Case Studies

I use these Guidelines:-

1. NO NAMES or E-MAIL ADDRESS will be mentioned to ensure CONFIDENTIALITY.

2. Why case studies? This is the best way to `practise' or `understand' Feng Shui.

3. When a specific topic gets `lengthly', I will sub-divide the case studies into specific topics. Currently, there is no specific order.

4. I have selected useful questions which are of interest to many users who want to learn more about analysing or solving Feng Shui `problems'. Let's carry on.

Q. How do you correct a sloping ceiling which was featured in your site about walls? I have a bedroom exactly the way your drawings and would appreciate if you could advice of `fighting' the slopping ceilings?

A. In general for a sloping ceiling, nothing much can be done for the structure of the house unless one resorts; `false ceiling' but in most cases this may not be feasible because of a low ceiling.

The next best alternative is either to leave it, or look for a `poster' bed with a frame i.e. a bed with a frame above the bed which `acts' as a roof. What I mean is a bed with the four support `beams' rising to the top and some cover this `roof' with some material. If this is not possible, then leave it as it is (no choice).

Q.I'm not sure how to look at a house such as mine - a ranch with an addition on one side that makes the whole shape rather like an "L". Do I pretend it's a rectangle and let the lines go through the middle? Or, do I make the north-south line run through the exact middle of the house (excluding the addition)?

A. Under Feng Shui principles, you case is quite common. For " L " shaped houses, you should divide your house into two rectangles (as you have also suggested:) In such a situation, you make two readings using the template for each subdivided "rectangle ". Many Feng Shui Masters practice this.

Q. I would like to ask a question that I was born in 1953 which supposed to live in the South west house. But I am now living in the North House. What is your recomendations?

A. Next, do the following:-

1. Get a layout plan of your home. (Determine the North point) (Best to use an ordinary compass). The steps are also given in the website under the topic Geomancy Compass or Luopan. Alternatively, the entire chapter on " Survey your Home" is full of this information).

2. Super impose the your `South-West' House template on the layout plan `making sure that you have aligned' it to the north-south template. Next, examine the `4' good sectors and `4' bad sectors. (Again, to do this, my website has the information.) Do `watch' for the Death or Disaster line. Best that it does not `flow' thru your main entrance door. That's it!

Q. I've worked out I'm in a NW house and a NW person, but my Excellent position is on the Stairs, right along the NW wall. Also, my prosperity direction is W which is the corner of the Kitchen sink, position is on the Stairs, right along the NW wall. Also, my prosperity direction is W which is the corner of the Kitchen sink, and the toilet! What can I do to take advantage of the first and balance the second? Als o, how do you work out the relationship part of a house/room?

A.  If you cannot make `full use' of the Excellent and Prosperity direction, then the next step is to evaluate the remainder e.g. 6 other positions e.g. Health lines.

Check to see if the other two good positions fall. E.g. does it fall on the bedroom area. For the other 4 `bad' directions, do watch out for Death and Disaster lines. These two are the most crucial. More importantly, does the "Death" or "Disater" intangible force  flow thru the main door? In the bedroom?

First check out the rest of the 6 positions to have a clearer picture. For the toilet, (Prosperity line) try to close the door and not leave it open. As for the `Excellent' position falling on the Stairs, there is not much you can do here. Don't worry, as I mentioned you still can check the two other good positions and where they fall.  "Not the end of the world though". You can still apply "corrections" in most cases. The last resort? Move out.

Q. I am a student of Feng Shui for the past two years. Recently, there had been many books written about this subject and, unfortunately, some of them are in conflict of each other. This to me is somewhat disturbing because I want to approach this subject as logically and "scientifically" as I can. Although interpretation may differs from one person to another, but i do believe the fundamental should be consiste nt, logical, and methodological. (May be this is not practical.)

A. The most scientific way of going about `practising' Feng Shui is firstly to have an understanding of the Chinese language and the next, the most objective method is using the Chinese Luopan or Compass. Unlike the `differing' schools of thought, the Chinese Luopan or Compass (using it) is I personally feel is the safest method. This is because so far as I know, no Feng Shui s chool has modified it other than; there many different Luopans which has either more or less `rings'. The complicated ones have many rings. Otherwise, the compass is universally adopted by many Feng Shui `schools'. Therefore, this is why, I sincerely belief the best approach is the use of the `universal' Chinese Luopan.

In a recent study of Feng Shui, one author said that we know much of the " shui " or water e.g. the geography of an area with regards to irrigation, streams, rivers, underground water etc. but much of the `Feng' relating to movement of `Chi' or dragon's breath is not so clear. Therefore, like any other subject, there will be differing schools of thought but basically, the basic foundation should be correct unless one practises " black feng shui " or " feng sh ui for money ".

