Uncategorized – Feng Shui DIY

Important Message about This Site… and Hong Kong

This is an important message about Feng Shui DIY. If you have been following my posts, you would have noticed that this site has rarely been updated in the last few weeks. I must apologize for not updating this blog as frequently as I should.

There are a lot more to do at this moment of time. In the city where I live, Hong Kong, a large civil disobedience movement is undergoing. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters have rallied along major streets at various locations across the territory, including the central business district, and outside the Central Government Office. These people, most of whom are students, uphold just one request, i.e. universal suffrage, after the Beijing Government denied Hong Kong people to freely elect their top leader, the Chief Executive. Despite all protesters are unarmed and largely peaceful, the Hong Kong Police used tear gas to evade them, making hundreds of people injured.

(Source: udn.com.tw)

At the moment of writing this post, the protests are still going on but the situation is getting worse. The pro-democracy protesters have clashed with the police as well as pro-China protesters whose violent acts have caused injuries. Many pro-democracy protesters were arrested, including a student leader of a pro-democracy group who is just 17 years old. Many Hong Kong residents, including me, are doing whatever we could to support these protesters. For this reason, I am unable to regularly update this blog and send out e-newsletters as usual. The release of my yearly Feng Shui guide will also be delayed.

(Source: oclp.hk)

My city is the getting through the toughest time ever. Please pray for us, for democracy, and peace.

(To know more about this movement, which is called “Occupy Central”, please check out CNN’s FAQ page: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/27/world/asia/hong-kong-five-things/index.html)

Home Finder’s Guide to Feng Shui (1) – Compass Test

Thank you for reading this article. If you are a loyal reader, you would have noticed that I haven’t updated this blog for at least two months. Why was I so lazy?

Well, In the last two months, I visited over 50 flats. However, I didn’t do it for my clients and I earned $0 from the visits. All because I visited all these flats to find a new home for my family!

It is really not easy to find a Feng Shui home, especially when I know Feng Shui. The possession of Feng Shui knowledge means that I would not compromise my requirements. If I found that the flat has bad Feng Shui, even if it is very affordable I would definitely say NO to it.

Home Finder’s Feng Shui Guide

After this long journey of flat hunting, I had an idea to write a series of articles to help home finders to find their Feng Shui homes. Although you may not have studied Feng Shui before, or have never tried my online “Feng Shui Master Class” (trial available!), it does not mean that you cannot pick a Feng Shui flat. There are some simple things you can do, all by yourself, to filter out bad Feng Shui flats.

Here, I want to share with you a simple tip first. All you need is a compass. It does not have to be a Feng Shui compass. And you don’t even need to know how to use a compass. What I ask you to do is, when you inspect a flat, hold the compass in hand and check if any irregular movement of the pointer.

The theory behind this simple compass check is that, Feng Shui examines the energy (a.k.a. Chi) inside the living space. If the energy inside a flat is not pure or is negative, chances are the movement of the pointer should reflect such a problem. I have been to a flat where the pointer swings from one side to another in a range of over 30 degrees. There extent of movement is certainly not within acceptable tolerance.

Please note that, however, the electronic appliances inside a flat may affect the compass. If the compass pointer swings a lot, try to walk to another location inside the flat and observe the pointer again. If the compass pointer swings irregularly at a few locations inside the flat, you should probably give up on this flat.

There is one thing to note. I found that many people use their smartphone’s compass app. It is not bad as a basic tool for ordinary purpose, but for Feng Shui use you cannot use a smartphone to determine the directions. The result is not reliable at all. If you go more advanced in Feng Shui, you would know that even a one degree error in direction could result in big difference in Feng Shui.

There are certainly much more Feng Shui home finding skills. Stay tuned!

Feng Shui for Education Luck – Some Simple Tricks

I am frequently asked by people, usually parents, on Feng Shui for education luck. On the other hand, there are other people who reject this idea, because they think that education counts on the efforts individuals made. The more diligent you are the better results you get in the examination. These people think that we shouldn’t rely on Feng Shui to achieve education / examination goals, and it simply doesn’t work. Which side is true?

Feng Shui examines the relationship among time, place and people. People is the factor that we can control. If you work harder, there is a higher chance you get a better examination result. But the two former factors are not 100% under our control. This is where Feng Shui comes in for education. But applying Feng Shui for education, we are not solely relying on the “magical power” of Feng Shui. The student still needs to put efforts in studying, we simply put efforts in the other two factors as well.

Feng Shui for Education Luck – Exterior

In ancient times, Chinese study for only one reason, they all want to win in the government examination and become a government official. It was the best way to get rich and powerful. So when people wanted to enhance the education luck, the methods they use would be linked to this goal.

For example, since all government officials at that time wore a hat in a particular shape, which they called it Wu Sha (烏紗), it was suggested that having a mountain / hill near you house which has a Wu Sha shape is good for education. Below is a photo of a real Wu Sha found in the grave of a government official of the Ming Dynasty. If there is a mountain / hill that looks similar to it (i.e. high in the middle and lower on both sides, all three has a round top), the region near the mountain / hill has good Feng Shui for education luck.

