What is the Three Killings and how to deal with it?
The Three Killing or “San Sha” is a set of three inauspicious energy or qi that afflict certain sectors of a house each year.
The three inauspicious sha are Robbery Sha, Disaster Sha and Year Sha.
The sectors afflicted by Three Killings is dependent on the animal zodiac sign of the year. For example, Three Killings afflict the North sectors in the year of the Tiger, Horse and Dog. It affects the South sectors during the years of the Monkey, Rat and Dragon and so on.
The table below shows that the sector or mountains affected by the three shas in each year.
Year
Robbery Sha
Disaster Sha
Year Sha
Tiger, Horse, Dog
NW3
N2
NE1
Snake, Rooster, Ox
NE1
E2
SE3
Monkey, Rat, Dragon
SE3
S2
SW1
Pig, Rabbit, Goat
SW3
W2
NW1
Referring to the 24 mountains, you can see that the three afflicted mountains in each year, sandwich two other mountains. For example in the year of the Tiger, Horse or Dog, the afflicted mountains NW3, N2 and NE1 sandwich N1 and N3. These two mountains are called “Squeezed Mountains” and are afflicted to some extend.
Therefore, in practice, during the year of the Tiger, Horse or Dog, Three Killings afflicted the entire north sector and NW3 and NE1, a span of 75 degrees. And in the year of the Monkey, Rat and Dragon, Three Killings include the entire south sectors of S1, S2 and S3 plus the neighbouring SE3 and SW1.
The best way to avoid the negative effect of the Three Killings is to restrict construction works such as digging and demolition in the afflicted area during that year.
The penalties for violating Three Killings are as the name imply are robbery and injuries arising from it, natural disasters, accidents, illness, obstacles etc.
Some masters suggest putting live plants in the area affected by Three Killings to diminish its negative effect. For me, no major renovation in the affected area is sufficient!
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Another important thing to avoid is carrying out major renovation in the house, if it sits on Three Killings. For example if you house sits on NW3, N1, N2, N3 or NE1, you should avoid renovating completely, during the year of the Tiger, Horse or Dog,
This apply to houses that are currently tenanted. It does not apply to renovating new or vacant houses.
Why do practitioners suggest weakening the Five Yellow with metal items?
Before I can answer that question we need to know something about the Five Elements. In Chinese metaphysics, “qi” or energy is classified into five types namely gold (or metal), wood, water, fire and earth.
For example, a wooden chair or a tree is classified as wood element while a clay pot or stone is classified as earth element.
The Nine Stars and Bagua
The five elements have a productive and controlling relationship or cycle. In the productive cycle, earth produces metal which produces water which produces wood which produces fire. Fire in turn produce earth and the cycle repeats.
The Five Yellow is a members of the Nine Stars. Others in the group include One White, Two Black etc. Many believe the Nine Stars is a representation of the influence of the energy of the sun, moon and surrounding planets on planet earth (and hence us).
The Five Yellow is an earth-based energy that is associated with losses, illness and even death. It influences a different sector of a property each year and it is the most inauspicious of all the stars.
Five Element Productive Cycle
In the productive cycle, earth qi produces metal qi. In the process of producing metal, earth energy is weakened. Therefore if we have metal qi (for example in the form of metal items), then the inauspicious earth energy of the five yellow in that area is weaken. Its ability to do serious damage is thus reduced.
During any year you should avoid construction works such as digging and demolition in the area afflicted by Five Yellow as doing it will most likely activate Five Yellow.
I will ask my clients if they can avoid using the area afflicted by the Five Yellow star. It is better not to be negatively influence at all!
However if it is not possible, then placing metal items such as a copper vase or a decorative metal ornament, is the next best option.
The table below shows the sectors that Five Yellow afflicts in the coming years.
Year
Five Yellow
Year
Five Yellow
2014
NW
2015
W
2016
NE
2015
S
2017
N
2015
SW
2018
E
2019
SE
2020
Center
2021
NW
* The Chinese Solar year starts on or around the 4th Feb each year.
(This is an article that I wrote for the HomeDec magazine)
During the Feng Shui audit of the interior of a house, a practitioner will spend most of his effort in the most auspicious sectors for the main door, bedrooms and kitchen.
In this article, I will share with you tips on selecting an auspicious sector for the kitchen and the best practices regarding the placement of the stove and related items such as the sink and refrigerator
First on selecting a suitable location of the kitchen.
The kitchen is associated with the fire element since it is primary for cooking. In the theory of the Five Elements, wood is a favourable element as wood produces fire. In the Lo Shu, the east and south east sectors are associated with wood. Hence, most practitioners would evaluate the auspiciousness of these two sectors. If they are favourable, then these sectors are usually chosen for the kitchen.