There are many techniques of Feng Shui and thus this may cause confusion. Ultimately, the test is to look at it from a micro level, i.e. the good and bad locations suitable for a person. This is because, e.g. a particular location (frozen in time) may be good for a person, but due to the dynamic nature of time, it may not be suitable using say the Flying Star theory. Overall, a good Feng Shui Master is good at interpeting all the varables and finding the right  `answers'. Therefore, there is no way to `PROVE' which technique is correct. Only time will tell or erh." Dead man tell no tales? " *Joke*

Q. Does Chinese graves face a particular direction? I,m currently doing a project on th e symbols found on the graves. Hope you can help?

"Tomb orientation. It is believed that the soul continues to live after death in the spirit world, thus graves are the yin habitations as distinct from that of the living Tombs and buildings are supposed to be built where the feng shui is most favourable. Their siting is seen as a means of establishing and maintaining good fortune.

The south facing slope is preferred for burial ground as it is considered to be with " life and cosmic breath ". According to the New Nation (13 February 1978), geomancers in Hong Kong spent considerable time looking for a good site to bury the dead. Finally a small island in Miro Bay was chosen even though it meant inconvenience to devotees as they had to travel through a restricted zone to visit a grave. To the geomancers a site with "cosmic breath" is vital to the burial ground."

(Source: Page 8 & 9, Chapter 1 - What is Geomancy or Feng Shui?, from the book: Chinese Geomancy, A Layman's Guide, by Dr. Evelyn Lip. Published by Times Books International, Times Editions Pte Ltd, Times Centre, 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore).

Q. I have a question of location of toilet. You said toilet should be at the north position which is water element. But am I right that North sector is for career? Isn't I am flushing away my career each time I use it? Oh pppppplease help. Both my toilets happens to be exactly at the north sector of my house and I am in dilemma.

A. In a traditional Feng Shui perspective, it was common to have new houses build on a plot of land with the toilet at the north. This is because the north element is `water'. However, in your case, do try to apply the " Eight House Theory ". This is because unlike what you have said the `career' prospects for each person differs. For example, in Feng Shui, there are 8 types of houses and each house depends on the orient ation of the front door. Do look at the " 8 house theory " and you will find that there are eight divisions e.g. Prosperity or career lines, Longevity, Health lines etc.. Therefore, it is `not correct' to say that the career line must be at the North. (It may or may not be the case for you. You must check it out using the template on my site).

Q. At the present, I am offering the possibility to Feng Shui masters and practitioners do a Feng Shui evalutation here in Brazil. So, we can see the results. This is the only true way to verify if we need changes or not. Do you agree me?

A. Frankly, at this point in time, I really not sure of this as not much study has been made on this. Presently there are two differing camps:-

One for this idea and another felt that this may not be so. Originally, I also feel the same way. This is because in Astrology, there are software available that asks a person to key in his Longitude and Latitude and thus using some `mathematical' calcuation, derive a deviated chart. At this point, I believed or `agree' with this argument. However, I do hope one day to study the changes or calculations made for Astrology i.e. Zodiac signs and see if there is a relationship or correlation with Feng Shui.

On the other hand, many Feng Shui masters feel that as Feng Shui is based on the magnetic compass, North and South lines, it should be the same of Feng Shui for the rest of the world. (Except for a certain region in the North pole or South pole where at this point, where the compass direction goes hay wire and just any direction). This is because, the compass is the chief means of Feng Shui practice.

Well, at this point in time, without much evidence, I will not speculate on this. You have to judge for yourself if this is true?

Q. I found when reading about Feng Shui is the a NewAge Feng Shui School. Some Feng Shui "masters" say this is not "real and traditional" Feng Shui and tell that this is the one beeing explored by many Architectural and Home Interior magazines. Is it true? Recently a user wrote to me saying that there is a Black tantrium Buddhist Sect that practises Feng Shui with the main door as the scope of calculations.

A. I have no contact with the Black tantrium Buddhist Sect so cannot comment about their practise. I hope to stick with what I currently know:-

Basically, there are two chief schools of Feng shui: Basically, there are two chief schools of Feng Shui:-

1. The Shapes and Form School

2. The compass school and this is where majority of the new wave schools including (I suspect, the Black Tantrium Sect belongs here.)

What I personally feel is that Feng Shui is on it's own difficult to practise so the `school' that can at least come out with something that a novice can get it right most or all the time is much better thatn a complicated system that he/she gets it wrong most of the time. So, to me, I feel that the result is more important.I am thus refering to the Compass School.

The Shapes and Form School is pretty straight forward and most of their findings are based on common sense approaches e.g. the land must be well irrigated etc. Any school that come out with a formula that can easily be applied to the masses, and get it correct most of the time is a good thing even if their survey is preliminary. Contrast this with someone coming up with a `solid' system is so complicated that one can easily be misinterpreted, then I rather take the first one i.e. a less complicated system.

