Tag Archives: feng shui

Using Feng Shui to Shape Your Destiny and Luck

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

The ancient masters believe that we are composed of a set of energies that we absorb at birth. This combo of energies is usually not balanced and it determines the strength and weakness of our destiny and luck.

The Significance of a House Facing Direction
The Significance of a House Facing Direction

In Chinese metaphysics, every direction is associated with an energy type. For example north is water, south is fire, east is wood and so on.

The facing direction of a house is the side that brings in most of the enviromental energy. One of the most effective way to influence our destiny and luck is by living in a house with a facing direction that is beneficial to you. For example if you lack fire, then it is good to live in a house that face south (the direction of fire).

From a birth chart a Feng Shui master can tell you which facing directions are and how they are beneficial to you.

For me, the starting point in using Feng Shui to improve your destiny and luck is to select a house with a facing direction that is good for you.

The facing direction is also very important as it is also helps to determine the quality of the house. For example some houses are beneficial to career and wealth, others to good health and relationships, yet others for both and so on.

So, for example, if you are a young person aiming for a successful career, then you would want to live in a house that has a beneficial facing direction that is also good for career and wealth luck.

The facing direction of a house also determines the auspicious and inauspicious sectors within. We would want the places where we use the most such as the main door, kitchen, bedroom and so on to the in the auspicious sectors so that we are influence positively by the auspicious energy.

The auspicious energy within can be further upgraded or downgraded with the right external land form or man-made features. For example, the health and relationship quality of your bedroom in an auspicious sector of the house is enhanced if there is a hill outside. Or the career and wealth quality of your house is enhanced if there is your main door faces a lake or a river.

Certain natural land form and man-made structures such a rocky hillside or high tension pylon generate “sha” or killing energy. If they are located very near the house, these “sha” can degrade the positive energy with the affected sectors in the house, making auspicious energy within, inauspicious.

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To summarize, the first step is to select a house with a facing direction that is good for you and supports your endeavors. Next utilize the auspicious sectors within and strive to have the correct supporting land form nearby. Finally ensure that there are no “sha” generating land form and man made structures in the vicinity.

It is not an easy task!

Two Approaches to Feng Shui

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

There are two approaches to Feng Shui, namely Li Qi and Xing Fa.

Form and Formula Approach
Form and Formula Approach

Li Qi (Theory of Qi) is a formula driven approach that places more emphasis on the calculating the location and quality of qi at any given point in time.

Xing Fa (Forms Method) popularly known as Luan Tou or Land form Feng Shui places more emphasis on the use of natural forms such as mountains and rivers and mad made structures such as roads and buildings.

Both systems are equally important in the study of feng shui, as it is impossible to just study one aspect of qi and disregard the other. In areas with plenty of natural land forms such as rivers and mountains, practitioners tend to pay more emphasis on Xing Fa. In areas with feature-less land forms, Li Qi methods tend to take precedent.

While Xing Fa pays much emphasis on the surrounding mountains and rivers, it does not neglect nearby forms features such as a road that runs straight and directly into a house, for example at the intersection of a T-junction. Also Xing Fa applies to feature inside a house. For example, “sha” emitted from a overhead beam, or an incorrectly positioned stove that is directly opposite the wash basin.

So, when you hear a practitioner talk about the green dragon, white tiger, water mouth or head of the dragon. Or when he says that your relationship with your spouse will suffer because the overhead beam cuts your bed into two, you know he is talking about Xing Fa or Forms Method.

Li Qi focus much on the quality of qi and its changes over time. A compass is a necessity as direction is crucial in this method. The changing quality of qi can be captured in a formula and calculated at will with inputs such as direction and time.

So, when you hear a practitioner telling you that the period has changed and the qi in the house has lost its auspicious quality. Or that some inauspicious stars will fall into your already inauspicious bedroom resulting in some form of illness in July, you know he is talking Li Qi

The two major schools of Feng Shui are the San Yuan school (Three Cycle or Periods) and San He (Three Harmony or Combinations) school.

Both makes use of Li Qi and Xing Fa principles. San Yuan place more emphasis on Li Qi while San He place more emphasis on Xing Fa. Both require the use of the compass to determine direction.

San He literally translates into three harmony or combinations. The theory of San He school is based on the four sets of the triangular combination of the earthly branches (and directions). It is the study of land forms and waterways. It is especially useful in the study of complex environments which include waterways, mountains and valleys.

San Yuan translates into the cycle or periods. San Yuan was first was used to evaluate burial sites and land forms. Later the San Yuan School applied the land form classifications to the man-made structures such as roads, dams, bridges, buildings etc.

From San Yuan comes Xuan Kong which also incorporate the study of man-made structure by studying the movement of qi, which was done by charting it in nine or 3×3 grids. There are a few schools in Xuan Kong the most popular of which Fei Xing or Flying Star.

Others in the Xuan Kong family include Xuan Kong Da Gua (64 Hexagram), Xuan Kong Liu Fa (6 methods), Xuan Kong Zi Bai Jue (Purple White Divination)
and Xuan Kong Ze Ri (Date Selection).

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Another method that is highly popular is the Eight Mansions or Eight House system. It is the simplest of all the schools and can be learnt easily. Ba Zhai had been formulated so that it could be used for people and in buildings. In this formula the person’s favorable and unfavorable stars are calculated (from the year of birth) so that the person can use them to their advantage.

In the next article, I will write in external and internal Feng Shui with examples.

What is Feng Shui?

(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?

Understanding Feng Shui
Understanding Feng Shui

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.

House Facing Direction
House Facing Direction

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.

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