Category Archives: Feng Shui

Feng Shui

How to Identify the Auspicious Sectors of a Property?

This is done by mapping the “qi” distribution map onto the floor plan of the property.

s2 facing period 7 chart

The diagram below shows a typical “qi” distribution diagram. There are nine sectors arrange in a 3 x 3 matrix. Inside each sectors are numbers or text which tells us the varying degree of auspiciousness or in auspiciousness of each sector and as a practitioner we use these information to decide on the optimal usage of each sectors.

The traditional method to “map” the “qi” diagram to the property is known as the Palaces Method. Here the floor is divided into nine sectors in a 3 x 3 matrix much like the “qi” diagram. A modern method divides the property into 8 pie shape sectors and the “qi” is map to the floor plan accordingly. While most methods partition “qi” into 8 sectors, others may partition “qi” into 12 sectors and you should not be surprise to see them.

palaces method

The correct way is to map the “qi” diagram onto the internal spaces of the property. The external spaces such as the porch and garden are excluded.

pie method

If your office comprise of two separate building, you should map each of them separately. If the two buildings are adjacent to each other but with separate entrance and not connected internally, you should still map them separately. However if the two buildings are adjacent to each other but connected internally, then it should be mapped as one building.

For a multi level building you should map the “qi” map to each of the floor.

Demarcation

The Palace Method is the more popular method and it is quite convenient to use especially when the building is or a regular shape. However some modern buildings can have highly irregular shapes and in such cases the pie method may be more appropriate.

In practice, the distribution of “qi” a building floor is constrained by the walls within. For example in the diagram below, the nine sectors are non distributed equally. How to distribute the qi in buildings of different shapes and size is a constant challenge for practitioners that comes with experience.

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While the distribution of “qi” is normally confined to the internal spaces in the property, it does not mean that the “qi” stops there. The same “qi” existing outside the house by extension.

What is a Gua (or Kua) Number?

Everyone of us have a Gua number that is computed from our Chinese Solar year of birth. The Chinese Solar year starts on or around the 4th February each year. If you are born after the 4th February then you are said to be born in the current Chinese Solar year. If you are born before you belong to the previous Chinese Solar year. If you are born on or close to the 4th February, then you need to refer to the Ten Thousand Year Calendar figure out exactly your Chinese Solar year of birth.

With the correct Chinese Solar year of birth, you can calculate your Kua Number manually (which I will not cover) or use one of numerous online Gua calculators (recommended). Do note that the method of calculating Gua number is different for men and for women Gua number for a male and female is usually different. In some year though they are the same.

There are although 8 numbers ranging from 1 to 4 and 6 to 9. Please note that 5 is excluded.

Some refer to the Gua Number as Ming or Life Number. Others call it a Destiny Number. Since we are but a ball of energy, the Gua Number can also be defined as an energy signature of some sort.

It is used in some astrology system to determine our destiny and luck in life.

There are also numerous uses for the Gua Number in Feng Shui and in this article, I will give some examples of their usage.

In the popular Eight Mansions (or Eight House) Feng Shui method, the Gua Number is uses to determine our favorable and unfavorable sectors and directions. In this system, we are classified into East and West Life groups. If your Gua Number is 1, 3, 4 or 9, you belong to the East Life Group. If your number is 2, 6, 7 or 8 you belong to the West Life Group.

If your belong to the East Life Group, your favorable sectors and directions are north, south, east and south-east. If your belong to the West Life Group, your favorable sectors and directions are north-west, south-west, west and north-east.

The concept of Gua Number also extends to a house. Thus a house also have a House Gua Number and some houses are more suitable for you depending on your Gua Number.

In the Flying Star system, you Gua Number is often used as another layer to assess your suitability for particular sectors of a house. Let’s say the east sector of a house has good energy and is highly suitable for use as a bedroom. A practitioner would then assess if you are suitable for the bedroom by checking your Gua number against the energy that is present in the bedroom. He may discover that the north sectors which is also suitable as a bedroom is more ideally suited for you and recommend you sleep there instead.

Yet another us of the Gua number is in date selection. Every year has a Gua Number as well. This concept is further extended to the month, day and hour and so you have a month Gua, day Gua and hourly Gua Numbers.

These numbers are matched against your Life Gua number to the suitability of any date and time for you for certain endeavors.

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Other date selection method uses the Gua in a different way. For example in the Da Gua date selection method the Gua number of the head of the household is used to evaluate the date and the sitting direction of the house.

And the uses goes on an on!

How to Measure a House’s Facing Direction?