Q. I don't have details about using mirrors in toilets. How? What kind of mirror?

A. Actually, what I meant was that it was not good to place mirrors in the "bedroom". What I meant was that according to Feng Shui practices, it is said that when one sleeps, `our spirit' get's up and if it sees a reflection of itself in a mirror e.g. even a TV screen, it may get a `shock'. This is the way most Feng Shui Masters feel.
Therefore, what I really meant is that rather than place a mirror in the bedroom (next to, or close to the bed), it would be better to place it in the toilet. Usually, we close the toilet door. Any type of mirror will do which aids in `personal grooming'. Hope that clarifies what I meant.

Q. I have a question on neutralizing elements. On your page, it is unclear how the five elements apply to the home. For example, you suggest that North is the water element in your example. It is always the water element? If so, to what direction do the other elements of the productive sequence belong. How do you know if another element comes under the threat of another element? If this does happen, how do you correct it?

A. Yes, North, equivalent of the Rat belongs to the `water element'. The various elements for each direction is fixed and does not change at all under the 5 elements.

Do take a closer look or printout the page on " 5 Elements " on my website. It is under the main topic " Introduction " and sub-topic " The 5 elements ". In this topic, I have given two diagrams, the sequence of the Productive elements and Destructive elements with words to the effect.

To understand the neutralising elements fully, one must be able to tell what object belongs to which element. E.g. Pottery or ceramic vase, etc. belong to the earth element. To enhance e.g. the south, one can either use the colours, Please refer to the " Advanced Feng Shui " topic and sub-topic colours where each specific compass direction has a particular colour. E.g. for the North wall e.g. one may use blue, grey curtains. For the south wall, one may use `pink' curtains etc.

Frankly, I have not yet completed three main topics:

1. Neutralising elements (what we are currently discussing)

2. Discover Your Destiny (which I am currently working on)

3. Flying star theory.

I feel that these three topics are under `advanced feng shui' and unfortunately takes time to develop: Practising Feng Shui Masters take time to master this and the quality of the Master is one who can interpret his findings and if necessary find a cure thru the use of `neutralising' elements. Therefore, this area is currently quite difficult for the novice. Until, I can work out some way of correctly, diseminating this information, I `dare not' at the moment, show it on the site for fear or responsbilit y of providing the `wrong information/mis-interpretation' as there are many variables to be considered i.e. one must be as good as a Feng Shui master to do so. Hee. lots of work to put on paper. How do you determine which part of the house, or a room, relate to career issues? How do you enhance this, and conversely, not make a mistake and cause diaster? Do look at the " 8 house theory ", one of the best method (although is static Feng Shui, it is easily learnt even by novice users) and for this, I strongly recommend it.

Under the " 8 house theory " you will notice certain things like: Prosperity location, Health etc. For career issues, do look at the Prosperity intangible force.. Does it flow thru your bed?, or any areas where you spent most of the time in your house? I found your sight to be extremely interesting.

Q. I've done only a little reading about Feng Shui and am confused. One of the books I am reading is "Feng Shui: Harmony by Design" by Nancy SantoPietro who studied under Professor Lin Yun. Apparently there are several types or systems of Feng Shui. Professor Lin Yun practices Feng Shui from the Perspective of Black Sect Tantric Buddhism. It seems to me that one of the primary differences is  that rather than using absolute directions, this approach organizes everything based on the location of the door. It is much easier for me to follow than the more traditional approach. But is it so simplified as to be much less valuable? What is your opinion of Feng Shui from the Perspective of Black Sect Tantric Buddhism?

A. In general, Feng Shui can be classified under the following:-

1. The Shapes and Form School. This is the most basic form of Feng Shui, can also be considered a commonsense approach e.g. a site should be "elevated" and there must be proper drainage as an example. Feng Shui literally means " wind and water " and much of the study is on " water ". The wind portion is towards, Chi or `dragon's breath' and the study of `sha' or negative effects of Yin and Yang.

2. The Compass School. Here, the " 8 house theory " (static Feng Shui) and Flying star theory belongs. As you are aware, Feng Shui can be quite difficult to follow and if one is not corrrect, may interpret the findings wrongly. Therefore, the key issue here is: Can I misinterpret wrongly? I guess, this can happen if one is not sure. Therefore, it is far worse to use a complicated system and get the wrong interpretation, than a simple guide but one that at least gives you a correct `interpetation'.

3. One reader mentioned that "Blact Sect Feng Shui" practitioners never use a compass in for their readings. According to their school's theory, the entrance or door is ALWAYS considered "North/Career." They do not pay attention to true compass directions. They just superimpose a fixed bagua on the floorplan with "North/Career" always at the position of the door. Therefore, "Black Sect Feng Shui" is not really a Compass school, it is actually more of a school of its own and therefore somewhat controve rsial among more traditional feng-shui practitioners.

What I feel was that the technique that method gives u more than 50% chance of getting correct or even higher chances e.g. 90% chance of getting it correct (the do it yourself method). If you feel that below 70% chance of getting it correct, don't use the method! Feng Shui researcher's are therefore finding ways to diseminate Feng shui correctly. Like the " 8 house theory " in my website, what I did was to convert the interpetation on the Chinese luopan or compass into a simple template for Do it yoursel f. I am still finding ways to diseminate correctly " the Flying Star theory " or the " Discover Your Destiny " until I am confident, it can be done, I `dare not' put it in on my website.. as one feels responsible for our actions if it can easily be misinterpreted.

