Eight House Feng Shui

February 11, 2014 Henry 4 Comments

I know of two versions of Eight House Feng Shui.

One is based on personal Kua (or Gua) while the other on the house Kua (or Gua). The personal Kua version is very easy to learn and I will attempt to explain to you in this article.

The first step is to measure the facing direction of the house. In this system there are only eight (8) facing directions. It include the four cardinal directions of north, south, east and west and the four inter-cardinal directions of north east, south east, south west and north west. Each direction falls within a 45 degree pie.

Once you have the facing direction, map the nine palaces to the house as shown. In this example the house is facing south.

Next find out the Kua number of the head of the household and breadwinner. This is usually the husband but in these modern times, it may well be the wife! If the kua number is 1, 3, 4 or 9 then he or she belongs to the East Life group. If 2, 6, 7 or 8 then it is the West Life group.

For an East Life person, the favourable directions and sectors are north, south, east and south east. And for a West Life person, they are north-east, south west, west and Northwest.

In this example let’s assume that the head of the household and breadwinner is the husband and he belongs to the East Life Group.

Like most other Feng Shui system, the emphasis is to locate the main door and master bedroom in auspicious sectors and corrected oriented. However unlike other system, this Eight House Feng Shui system requires the kitchen to be located in an inauspicious sector but orientated to face an auspicious direction.

Since the husband is an East Life Group person his main door and master bedroom should be in his favourable or auspicious sectors which are north, south, east or south east. His kitchen (or rather the stove) should be in his unfavourable sector of north-east, south-west, west or north-west.

In the first option, I have place the main door in the south sector (one of his favourable sector). The main door faces south (also one of his favourable directions). I have placed the master bedroom in the south east sector (favourable sector) with the bed facing south (favourable direction). Finally I have located his kitchen in the north-east (his unfavourable sector) but with the stove facing south (favourable direction).

eight-house-opt-2 — Error: Should be “Main Door in South East sector facing South”.

In the second option, the main door is in the south east (favorable sector) while the main door faces south (favorable direction). The bedroom is in the east (favorable sector) while the bed faces east (favorable direction). Finally the kitchen is in the north-west (unfavorable sector) while the stove faces east (favorable direction).

Both the options are favourable for an East Life person.

What if the children are from the west group? Not a problem. Simply try to locate them in a bedroom located in the north-east, south-west, west or north-west sectors.

But what if the wife is from the west group? Put her in a different room? Nope. She simply has the share the same bedroom and bed with the husband. At least this is how it was practice in the old days!

I must caution that while most schools of Feng Shui place the same emphasis on the main door, master bedroom and kitchen, the method that they use and the recommendations may be different. What I have described above is correct for this system whose foundation is the Ba Gua. Other systems have their foundation on others such the Lo Shu and are likely to yield different recommendations.

So if a consultant suggests that you – say an East person – sleeps in a room located in the west, it does not mean he is wrong. Please remember this! Different systems are founded on different principles. At the end its whether they yield the right results or not!

Feng Shui

Feng Shui Bed Position Best Practices

February 11, 2014 Henry 2 Comments

Here are some Feng Shui bed position best practices to help you decide on the best way to position your bed in your bedroom.

A bed should always be supported.

The bed head should ideally rest against a solid wall.

It should not be place in the middle of a room or against a window as shown in the diagram.

If you have no choice but to place the bed head against a window make sure that the window is closed and curtains drawn when you go to bed.

It should also not be placed directly under an overhead beam. Move the bed to another location. If you are not able to position the bed so that it is not under a beam you should consider installing a false ceiling to diffuse the ‘sha’ generated by the beam.

The bed should also not be in the path of the bedroom door. The diagram shows the path of the bedroom door in red and the various positions of the bed that are in conflict with this guideline.

The bed should also not be in-line with the toilet door as shown below. The remedy is to relocate the toilet door as shown. If there is enough space you can place a screen – removable or fixed – to block the bed from the toilet.

In some apartments that I have consulted on, the room is so small that it is not possible to position the bed out of the path of the toilet door. Neither can you relocate the toilet door. In such a case, the only option left is to keep the toilet closed at all times.

The bed head or bed should not share a common wall with the toilet or bathroom for obvious reasons.

Once you have decided on the position of you bed, look up and find out what is directly upstairs. You should not find a toilet up there! Next look downstairs and find out what is below. A toilet downstairs is okay but a stove is a definite no!