Measuring a House’s Facing Direction

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What is the facing direction of a property? It is the direction perpendicular (or at 90 degrees) to the facade wall of the facing side of the property as shown in the diagram.

A common question that I get is whether we should measure looking into or out of the house? Since it is the facing direction of the house, you should use the house as the principal (or host) and measure looking out of the house.

So far so good. But where should we take the measurement?

Measure Facing Direction

Logically it should be at the intersection of the facing direction with the facade wall on the facing side. While it is logically so, it is not the best position to take the measurement. Let me explain why.

The direction of the needle of the magnetic compass can be easily affected by nearby metal objects. You can easily verify this by bring a metal object near the compass.

Most homes here are built using the RC (reinforce concrete) method. Within the beams and pillars are steel bars which can affect the reading on a compass.

For an accurate reading you should be as far away as possible from metal objects. Try to stay away from the gate which is usually made of metal or has a large metal content. It is a good practice to remove the cars from the garage as they may compromise the reading.

So where so you take the measurements?

I will illustrate with a diagram of a typical link house. I would normally take a reading at point A and at point B. Both the position are as far away as possible from the porch pillars, overhead beams, stairs and columns.

Measure House Facing

In the accompanying diagram, I have indicated imaginary lines that are parallel to the facade wall at the facing. In most homes, these lines are can be real and they are usually formed by the tiles or stones that owners install on the porch. In its absence we can use our best judgement and in the worst case scenario, you have to mark it with a chalk.

Usually the reading at both the locations will be the same or very close. When measuring the facing direction most systems of Feng Shui measure by spans. For example S2 facing is between 172.5 to 187.5 degrees. Therefore if one reading is 181 and the other 182, it is still S2!

Another thing that I have observed is the influence of the electricity meter and distribution box. The compass needle vibrates ever so slightly when you are near them. This vibration is almost never seen in buildings that have yet to receive their power supply.

Therefore, I would also advice against taking the measurements too close to them.

Do you need a Feng Shui Lou Pan (compass) to get an accurate reading? Not really but it would be good to have one as the straight edge allows you to easily align with the facing.

A navigation compass with a straight edge will do to. I do not recommend a round compass as you cannot easily align it parallel to a straight wall or line as it does not have a flat side.

House Facing Direction

A House Facing and Sitting Direction

The sitting or facing direction of a house is also often used to determine the qi distribution or in layman terms to identify the auspicious and inauspicious sectors of the house.

Sitting and Facing Side
Sitting and Facing Side

As a rule, practitioners will try to allocate the most auspicious sectors of the house for the main door, bedrooms, kitchen and living area. The less auspicious sectors for the less important areas (Feng Shui wise) such as the toilet/baths and stores.

Some Feng Shui systems like the Eight House or Eight Mansion systems utilizes the sitting direction while others such as the Xuan Kong Flying Star system uses the facing direction of the house. The facing or sitting direction is used by itself but often in conjunction with other factors such as the period to determine the quality of the house.

In addition, the facing direction of the house is also often used in conjunction with destiny and luck systems such as Zi Wei Dou Shu to determine the effect of the house on the occupants of the household.

The facing side of a house is usually the busier side and the side that lets in most of the environment energy into the house. The larger windows are usually at the facing side. It usually (though not necessarily) the side with street access, main door and living area. The sitting side is usually the quieter side. This is usually (though again not necessarily) the side with the kitchen, backyard or back lane. Usually (but not necessarily) there a mountains on the sitting side and flat lower land on the facing side.

Alternate Sitting and Facing Side
Alternate Sitting and Facing Side

In some cases there is a better view at the back of the house. For example houses on a hill slope or overseeing a a lake or the sea. For such houses, the architect would usually reverse the facing to take advantage of the great view.

The rear side of the house now has the larger windows and doors. The living is now move to the rear and more energy comes in from the rear and more activity takes place at the rear.

In doing so, he changes the facing of the house. The facing becomes the sitting and vice versa. The street side of the house now becomes the sitting even though the main entry door and the street access remain unchanged.

So much for the facing and sitting side.

Sitting and Facing Direction
Sitting and Facing Direction

So what then is the facing direction of the house? It is the direction that is perpendicular (angle of 90 degrees) to the facade of the facing side of the house. The sitting direction is the direction that it perpendicular to the facade on the sitting side of the house.

Must the facing direction be exactly the opposite of the sitting direction? It most cases it is but many modern design have a differing facing and sitting direction.

Which to consider will depend on the system that you are using. For example with the Eight Mansions, we use the sitting direction. With Xuan Kong Flying Star it is always the facing direction.

A common questions is they get different readings at different parts of the house. If so, then which is the correct facing direction. I will attempt to answer this in my next article.

