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‘Feng Shui is the study of how qi, the universal life force, influences our health, wealth and relationships…This ancient art and science examines the space in which we live, together with time.’ We have all heard this by now, but what does it actually mean? As living beings, we are subject to changes in time - our bodies and minds continually grow and change. Same too, everything around us also changes. Feng Shui takes much of its philosophy from the I Ching (Yijing), or Book of Changes which recognises this fact; so when we study Feng Shui we are also studying the changes that occur from place to place and from time to time. It seems quite logical, then, that just as we evolve and change, our house changes too. Therefore an holistic approach to the changing of time and how it affects the building in which we live and work, is to is to check our buildings using the ancient principles of Feng Shui. Flying Stars Feng Shui Every house is unique, having its own design, orientation, interior decoration and of course, occupants. This means that when we examine the Feng Shui of a house we must use ‘fresh eyes’ every time. There is no blanket rule which can be used to check the Feng Shui of every house in the same way, there are only guidelines. When a house is built, it retains a certain ‘memory’ of the age in which it was built, this is the intrinsic qi that fills the house. This qi is measureable and using Feng Shui formulas we are able to calculate this qi and how it affects the occupants. Flying Stars, of Fei Xing Feng Shui is a technique of using calculations to measure what type of qi exists in any building. The first step is to check when a building was constructed. The twenty year cycles of qi are: 2004 – 2024 Period 8 1984 – 2004 Period 7 1964 – 1984 Period 6 1944 – 1964 Period 5 …and so on Every house was built within one of these Periods. However, if the house has undergone a major reconstruction, it can change the Period (literally changing the ‘birth date’ of the house). For instance, if everything is moved out of the house (including the family), the carpets are ripped up, some of the walls are knocked down, rooms are moved around internally, bathrooms and kitchen are renovated, new rooms are added, the roof/ceiling is changed and then repainted - and then everything is moved back in again (including the people) – the house has effectively changed the Period its original age, to the Period in which the renovations were carried out. After having done this, then moving back in, the house ‘feels’ very different; this is how we can feel the qi. If you have been living in the house for a few years already, you may also notice, as a result of the changes in your house, your life will also change as well. This is what a Flying Stars chart looks like:
The chart consists
of three stars: mountain, water and time stars.
This chart is for a Period 7 house facing West, so
the number 7 goes into the centre, then ‘flies’ around the chart in a certain
sequence.
As the house is facing West, the time star 9 goes to the
To the left of every time star is a smaller star, called the Mountain Star. Mountains are responsible for taking care of the people, their health, happiness, relationships and even their personality. To the right of every time star is the Water Star, responsible for wealth and success. You can calculate the Flying Stars for your building by going to my website under ‘Consultations’, where you will find a Flying Stars calculator. By entering the construction date and the compass orientation (more info later), the chart will come up…then it’s a matter of interpreting it! Calculating the chart is not really that complicated, it’s the interpretation that varies from practitioner to practitioner and usually depends on with whom they learnt the Flying Stars technique. I am fortunate to have learnt from Master Joseph Yu, one of the world’s greatest Feng Shui masters, who, being originally a mathematician, has devoted his life to the practical and common sense approach to this ancient art. This is the technical aspect of how to calculate the Feng Shui – the bottom line is, does it really work? There has been much misinformation and misunderstanding about what Feng Shui really is. I say it’s a bit like ‘house astrology,’ it’s a way of calculating what will happen to a person’s life when living in a certain house or working in a certain business. Let is also be known that traditional Feng Shui affects our lives, whether we believe in it or not. Think about it: Do you feel happy since living in your current house? Has your health deteriorated? What problems in your life can be associated with the time you moved into your house? This is also particularly applicable to a business. I have seen many businesses doing very well and as a result of expansion, needing to move to new premises. After the move, sometimes the business may start to go downhill. This happened to a famous surf company I was asked to consult for (who will remain nameless…). They moved into large new corporate offices with beautiful water fountains at the front door. After having been in the new premises for around 8 months, their profitability took a nose dive and they lost multiple millions in turnover in the annual report. The Chinese employees blamed it on the water fountains, as water is associated with wealth. The direction of the flow of water was out the door, away from the premises, rather than flowing into the premises; they saw this as the cause of the downturn. The company called me in for a brief meeting to discuss this problem, I gave them an easy solution to fix the water fountains, by changing the flow of the water. However, that wasn’t the real cause of the problem, it was the premises itself; to achieve successful Feng Shui in this particular building, based on the direction the building was facing, they actually needed to move the front entrance from one part of the building to another. The CEO (whom I actually never met) saw this option as too costly, they really didn’t have enough faith in Feng Shui to believe that this could be a solution and wanted, instead, a bandaid solution. I am an honest practitioner and rather than just tell them what they want to hear, would rather tell them the truth; but they didn’t take my advice and to this day, are still struggling to maintain their prosperity, instead of thriving the way they should be. Feng Shui can work the same way at home, so take notice of how the environment affects you, it is a powerful motivator to change how you live and in some cases, even where you live (although I very rarely recommend people to actually move out of their home as the Feng Shui is so bad, I will often recommend moving to another bedroom, or using a different door to enter the house, for instance). How to draw up your house chart First you’ll need a floor plan of your house (or business), try to ensure it’s an accurate plan:
Ensure it’s an accurate plan so you can find the centre of the house. Mark the centre with an ‘x’ then draw an arrow from the centre out towards the front of the house.