For Do It Yourself (D.I.Y) practioners, one must clearly understand the proper concepts and e.g. if say you find the Black sect's work easy to understand, chances are, you will be able to get at least the basic framework correct rather than learn a difficult method, not realising that you made a mistake. Which is worse: no one Feng Shui, is not a religion and " Tantric Buddhism " is a group of followers of that `religion' adopting Feng Shui to their needs.

Q.  I'm learning Kinesiology, a bundle of techniques for doing energy-balancing and softening psycho-somatic stresses. Part of it is a shortcut to accupuncture-techniques. We're following energy meridians and press the corresponding points. So we learned, that on behalf of the the inner watch the inner organs are controlled on a two-hour-schedule And the organs themselves are attached to the Elements of the 5Element-Circle.

Are there different correspondences of the daily-hours with the 5elements for birth-hours and the elements of the organs, which are said to be most active in their specific slice of time (Example: in Kinesiology Lung rules the time 3am-5am and is Ying/Metal and there is no Wood around) As FS and Kinesiology have roots of the same culture, it shouldnt be that different, is my opinion Perhaps you could contact a friend of yours, doing Kinesiology in your neighbourhood, because Kin is  worldwide in use (I was told), actually it came from the US to Europe (actually to Austria), and send me an e-mail to get me a step further. (Funny for me is also, that Kin calls the "Destructive Cycle" the "Controlling Cycle" and, when you make an Element-Balance (in direction of the productive cycle), you are obliged, to do it in the controlling-order afterwards as well. Could be rather neutralizing or weakening, i mean, but my teacher has his opinion) Finally a small remark if you dont mind: The NEU tralizing Elements (finding a cure) are looking a little bit mixed up for me (Example: Water with yellow fabrics??) The NEUTRALizing Elements (finding a cure) are looking a little bit mixed up for me (Example: Water with yellow fabrics??) I wish you lots of positive Chi for completing your Feng Shui-work!

A. Thanks for taking the time to share Kinesiology with me:) Appreciate it very much. Yes, you are correct to say that Kinesiology shares the same `roots' as Feng Shui and thanks for pointing it out.  Much of Feng Shui has to do with the `magnetic' compass and this also has roots in Kinesiology. A books that I had read, do include Kinesiology in the yang and yin principles , the 5 elements etc. Currently, as my topic is to make Feng Shui easy, I did not include this additional topic but would like to as I add more modules to the site. Thanks very much for sharing it with me. I will print out a copy of the message to look at it further.

Q. I have a question about the door direction. My front door faces EAST and if you stand in front of my front door, you will be immediately looking at my fireplace, which is the west wall. There is no screen to obstruct.

A.In Feng Shui, so far there is no evidence to show that immediately looking at your fireplace is `no good'. The main points to note are:- Immediately after opening your front door, there should not be any windows, doors that let `Chi' or the breath of Chi to exit immediately. Good chi must be allowed to circulate in a house and not come into a house and exit immediately.

If your house is `L' shaped, it is best to sub-divide each of the `rooms' with a screen; 3. Otherwise, having a fireplace on the opposite wall is acceptable. As mentioned above, make sure that there is no free flow of air when opening the main door and that it does not exit immeditately but allow the `Chi' to circulate in the house. If there is such a situation, place a screen or divider.

Q. I was told that stoves facing north is bad luck. Is that true with your studies?

A. The North is the " Water " element and the South is the " Fire " element. However, I am not sure what u mean by `stoves facing north'. Do you mean that your kitchen is in the South and the stove in the kitchen is facing the direction of the North. Points to note in a kitchen:-

1. If not sure, get a stove with the knob facing upwards the ceiling. Many Feng Shui Masters I know of are particular about the `knobs' and which direction they are facing. Traditionaly, the kitchen is an important place in Feng Shui and most Feng Shui Masters recommend that the stove preferably do not face `out' towards the main door. (I meant the direction of the knobs).

2. In a kitchen, do not place the stove next to the sink or fridge but at least there must be a distance or some worktopspace between them. This is the most important thing to do for a kitchen.

3. If your kitchen is in the North, there is really not much one can do except to place the stove in a `well ventilated' area, or if you are using air filters and do not do too much oily cooking or deep frying, place the stove in a position that takes care of Para 2. above.

4. The door to the kitchen, should not be facing the door of any bedrooms.as according to Feng Shui practise, kitchen has knives and is `bad' for someone staying in the bedrooms. In such a situation, try to close the bedroom door everytime.

Q. I was told that the back part of a toilet, (the water tank part), should not face north either.

A.There is no evidence to suggest that this is true. The water tank can be placed in the north direction, the ideal location of water element. The only thing I noticed is that Feng Shui masters will indicate that the water tank must not be empty.

