I had many incidences and cases to write about. However my latest experience would need to be blog asap.
As many readers/followers of this blog knows, my relationship and affinity with the Penang City God, goes back more than a decade ago, even before the Kam Dong San temple was setup at Harbour Trade Centre at Macallum Penang.
It was the Eve of Chinese New Year 2019, as usual we would be in the temple to setup the 赵公明元帅 Zhao Gong Ming Wealth God altar for 5th Day Celebration and also other preparation activities.
For more than 10 years every year on the eve of CNY, I would visit the Cheng Huang Temple in Penang and when Kam Dong San have its own Cheng Huang Hall when I started offering yearly at our temple as well.
This is a personal gesture of thanks and gratitude given to Cheng Huang and all his officers.
When I started doing this practice, and other members that came to temple on eve of CNY notice it they also follow suit. Previous years we have quite an abundance of offering at Cheng Huang Hall on the eve itself.
This year I have prepared the seafood steamboat bowl, roasted pork belly and roast chicken. I have not prepared other stuff as I assume other regulars would also be bringing their offering.
When I arrived and placed my offering at the table, something was amiss this year after we finish the setup at the main hall.
Other than my own offering there is no other offering. Regulars did not show up this year.
When I use the oracle to ask whether the offering was ok, I received a NO on the first throw.
Then it dawn upon me it is going to be long offering session. I then ask for forgiveness from Cheng Huang and all officers, then kindly requested again whether we could make it up for the offering on 5th Day CNY since on the eve, most food stall already close. Again the answer was straight no. I did not enter into meditative stabilisation as it was quite obvious. However when asking through the oracle, I can sense a lot of noise and a feeling of disgruntled.
I then quickly ask temple committees to rush and go to purchase some fried chicken at local franchise, or else it will be a long day.
When the committees rush back with the fried chicken, I quickly offered at the table including with other snacks that came with the combo.
Then I quickly seek to ask whether the offering is now okay. I immediately get a confirmation. This was witness personally by the commitees.
After we waited for about 30 minutes, I then did 3 prostrations to seek for forgiveness from the whole Cheng Huang Department on my overlooked and misjudgement on this matter and vow to not repeat such mistake. Immediately I receive another confirmation.
2020 Chinese New Year, our temple will be fully in charge on the Cheng Huang Hall Pre CNY offering and no longer rely on my assumptions that others will consistently show up due to their past offering of thanks.
Will Cheng Huang Department still be as efficacious in their actions on member's request for help? That we will have to find out for ourselves.