- Jenny Liu, the author: Feng shui is passed down from generation to generation.
As daughter and disciple of Master Liu Chi Jen, Jenny has grown up being
exposed to feng shui at a very young age. Working alongside her father,
she has first hand experience in feng shui. Together, they have over twenty
years of experience in consulting. Jenny has a BA degree in Environmental
Design from UC Berkeley and a MA in Architecture from UCLA. Having done
her master's thesis on feng shui, she is currently writing a book on the
subject to promote this natural way of living for the benefit of mankind.
If readers would like to learn more, please contact Jenny at (818) 282-9829
or see her website .
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Q: Mr. Whittier asks why the
entrance on most Ba Gua charts is on the Northern direction while most books
he reads suggests that the entrance should preferably be facing South?
A: The entrance is not necessarily preferable at the north or
south. The Ba Gua (Eight directional charts) is usually orientated on a
north or south direction for easy reference. There are different schools
of feng shui. Some schools use a north pointing compass while others use
a south pointing compass. The north/south axis is the dominant direction
of the geomagnetic frequency. This has misled people to think these are
the only desirable directions. Furthermore, it is likely that most of the
books you are reading are limited translations from old Chinese texts. In
ancient China, the north was where the cold Mongolia winds came from and
it was desirable at that time to have mountains in the north as protection
from harsh weather. The south is where the sun rotates from east to west.
This energy is vital to our well being. Thus, it is preferable to face south.
However, as you can see, taking a literal translation and applying it directly
to our unique situations is not necessarily correct all the time. Nonetheless,
the concept of having a mountain situated behind us to shield us from the
cold and to face a positive source of energy is desirable. The best entry
or orientation also know as the "facing" and "siting"
direction differs for everyone depending on their birth date.
Q: Mrs. Vaness asks if it true
that if you have a stairway directly lined up with your front door you should
place a chime above the front door so that it activates upon opening to
get the "Qi" (chi) moving correctly?
A: If your front door aligns directly with a staircase, there
is a tendency for the house's energy or qi to be lost. Because the
staircase is a circulation way where people are constantly moving up and
down, it creates an energy flow that leaves the house if it is directly
aligned with the main door. Depending on what direction the door is and
what kind of energies the residents have, there will be different effects
on the people living inside. It is possible that this is not the best entry
to use. In this case, an alternative entry is used and the front door is
left closed (only used occasionally for guests) and a wind chime is not
necessary. However, if this is the only door for entering the house, the
wind chime (the metal bars of the chime should be cut according to the five
element frequencies) helps disperse some of the energy from directly leaving
the house. If possible, a better alternative is to put up a screen between
the staircase and door. Crystals or plants can also be used to make the
energies in this area stronger to prevent energy lost.
Q: Mr. Lee tells me that he had
a feng shui practitioner come to his house who told him that the southeast
corner of the lot was the marriage and family corner. He has read two books
which says the wealth corner is the southeast corner. Mr. Lee wants to know
if things can be that different between practitioners? Shouldn't there be
standard in which point of the compass corresponds to which subject?
A: When reading books, one must check the background of the author.
Their information can be limited or mistranslated. Depending on what type
of energy a person has based on their birth date, the different directions
relate to him or her in various ways and this fluctuates annually as the
planets shift. For instance, if you are born within the Lunar year 1952,
your energy is categorized as the "zhen" or east direction. In
1996, your wealth energy is strongest in the southeast direction. In 1997,
this will change to be the north direction. Also depending on the age and
orientation of your house, there may be other directions that will better
stimulate different aspects of your life. There is a standard from which
the compass directions corresponds to the subject. It is rather complex
and not everyone uses this because it requires a life time to understand
it.
Q: Ms. Marshall tells me that
she lives right next door to a cemetery. (within 7 ft. of her apartment).
She wonders about the influence it has on her abode. Although she does not
feel oppressed by it, she wonders if it is useful to add some protection
to the boundary by placing a Bagua mirror outside along the wall of the
apartment that faces the graves. The theory being to reflect its influence.
Since she has one above her doorway on the opposite side of the building
to attract blessings to her door, she is not sure if this is advisable.
A: A cemetery has strong "yin" or dark energies of death.
This imbalance of yin/yang energies can cause instability by lowering the
energies around it. Depending on which direction the cemetery is at in relation
to Ms. Marshall's apartment, how large it is, and the nature of the people
who are buried in the cemetery, there are different levels of effects. Also,
depending on the energies of the people who live next to a cemetery and
how long they have lived there, they may not always be aware of how the
negative energies effect them. It is usually not advisable to live next
to a cemetery. Although Ms. Marshall may not feel oppressed, over time,
she may find it hard to excel. Ba Gua (eight trigram direction) mirrors
can be placed to reflect away negative energies. However, its effects may
be limited on a cemetery. Ba Gua mirrors are not used to attract positive
energies. In many cases like this, an altar is usually setup to help release
negative frequencies and allow positive energies to help you.
Q: Mrs. Wong asks how can she
can find out about the effects of colors chosen for rooms? Specifically,
she plans to paint her kitchen. She would like something light and cheery,
and was thinking of yellow until a nurse told her that yellow had some negativity
about it.
A: Everyone has an unique Qi or energy field. Depending on your
body's energy, there are certain colors that can have positive or negative
affects on you. In relation to feng shui, not only the kitchen, but depending
on where every room is located (direction), there are different colors every
year you can use to stimulate positive effects.
More FAQs about Feng Shui (page
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