Q. What kind screen, should I have to install in my main door, which is in the same direction of my rear door(made with glass)?

A.As glass represents `water', do check to see if your main door or rear door is facing. E.g. if it is facing the south, try to use as little glass as possible as the south representing Fire conflicts with "water". Otherwise, there is really no harm in using glass.

Q. Could you give me more informations about PAKUA ?

A. Pakua is simply an 8 sided Trigram. At my Feng Shui site, you should be able to see an eight sided Trigram. In general the Pakua is more like a religious object that we hang above the door e.g. a cross. For the pakua, it is usually hang above the door to ward off bad influences e.g. `sha' or negative forces.

There are two types of pakua one with a mirror in the centre of the pakua, this is to reflect away the bad influences. I have noticed two apartments with their doors facing each other. One house hang a `normal' pakua with all the carvings of religous symbols. The other house fearing that his neighbour had `reflected' the evil influences to his house, hang the second type of pakua, one with the mirror in the middle to reflect back the `bad influence'.

There are some Feng Shui schools which felt on the contrary that not much use of the pakua and do not use it. Some Feng Shui masters repeatedly use the `pakua' to correct adverse `shar'. Alternatively, it is suggested for Christians to hang a cross as a `subsitute'. However, this is not `tested'. Similarly, it is hard to test the effectiveness of using a Pakua.

Q. Is there any Feng Shui software?

A. Currently, as far as I am aware of, there are no Feng Shui software available but rather, I do recommend Feng Shui books that teach you how to use the Chinese compass or Loupan. I will cover this in a new topic called " Book Reviews".

Q. Where can I find a Ideal course for Feng Shui?

A.Good Feng Shui masters rarely provide a course in Feng Shui but rather, they prefer to pass down their information to those that they know. Perhaps the next best alternative is to read some good Feng Shui books. Many of the good authors themselves are Feng Shui practioners or have consluted a Master when they researched their work.

Q. I try to apply as much of it as possible. I have a request. Is there anything you can suggest about Feng Shui regarding the car. I live in USA, so I drive a lot. I've heard some advice, not nothing too concrete. I spend much of my time in my car and I want to be able to drive with a little more protection.

A.When Feng Shui was invented, the car was not invented yet. Maybe, only the hand carried sedan for the emperor. *Joke*

However not much research or information is available for Feng Shui of the car other than the advice by many Feng Shui masters who recommend the choice of colours e.g. if you are a Water person, the colour of the car is black, blue or grey representing water.

Likewise, for a `Fire' person, the colour of the colour could be e.g. red, pink or light shades of it. However, a word of caution here, as research has shown that a red car is `more prone' to accidents because the tail lights are also red thus the car behind the red car may be less observant. Contrast this to other cars with other colours where pressing the brake lights immediately shows a great contrast.

From my personal observations, there is no evidence at the moment to suggest that one must get the colour based on your Feng Shui colours e.g. North = Water etc. But really there is no harm.

There is another study to suggest that there is a 3 year cycle of safe / unsafe driving. (Not Feng Shui study thou). What this means is that usually for the `first' 3 years, one's driving is safe until we meet a minor/mishap, then we become cautious again and after another 3 year period, get less careful as we grow `more confident' and thus become lax.

Q. The "death" line (refering to the 8 House Theory) goes through my front door. How do I deal with it?

A. For the death line flowing thru the main door, there are two alternatives:

1. If there is sufficient space, use some sort of a screen made of any material to act as a divider between the main door and the interior of house.

2. Alternatively, if there is a wall behind the main door, for Christians, hang a cross. The next best alternative is to close the door and do not leave if open. Some resort to using the backdoor to get in and out and only on occasions come thru the main door.

Q. The center of the room, is our family, where we always sit and watch TV or else we are in the kitchen, sitting in front of the stove, for which we have a bar - table type of arrangement. I think the rest of the features of the house is allright.

A. Have you tried the " 8 House Theory ", a static form of Feng Shui.  Do try it and look out for " Death " and "Disaster " lines especially for the bread winner and other members of the family. Do try this first.

In the 8 house theory, one tries to avoid staying too long at a particular location which is bad for the person. As mentioned, do try the 8 house theory to see the above plus look at the following areas:

1. Best for the breadwinner (the one that brings in the most money) to the house, the death or disaster line does not flow thru the main door.

2. Look at the places where the family members frequently `stay' e.g. Kitchen, bedrooms places that one spends time at. The above are the two `static' forms of Feng Shui. More advanced Feng Shui (dynamic) requires a Feng Shui master. As it is dynamic, constant advice is needed.

Q. Are there any beneficial aspects on one's health if you choose to implement Feng Shui?

A. I let you decide for yourself whether Feng Shui improves your health. Most Feng Shui Masters will say that Feng Shui overall benefits one's health, happiness and prosperity. One user gave this remark "Even if Feng Shui does not work, at least, I have a tidy room/home to return to:)

Q.Are there any negative repercussions if the principles of Feng Shui technique(s) are applied in the exact opposite manner for which they were intended?

