Nowadays, Feng Shui has become very popular amongst property investors. It is becoming common practice for potential buyers to actually bring in a Feng Shui consultant to audit the property, before they actual commit to it.
So what is Feng Shui? And why is it so important, so much so that property investors are prepared to spend substantial sums of money to obtain the `approval’ of their Feng Shui consultant, before they confirm the purchase?
Feng Shui has been in existence in China for more than a thousand years. It is a ramification of metaphysics that studies how human beings are influenced by their environments. In Chinese, “Feng” means “Wind”, while “Shui” means “Water”. It is the interaction between Wind and Water that actually influences those who live under a particular environment.
In other words, Feng Shui is hence a scientific analysis that tells us how different environments affect their inhabitants. So a place that suffers from `bad’ Feng Shui is a place that is not ideal to live in – unless cures and remedies are applied to overcome such negative circumstances.
Feng Shui Methodologies
There are a few types of Feng Shui: Landscape Feng Shui, Eight Mansions Feng Shui and Flying Stars Feng Shui. Each type has its own rules and formulas.
Landscape Feng Shui does not have the dimensions of `direction’ and `time’. It depends on landforms, such as the shape of mountains, rivers and lakes. The most common terminologies used in Landscape Feng Shui are the Front Phoenix, Back Turtle, Green Dragon and White Tiger. This simply means that a property will enjoy good Feng Shui if the front of the property is flat and unobstructed – we call this the Front Phoenix. Meanwhile, the back of the property should have a mountain that is higher than the property – this is the Turtle Back. The Left Side (inside looking out) of the property – also know as the Dragon Side – should be taller than the right side, the Tiger side. These are amongst the commonest and simplest rules that a lot of purchasers follow when they choose properties.
The second most common type of Feng Shui is Eight Mansions Feng Shui. This type of Feng Shui takes into account `direction’, but does not consider `time’. Since we have eight different directions on the compass, we have eight different type of `luck’. And contrary to popular belief, the `luck’ of a property does not change with time.
The most widely used Feng Shui method is Flying Stars Feng Shui. Flying Stars Feng Shui, apart of taking into consideration `directions’, also factors in `time’. In Flying Stars Feng Shui, there are 9 Stars altogether. Each Star has its own characteristics; thereby exerting a certain influence on the environment. It is these characteristics that will affect the `luck’ of those who are residing in that environment. Since there are 9 Stars, each Star `controls’ a `Period’ of twenty years. Hence, a full cycle is made up of a total of 180 years.
Time in Feng Shui
Time is a very important concept in Feng Shui, as a property will undergo different types of luck, during different periods. For instance, we are now in the fifth year of Period 8. Period 8 started from 4th February 2004 and will last twenty years until 3rd February 2024. As such, properties built during this period are called Period 8 properties. It therefore follows that properties completed between 4th February 1984 and 3rd February 2004 are Period 7 properties.
As you can see, we have just transited from Period 7 to Period 8. The significance here is that in Period 7, Star 7 is the Governing Star; which means that it is the Auspicious Star for that Period. In Period 8, Star 8 becomes the Auspicious Star and Star 7 will have to go back to its own `original position’, as the Robbery Star. In other words, if we are still activating Star 7 in our property during current Period 8, we are actually activating the Robbery Star. The effects of this Star that brought us wealth and fortune are now reversed. So, it is important for us to mind the Flying Stars very closely in practicing Flying Stars Feng Shui.
Since Flying Stars Feng Shui takes into account `time’, we are actually able to predict what luck a particular property will undergo, and also what has happened in that property and when the event took place. Applied correctly, the Flying Stars method is so powerful that we can actually sidestep fatal accidents or illnesses.
Environment
We have delved at length into the definition of Feng Shui. But how does Feng Shui actually influence our environment?
First, we need to determine the Facing Direction of the property. In Feng Shui, we believe that “Chi” (cosmic energies) from different directions have different effects. And the “mouth” of the house is the opening that will allow the “Chi” to enter the property. So, a house with its Main Door facing south will have “Chi” from the South entering it. And this particular “Chi” will have a certain influence on the environment and residents of the house.
This is why it is very important for the Feng Shui consultant to determine the Facing Direction of the property. It is also why potential house buyers should first ask what direction a house faces, before they actually inspect the property.
About Master Richard Hoo
Richard Hoo graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of New South Wales, Australia. Richard began dabbling in Feng Shui more than ten years ago, studying under the tutelage of the renowned Feng Shui Master, Lillian Too, before eventually graduating as Top Student. Master Richard Hoo uses modern remedies and enhancements in his Feng Shui practice. He specialises in pre-renovation and pre-construction Feng Shui analyses for Offices, Homes, Shops and Industrial Complexes. He continues to receive invitations to give Feng Shui Talks to the public as well as selected organizations and community groups. Richard also contributes articles in local newspapers and is presently a columnist for the New Life Post.
