Three thousand or so people from around the world began planning their new year in earnest in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. 

It was the wettest working Friday in memory, after an unprecedented cyclone had made landfall on the country’s west coast. 

What had made them make the trek despite the threat of wild and woolly weather?

If you’d been there, you wouldn’t have wanted to miss it too. The 2026 edition of THRIVE continues to be the event that provides clear and practical guidance to create your own strategy to prosper in interesting times. 

There was a ton of fascinating and useful stuff dropped by Dato’ Joey Yap yesterday that we’ll cover soon but here’s a quick recap of what went down yesterday.

DJY as he’s better known, first set the scene by tempering the popular impression of forecasts in Chinese Metaphysics as being infallible predictions. As with any empirical endeavour, there’s an art to the science. 

Using Feng Shui, BaZi and Qi Men Dun Jia, he explained what informed his insights into the global trends taking place in the economy, politics and society, and their impact on daily life.

He characterised the pivotal Crimson Horse and Blood Goat years not as disastrous times, as is being said, but times of intense disruption, impulsive behaviour, and immense pressure driven by a dominant Fire element. 

There are nine key themes for the year that may see a sharp correction in the over-valued AI market, heightened geopolitical friction, and significant leadership stress across the globe (from the effects of Fire, the transformative energy, on Metal, the energy of structure, leadership and traditional finance).

In disruption lies renewal, and Yap proposes a three-part framework (Priming, Attunement, and Activation) designed to help clarify and align personal energy with annual opportunities, while stepping into the new era of Period 9.

Plus, there’s a new beta app to input individual metaphysics data, so anyone can develop a clear, articulated plan of action and eliminate any ambiguity regarding their goals for success. Stay tuned for more reports and summaries.