Water is one of the elements that sustain life. Like Air, water is made up of 2 components, 2 part of hydrogen gas and 1 part of oxygen. Air gives us breath, water gives us sustenance. And in the science of Feng Shui, water plays a very important role. The poem stated:

Wind disperses Qi, Water embraces Qi

From my findings and discussion with Feng Shui masters, Wind will carry the Qi, gliding it across the mountain and hill side, Qi moves with the mountain, created from the cosmos, it flows down and glide, like the morning mist where clouds gather and dance near the peaks. As the mountain ranges comes to a halt, so does the QI, from there, Qi will travel through the land, giving life and nourishes the earth. Places that have wonderful QI energy are often green, healthy and vibrant. Qi comes in many types, the gentle energy is suitable for people to build dwellings, the stronger ones are suited for special purposes and the dead, dangerous and poisonous creates a path of destruction along its way.

Qi energy is stopped by water. And we’re not talking about a pail of water or a 3 feet aquarium. The rivers, creeks, etc. And all these factors depend on the size of the land form. Bigger landform with vast amount of auspicious QI energy requires big rivers to stop the flow and embrace the Qi back to the spot, the Hsueh spot. The flow of the river and the direction will direct the Qi energy to move to the point where the river flows.

An insight that was a topic of discussion last night with Master S.

Today is Qing Ming, the day of ‘Clear and Bright’, in the past, a drizzle and some thunder can be heard in the early or late afternoon. A gentle breeze blow from the southeast. In Feng Shui ‘HSIA’ calender, this is the day of spring. The gregorian spring equinox begins on March 21st of the year. The Chinese solar calender marks this day as Qing Ming. It is also the day the Earth Door (地門) opens. As spring is at it’s peak, summer will soon come.

The days becoming longer, and the nights becoming shorter. The crowd makes way to tombstones to do annual sweeping, clearing and reconnecting with ancestors. This day, ancestors will be remembered, appeased and honored. Families will reunite and a picnic is held, with favorite foods of the departed, Qing Ming is another day where one’s filial responsibility is fulfilled.

Today also marks the day of Master Killing day (楊公忌). This is a day of rest for all Feng Shui masters. Today is the day where no earth breaking is to be conducted…

You have to be fit as a fiddle when you are a Feng Shui consultant. As a consultant, you’re not only doing profiling study of your clients and their homes, you must also do case studies on mountain trails, rivers and topography. I remembered when a prominent Feng Shui old master from China came to KL for a brief visit, I had made a special request to ask if I could join him to walk the mountains (dragons) and search for the QI spot (Dragon’s breath). The old man was delighted and said to me let us start at 6 am in the morning.

I just stood gaping with my mouth open when I saw the master take flighty steps as if effortless. He is definitely fitter than I am. At 70 plus, I asked the old Master, how does he keep himself fit and healthy. QI Gong exercise, good diet and lots of rest.  I wondered if I could follow his regime. He doesn’t eat a lot, he eat small morsels of plain vegetable, fish and rice. He doesn’t smoke or drink excessively. Moderation is the key… And the old master’s complexion is still as young as a man in his early 40s. I wish to seek that kind of elixir! He told me, “It’s the Qi that makes me young. So young man, if you wish to look like 40 when you are 70, start taking care of what you eat now and do your Qi Gong exercise regularly!” A good advice from an old Feng Shui master. 

So we went to the Semenyih at about 6 am and we set foot… walking along the trails and foot path. Around 7 am, we came to a clearing and we could see the beautiful morning sky and crisp air. And he pointed to some mountain ranges. “Let’s follow these dragons and see where it leads too” and off we went. After a good 2 hours of hiking and walking, we came upon another clearing, He asked me to look the opposite direction and view, Sure enough, I see a kind of pattern or formation that looked very familiar in the Feng Shui manual. He asked me to refer this formation to the manual which he took along tucked in his knapsack. Yes.. it’s one of the formation of auspcious mountain ranges and spot. So we back tracked and made our way to a clearing so we can take directions. 