A.Normally one should not go wrong applying the rule of thumb of the Shapes and Form School as majority of this approach is based on commonsense. For the other theories, as they are much more difficult to interpret may be applied `wrongly'. Do look out for "disaster" and "death" intangible forces as these two can cause calamity.

Q. I applied the 8 House Theory in my apartment, and wonder does this apply to the office environment? I belong to the South-West House. Do I have to sit facing the North East (Prosperity) to ensure a good career?

A. Yes, you can apply the 8 House Theory to your office. There are a few considerations:-

1. If you are not the owner of the office, you may not be in control of where you sit. If you have your own office, this can be advantages as you can position your table to a `favourable' location for yourself.

2. In general, you should also survey the site (external area) around your office. Look out for `sha' such as sharp corners or any `poision arrows' pointing to your seating/office workarea.

Q. The 8 House Theory mentioned 4 good and 4 bad directions. Can I sit in the bad direction facing the good direction? This is because our sofa set is in the East direction and the TV is in the Excellent corner, so sitting facing to watch TV.

A. Firstly, try to avoid long durations spending time at a bad direction especially the `disaster' or `death' direction. Electrical applicances absorb's `energy' both good or bad. By placing the TV at the excellent location, it is unfavourable as the TV set absorb's most of the excellent location's vibes. Try to avoid this.

Q. Are there any great success stories you've received from people as a result of their integrating Feng Shui into their lives?

A. It is hard to measure great success stories of people benefiting from Feng Shui. On one hand there are numberous stories of Multi-millionares who had practiced Feng Shui at one time or another. To measure a life time of success is hard because this involves time dimension and there are no written daily record of anyone practising this art.

But success stories are aplenty in businesses that had practiced Feng Shui. Just a few days ago, I passed through Alexandra Road. All the old flats were knocked down but this solitary Temple still remains. There are many old temples in Singapore which has good geomancy i.e. facing South and sitting on a hill. Commercial buildings like the famous Singapore Hyatt Hotel oriented their main lobby doors and changed most of their interior layout and the billion dollar Suntec City project in Singapore is shaped like a person's palm with 5 fingers and a fountain `pouring wealth towards the palm are success stories. If I have time, I will provide more examples of this.

Q. I couldn't help but notice the gemstone stated for good luck. CARBUNCLE??? for those born in the year of the Rat.

A. Carbuncles are actually Garnets. To be exact, a red semi-precious stone called pyrope. Garnets are a group of very complex silicates. The most common colour is reddish brown. Other colours are pink, violet, yellow, green and occassionally black.

Source: The Observer's Book of Rocks and Minerals; Page 111, Authors Richard & Frances Atkinson; Published by Fredrick Warne.

Q. I am refering to the variations of the so called Compass School of Feng Shui - that is the static ones like 8-house method and the dynamic Flying Stars Method. As it is a fact of life that things - tangible (e.g planet earth itself) as well as intangible (e.g. relationships)- changes with time, isn't it more appropriate to learn Flying Star methods, notwithstanding that it may be more complex, rather than say the 8-house or Life Station s methods?

Both methods i.e. 8 house and Flying Star complement each other. You can use the 8 house theory to do a preliminary look at houses that suits you. For a more accurate assessment, you should use the Flying Star Theory.

Q. I am confused about differing accounts of how to establish the Principle Direction of the house. One book says it is the direction of the energy entering your front door. Another says it is the orientation of the house. My front door faces East but the general orientation of the house is south-facing. Which type of house do I have?

A. Yes, it can be quite confusing especially if you refer to various books.

My recommendation is:-

1. Like all studies, do not confuse yourself with too many books. The saying goes `a Jack of all trades is master of none'.

You should instead concentrate on understanding the concepts. Hopefully from a book you `trust most'. This is the most sound method. So when the author says: "Your Front door is." use his tool.

2. For a start, you could try out Survey Your Home.

Q. Is there any difference between the Eight House Theory vs The PakuaLuoshu System?

A.
Eve: Just like to share my findings on above when superimposed. I can see clearer now why Stephen Field said the former(8 type house) is also corelating with the latter(PKLS) although its not so obvious.

Eve: From my own analysis of my case :
Eve: Auspicious directions :-
Eve: 8-type-hse :NE(excellent), SW(prosperity), W(longevity) & NW(health) while PKLS of SW, NW, W & NE(in descending auspiciousness).

Eve: Inauspicious directions :-
Eve: 8-type-hse :SE(death), S(disaster), E(irritation) & N(spook) while PKLS of S, N, E & SE(in ascending inauspiciousness). Basically same directions except the order of which are different.

Eve: I'm glad these two schools of thoughts are not contradictory, even though they are not wholly supportive of one another.

