(This is an article that I wrote in a column for the Sun Daily newspaper).

Feng Shui is Chinese for Wind Water. But what is it really?

First there is Yin Feng Shui. It is also known as Burial Feng Shui and is about the effect of the ancestor’s tomb and the surroundings on the descendants.

Then there is Yang Feng Shui which is what we will talk about in this column. It is about how mankind is affected – positive or negatively – by his surroundings. It is also known as Feng Shui for the living or Yang House Feng Shui.

Surroundings include natural land forms such as mountains and rivers and man-made structures such as buildings, roads, high tension pylons etc around where he spends most of his time.

For most people this would include his home where he lives and workplace where he works.

Surroundings also include internal spaces with his home and office such as location and orientation of main door, bedroom, office, kitchen and so on.

It also include the facing direction of the house which is the side than allow in the most amount of environmental energy e.g. natural lighting, wind etc into the house or office.

There is an ancient Chinese saying, “First Destiny or Fate, Second Luck and third Feng Shui”, followed by Fourth accumulation of good deeds and Fifth learning.

The ancient Chinese believe that the quality of our life and the path that it will take is largely influenced by our destiny and luck which can be calculated using our date and time of birth.

The ancients however believe that this quality and path taken can be improved by the correct application of Feng Shui, the accumulation of good deeds, learning and application of this learning.

So what is Feng Shui? Think of it like a tool that we can use to shape our destiny and luck. It can make a weak destiny and inauspicious luck stronger and better. And make a good one much better. This is probably why Feng Shui is often associated with the saying, “Enhance the Fortunate and Avoid the Emptiness.

In my next article, I will elaborate on destiny and luck and why you can be your master of your destiny, even though it is somewhat predefined at birth.