As I was busy taking directions from each point of the mountain, Old Master stood like a tiger, checking on the surrounding environment. With sharp eyes, he pointed out to me some formation formulas and how the trail ends with the dragon’s breath’s location. So off we went again to the point of the Breath. As we came to the point, sure enough; there were some graves site. He smiled and beckoned me to go to the centre of the spot. The spot was empty there were no graves on the dragon’s breath. “You see young man! Can you see why these graves although they were buried near the spot, why is it no one comes back to worship and tidy up the graves?”  I answered that it cld be their descendant picked the spot and didn’t really do some homework on the site prior to buying the piece of land… So the old Master said: Too bad, too bad. If grave A, was burined a couple of meters nearer to the spot, It would have benefit it’s descendants. 

I took my luopan and took measuring of the tombstone and the water exit near the Ming Tang of the grave site. True enough; the energy that is emitted there is strong but not as strong as the breath’s spot. We walked closer and he squat down and took some soil samples, rubbed in his hands.. We both looked at the soil conditions, it looked like it has 5 types of colors. The vegetation along the spot was green and healthy. We also spotted a river creek and another river that passes through the spot.

“So, young man, have you figured out where the dragon’s breathe is? I said yes and no… He asked “Why don’t you know this? It’s right in front of you… can’t you feel the QI?” So I closed my eyes and calm myself… in a while, I felt this tingling vibration that came right from my spine to my nerves.. So this is how QI feels like… Old master just laughed. Come, we have a few more trails to go and search for the sister mountain range. By the time,  the old masters arrived back at the hotel. I was totally exhausted. That trip was the best open air classroom I’ve ever attended. Truly you have to walk the mountains till you find the spot!

I recently got an update from one of my masters about timing and seasons. Seasonal changes also indicates changes in QI. He mentioned two most important seasons to conserve energy, activate and enhance it. They are the Chinese solar Winter Solstice and Qing Ming (Clear and Bright).
  Winter Solstice. Generally the winter solstice is a celebration because in the old days, if you passed winter, you survived and your life becomes more precious. So when family members near or far come home for the ‘DONG ZHI’ reunion festival, it’s all about doing head counts. And so, a few days prior and after the festival, one must not release ‘energy’ (sexual intercourse) and instead conserve it as much as possible. This is because the YANG energy of the universe is at its peak! So the best time to conserve, maintain and replenish the YANG energy is during the winter solstice.

The other solar festival which the Yang energy is pure and strong is during Qing Ming festival. So guys who read this: please conserve during this two dates and your luck will be preserved and maintain…Speaking of which, there’s a set time for sexual activities in the TAO scriptures. The best time to engage in Sexual intercourse is from 5 am to 7 am. This is when the yang energy is ready for release and it is also when the male essence is pure and full….

As I observed the changes in seasons, the Qi also changes. We have just left the LI CHOON day (1st day of Spring) GENG ZHI (Day of awakening) is coming soon… May the QI be with you! May all receive good QI and luck!

One of my clients popped me a question, do you use the centre of the house or the main entrance or facing to determine the direction of the house. My answer: I use both depending on the circumstances. There’s been an argument amongst Feng Shui scholars and lineages as to ascertain which is the right technique to determine the direction of the house. 

Some lineages use the centre the house as it correspond to the theory of the TAI JI, the universe being the centre, some lineages use the main entrance of facing particularly the main door as the door is the mouth, where the Qi comes in. From my experience, I prefer to use the centre of the house to take the direction. Why? Simply because when I take the centre of the house, all the 24 mountains are identified immediately and I can superimpose the BA GUA to the house plan. Once you have accurately determined the centre of the house, you can stand and take the direction, Then the audit becomes very clear and simple. However, not all houses are shaped in a square or rectangle, so this is where a bit of judgement is put to use. And with experience, the consultant will be able to gage ‘X’ marks the spot. 

