General Help

Dear Kevin, 1. Under Feng Shui, the advise would still to have a frontage facing the street. However, the frontage can have a main door but opens inwards towards the `balcony' area. (Where possible the main door should not be in the line of sight of the balcony or back view. Thus one can still position the living room area towards the `back' of the house. Please see below:- This is usually not the norm. But at least if the main door is available this side of the house, it can usually open towards the living room facing the good view. However, you may need to be careful of the placement of the toilet. Best to have one side share an external wall. Avoid having the toile…

Cecil and Kam Thanks for the advice

Dear Lakmun, 1. For a preliminary analysis, you can generate a free Eight House report at www.geomancy-online.com 2. The other alternative is to look up and get the services of a Feng Shui practitioner, to conduct a `worry' free audit. Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Sunny, I have covered the `topic' plants in an earlier message. The main consideration is if one is really a plant lover, why not have plants in the house and even outside the bathroom. Bear in mind that one should not trip over it in darkness. And if one's house is large. Plants need care e.g. water and occassional sunlight. One must be prepared to bring them out for sunlight once a while (if they need sunlight). Is just like keeping a pet. If one is a pet lover, would take great pains to look after it (with or without monetary rewards consideration). But if one places a plant in the hope that wealth is accumulated. Or neglect the plants. Is this logical? Whatever w…

Dear Anon, 1. Before the `globalisation' of Feng Shui, Hong Kong Feng Shui Masters tend to advise on the use of fish tanks to neutralise Sha Qi. For example, if there there is a lone lamp post outside the window, they would advise their clients to place a fish tank (in a broad sense, water element) to neutralise the lone lamp post. 2. Taiwan Feng Shui Masters usually advise the use of plants. So in the `past', the advice coming from a FS Master from Taiwan would be `different' from Hong Kong. If you were to ask a FS Master from Taiwan, your answer would be `Yes' it is ok to place plants in the home. 3. Like taking food, it is best to moderate and not over eat. You have …

Dear Anon, It is `reserved' for members who have a religion or have statutes of `gods' or `deities'. For example, the Fu Lu Shou figurines should not:- 1. Directly face a toilet 2. On the same wall as the toilet. 3. Placed inside a bedroom. The chief consideration here is to give utmost `respect' to these "gods". In a bedroom is like changing clothes in full view of the `gods'. So far, I do not see the same rationale for applying auspicious symbols. However, I have yet to see anyone pasting an auspicious symbol inside the toilet door or facing a toilet bowl. Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Anon, This area has more to do with beliefs by some people or from advise provided by practitioners. The rationale for some people who do not view roosters is that: Roosters seems `picky' or combative. Quite often some get hold of two roosters to fight and wager on bets. And some consider the characteristics of roosters as `sharp' tongued. Thus, due to this symbolism, roosters (symbols) are considered not favourable in the home. As I mentioned, this area has more to do with beliefs than Feng Shui. Personally, I find placing a rooster figurine no harm. Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Anon, Let me explain: Usually the main concern is the main entrance door or a window. A good example is Evelyn Lip's story in one of her books Geomancy. She wrote that the owners of a house faced calamity and even a FS Master could not find the problem. Only at a later stage where the Master stood at the door and looked out (during low tide) and saw a profile or figurine that looks like a toad or frog with its mouth opened facing the house. Here, he placed some objects to symbolically represent flies to mean that the mouth is full. From what we can learn here is to avoid letting objects with open mouth e.g. face the main door if we can. It is better to take the pre…

Dear Anon, More importantly, the purpose is to correct any odd shaped room to be a square or rectangle room. As square and rectangle are considered the best shape rather than a room with odd corners. Frankly, the issue of whether it is a separate room is less important or really not a issue. Warmest Regards, Cecil

Dear Daniel, The key ingredient to the shop is the store-front. Pay more attention to the frontage of the fruit shop. As you did not mention the type of store, e.g. one at a Government Housing Block or an upmarket store. If it is at a Housing block, check the demography e.g. is it a new or old housing estate. The best trend is to have an inviting front e.g. open area at the front to display and extend the fruits out to the corridor (if this is permitted). As fruits themselves are colourful and bright, do remember to keep the store clean and bright e.g. white walls. Wishing you sucess in your venture! Warmets Regards, Cecil

Dear Carina, Please see below:- This is classified under the Eight House Theory. Under the Eight House Theory, there are four good and four bad sectors. The key essence of the Eight house is: 1. How suitable the house is to the person. Here, you can have excellent Flying Star but it need not necessary mean that it is the most suitable house to the person. 2. Best to sleep in a good sector i.e. bedroom is at a good sector. Here, since we sleep more than 6 or more hours, it is best to sleep in a good sector. 3. Other uses include sitting or facing a good direction. This is secondary to Para 1 and 2. Many of us would love to `squeeze' more out of every conceivable `theor…

Dear Anon, Generally, if one does not want to go further into `Professional Feng Shui' e.g. using the Flying Star to analyse the birth chart of the house: 1. The Main Entrance Door & windows at the frontage of the house The Main Entrance Door is the most important door to be `protected' from poison arrows. Where possible, the edge of a building should not be aimed at the main entrance door. The best `test' is to stand at the main entrance and take alook at the area. There should not be a lone lamp post slicing thru the main door (like a knife slicing through butter) i.e. tangent to it or perpendicular to it. You should also stand inside the house looking out of the wi…

