Belief in feng shui 'triggers jackpot win'

[wildwind]

23rd Feb SMH

Gold symbolises wealth. Check. Coins represent money. Check. The front door represents good energy coming into your house. Check.

So when a Sydney man glued a gold coin to his front doorstep in November, he believed he had checked all the feng shui boxes for a windfall - which he got after winning more than $1.2 million at the BoysTown charity lotto.

But had the ex-policeman unlocked an ancient Chinese art of hitting the jackpot?

Australian feng shui expert Elizabeth Wiggins, who has some coins under her front door mat, said the win was more about the positive mindset the man attached to that coin.

"I have coins in my front door, but that doesn't mean they are going to win a million bucks," said Wiggins, who is president of the Association of Feng Shui consultants.

"Is this part of traditional feng shui? Not it's not."

However, his belief has elements of feng shui in a more general sense.

"Gold represents wealth, anything that is gold is considered auspicious [by the Chinese], and the coin represents money as well. If he believes that gold coin will give him money, he'll attract that kind of money."

Wiggins said feng shui practitioners believe in three types of luck - heaven luck, which relates to when a person is born; earth luck, which is a person's relationship with their environment; and man luck, which is how a person lives their life.

The lottery winner could have been practising his man luck, she said.

"There are so many factors at play. There might be a trigger in his Chinese astrology that unconventional money was coming his way.

"It comes down to the choice of the way we think ... and it's about positive symbolism. Your thoughts represent your reality, so if such symbols help you to do that [be positive], then that's fantastic.

"[But] the really important thing is the action that he took - to buy the tickets. If he didn't buy the tickets, he wouldn't have won."

The man, aged in his 50s, said he had also won two lotto prizes worth more than $1000 after sticking the coin to his doorstep, an action he took after reading an article on feng shui.

This time round, he snared the winning ticket in the BoysTown lotto, which was a Sunshine Coast house worth more than $1.2 million. He also won $75,000 in gold bullion.

"I had lost a fair bit of money, so I thought ... why not!" AAP quoted the man as saying.

"I was pretty embarrassed about it at the time."

[wildwind]

22nd Feb SMH

Here's a story that will have you rushing home to glue a gold coin to your doorstep.

A retired Sydney man who did just that after reading an article about feng shui became an instant millionaire thanks to a stroke of good fortune.

The ex-policeman, aged in his 50s, picked a winning ticket in the latest BoysTown charity lotto, netting him a luxury house on the Sunshine Coast worth more than $1.2 million.

And because he bought four tickets, which cost $15 each, he was given an extra prize - the choice between an Audi sportscar and $75,000 in gold bullion.

Feeling a tad old for the swish car, he took the gold and plans to cash it in for an overseas holiday.

The man, a bachelor who wished to remain anonymous, said he would also sell the house - despite the lure of its views and nearby beaches - and use the money to pay off his debts.

He reckons his stroke of luck was all down to the gold coin.

Since gluing it in place in November, he's also won two lotto prizes worth more than $1000.

"I had lost a fair bit of money, so I thought ... why not!" he said of adopting the feng shui practice.

"I was pretty embarrassed about it at the time."

The man decided to enter BoysTown charity lottery draws after working as a policeman with troubled youth on the streets of Sydney's Kings Cross.

Money raised from BoysTown Lotteries funds its charitable services, which help people in need across Australia.

They include Kids Helpline, employment and training services, and homeless and domestic violence refuges.