After determine the direction, next is to create the 9 palaces, so which one do I use? Pie Chart or Grid? I use Pie Chart for terrace house and Grid chart for stand alone properties like Bunglows. why? Because it will be difficult to use the grid chart for linked houses. There’s no proper demarcation for linked houses to establish boundaries, just the front facade and fencing. By using a PIE chart, I’m still able to gage each mountain or each cardinal points and then use the necessary or suitable formulas, be it 8 mansion, flying stars, triple harmony or triple period to conduct the Feng Shui audit. 

In most cases, Feng Shui masters will use a variety of formulas to check and audit a property. So it doesn’t matter whether the master use the door or centre, 9 grid or pie chart, all of the above methods can be used.. It all depends on situation and circumstances.

Most practitioners and Feng Shui masters use the San He (Triple Harmony) formulas for a lot of Yang and Yin Feng Shui setups. One of these most powerful formulas are the killing force and deadly qi. Other wise, known as 8 Killing Force and Sha Qi. These formulas date back the days of Grandmaster Yang Gong. There are a few killing forces that Feng Shui masters take note of. One of them is the 8 killing Forces. The Master would survey the mountains and rivers to check if the area or site has the any 8 killings qi direction coming into the site or area. For this, the master or practitioner will use a SAN HE Chinese compass.

If the master detect such a direction, then he will determine to see if the facing will be oriented in the manner it will avoid these killing energies or use another direction. So, even if you have a good BA ZHAI direction, It is rendered useless if the direction is plagued with the 8 killing energy. There are many cases I have encountered the 8 killings and how it affects the family’s fortune and health. Most of them were quite devastated. There are also some people who would come to me and said that yes, they are facing their auspicious directions, how come they are becoming the opposite of what they thought they could become… These are the external energies that are unseen and the practitioner or master has to detect.

In general Feng Shui, you must look out for these SHA QI,

Road Bends and Curves.

These curves create a SHA QI known as Sickle SHA QI. If your property’s main door is facing this bend or curve, You’d be lucky to be alive.

Heaven Killing Knives.

Sandwiched between 2 buildings or a small alley, these SHA Qis are known to bring malevolent energies into your main door. For those operating their businesses, You should orient your door so you don’t see this SHA QI.

T-Junctions

This is a classic SHA QI. Unless your BA ZI is suitable, Avoid the T-Junction as common sense will tell you that the QI is very strong and it moves like an arrow being shot out of the bow. Bewarned…On the other hand, if the master is a real wise guy, he could tap the right and accurate direction, The rest they say is history.

Cross Junctions

Cross Junctions can be a blessing in disguise or a curse. Depending on which side of the road a property is located, It can bring immense wealth or immense headache that you’ll need a life time supply of Uphamol to settle all your worries and fears.

This is the second parter on dispelling the myths of Feng Shui cures. All the Feng Shui cures used are a part of the Feng Shui formulas subscribed by certain factions of Feng Shui masters worldwide. In order for them to be properly use, these items must be consecrated.

Fortune Money Plant (Zemioculcas Zamifolia)

These plants are sometimes used by Feng Shui masters or practitioners who advocates the Placement cure method to harness the Qi of the period to bring in and gather opportunities for wealth. The thing about plants, you need to take good care of them. And if you don’t, Chances are it’s hazardous to your environment. It will wither and die, and the Qi will be bad.

Iron Plant (Aspidistra elatior)

This is a type of palm tree that can be grown indoors as well as outdoors. The Iron palm tree is a plant that most Feng Shui masters use frequently to block SHA QI. This plant is also good to dispel any poison arrows created from furniture alignment.

3 Legged Toad

The 3 legged toad is actually a mythical animal, that is supposed to bring wealth opportunities to the owners. This particularly cute (haughty to some) animal is used to gather wealth Qi into a business establishment. It normally sits along with the Taoist Earth deity’s shrine. The back of this toad has 7 stars. This 7 stars represents the 7 polar stars of magic attributes in the Taoist cosmology. These 7 stars have the means to get rid of any malevolent energies that might come to the premise. The best place for the magical toad to be is to face the main entrance. It serves as a guardian spirit. The toad’s image has to be made out of brass or bronze. It also needs to be consecrated by a Taoist Master.