Cecil: Thanks for sharing with us your findings and research:)

Cecil: Just to clarify on the 8 house theory:-

Cecil: Auspicious direction: actually does not give weightage or rank by order of `importance' other than to say e.g. best to have the main door facing " Excellent".

Cecil: Otherwise, you note that Health, Prosperity and Longevity are of equal importance. No one factor is `higer' than the other. But of course, if anyone wants `more' of Prosperity. could try to do so.

Cecil: Under `inauspicous', here, personally, I give more importance to : death and disaster. Otherwise, the remainder of the inauspicious factors could be given equal weigthage.

Cecil: The 8 house theory was developed as a `fool proof' or `dummy proof' method of simply `cut and paste' a template and this is why, errors are minimized unlike the PKLS model where one may be `turned' off in addition of numbers etc.

Cecil: Once again, many thanks for sharing with us the information. The 8 house theory does take into consideration --> Pakua Luoshu :) Only that it is not stated as such on my website. Maybe later, I will add the mathematical model for those who want to use this alternative method.

A Reader: Dear Cecil, I have conducted my home survey and since my husbands' good lines are exactly opposite mine, I used his second best house. Is that okay? We know that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, now that I know a little of Feng Shui, is there any possiblity that I may misinterpret your guide? I am only using the Compass Theory from your guide, and I confirm it with my readings from Derek Walters.

Cecil: Thank you for a brief introduction about yourself. Yes, a little knowledge is indeed a dangerous thing. I agree with you. It would still be best to use your husband's Best house instead of his second best house. Alternatively, if you are using his second best house and applying what you have `learnt' or understood of the 8 house theory, then I suggest you rename the 4 good locations to = good locations and the 4 bad locations as = bad locations. This theory then becomes what is know as the PakuaLuoshu grid and it can be found in common Traditional Feng Shui authors books e.g. Lillian Too. This theory says that a person has 4 good and 4 bad locations but did not give weigh to which good or bad location is more `important' as each are equally good or bad. I am aware that there are quite a lot of families where husband and wife have exactly oppostie each other. In such a situation, you can refer to my website and if you have the time read some of the `remedies' under the section " Survey your home " and how to `apply' it. For example, using one partner as a shield for another. I am glad that your Feng Shui readings from his book are similar to my website. This should be because both come from the same school i.e. Traditional Form of Feng Shui.

Q. What are your opinions on the 'bagua' template? Seems quite popular but at the same time, questionable. Isn't this an origin of the Black Sect from its leader Prof Lin Yun? On the other hand, what do you think of Lillian Too's feng shui teachings?

A. On Bagua template:

I am not sure if u had read Gill Hale's book " The Feng Shui Garden ". She also used the bagua template to show readers how to `design' a landscape garden.

Similiarly, Lillian Too, used it to design the layout of the sitting room arrangement.

If u asked my opinion, frankly, as it is merely a `tool' or `template' and NOT a Feng Shui principle or theory, I safetly say that there is nothing wrong or `questionable' in using it.

My own understanding is, the more `tools' we have, it could aid in understanding concepts or for `creativity' . so I ask myself: Why not?

Q. 1) We live in a SW facing house. Based on your 8 House Direction I'm a SW person whose "irritation" lines fall on our S main entrance. My wife, a W person has her "disaster" line falling on our main door as well. So with my Mom's (a NW person) "death" line. In short, 3 bad lines (disaster, irritation, and death) flows into our main door which horrified me after surveying my home as you suggested in your website. True enough, eversince my Mom moved with us, she's been quite sickly, had a stroke last year, and her health never quite picked up. I have installed 2 lion statues on a glass wall above the door frame facing the street, a christian cross under a bell inside an inverted horseshoe attached outside the door, and a later heaven pakua with a mirror on top of the 2 lion statues. What's your opinion on this? Are they enough "cures" or do you have other suggestions? 2) My Mom's room is in the N direction of the groundfloor, directly under the second floor bathroom, and immediately beside her room to the right is the groundfloor bathroom. Her bedroom door (SE) faces the kitchen. She does not want to move out of that room because the rest of the rooms in the house are in the second floor which she finds impractical for her age. I love my Mom so much, please tell me what I can do to improve her health? 3) Our master's bedroom is at the far back (NE) of the second floor. Our bed is partly on top of the groundfloor bathroom and the rest of the room partly sits on top of the kitchen. How do I "cure" this and improve or enhance the health and prosperity lines permeating this room? 4) what can you say about wind chimes? I read in other books that wind chimes attract negative energies and therefore must never be used anywhere within or outside the house. 5) if you remove bad moles through surgery or coterization, does that improve your fortune?