Dear Anon, 1. It is my advise that if your family face so much problems and if they are not staying together but separate: 2. It is acceptable to exhume the grave but: 2.1 This has to be done by experienced grave diggers. I have a very short writeup at http://www.geomancy.net/fs/exhume.htm 2.2. Usually, once exhumed, it is best to cremate the bones. 2.3. Cremation is considered neutral and will accordingly, will not affect the `decendants'. A place can be found at a crematorium to house the ashes of the dead. Alternatively, the ashes can be dispersed into the sea. This is done by many cultures and symbollically, your grandmother can be close to your grandfather as the sea…

Dear Anon, 1. The true essence of Feng Shui is to: - correct any imbalances or sha qi/poison arrows. - enhance beneifical Qi. If one looks at the above carefully, there is a distinction between enhancing Qi and `beliefs' Chinese or otherwise. 2. We commonly hear that a rabbit's foot is `lucky' or hanging a horseshoe is `lucky'. 3. Since what you have mentioned do not directly relate to the `terms of reference' under Feng Shui, it is anybody's guess that any if all beliefs will work. Sometimes it is psychological. Which may result in one thinking positive and thus contribute to `luck'. 4. As the action e.g. is not tailored to an individual, one cannot say for sure that it …

Dear Cecil, If the direction of the house is determined by the location of the front door, does it matter if the front door is not the entrance that you use? For example, if you mostly use the back entrance. Cheui May

Dear Monique, 1. It is always good to begin a home audit by doing observations to locate any Sha Qi or poison arrows, first. 1.1. Some important things to note include, any `threats' to the maindoor, through any of the windows 1.2. location of the toilets, 1.3. whether Qi enters the house and exits immediately (straight path - bad) Besides the above, do a full Shapes and Form audit of each of your rooms (where possible) looking at the position of the bedrooms etc.. (There are many traditional books on Shapes and Form or read the resources under: http://www.geomancy.net/fs/site.htm ) 2. Most of the time, if the above is done and if the house has relatively (few problems) …

Dear Sandi, Thanks for your New Year wishes. In general, there are three levels of analysis:- 1. Shapes and Form School 1.1. For the main door, check that there is no poison arrows aimed at the door or through the windows. To look out for: - edges of buildings aimed at the main door or window. (Here, you need to stand at the main door entrance facing out of the house. Similiarly stand inside the house looking out of the windows). - check that there is no lone or single lampost e.g. slicing into the house. 1.2. Position of toilets - where possible the toilet is not at the centre of the house, next to the main door etc.. - avoid having the bed rest on the same wall as the …

Dear Anon, 1. It is difficult to look at Feng Shui from a micro view-point. This is often the `misconception' in Feng Shui. 2. If you are new to Feng Shui, it is best to consult a competent Feng Shui consultant to look at the site and advice on the layout of the interior of the house. 3. This is where the first `phase' is to look at the Shapes and Form School of the house i.e. the environment, the site and the plot of land. Here, this would help to identify, the frontage of the house, the position of the main door, any poison arrows and the back of the house. 4. You can further use the free tools available on the site e.g. the Eight House Chart to see which are the best …

Dear Anon, 1. You can find out more about the Black Hat Sect Feng Shui from this link: http://www.loop.com/~bramble/fengshui/confess.html If you click on the above link, you will be transported Cate Bramble, Ultimate Feng Shui Resource site with an article called " Confessions of Lin Yun ". She is the strongest advocate against the practise of the Black Hat Sect. 2. An `L' shaped house does not necessary mean that it is `bad' or cause a `dilemma'. Even if both of you are `opposites'. 3. In this site, we normally leave it to the users to decide what depth or level of Feng Shui or `non-Feng Shui' they want to go into. This can range from simply applying Shapes and Form to t…

Dear Anon, Frankly, I have this to say: 1. Users or practitioners want to `play safe' and advise to use more not less. 2. One must remember that everything is about balance. I have seen lots of cases where even some practitioners advise their clients to place so many `cures' or remedies that resulted in their clients going into problems. I do not wish to see users here `falling' into such problems. 3. I have also advised users to follow the Customer Engineer Concept, where if you are using `cures' to use them selectively or not to use too many at a time. Else you may not be sure of what to do next. 4. Under the Five Elements concept, wood is used to destroy earth (concre…

Would a blanket box suffice as a low linen cupboard I am in the same position "coffin position" and my health can't take too many knocks. I was told crystal quartz between the bed and the door was the best thing. ???? please. Regards Sandi

Dear Anon, 1. The ideal method to find the compass direction of the main door is to stand at the centrepoint of the house and measure the compass direction of the main entrance door. This URL has an example of how compass readings can be done using an ordinary compass: http://www.geomancy.net/fs/cecilcompass.htm Do take note that whichever method you follow both here or elsewhere, do try to follow the `instructions' closely and in total. This is because, if one actually buys a Luo Pan or Chinese compass, the readings are taken facing the main door from outside of the house and readings is done of the `sitting' and `facing' directions. Therefore, do not read `Step 1' of th…

Dear Carrie Barker, Yes, this year 2000 is "metal dragon". The "metal dragon" does indeed come from the combination of both the heavenly stem and the earth branch, this year being "geng" (metal) heavenly stem and "zun" (dragon, which is also earth) earth stem. The daily forecast seems to show only the earth stem. Please note that the pronounciations of the word "geng" and "zun" are not the most accurate. For reference, it is the 7th heavenly stem and 3rd (or fifth, depending on what you have been told) earth stem. Kam