I get a lot of questions about Feng Shui cures. So to all you wonderful and good folks a BIG favor, I’m going to dispel some myths about Wind chimes and Qi lins and other ‘form’s of Feng Shui cures now widely available in specialty and Feng Shui shops nationwide!

Wind chimes

A wind chime is one of many tools that Feng Shui masters and practitioners will use to control certain Qi. For example, we use wind chime to control the harmful energies of the 5 yellow (known as 五黄) in Chinese. The 5 yellow is an energy that is harmful to the Yin and Yang houses. It creates ill effects opportunities that will cause misfortunes, accidents, mishaps, and yes even death to families and their lineages. Based on the formula of 5 elements, Metal is created from earth. The 5 yellow is an Earth element and Qi. So Metal here is used to ‘CONTROL’ the harmful effects of the 5 yellow. As earth has to create or produce, it is exhausted, then if it’s very weak, it can’t create any harmful effects.

Wind chime now come in an array of designs and materials. The safest ones that we use are the ones that are made of pure metal or brass, hollowed tubes or solid tubes. Some come in 3, 4, 5 or six rods. It DOESN’T matter how many rods, as long as the Sound produced from the chime is crisp and loud, that will do the trick!

QILIN

The qilin (起麟) is another mystical creature that some people claimed to have existed in the ancient past. It must have been so, Dinosaurs lived before, so why not a Qi lin, or Pi Yao or a Dragon? The Qi lin is supposed to bring order to the world, when a Qi lin appears in the world, It represents righteousness, peace and prosperity. It is also a symbol that says all is well under heaven. The Qi lin is used by some Feng Shui masters to control the 5 yellow and the 3 killings. However, having said that, the images of Qi lin suitable for Feng Shui usage must be made out of Bronze or Brass. Not PLASTER!

The Qi lin images must also be consecrated by a Taoist master or a qualified Feng Shui master who also dabbles in the Taoist magic. Hence, there are some people who may not want to use this form of cure…

Pi Yao

The Pi Yao (Pei Yau) is also a mystical creature from China’s ancient past. The pi-yao’s head is like a hybrid mix of a lion and dog, with a big round body, a pair of wings and a curly tail. It has no buttocks. That’s why, Pi Yao can absorb all the negative Qi and turn them into positive Qi. The Pi Yao is usually placed in an auspicious area of the house to stimulate the Qi of the area. It can also be used as a Guardian sentry or to control the 5 yellow and 3 killings.

It also needs to be consecrated in order to be used as a cure for Feng Shui ailments.

It’s not easy being a Feng Shui consultant, there are a lot of people whom I’ve met on social events that would bombard me with a lot of questions ( I know some of these people are fishing for information) pertaining to Feng Shui. However, today’s note is a freebie for all. I’m going to briefly write about Yin and Yang.

Yin and Yang is one of the core principles in the study of Feng Shui. The Yin Yang theory also complement the TAO (道). Now, the TAO is the original source of primordial energy. TAO is also loosely translated as VOID, or Emptiness. When there is activity within the TAO, the TAO give birth to Yin and Yang. Now, When Yin and Yang merge with each other, it creates QI (气). When there is Qi, then we use Feng Shui to tap and use it to benefit mankind. Nature itself has yin and yang. When a Feng Shui master or consultant looks at the landscape, he or she will identify the Yin and Yang of the land area to establish the facing and sitting. Yang is always facing, Yin is sitting. Yang is activity, Yin is inactivity. Yang is movement, Yin is stillness.

However, within Yang there is a tiny Yin, and within Yin there is a tiny Yang. So, within the facing, there must be some yin element, and within the sitting, there is some yang element. These elements must complement and combine well in order to establish QI movement.