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Interior Sha

In the last few articles I discussed exterior sha. Exterior shas are of greater concern as their inauspicious effects have the potential to affect the entire house.

Interior sha usually affect an area within the house unless the sha affect critical areas such as the main door of the house.

False Ceiling
False Ceiling

The most common example of an interior sha is the overhead beam situated at the wrong location e.g. over the bed, door or stove. The typical solution is to shield the affected object such as the bed from the overhead beam with a false ceiling.

This is however not always the best fix especially when the ceiling is low and the overhead beam is large. Such a combination can result in a low overall ceiling height that gives the occupants an oppressive effect.

Thankfully in modern homes, overhead beams are sensibly placed and they usually avoid directly suppressing the main door, living and dining areas, stove and beds.

This is another reason why we prefer taller ceilings during a house selection audit!

Overhead Beam
Overhead Beam

What if the beam is not directly place over the bed but to the sides? Will the corners of the beam still affect you?

In addition to direct sha, the overhead beam technically speaking also emit corner and blade shas (as shown in the diagram). They are however in my opinion small enough to be ignored.

Corner Sha
Corner Sha

This is however not true in the case of the ‘Room Corner’ sha. This is a corner formed by two walls at 90 degrees to each. Normally this is not a problem but when the corner strikes at an occupant as shown in the diagram it becomes a sha. The toilet is often the culprit. Long term exposure to such a sha is inauspicious and can cause health problems.

In addition to the ‘Room Corner’, there is the blade sha. However like a blade sha created by the overhead beam, this is in my opinion small enough to be ignored.

Slanted Ceiling
Slanted Ceiling

Ideally the ceiling in a bedroom should be level. A low slanted ceiling is inauspicious. Sleeping in a room with a slanted ceiling can cause emotion related problems in the long run. Leveling the slanted ceiling is the normal remedy but this can result in a very low ceiling which is again oppressive to the occupants.

Given a choice you should place the bed head on the higher side of the ceiling.

What about a mirror in the bedroom?

While not technically a sha, it is a best practace not to have a large mirror in the bedroom. At the very least the mirror should not reflect the bed. Another way to look at it is you should not see yourself while on the bed. So the playboy style ceiling mounted mirror is out!

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What about shelves? A lot has been written about this. The blade like shelf has the form to emit sha. However in my opinion it is too small if at all to cause any ill effect. My take on this is it is better not to have but if you can cannot avoid having it, just live with it!

Pole and Corner Sha

During an audit, the practitioner would first examine the surroundings especially at the facing and sitting side to look for auspicious land form and identify inauspicious sha generating structures.

He would also look out of the house though the doors and windows to look for shas that may penetrate the house through them. Since the main door affects the luck of all of the occupants in a house, special attention is given to ensure that it is free from shas.

Pole Sha
Pole Sha

The main door of your house should not open directly into a pole like structure, the more common ones of which includes the porch column and the lamp post. Stand at the main door and look straight out in the direction perpendicular of the door as shown in the diagram. The column or post should not be in front of the main door using the lines extended from the edge of the door as a guide.

If they are within the dotted lines and near the door, then it is a sha. If they are outside as in position “a” and “b” or very far away as in position “c”, then it is not a problem. Traditional believe is such a sha can cause health and money problem for occupants of the house.

Corner Sha
Corner Sha

In addition a corner structure either directly in front or behind the main door (as shown) is not favorable.

We should also keep an eye on sha created by the corners of buildings in the near vicinity of the house. This kind or corner sha is also quite common in areas with many apartment block located nearby to each other.

A corner sha is more serious if it attacks the main door or the mouth of qi of a property. In this case, it can affect the luck of all of the occupants of the house. A corner sha that attacks say through the windows of a room is less serious and would likely only affect the occupants of the room.

Wind Blade Sha
Wind Blade Sha

Another kind of sha is the Wind Blade sha that is generated by two buildings a right angle to each other as shown. The effect of a Wind Blade sha is less than that of a Corner Sha and the inauspicious effect is likely limited to the room in the house affected by the sha.

A variation of the wall blade sha is the Sky Chop Sha that is formed when a property faces gap between two buildings. The wind accelerates in the gap and rushes towards the property at the end.

In an earlier article, you read about the Sound Sha. A good example is living close to a noisy waterfall or next to a a busy highway.

Something similar is the Reflected Light sha. Many modern buildings use glass panels which at a certain angle may reflect sunlight at your house.

Sky Chop Sha
Sky Chop Sha

Then there is the Smell Sha. A good example is a house located closed to a lake with rotting vegetation. When the wind blows pass the lake towards your house, you are exposed to waves of bad smell which is considered a sha!