Under the 4 symbolic animals principle, URL : ../fs/four.htm your South West facing house is under the influence of the West -- White Tiger although your main door is facing South (Bird or Phoenix). The fierce White Tiger is of the EARTH element. In addition a South West house is also of the EARTH element. This two EARTH elements combined to make it strong. This accounts for lots of problems such as illnesses. Furthermore, your main entrance is at South which is the FIRE element. FIRE produces EARTH making it even stronger. The `cure' is to use WOOD element. However, your 2 lion stautes make the situation worse as your 2 lions are of METAL element and METAL destroys WOOD. Thus making it weaker or non-existent. If I were you I would remove the 2 lion statutes and the horse shoe as both are of the METAL element. However there is a further complication as your WOOD produces FIRE, use as little wood as possible. My advice is: 1. As mentioned above remove the two lion statues, 2. remove the horse shoe, 3. Please confirm if you are using the later heaven pakua with mirror? You should instead be using the First Heaven pakua with a mirror. (The mirror is symbolic of water element) which strengthens the wooden pakua. If you are not sure what the First Heaven Sequence pakua looks like go to: URL: ../fs/pakua.htm Therefore because of your South main entrance use the above PAKUA will do as it is wooden + mirror, on it's own, it is powerful enough. Don't make it worse with lion statues and horseshoe. Please do not have the bell as again it represent METAL and even makes the EARTH element stronger. There is thus too much imbalance with EARTH supported by METAL placed by you. Where possible your mother's room door must not face the kitchen door directly. If so, close the bedroom all the time or if your kitchen has a door do close it. For wind chimes, use it only to counteract protusions or poison arrows e.g. sharp corners. Under the more advanced Flying Star theory, for example, a wind chime placed at a wrong position with two inauspicious stars will cause even more harm then good. Well for bad moles, this practise is not under Feng Shui so, I thus rather not comment on it. I prefer to give advice on Feng Shui matters for this bbs. Further to this, I the reason why I have to be cautious of fixes as you are aware is that I am not physically at your premises to look at all the relationships especially regarding any posion arrows (if any that are pointed towards your house). As you are aware that, the philosophy behind Feng Shui is harmony and balance of the 5 elements. Or the relationships within them. I really cannot help you especially in relation to the position of the toilet viz a viz bedrooms unless one shifts to another room. However, you could instead focus on the 1. main entrance door and 2. is there any windows in the front part of the house? If so, this is equally important and if there are any poison arrows pointed towards either the main entrance door or the window you need to find a cure. For now, we have looked at the main entrance door and in the present situation, the cure using the Former heaven pakua is sufficient. As for the gate, the main point I asked you earlier is; is your main entrance door vunerable? In that it can be seen when you stand outside the main gate and it is in the direct path of the gate? If it is not then, the above cure is ok. Is there any windows in the front of the home (meaning on the side of the main entrance) `attacked' by any poision arrows? If so, the remedy is to use a curtain to block out the view. There is one more very powerful tool, use it as a last resort: is to have a low cabinet directly facing the main entrance door and placing a cannon. (The cannon you find on ancient ships of war). It can be purchased e.g. in toy shops or places that sell minatures. Again, this is the last resort, and it is the most powerful Feng Shui offensive tool. It is more powerful than the pakua. I don't suggest you replace the pakua with it. the pakua is perfect above your main door. Alternatively it is placed on a cabinet where the window has poison arrow hitting it and you do not close the window curtains. This is a much better choice than placing aiming at your own door. Another location for placing it offensively is on the two pillars of main gate. But again this is used to counter the most adverse poison arrow. Do not that it is not advisable to place two cannons on the main entrance to replace the two lions that were formerly there. Similarly, I do not recommend two cannons on the pillars of the gate as two cannons are very powerful and may affect the neighour's health or worse off; the neighbour do the same and point two cannons at your home! I am not recommending you to use the cannon at this stage but to monitor the situation closely as I mentioned, I do not have the full facts of any other poision arrows aimed at your house or a full picture (it is difficult) to look at a `cure' even thru verbal explanation but what I had analysed based on your earlier description, I have tried to have a harmonic balance of the 5 elements. What we have done is on the "Shapes and Form School" of Feng shui. There are other more accurate Feng Shui pertaining to health and other matters i.e Flying star theory and your 8 characters theories to diagnose in detail each and every location of the house. Maybe you can get a FS practioner to analyse those for you in order to have a complete picture. What we are doing here is a stop gap measure but overall, still acceptable under three types of Feng shui 1. 5 elements (but limited to analysing the house alone) In fact, this should include the person's element analysis and for home assessment, the formidable flying star theory. Flying star looks at two stars at anypoint in time and the theory is used to enhance luck, prosperity or health or a combination of all these. This theory is used only by traditional Feng Shui masters and is the defacto standard in analysing a home by these masters. Should you engage anyone doing feng shui for your home insists on them having this knowlege 2. The shapes and form school 3. 4 symbolic animals theory. Therefore, as mentioned, it is best to have a Feng Shui audit of your home to really improve your current situation.

Q. What the best way to sell your house using established feng shui principles?

A. For example, use the Shapes and Form School to examine the overall house. Highlight all the good features of the house. Erh. Next find a buyer who Believes in Feng Shui:)