Sometimes these sectors may not be suitable for the kitchen. If so, a practitioner would normally give preference to sectors that are occupied by the current period wood stars 3 & 4. Again this is based on the preferred situation of wood producing fire. Or he may select a sector with auspicious stars. It depends on the design.
In addition to the above, the kitchen should also be well ventilated and receive plenty of sunlight. Dark and poorly ventilated kitchen encourage the grown of bacteria and can become an unhealthy hiding place for vermin.
Now let’s look at some best practices for positioning the stove within.
Beam Overhead The Stove
The stove should not be placed under an overhead beam.
It should also not be placed under a toilet especially directly underneath the bath or WC (water closet). In some houses the kitchen is located on one level with a bedroom directly above. In such a case, make sure that the bed is not directly underneath the stove. If you cannot relocate the stove, then you should relocate the bed. Ancient teachings say that those who sleep above the stove is likely to suffer emotional problems! The stove should also not share the same wall directly behind the WC or bath.
Stove Facing Toilet
The stove should be properly supported ideally with a wall behind and not against a window. It should not directly face a door or an opening into the kitchen. It should also not directly face the door leading into the toilet.
While the stove is of the element fire, other items commonly found in the kitchen like the wash basin and refrigerator belong to the element water. In the theory of the Fire Elements, fire and water clashes and therefore they should not be place next to each other or directly opposite. They can be placed adjacent to each other provided that there is a gap of two feet or more. When placed opposite, they should be offset from each other.
Does the height of the stove matter?
There are different thoughts on this. Some insist that the height of the stove be an auspicious one based on the Feng Shui ruler. Others conform to some rule about its relationship to the wash basin. For me I feel that this is less critical then having a height that is comfortable for the person doing the bulk of the cooking and washing.
What is the best colour for the kitchen?
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Given a choice, I recommend green which is the colour of wood that has a producing or auspicious relationship with fire (the element of the kitchen and the stove). However this is severely limiting to the interior designer who may prefer some other colour other than green. I have worked on many house and I conclude that the location of the kitchen and stove has a more telling effect on the occupants than the colour of the walls in the kitchen. Therefore while green is good, other colours are acceptable too. Having said that, I would suggest that you avoid red or orange as these are the colours of fire. It might get too hot!
East Life is not the oriental equivalent of the hugely popular boys band from the UK.
East life and West life is a Feng Shui concept where we are classified as one of either based on our Gua number which in turn is derived from our Chinese Solar year of birth.
If you Gua number is 2, 6, 7 or 8, you are a West Life person. The element of a Gua 2 and 8 person is Earth while for a Gua 6 and 7 person is Metal.
If you Gua number is 1, 3, 4 or 9 then you are a East Life person. The element of a Gua 3 and 4 person is Wood while for a Gua 9 Person is Fire. A Gua 1 person belong to the element of Water
For a West Life person, the favourable sectors in a property and personal favourable facing directions are North-West, West, South-West and North-East. For a East Life person, the favourable sectors in a property and personal favourable facing directions are North, South, East and South-East.
Please refer to the table below.
East Life
Element
Favourable Sectors and Directions
Gua 1
Water
South-East, East, South, North
Gua 3
Wood
South, North, South-East, East
Gua 4
Wood
North, South, East, South-East
Gua 9
Fire
East, South-East, North, South
West Life
Element
Favourable Sectors and Directions
Gua 2
Earth
North-East, West, North-West, South-West
Gua 6
Metal
West, North-East, South-West, North-West
Gua 7
Metal
North-West, South-West, North-East, West
Gua 8
Earth
South-West, North-West, West, North-East
The Eight Mansions system of Feng Shui makes extensive use of the Gua of the the head of the household to decide on the optimal house sitting, utilization of the sectors, and facing direction for the main door, stove and bed.
For example for a East Life person, the house should ideally sit facing north, south, east or south-east. The main door and bedroom should be in one of these sectors and oriented in of these directions.
If you look closely you will find that there is a productive or similar relationship between the Gua element and the sectors.
For example from the Lo Shu, the sectors West and North West are Metal. Gua 6 and 7 have a similar relationship as there are Metal while Gua 2 and 8, both Earth have a productive relationship as Earth Produce Metal.
The Eight Mansions is house only one of many systems of Feng Shui. The Xuan Kong system for example pays greater emphasis to the influence of the movement of the planets as reflected in the Nine Stars and an audit is likely to yield a different set of recommendations.
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Practitioners who are well verse with both systems try to give recommendations that are favourable from both systems. For example for a West Group person, he will select a sector with an auspicious mountain star located in either the West, North-West, South-West or North-West sector.