The land that the house sits on should be “healthy”. You can assess the health by looking at the flora and fauna. A thriving community of fauna together with lush vegetation shows the presence of strong qi. Land where the vegetation is sparse or turning yellow suggest weak qi.

When selecting a house we should avoid houses that are built on top of a landfill. Unless property treated and maintained, contaminants from the land-field may leak into the surroundings. Methane gas may also leak into the environment. Both of which are detrimental to health.

We should also avoid houses built on former mining land, water logged or swampy land. Unless they are property treated they then to be less stable and the qi tend to be weak.

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Finally we should avoid land that was previously used for biological or chemical testing.

You may be interest to know that in the old days, practitioner taste the soil to determine the quality. Thankfully it is not require today!

Shape and Size Matters

In Feng Shui, it is considered inauspicious to live near to a graveyard or funeral home. It is acceptable if you are far away enough and cannot see or do not have a clear view.

The Graveyard is considered a sha and can result in matters related to health – both physical and mental.

The roof top of some buildings looks like a Chinese tombstone. This considered a sha and the resulting effect is much like that of living near a graveyard.

Another variation of this Chinese tombstone is a roof that looks like a Chinese coffin!

Roof Sha
Roof Sha

While in the subject or roofs, I would like to touch on sha generated by convention Gable type roof which is quite common and the newer single pitch roof which is currently in fashion.

The single pitch roof act like a blade. It is usually not a problem unless the houses are of different number of levels or on uneven land as shown in the diagram.

Gable type roof are not usually a problem unless the top roof line cuts into your house as shown in the diagram

Gable Roof
Gable Roof

It is also inauspicious if your property is sandwich between two excessively tall properties of the left and right or at the front and back. Such configuration can result affect the career and fortune of occupants and caused depression.

In an earlier article I talk about the dangerous effect of high tension pylon near your property. The electromagetic fields generated can cause health problems especially from lonfg term exposure. But what about substations usually found a single storey buildings found in housing estates?

Tall Building Sha
Tall Building Sha

In my opinion, they are not dangerous. Even though the transformers inside emit electric and magnetic fields, they are shielded by the walls of these single storey buildings. Furthermore they are usually a distance from the houses and there are usually plants or wall in between forming another layer of protection.

Even so, I would not advice you to buy one because it is likely to affect the resale value as home buyers can be overly sensitive to having them near their house.

In commercial complexes these transformers rooms are integrated into the building. I would advice against having an office next to the room. Even though it is shielded by the walls, it is still quite near.

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In the rural areas especially, instead of substations, they may come in the form of pole transformers. These are step down transformers that convert high voltage to low voltage that we use in our houses. These are usually mounted on poles outside the house.

My advice is still the same, that is to stay a distance from them just to be on the safe side.

A Word About Water

In Feng Shui, water can be good or bad. Good water also called “sentimental” water and is clean and flows slowly. Bad water is called “merciless” water and they are polluted or stagnant and when flows fast and straight.

Bad water can be a sha!

But first a little bit more about water. Clean, pristine water that meanders is usually found in rural area. In the cities such water is hard to find. Also in the cities, natural waterways are straightened to improve drainage. In the process, water speeds up and becomes merciless water. Or is it?

In my opinion, straight waterways are not necessarily merciless unless it flows very quickly. And less than clean water can still be considered “sentimental” water if it supports a thriving aquatic community.

Now back to bad water and sha.

Water falling off from high ground into a pool like a waterfall can be a sha. While a waterfall can be quite a tourist attraction, it is not suitable near a residence as the turbulence gives out a lot of sha qi. Usually the noisier it is, the worst the sha.

A common rule of thumb is if you are far enough not to see or hear it, it is okay.

Water should not flow perpendicularly towards or away from a house. When it flows perpendicular towards the house, it call clashing water and it is similar to a house facing a T junction or facing a lane.

Clashing Water
Clashing Water

It is worse if the water flowing towards the house is from a high ground. Then water is likely to accelerate and “shoot” at the house.

Also look out for drainage outlet from your opposite neighbor’s house shooting straight at your property. It is detrimental over the long run.

It is also bad if the water flows perpendicularly away from the house. It drains the qi from the property and such water is known as “Pulling Nose Water”.

Pulling Nose
Pulling Nose

River meanders naturally and properties can be found on the inside and outside of the bend. Properties on the outside of the bend or the convex side are less favored as the qi on this side is more aggressive.

In practice, this is not a problem unless the bend is unusually sharp and the rivers flows very quickly.