I hope you find the Feng Shui bed position best practices useful.

Feng Shui

What is my Kua (or Gua) Number?

February 11, 2014 Henry Leave a comment

In the Eight House Feng shui System your Kua number (or Gua number) is used to determine your favourable and unfavourable direction and sector. Therefore it is crucial to know how to calculate your Kua number (or Gua number) correctly.

I am going to use the example of a Mary who was born on the 25th of January 1965.

The Kua number is essentially derived from the year of birth. More accurately it is the year of birth based on the Chinese Solar or Yang or Xia Calendar’s year of birth.

In the Gregorian calendar, the year starts on the 1st of January. In the Chinese Solar Calendar the years starts between the 3rd and 5th of February. This is often called “Li Cun” or “Spring Arrives” and you can determine the exact date for each year by referring to the Ten Thousand Year Calendar.

Please note that the Chinese Solar Calendar is different from the Chinese Lunar Calendar whose first day of the year varies between late January and late February every year. The first day of the Chinese Lunar Calendar is also the much celebrated Chinese New Year day.

In 1965 the first day of the solar year falls on the 4th Feb. Since the birth day is before the 4th of February 1965, Mary is deemed to be born in the previous year which is 1964. If Mary was born on or after the 4th Feb, then she is deemed to be born in 1965.

Here is how you calculate the Kua number for Mary, a female.

Take the last two digit of the year which is 64 and add them together

6 + 4 = 10

Reduce the result to a single digit by adding them together

1 + 0 = 1

Add 5 to the result gives 6 which is Mary’s Kua Number.

5 + 1 = 6

The steps to calculate the Kua Number for a guy, say called John, differs slightly.

As before, you take the last two digits and add them together. Then add the result to reduce it to a single digit (if the result is 10 or more).

But instead of adding 5, you subtract from 10.
In this example it is

10 – 1 = 9

Thus John’s – a male – Kua Number is 9.

This method works for anyone born before the year 2000. If you do not like mathematical calculation you can simply read your Kua number of my Kua Chart.

Feng Shui

How to Measure the Facing Direction of a House?

February 11, 2014 Henry Leave a comment

A friend asked me if it is it absolutely necessary to use a Feng Shui compass (or a Lou Pan) to measure the facing of a house.

The answer is absolutely not! You can take accurate measurements with any reliable navigation compass that has a straight edge. A compass with a straight edge allows to you accurately align the compass with the door and other points of reference – which I will explain later. It is something that you cannot do accurately with a circular compass. Please refer to the diagram showing the two types of compass.

There isn’t a ‘correct’ answer on how to take the measurement. Different schools have different practices. Some insist on taking a single measurement at the door only while others measure a few feet ahead and behind the door or the facing wall of the house. I will show you how I do it using a an example of a house whose facing direction is the same as the orientation of the main door.

Before we do that, let’s learn how to use the navigation compass (with a straight edge) to measure the orientation of the door. It’s simple. You align the straight end of the compass with the door as shown. Let the magnetic needle settle and then turn the dial on the compass until the points marked ‘N’ and ‘S’ on the dial are aligned with the compass needle as shown. Next read the facing direction off the dial. In this example the facing orientation of the door is 270 degrees.

Once you have learnt how to use the compass, it is time to measure the facing direction of a house. Please refer to the diagram below.

It shows the frontal part of a house with the main door at the centre and two windows at the side. Imagine a line running through the centre and perpendicular to the main door. Next imagine two other lines marked A and B, perpendicular to this centreline, a few feet forward and backwards. There is no rule on how far apart line A and B should be. The objective is to be as far away from objects such as columns and other structures that can affect the reading on the compass.

First take a reading at the door. Then take readings at line A and line B. If the readings are the same at all three locations then that is the facing direction of the house. In practice it is not always like this. You are likely to find the readings at A and B to be similar but different from the one taken at the door. The deviation is usually caused by some metallic object nearby such as the metal grill door or metal reinforcement rods embedded in concrete columns. In my practice, I would use the reading at A or B – since they are similar – as the facing direction.

What if all three readings are different? That is a story for another day!

Feng Shui

The Mountain and Water Star

February 11, 2014 Henry Leave a comment

In the Flying Star system of Feng Shui, you will see references to the terms, Mountain and Water Stars. The star or rather a number that ranges of 1 to 9 is a representation of a type of energy or ‘qi’.

In this system, a dwelling is divided into nine sectors in a 3×3 matrix based on the facing direction of the dwelling as well as on the year of completion (or the year that it had a major renovation).