However this not always possible. So if you are a East Life person and your favourite practitioner recommend that you sleep in the West sector of your house, he is not wrong. The West sector may be highly auspicious during this period.
However there are likely to be recommendations coming out of the audit or analysis which may be difficult to implement if you do not believe that it will work.
These can be relatively simple to achieve ones such as placing a water feature in a certain sector, repainting the study room or to refrain from carry out renovation work in a certain sectors. Or much more difficult ones to achieve such as changing the location and orientation of the main door, changing bedroom and stove direction.
Or very much more difficult to achieve recommendations such as moving to another house with a favourable facing direction and surrounding landforms or asking your parents to come stay with you!
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So the answer again is no, you do not need to believe. But if you do not believe then it is likely you will agree to the recommendations.
It is like if you do not believe that you can climb the mountain, the you will likely not make any attempts.
No. I cannot. At least not for sure. Think about it, those born at the time, like twins, do not necessarily die on the same day or even year.
From the birth chart, a practitioner can see life-threatening hurdles, such as an accident or a serious health issue. He can also figure out when it is likely to happen but not if it is serious enough to result in death. The outcome depends on many other factors.
Let say you saw a practitioner some years back who foretold a health issue say this year. You believe in the prediction, you took necessary precautions such as eating right, getting plenty of sleep exercise, taking supplements, yoga etc. Because of your actions, you are likely to clear this hurdle and life another day!
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The environment that you are in can also alter the result. For example you are likely to meet with a serious accident involving a vehicle. Now lets say that you live in a very small town with very little traffic. The chances of you getting involved in an accident is much lesser that if you life in the city.
Then there are other factors such as the Feng Shui of the house, the zodiac signs of the people that you live or spend time with.
“Where are the auspicious and inauspicious sectors in 2014?”
The Chinese have two calendars – the Lunar and the Solar calendar. Together they are often called the Lunisolar or Yin Yang Calendar.
The first day of the Chinese Lunar or Yin Calendar falls on the 31st Jan 2014. This is the day the Chinese people around the world celebrate the start of a new year.
Most Feng Shui systems however uses the Chinese Solar calendar, the first day of which falls on the 4th Feb 2014. This is often called Li Chun.
The Stem and Branch of the year is Jia Wu. Jia is of the element Wood while Wu is associated with the Horse. This is the reason why the year is also known as the year of the Wood Horse.
The new year signifies a change in the position of the annual energies of the nine stars. Tai Sui moves from the South South East to South while Three Killings affect the North Sector.
Tai Sui affect south (more specifically S2) facing houses. Owners of S2 facing houses should ideally postpone renovation works to another year. Major renovations works such as digging, knocking down walls, breaking tiles etc can violate Tai Sui, resulting usually in people related problems such as disputes, litigation, back-stabbing and other annoying problems.
Even if you live in a house that is not directly facing south 2, you should avoid carrying out any major renovations in the S2 sector of the house. Also avoid renovating the N2 sector which is the Year Breaker for the year.
This no-renovation rules apply to currently tenanted house. If the house is vacant, you are free to renovate as you please.
San Sha or Three Killings
The Three Killings combo of Robbery Sha, Disaster Sha and Year Sha affects a span of 75 degrees in the north sector this year.
You identify the sectors by taking a compass reading at the center of the property. The compass shows you where north is and you can figure out the rest of the sectors accordingly.
You are quite safe if you do not carry out any major renovations in this area. However violating the Three Killings can result in robbery or theft, disasters, accidents, injuries, illness and so on.
Five Yellow
The most malevolent of the nine stars is Five Yellow. This year it affects the north west sector. Some practitioners believe that if the house sits at Five Yellow meaning that the house faces South East, your should also postpone major renovations to another year.
In any case you should avoid any major construction or renovation works in the north west sector of the house. If you must and the scope of works extends over several sectors, it is permissible to start work in an unaffected sector, gradually moving into the affected sector and finishing in an unaffected sector.
The penalties for violating Five Yellow is bodily injuries and financial losses. Five Yellow is earth energy and can be remedied by having metal. North west is already a metal sector but it is probably safer to place some more metal items such as a wind chime in that area. Of course it is better not to violate the sector at all.
Other Stars
Other than the Five Yellow, the other stars that you should be vary of is the 2 star or the illness Star which influence the east sector. This is an inauspicious energy and brings illness, disease and mental stress to the occupants of this sector. Those with weak health, recovering from an ailment or who are pregnant should not sleep in this sector. You should place a metal vase or Wu Luo to manage the energy here.
Take note also of the inauspicious star 7 that is associated with great losses, serious accidents, robbery and violence. It influence the north east sector. Store away any sharp or dangerous objects and exercise caution especially when going out to lonely places. Pregnant women should also avoid this sector. You can place a jar of still water to diminish the negative effect.