Do not put the arrow on an angle.
Then, using a Feng Shui template or a protractor, mark on the floorplan the compass directions Make a transparency of this Feng Shui Template and then overlay it on your floor plan, rotating it to match with the compass degrees you measured.
Annual Stars for 2009 In 2009 Chinese New Year is celebrated on Australia Day, January 26th, based on the Lunar Calendar (cycles of the moon); whereas Feng Shui annual influences commence February 4th (based on the Solar Calendar). The Annual Stars are visitors which fly into our house and influence our lives on a yearly basis. The degree to which that influence extends depends upon where we spend the most time in the house. The most important focus should be on the stars at the front door, lounge room and in the bedroom, as these are the most used areas. The Annual Stars do not replace the chart for our house, but rather interact with the Flying Stars, thereby influencing those Flying Stars in different ways. Therefore it is important to remember the following information is based on generic personalities of the stars, for a detailed analysis of your particular location, a consultation is recommended.
1 White
is in the 2 Black is in the West so we must beware of sickness coming to this area of the house, especially if the bedroom is in this location. If it is, try to move bedrooms to another area (except North this year) to avoid the sickness qi. If this can’t be achieved, then place a Wu Luo next to your bed and avoid using any red, pink or purple colours in the bedroom this year. Health effects vary, depending on the Feng Shui of your house, but will usually include stomach aches.
I have had a number of clients, over the years, whose children have inexplicably complained of stomach ache. Even after checking with doctors, and in some cases, serious examinations, the cause cannot be found. More often than not, the child will have either an annual or a monthly or a mountain star 2 in their room. The sound of metal is also useful, hang windchimes outside the house in this area (as long as they don’t disturb the neighbours!). 3 Green is a very good money making star, especially for those in sales, real estate or any business where the need to form an argument is important (such as a barrister). Those who are not in these types of businesses, because of the nature of this star, can be susceptible to arguments, competitiveness or even robbery (such as someone coming to rob you of your position at work, for instance). Be careful to ensure doors and windows are locked in the North East area of the house when going out. Place red objects on a windowsill, or a red mat or candles (as long as they’re lit regularly) to prevent the negative aspects of this star. 4 Dark Green Is also a wonderful star for academic success and is well supported by the placement of an ornamental study tower (pagoda) or a set of calligraphy brushes, or some water bamboo. If married, avoid running a water fountain in this area of the house to prevent extramarital affairs this year, otherwise if single…it’s fine! Remember in order to get the most benefit from this star, it’s best to sit in this area of the house whilst studying or undertaking creative activities. 5 Yellow is the Emperor and must be left alone, undisturbed. As it is located in the North, it is very likely that many of us will have this star at our front door this year, which can forbode problems and mishaps of any kind. The best cure is the gentle sound of metal, such as a chiming clock, the regular sound of a singing bowl (at least twice a day) or some melodious piano music. Do not dig the garden or renovate the house in the North this year. Also avoid red as a general precaution in the North this year and if the front door is in the North, consider using another door to enter the house and hang a bell on the door for protection. 6 White is the best star for career success, power and authority and is especially well supported when accompanied by the star 1 (water – house star or monthly star) as metal and water form a powerful combination. You can check the Flying Stars chart for your house and see if you have a star 1 in the South West. Placement of something round, such as a crystal ball, is a good addition to boost the career possibilities this year. 7 Red gives us verbal abuse and can be destructive either verbally or to the mouth or teeth. I have often seen children sleeping on a Mountain Star or annual star 7 with teeth problems or throat infections (of course, you may say that children succumb to these things anyway, but it is certainly more pronounced and serious when there’s a 7 in the room). Star 7 likes a little bit of fire, so something red will calm it down, as will something black. 