Within each of these sectors, called palaces are usually three numbers. The one in the center is called the period number. The one on the top right of the palace is the Water Star while the one on the top left is the Mountain Star.

What do these stars mean? As I had mentioned earlier, they represent the quality of the qi present in that sector. In this system, time is divided into 9 periods of 20 years each. The current period eight (runs) from 2004 to 2024. During this period certain stars or numbers such as 8 and 9 are highly auspicious. Certain numbers such as 2 and 5 are usually inauspicious except during period 2 and 5 respectively. The quality of the other stars varies depending on the period and the Flying Star schools that you practice.

Like most other Feng Shui system, the methodology is to locate the main door, master bedroom and kitchen in auspicious sectors.

Which is more important, the Mountain or Water Stars? The answer is both. The main door which is the primary source of incoming ‘qi’ is best located in a sector with an auspicious Water Star such as 8 or 9 in the current period. Water is associated with wealth and movement in a sector with a good Water Star will assist your wealth endeavour.

The opposite is true for the master bedroom. Here we want good health and relationship which is associated with the Mountain Star. Simplistically the best sector for a bedroom is one with an auspicious Mountain Star such as 8 or 9 in the current period.

In practice, most practitioners will also consider the combination of the water start with the mountain star, or both the stars with the period star or with the Gua number of the occupants.

The stars are enhanced by surrounding forms – both external and internal. For example of you main door is located in a good Water Star sector and it fronts a lake or river, the wealth energy is enhanced. Similarly if your bedroom is located in a sector with an auspicious Mountain Star, and your have a real mountain or something that respects a mountain such as a building in that sector, then your health and relationship luck is enhanced.

Feng Shui

Ba Zhai – True or False Feng Shui

February 11, 2014 Henry Leave a comment

Ba Zhai or Eight Mansion is a popular system of Feng Shui practice by many in the east. Its popularity is likely due to its simplicity where the auspicious and inauspicious sectors within a dwelling are determined simply by the sitting direction of the dwelling.

A dwelling is divided into eight sectors. Four of these are auspicious and four are not depending on the sitting direction. Houses that sit north, south, east or south-east are known as east houses while those that sit north-west, south-west, west and north-east are known as west houses.

For east houses, the sectors of north, south, east and south-east are auspicious while the others are not. For west houses, the sectors north-west, south-west, west and north-east are auspicious while the rest are not. In practice, practitioner strives to place the main door, master bedroom and kitchen in the auspicious sectors of the dwelling.

Another thing with the eight house system is that the passage of time does not affect the luck of the house unlike other systems such as the Flying Star which believe that the luck of the dwelling changes over time.

There are many who say that the Eight House is a false system. Feng Shui Master Jiang Da Hong who lived about 400 years ago, state that the system is false in his book, “The Five Songs of the Heavenly Principles”. In it he states that, “The eight house fixed by the sitting and facing is baseless. The wane and wax of the three cycles fixes the true path” implying that the auspicious and inauspicious sectors (or areas imbue with good or bad qi) is not fixed and changes with time.

Of course later commentators who practice the Eight House method insist that it shows positive results. Even today there are many practitioners of this system and they too insist that it works. So who is right?

The answer may lie in this legend. Apparently Emperor Xuan Zong (685-762 CE) of the Tang Dynasty ordered Yi Xing a buddhist monk, astronomer and royal advisor to the king to devise a false method for the ‘barbarian’ neighbours. But instead the monk created a simple one based on Feng Shui’s fundamental principles.

Although the original text is lost, this system is described in many notable text including Ba Zhai Ming Jing (Eight Mansions Bright Mirror) and Ba Zhai Zhou Shu (The Complete Book of Ba Zhai).

I believe the debate as to who is right or wrong will go on until someone comes out with enough proof that one or the other is wrong. Or maybe they will discover that both are right with their individual strengths and weakness!

Feng Shui

Feng Shui T-Junction Revisited

February 11, 2014 Henry Leave a comment

Most Feng Shui enthusiast knows that it is not favourable to live in a house that faces a T-junction. But why?

Normally on both side of the road leading to the intersection are trees or other houses which forms a channel. This channel acts as a guide that directs the wind (which contains ‘qi’) very quickly towards the house. To the ancient Feng Shui sages, slow moving ‘qi’ is auspicious while fast moving ‘qi’ is inauspicious and like a poison arrow or ‘sha’ that attacks the house.