Your should also be vary of the 3 star that is associated with disputes, misunderstanding, quarrels and litigation. This year it influences the south east sector. If you spend a lot of time in this sector, you should make a conscious effort to control your temperament and think carefully before you speak. You can place some fire or red coloured items e.g. carpet to manage the energy here.
The auspicious 8 star occupy the south sector. This star is associated with wealth and success. Try to spend more time in this sector if you can. You can increase your luck by placing a small water feature in this sector. Just do not renovate this sector (due to Tai Sui).
The auspicious 9 star occupy the north sector. This star is associated with opportunities, hopes and happy events such as a child birth or promotion. It is highly auspicious if you occupy this sector.
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Finally the auspicious 1 star occupies the south west sector. This star is associated with achievement, reputation and recognition. Spend time in this sector if you can, to absorb the highly auspicious energy.
Some Feng Shui systems defines a house by its sitting direction. Others like the Xuan Kong Fei Xing system defines (and the energy distribution within) a house by its facing direction.
But what is the house facing direction? Is this the street side? Or is this side where the main door of the house is located? Answer can range from yes, to no to yes but not necessarily so. But why the uncertainty and confusion?
Let us find out why.
In the Fei Xing (or Flying Star) system, the facing side of the house is defined as the side that let’s in more of the environment energy into the house.
For the majority of houses, this is intuitive. It is usually but not necessarily
1. The street side of the house 2. The side where the main door is located 3. The side with more doors and windows 4. The sunnier side 5. The side with the living area 6. The side with the better view 7. The side facing water or downhill 8. The side with most activity
Based on the hints above we can already identify the facing of most houses. I will illustrate with some typical examples.
The diagram below shows a typical link or terrace house.
The house shares a common wall with the neighbours on the right and left. As such environmental energies can only get in from the front and the back of the house.
At the front of the house is the living area, main door and porch. This is followed by the street at a slightly lower level than the house. The kitchen is at the back of the house. Behind that is a small lane followed by another row of houses in a back to back arrangement. Further back is a low hill range. The back door and windows are fewer and much smaller than the door an windows at the front of the house. This effective constricts the amount of energies coming in from the back of the house.
Entry and exit to the house is primary via the main door. The back door is rarely used.
From the description we can immediately say that the facing direction of the house is at the front of the house looking out. This house meets almost all the conditions mentioned above for facing direction.
Most houses are like the above example. However there are exceptions.
Please refer to the diagram below.
Sometimes there is a beautiful view at the back of the house. For example the house is built on a gentle slope that there is a great unobstructed view of the city from the back. Or there is a good view of a golf course or a lake. At the front of the house is the main door, porch and street followed by a low hill.
In such cases, the designer of the house would maximize the view by having the living area at the back. He would also have larger doors and windows at the rear.
In this case, the facing direction of the house is at the back looking out. More energies come into the house from the back than through the front due to the larger doors, windows and unobstructed view. There is also more social activities at the living which is now at the back of the house. Even though access to the house is from the front of the house at the street side, energy is constricted by the smaller doors and windows as well as by the hill across the street.
This techniques to identifying facing side and direction can be extended to other types of houses such as town houses, semi detached house, fully detached houses, shop houses, office buildings and apartments.
In Western convention a sitting or facing direction is measure by points e.g. 35 degrees. In Chinese convention a sitting or facing direction is measured by sectors. In the 24 Mountains method, each sector is 15 degrees. For example houses that face between 337.5 and 352.5 are said to be facing “Ren” or N1.
“Which are more important, the mountain and water stars, base star, yearly or monthly stars?”
Period 8 S2 & S3
The are many schools in Feng Shui that makes use of the 9 Stars e.g. Xuan Kong Fei Xing, Purple White etc.
Then even with the Flying Star schools, there are many lineages and along comes many ways to interpret the stars.
For me, I place greater emphasis on the water and mountain star, followed by their combinations.
I used them to decide the optimal position for the main door, bedrooms, stove etc in connection with the external environment. For example a good bedroom should have a good mountain stars or mountain star/water star combo plus a “mountain” feature outside e.g. higher land, hills, forest etc.
Next is the combination of the water and/or mountain star with the base star. For example I have a good water star but not a good mountain star. However I have a good base star. I may still consider using this sector for example for the main door especially there is a suitable “water” feature e.g. lake or open space outside.
The yearly and monthly stars are used in collaboration with the water, mountain and sometimes base star primarily for current year and current month predictions.
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For example if an auspicious current yearly star meets a current auspicious water star at the main door, we can say that there is likely to be auspicious career/wealth opportunities this year for the occupants in the house. E.g. promotion, business success etc.
The same methodology would apply for monthly prediction with the monthly star.