8 White is the luckiest star, not just because number 8 is considered lucky to the Chinese, but also because it is the ruler for this twenty year Period (until 2024). Wherever the star 8 resides, whether it is the annual star, Water Star or Mountain Star, there is extra special luck, peace and happiness. However, as star 8 is earth and earth can be a bit stubborn, we may find it hard to get motivated or at least some sluggish behaviour! Support the star 8 with fire, as something red will give the earthy 8 more motivation. 9 Purple is in the centre this year, so its attributes of fame, radiance and brilliance will be locked up for the year. This can lead to a lack of spectacular performances, making it difficult to achieve fame in 2009. The Tai Sui Every year the animal sign of the year comes to a different sector of our homes. This year, the Year of the Ox, we find is located in the North-Northeast (that is, between 22.5° - 37.5°, or NE1 on the Feng Shui Template). The personality of the Ox is hard working, toiling, diligent and stable, whilst also being rather stubborn and unyielding. Once the Ox is set on a specific path, it is almost impossible to change its mind, so this year will be one of toil and labour. It is said, of course, from this toil comes fruitful results when harvest comes, so the Ox is a symbol of bounty stored up. It is said that placing an Ox on your desk will help you to be more diligent and is a reminder that through toil comes success. The Tai Sui should be treated in much the same way as the Annual Star 5, do not disturb this direction of the house or garden, in particular, no renovations or digging, lest you disturb the Ox and awaken the earth qi which may or may not be your favoured element in Chinese astrology. There is a famous image of the Daoist sage Lao Tzu, riding an Ox into the West, after having been asked to write a book of his inspirations. The Dao De Jing is still being read today.
Before I conclude, I would like to emphasize this: Feng Shui is a technique which we can apply to our living and working spaces in order to improve, our health, wealth and happiness. In modern times, it has become somewhat of a belief system, that is, you have to believe in it, for it to work. As I’ve already said, traditional Feng Shui works whether we believe in it or not; Feng Shui will still affect us. However, do not feel that Feng Shui is the cure for all problems, nor is it the cause of all problems. Feng Shui is not a bandaid, nor is it a scapegoat for all that happens to us in our lives. In particular, Feng Shui is not intentioned to make us feel fear or dread when we encounter something that may seem ‘bad’ from a Feng Shui point of view. Do not allow yourself to be influenced negatively by what you read about Feng Shui – that you must do this or that around your house or office in order to live a happy life. Feng Shui is a way of achieving harmony, true, but it is not a cure for all life’s problems. Do not allow yourself to become superstitious about your environment and the things you have around you – you have the power within yourself to fulfil your own destiny, whether you have good Feng Shui or not, for it is not Feng Shui that is the most important thing in life – it is your attitude to life which determines your success, wealth and health – or otherwise. Through the application of Feng Shui we can improve our chances of leading a happy life, it’s like an added bonus, which is why I call Feng Shui Personal Empowerment Through PlacementTM.
Jodi Brunner, Master of Feng Shui provides consultations,
courses, seminars, workshops, Feng Shui tours and has a shop, Feng Shui Cures &
Crystals online and at the Queen Victoria Market.
Visit Jodi’s website, attend an online webinar
(that’s a seminar on the web) or meet Jodi in person at her presentation for the
Year of the Ox on January 26th,
2008. Call
+613 9662 1011 or visit
www.fengshuimaster.com.au. Ó Copyright Jodi Brunner 2009 All Rights Reserved
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