Also when cars approach the T junction, they create a low pressure area behind them. The surrounding air rushes to fill them in the process creates an air stream that follows the cars. When the cars turn at the intersection of the T-junction, the air stream does not turn with the cars but instead continues on a straight course towards the house generating more ‘sha’.

As a general rule, it is not favourable to live in a house that faces a T-junction. There are however exceptions. If the traffic leading to the intersection is light or if the road leading to the intersection is short, then it is acceptable as the ‘sha’ or poison arrow generate is weak and unlikely to create much problem. Nevertheless if you have not purchase the house, it is better to but one that is not located at the T. At the very least, you will fetch a higher price when you sell the house later!

“But I made considerable progress with my career previously while I lived in a house that faced a T-junction”, a good friend of mine argued.

There are a number of reasons for this but let me offer one from the Flying Star School and applying the principle that the surrounding form activates the star. I will use the example of a period 7 house (built between 1984 and 2004) facing S1. The water (or wealth) star number 7 is located at the front.

During period 7 (between 1984 and 2004) the water star 7 is highly auspicious. It is further strengthened if there is water in front of the house. Water can be real like a lake or river or virtual like a field or lower ground. It is also represented by movement.

A T-junction in the front of the house is like water (movement) and it activate the auspicious water star of 7 thus bringing wealth (career also brings wealth) to the occupants.

However this can change with the passage of time. In the current period (8), the star number 7 is not longer auspicious. It fact it is linked to losses and injuries. Now instead of the traffic at the T-junction activating an auspicious star, now they are activating an inauspicious star with the potential to create losses – money and otherwise – and injuries. You can expect the luck of the occupants to take a turn for the worst.

This is another reason why you should avoid living in a house that is located at the T-junction. Or if you are currently living in one and enjoying good fortune, be sure to know when to get out! Or carry out major renovation to effect a change in the period of the house.

Feng Shui

Assigning Stars to Floors

February 11, 2014 Henry Leave a comment

I bumped into a friend recently and learnt that he is developing an 18 storey apartment. Knowing that I am a Feng Shui Consultant he asked me if it is good Feng Shui to paint the lift lobbies and common areas of every floor with a color that reflect the element of the floor.

You see, he is a Feng Shui enthusiast and read an article about how to map the floors in a multi-storey office complex or apartment to the stars in the He Tu (River Map) or Lo Shu (Lo Book).

To the uninitiated, please let me explain using the He Tu example. In the He Tu which follows the Early Heaven sequence, each of the star numbers from 1 to 9 has an element and the numbers are mapped directly to the floors. For example stars 1 and 6 which belong to the water element are mapped to level 1 and 6. Similarly stars 2 and 7 which belong to the fire element are mapped to level 2 and 7. Stars 3 and 8 which belong to the wood element are mapped to level 3 and 8 while stars 4 and 9 which belong to the metal element are mapped to level 4 and 9. Finally star 5 which belong to the earth element is mapped to level 5. Level 10 is also considered an earth floor. (Please note that the Chinese called the ground floor, level 1)

Practitioners of these schools believe that the Feng Shui qualities of the floors can be improved by painting them with colours that matches the Feng Shui element of the floor.

Using this methodology, the inner spaces of the 1st and 6th level should be painted blue (or black) to match with the water element of the floor. Levels 2nd and 7th should be painted red to match the fire element while levels 3rd and 8th should be painted green to match the wood elements of the floor. Levels 4th and 9th should be painted white (or gold or silver) to match the metal element while levels 5th and 10th should be painted yellow to match the earth element. The 11th floor is treated the same as the 1st floor and the assignment repeated.

The interesting thing about this methodology is that none of the masters and teachers that I have studied with, teach this method. In fact some of them state that they have not studied this method from their teachers.

Recently I came across a translation of the ancient classic, “Five Songs of the Heavenly Principles” by Legendary Feng Shui Master Jiang Da Hong. Master Jiang who lived about 400 years ago is the author of many books that are considered classics including the notable, “Di Li Bian Zheng” or “Earth Discerning Truth”. He wrote “Five Songs” because he felt that discrepancies and dubious methods have crept into the practice of Feng Shui (even then) and he hoped to remedy the situation by citing examples of methods that he believes to be incorrect and misleading.

In the “Five Songs” he specifically mentioned about the practice of assigning the nine stars to the floors based on the Early Heaven numbers. He mentioned that even though this method is taught in books, he believe that it does not produce the desired results and effort is only wasted!

