the 100-meter butterfly, but he gave up the spot he’d earned so Crocker could win a gold medal. Phelps led the cheers from a front-row seat of the pool deck as Crocker and the rest of the team set a world record. Phelps himself earned the gold in that relay because he had competed with the team in the preliminaries. While virtue may be its own reward, feng shui assures us that performing good deeds preserves positive chi and averts bad luck.

Fourth, the Athens Olympics opened on an auspicious day, Friday, August 13, 2004 (even though this was very unlucky day elsewhere, what with Hurricane Charley on the loose). On that day, the moon had a favorable aspect to Jupiter (Zeus), the ruler of sports enthusiasts. It was also deemed a favorable day in the Chinese almanac. However, the timing was probably determined by random, bureaucratic planning on the part of the International Olympics Committee, not by Western or Chinese astrology. Nevertheless, the fact remains that Phelps was at the right place and at the right time.

Finally, we conclude with an Ox-people Chinese astrological forecast by Professor Lin Yun, Grandmaster of the Black Hat Sect Tantric Buddhist feng shui. Little did Phelps know that his feat in Athens was probably foreseen months before by Lin Yun who wrote the following horoscope for persons such as Phelps: "In the Year of the Monkey (between January, 22 2004 and February 8 ,2005), those born under the sign of the Ox will be blessed by their lucky star: career, family, and income will be looking good; auspicious events will be upon them." This was the general forecast for the lunar year (only the Ox and the Hare had rosy horoscopes while the ten other animals in the zodiac rate mediocre or negative forecasts). For the month of August 2004, Lin Yun's words had a prophetic ring for Ox swimmers: "Like sailing downwind, you'll be cruising the whole way. Blessings, wealth, promotion, and romance – all of these are coming your way." Fortunately, the Americans had two Ox persons, both 19 years old, on the swimming team. Feng shui favored them with medals: Larsen Jensen who won the silver medal in the 1,500-meter freestyle and, of course, Phelps.

References: Jose Armilla, Negotiate with Feng Shui, Llewellyn Publications, 2001.
Sharon Leah (Ed.), Llewellyn's 2004 Moon Sign Book, 99th annual edition, St. Paul, MN 55164.
Thomas Lin Yun, Black Sect Tantric Buddhist 2004 Year of the Monkey Planner, Copyright November 1, 2003, Yun Lin Temple, Berkeley, CA 94705.