Another external form factor Feng Shui element that we look for is a tall hill with a relatively narrow base. In Feng Shui, there is a tool called Wen Chang Tower, 文曲塔 in Chinese, which could boost the education luck. If there is naturally a tower-like hill near your home, it is also an area with good Feng Shui for education. In modern society, a tall and slender building could also be regarded as a Wen Chang Tower.

Thirdly, if there is any education-related buildings, such as a school or library, that is located near your house, it is also a sign of good Feng Shui for education.

No matter Wu Sha, Wen Chang Tower or school/library, the direction where it locates also matter. We will see where are the good directions later in this article.

Feng Shui for Education Luck – Interior

The external environment is not 100% controlled by us. So Feng Shui masters usually implement internal strategies for Feng Shui for education. One very commonly used tool is lucky bamboo. Just find out the good direction for education and place a vest with four pieces of lucky bamboo, the simplest Feng Shui method for education luck is done. Why so?

In Feng Shui, the quantity “4” is related to Flying Star 4 that governs study, job promotion and fame. The green color is good for promoting the power of Flying Star 4, so as the “wooden” nature of the lucky bamboo. In short, we are actually using the luck bamboo to boost the power of the Flying Star 4. This is just a brief explanation of the reason behind. If you are a student of my online Feng Shui Master Class, you would know more about how this mechanism and many other Feng Shui techniques work.

So the critical question is where the lucky direction is. It is the location where the Flying Star 4 situates. In theory, the Feng Shui direction for education luck varies from one house to another (again, you can learn it in my online Feng Shui Master Class). So here is a simpler trick you can use. It is to find out the location of the yearly Flying Star 4!

There is a set of Flying Stars that changes the disposition every year. In year 2013, this star locates in Southeast. So, if you want to enhance the education / examination luck, place a vest with four lucky bamboo in Southeast. Please note that it is the Southeast corner measured from the center of the flat / house.

Similarly, if the Wu Sha / Wen Chang Tower / library or school is located in the Southeast direction outside your house, it is a sign of good Feng Shui for education in 2013.

For the coming years, you simply have to download my FREE Feng Shui guide every year. It is published every year to tell you how to use Feng Shui to boost luck in the coming year.

Feng Shui Painting – What and Where?

Painting is a great choice for decorating your home, as well as a good tool for Feng Shui purpose. In Chinese society, people like hanging paintings with beautiful mountain and water scenery on the walls at home. They believe that such paintings could bring good luck to the family. But the use of painting in Feng Shui is not as simple as that.

In this article we’ll talk about Feng Shui painting, how to choose a suitable one and where to place it at home.

Feng Shui Painting – What Type to Choose?

For Feng Shui painting, we care about the content of the painting and what message it brings. Here are some general rules that you should follow.

Bad Feng Shui Paintings

I think you could easily tell that those with a negative message would not be a good choice. For example, a painting with a big black crow is definitely not good for use in the living room or bedroom. These places deserve an atmosphere of harmony and sweetness.

(Bad example: The sinking Titanic; Public Domain Image Source: Wikipedia)

Similarly, painting that shows a fall or winter scene with falling leaves is not good. Chinese believe that a flourishing spring or summer view is better, the cold and lonely fall and winter view carries a bad meaning.

A third kind of bad choice is violent wild animal. I once saw a large roaring lion painting in the living room of a house. The house owner thought that it looks good, but the problem is the strong power of the lion is not suitable for everyone. Usually only people who work in the military, police force, etc. should have such kind of painting at home.

Finally, according to traditional Feng Shui belief it is not recommended to hang the photo or painting of deceased people at home. I know it is very common for Westerners to put up the photo or painting of their ancestors on walls, but according to Chinese Feng Shui thing may bring negative energy to the house. If you really want to place the photo of your ancestors, choose a smaller one which stands on the table but not a big one on wall.

Good Feng Shui Paintings

On the other hand, there are some good paintings for Feng Shui purpose. Firstly, paintings that carry positive meaning, such as wedding, new year celebration, blossoming flower, etc. are Feng Shui paintings that you should use.

(Good example: Beautiful scene; Public Domain Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Secondly, beautiful scenery. Good choices include sun, sea and the beach, pool side view, winding river, etc. We believe that such paintings could calm us down and bring peace to our mind, so they are good Feng Shui paintings.

Feng Shui Painting – Where to Place Them?

Basically, if the painting is good for Feng Shui use, it does not matter where you put it in your house. However, I have a few recommendations for you.

(Image under CC Licence: Source)

For positive effects, you may consider placing the Feng Shui painting in the lucky directions of the year, such as where the Flying Stars 8 and 9 are located. If you are not sure where these stars are located, you should download my FREE yearly Feng Shui guide which tells you where are good and bad directions of a year. You can find the hyperlink on top of this web site.

On the other hand, we want to protect the paintings, so we should not place them at where there is strong Chi movement. Therefore, we should not place the paintings directly opposite to door openings or at the end of long corridors.

Finally, some people like placing wedding photos at home. This is not a bad idea. But remember not to place them at bad directions (again, refer to my FREE Feng Shui guide to know where these directions are). Besides, if you place them in the bedroom, put them near the end of the bed but not the head. This could enhance harmony and intimacy.