Douglas Forbes has just published his second book on the Human Pin Code, a scientifically worked out formula that he says has helped people change their lives.
It's uncanny that a stranger can tell you things about yourself just from knowing your birth date.
But that's what the Human Pin Code, in the hands of a trained practitioner, can do and Douglas Forbes, the man who discovered it, is riding high on its success.
Forbes has just published his second book, Human Pin Code: Relationships (Red Nolan), which follows his hugely successful Human Pin Code, The Sacred Maths in Your Birth Date. Published in 2002, it's in its sixth imprint and is number eight on the bestseller list (and has been at second position).
"It's helped people change their lives," says Forbes.
This is not astrology or numerology. It's also not "New Age", stresses Forbes.
The Human Pin Code is a scientifically worked out formula which has been tested on 22 000 people, and he claims a 95 percent accuracy rate for it. It's reached beyond our borders and Forbes travels internationally teaching it to people.
He also runs courses to certify practitioners here, and about half his students are professional therapists, doctors, psychologists and psychiatrists.
"It's the only system in the world (of assessing people) that doesn't require you to ask questions," he says. That's why companies - and men (85 percent of Forbes's clients are men) - like it. It's seen as scientific.
It's not simple to understand what Forbes has based the Human Pin Code on, but he says he discovered it through his life's passion, science.
The pin code can tell you about your potential, it's a tool to understand people, says Forbes.
The idea is that we are all born with a template, or our pin code, which is worked out using our birth date. And then we have choices as to how we express our code. We are also influenced by our families and our environments.
Every number in your pin code has attributes, which in turn can be expressed in "active" or "reactive" ways.
This explains why people born on the same day, or with the same pin code (which can happen), will not behave in the same way.
"This is an exact science and can tell you what you're in for. It helps you understand who you really are so you become tolerant of yourself. Which makes you tolerant of your neighbour, which leads to love."
When a pin code reading just doesn't fit them, he'll ask the person to go back and check their birth date. "About one in a hundred birthdays are wrong," he says. "You have no idea how parents change them."
And people make mistakes, especially if you're born around midnight.
"I have a 95 percent accuracy rate," he says. "And I never write or do anything unless I've researched it and put it into practice. I have a psychologist and a psychiatrist to vet my writing, and then it goes to a lawyer."
From his books you'll be able to work out your pin code and interpret it to a degree. His latest book on relationships introduces the idea of a synergy pin code as well as the idea of having passive or dominant processing styles. You don't need to have read the first one to appreciate and use this one, but if you're interested in the Human Pin Code, it helps to read both.
"They give you enough to get a handle on yourself," says Forbes.
But there are eight numbers to interpret, and the interplay of all of them, so it takes some expertise to get a full picture. If you want a proper reading, he lists certified practitioners on his website.
Forbes tells me briefly, and mostly accurately, about myself and my family. Then it's photographer Enver Essop's turn, and he nods his head vigorously at what Forbes says.
It's quite a relief to hear that I am opinionated, dominant and want to change the world, and it's no use trying to be something else to please others.
So here's my opinion: The Human Pin Code is fascinating reading and well worth the effort of working out the numbers to get to some juicy bits about yourself and others.
- Forbes's next book will be in Afrikaans and is on babies, from conception to nine years old. His website is www.humanpincode.com