For examples, when 2 rivers meet, they will combine to form a certain kind of Qi. One river is always yin in nature, the other yang. the same with a landscape, where there’s a mountain (yin), there is surely a river (yang) running along its course. And, within the mountain, you can also detect yin and yang energy.

To put this into practice, one must train one’s eyes for acute detail and awareness. One must ’see’ the Yin and Yang so you can establish the Point where the path of Qi comes from and how it flows.

Tips to remember:

• In Yin, there’s some Yang. In Yang, there’s some Yin
• When Yin and Yang meet and combine, Qi is formed.
• Facing of the house must always be YANG.
• Behind a property, a small mound or hill or high land is considered YIN
• When a property faces a river or road, check to see if it is a Yang or Yin formation. This will greatly affect the fortunes and prosperity of the owner.

From my experiences of using all the Feng Shui formulas I’ve learnt, The most easiest one to use is the BA ZHAI (八宅) or the 8 houses (sometimes known as 8 mansion). In the 8 mansion formula, All of us have a (命卦) or Life Gua. This life gua serves as a guide for us to find a suitable house and the facing direction of the house. For example, there are 8 life gua for all. They are

坎 (KAN)，坤 (KUN)，震 (ZHEN)，巽 (XUN)，

乾(QIAN)，兑 (DUI)，艮 (GEN) and 离 (LI).

Kan is water element, Kun and Gen are Earth element. Zhen and Xun belong to wood element, Qian and Dui are metal element. Finally, Li is Fire element. So depending on which life gua you belong you will be able to know if you are suited to live in a west facing or east facing house. For those whose life element belonging to KAN, KUN, ZHEN and XUN, your group belongs to the EAST life group (东命卦). The rest belongs to the WEST life group ( 西命卦). As 8 mansion make full use of the Yi Jing Ba Gua (易经八卦), The theory correspond to the 8 directions. They are four auspicious and inauspicious directions. You must know which element you belong and then calculate to determine which house direction/ facing is most suited for you.

For those who are East life gua, you can’t go wrong with a house facing South, North, East or Southeast. For those of West life, Your best bet is to go for houses facing Northeast, Southwest, Northwest and West. These are the basics of 8 mansions. Another classic formula most Feng Shui practitioners use is locating the stove of the kitchen in an inauspicious location according to 8 mansion formula, and the stove’s fire mouth (火口) is pointing to the most auspicious direction.

Next is to locate the bed in an auspicious location within the bedroom and the head board to be place pointing to any of the four auspicious directions.

The four auspicious directions are:

SHENG QI (生气) – Door of Vitality/ Life.

TIAN YI (天医) – Heavenly Doctor

YAN NIAN (延年) – Door of Longevity

FU WEI (伏位) – Door of Stability

The four inauspicious directions are:

HUO HAI (祸害) – Door of Misfortune

WU GUI (五鬼) – Door of 5 demons

LIU SHA (六煞) – The Six Killings

JUE MING (绝命) – Door of Death

Based on these directions, one can enhance one’s way of life, promote opportunities for wealth and health luck or besetted by misfortunes and death and other negative aspects. If you can face your best direction ie: your SHENG QI. Then, that is wonderful. If you can’t, you can try to face the other 3 auspicious directions. Your opportunities for success will increase in due time. 8 mansion has a time factor. It depends on your own luck, If you are at your peak of Luck, then the effects are swift and you will see the results very quickly. If your luck is average, then you will see opportunities coming slowly into the picture. If your luck cycle is down, then at the very least, it will support your present situation and ensure you do not get yourself into a tight spot.

There are pros and cons to using this formula. If you are living in a landed property, it’s easy to use this formulas as you can move each rooms according to the theory, for example, if your toilets sits on your good location, you can move it to another area so it will suppress your bad location. However, if you are living in a condo unit, then chances of you shifting the toilet room is difficult indeed. Sometimes, you can’t use the 8 mansion formula at all on the house layout. All these depends on the situation and environment.