What do you think? You decide.

Feng Shui

What is a Heaven or Sky Chop Sha?

February 11, 2014 Henry Leave a comment

When a river meanders and the water flows slowly, it is called ‘sentimental water’. The auspicious ‘qi’ gathers and bring benefits to those who live around the area. However when water flows quickly especially in a straight path, it becomes a ‘sha’ or ‘killing’ force. ‘Qi’ disperses and instead of bringing benefit, it can be detrimental to those living in the area.

The same applied to ‘qi’ that is in the air. When it flows slowing and circulate within the house, the occupants benefits. This is one of the reasons why Feng Shui practitioners do not like houses with the front and back door in a line. When air rushes into a house and makes a quick exit, the occupants do not benefit and the air becomes a ‘sha’. This is one of the reasons why Feng Shui practitioners do not recommend buying a house at the top of a hill. Such houses are often exposed to high speed winds.

When the walls of two buildings face each other in close proximity, air that flows in-between the wall faces accelerates due to the Venturi effect creating a ‘sha’ or ‘killing’ force. If your house is located close to and faces such a gap, the accelerated wind (or air) can rush into and ‘attack’ the house. There is a name given to this kind of ‘sha’. It is called the Sky Chop or Heaven Kill sha!

In real life, a Sky Chop ‘sha’ can occur if your house faces the back lane or the gap between two rows of houses or shops. It can occur in apartments or condos. For example if your balcony faces the gap between two apartment blocks.

For the Sky Chop ‘sha’ to work, it must be near enough to your house or apartment to accelerate the wind that passes through it. If the gap created by two such building is wide or far away, you need not worry.

The best test is to stand in front of the house or balcony of your apartment at different times of the day and feel the breeze blowing at it. If the breeze is gentle, you have nothing to worry. But if the breeze is strong, then you may be exposed to the ‘Sky Chop Sha’!

How do you deal with this sha? You can slow down the wind by planting trees or by adjusting the windows. But most important of all, ensure that the internal design of the house allows the wind to circulate and slow down before existing from the back.

Feng Shui

Which is the Green Dragon side?

February 11, 2014 Henry Leave a comment

Friend:
Hi Henry, which is green dragon side of a house? Right or left?

Henry:
It depends.

Friend:
What do you mean? I thought it is fixed.

Henry:
It depends on your point of reference. Most practitioners reference areas in a house from within the house while looking out of the facing direction of a house. Every house has a facing direction (and a sitting direction which is the opposite). You can get more information on how to determine a house’s facing from my article on sitting and facing.

Friend:
You still have not told me which is the Green Dragon side?

Henry:
I am sorry. Stand inside the house and look out towards the facing. The left side is the Green Dragon which the right side is the White Tiger.

Friend:
Oh I see. But I remember reading a Feng Shui book where the author says the opposite.

Henry:
I remember reading that book too. In fact after reading the book, I checked with my teachers and fellow practitioners from many different Feng Shui schools. All tell me the Green Dragon side is the left when standing inside the house and looking out in the facing direction.

Friend:
One more question Henry. How do you measure the facing direction of an apartment?

Henry:
It depends on the system of Feng Shui. For example most Flying Star practitioners treat the whole block as one unit and determine the facing based on the apartment block and not the doors or windows of the individual units. Some other systems such a Zi Wei Feng Shui consider the side that brings maximum ‘yang’ energy into the apartment unit as the facing (for the unit). This is usually the balcony but depending on the design, can also be the entrance door to the unit.

Friend:
Is this a contradiction?

Henry:
Not really. There are different systems and adopt different methodologies to improve the Feng Shui of the apartment. So it is not a contradiction if they have different reference points.

Friend:
I see. So there is nothing to worry.

Henry:
No but you should really worry when practitioners of the same school apply a different facing direction for the same apartment block!

Friend:
Oops! Then what can I do?

Henry:
You should consider getting a second opinion – or in the case a third opinion! 🙂

Absolutely Feng Shui

Eight House Feng Shui

Feng Shui Bed Position Best Practices

What is my Kua (or Gua) Number?

How to Measure the Facing Direction of a House?

The Mountain and Water Star

Ba Zhai – True or False Feng Shui

Feng Shui T-Junction Revisited

Assigning Stars to Floors

What is a Heaven or Sky Chop Sha?

Which is the Green Dragon side?

Feng Shui and More