Like the water fall example above, any kind of water that creates a lot of noise is not favorable and can be consider a sha. Examples include sea water crashing to rocks, rapids or white water, water crashing into each other as in a confluence or a drain discharging into a river. The key consideration is the loud noise generate. It is a sha if it is very loud. Okay if not.

Cutting Feet Water
Cutting Feet Water

Finally it is what is commonly referred to as “Cutting Feet” water. This is water that runs laterally across the front door of a house. IN an urban setting, most of the time it is mad made. Some designers think it is artistic to artificial water running under a bridge at the entrance of a house.

Cutting feet water is considered very negative and can lead to financial losses!

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Back Mountain Facing Water

Most Feng Shui enthusiasts know that it is favorable if a house is backed by a hill or higher land and faces water (e.g. lake) or a lower terrain. Such a configurable is good for money, relationship and health luck.

The reverse, Back Water Facing Mountain is unfavorable and suggest obstruction ahead without support that can lead to a decline in fortune.

While it is favorable to have mountain for support at the back and water in front suggesting a clear unobstructed path to money, I would like to suggest some qualifiers.

First the mountain at the back cannot be too near or too high. Otherwise it becomes a sha. Secondly the water at the facing cannot be too near or slopes down excessively which can result in health problems.

nountain-water
steep-mountain-water

Finally the mountain at the back should be covered with lush greenery which indicated the presence of strong qi. In Feng Shui such as mountain is known as a Green Dragon and is revered.

A mountain that is bare or rocky with sparse vegetation or with rocks jutting out is not favorable and is known as a Sick Dragon. It is considered a sha and can depreciate the quality of the house, most of the time with problems affecting relationship and health.

It is also unfavorable if the house is located very close to a cliff. In Feng Shui, this is known as the Head Pouring Water sha as water can fall off the cliff onto the house causing damage. It also does not take much common sense to know that water and mud can fall on the house and when there is a mudslide and bury the house.

A house should also not face a long downward sloping road at it may cause money loss and health problem related to the lower abdomen.

pouring-head-water
steep-slope

What about if the land on the left or right is higher that yours? It is not a problem if the difference in the height between the land (and the house) on the your left and right is small e.g. 2 feet. However if the difference is great then the Green Dragon and White Tiger comes into play.

Traditionally the Green Dragon is associated with the male and is auspicious while the White Tiger is associated with the female is considered inauspicious (though I do not totally subscribe to this belief).

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The left side when looking out of the house is the Dragon side while the right side is the Tiger side. Conventional thinking prefers the left side to be high so that it benefits the male in the family. Traditionally it is the male the brings the bacon home so benefiting the male makes sense. However in modern society, females contribute significantly to the family too and nowadays (at least in my opinion) it is okay too if the Tiger side is slightly stronger.

But why was it considered inauspicious. I suppose in a male dominated society if the woman in the house is too powerful or dominant, it is inauspicious!

Today? Perhaps not!

Inside and Outside of a Bend

Rivers meander naturally and roads curves. Thus a house could be located on the inside or outside of a bend of a road or river.

reverse-bow

In Feng Shui, it is favorable for a house to be located on the inside of a bend. This is also called the “Jade Belt Around the Waist” formation and occupants are said to safe from harm.

The opposite or the outside of the bend is undesirable. It is also called the Reverse Bow Sha and can caused career and money problem as well as relationship issues.

A lot depends on the intensity of the Sha Qi generated. It is greater if the water or traffic flow is fast or heavy. The effect is also greater if the house is located nearer the bend. It is also greater if the bend is more extreme e.g. like a semi-circle.

Encircle Water Sha

In the past, Reverse Bow Sha typically affect landed properties. However these days it is not uncommon for elevated highways to be a few storey high and apartments can be affected too if you are located on the wrong side of the bend of a busy highway.

Yet another modern example is the elevated light rail that can affect you much like the elevated highway.

While it is not favorable to live or work in a house located on the outside of a bend (Reverse Bow Sha), it is believed that such places have a positive effect on those dealing with Martial arts and Chinese medicine. True or not? Why not do some research yourself!

The landscape design of some modern communities may include roads (or an artificial river) encircling houses within.

auspicious-water

This layout is not viewed positively in Feng Shui as it may lead to money losses for those living within. The worst affected will be the ones living in the house that faces the exist as shown.

In the case of a artificially created river, the water quality can be poor and may create health problems for the occupants of houses nearby.

If you have the opportunity to buy a property located near a river, select one that is on the inside of a bend or one that faces a meandering river. When a river meanders, it slows down and the good qi accumulate.

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