Feng Shui & Life Planning in Australia

What is Feng Shui and how is it used?

Feng shui is a practice from China for the harmonious arrangement of the various areas of life. It is over 2000 years old and originated from observations of nature. The name itself connects two opposites of nature: feng means wind and shui is water. Feng shui is used in all areas of life, for example, in living spaces, the workplace, the garden design and arrangements, even the clothes, cars, accessories we are wearing. The main goal is a gentle and unimpeded flow of QI in the surroundings. QI means life force and energy.

The ancient Chinese observed how the qi can be accumulated in a well protected hollow or dispersed on a windy ridge. They observed that large bodies of water can pool qi and that fast flowing streams disperse it. They analysed landforms and reduced all landforms down to just two elements, mountain and water. These mountains were eroded by wind ( feng ) and water ( shui ) to provide our physical environment. “Feng Shui” later became the Chinese name for the art of managing this environment for the benefit of man and assessing the quality of qi. This is made through formulas and calculations to assess the potential of the person and their property.

It appears that modern scientists may have rediscovered this ancient life force, “qi”, through the study of quantum physics. Could they be one and the same? The trouble is that Newtonian scientists want to be able to rationalise and put experience in a left brain context. Our Left brain processes language; it “sees” in Words. It wants to describe everything in words or into a context that can be recognised. This then is limiting, as our language can fail us when it comes to describing events or experiences that can’t be visualised.

Planet movement for example has been hypothesised by scientists as not gravitational but rather the movement within the confines of the neighbourhood or Einstein’s “space-time continuum”. This space-time continuum has a terrain much like a hilly country side, with a mountain (the sun) dominating. So the planets are just selecting the easiest path in which to travel. This would explain Mercury’s orbital path as it is not elliptic but rather an odd spiralling. This to me uncannily describes the path of “qi”. How compelling that western scientists seem to be describing eastern philosophies.

The Chinese went on to create five main studies called the 5 Arts. They consist of 1.Mountain, 2.Medicine, 3.Divination, 4.Destiny, and 5.Physiognomy. Physiognomy includes the art of Feng Shui.
Back then, the Chinese Monks looked at the world much like a modern day geographer but by looking with mystic eyes they could see much more than just mountains and water. They could see a wondrous world and through observation and meditation they were able to unlock the “secrets of the universe”. This bought about a responsibility in dealing with their knowledge. They have a saying that such knowledge can make the “mystical doorway disappear”.

The Chinese believe that a person is influenced in life by three levels of qi called the Cosmic Trinity of Heaven, Man and Earth. Heaven luck is the luck you obtain at birth, it is your destiny. It can be read through means of astrology ( Bazi ) and can show your strengths and weaknesses in personality and can also foretell of events in life. Man luck; this is completely left up to the control of the individual. It is your actions, your thoughts that create your quality of life. Man can cultivate his own qi and this can contribute not only to his physical health but also his mind energy. Earth luck; this is the essence of Feng Shui, it is the influence of our living environment and how these surroundings can influence the quality of our lives.

This Cosmic Trinity of Heaven, Man and Earth, each contributes one third to the outcome of an individual. If Heaven is not ready for a person to have luck then we cannot as practitioners read their chart, our job is not to break the “heavens secret code”. In other words, we can’t go around pointing out Feng Shui problems that people have without being asked for help first. A person may have yet to learn a vital lesson from the circumstances they find themselves in and it is not up to us to judge. By asking for help or seeking advice it shows that the person is ready to receive.

Feng Shui assessment can help in all aspects of your life. It acts as the medicine so first we must diagnose the problem. It is no good to try and enhance things such as wealth if there is a leak that is draining your resources, otherwise more money will just be lost. Similarly what you think you need and what is required may be different. One example is a person desiring more wealth to the detriment of their health or family, in fact if the health and family should be bolstered then the money will come anyway.

So which is stronger, Heaven luck or Man Luck? It depends on your capacity. If you are born with small capacity, you may not achieve a great deal in life but that does not mean that you are not FULFILLED. Being fulfilled comes from within, and only you have the power to obtain fulfilment. By utilising tools such as Feng Shui we can hope to not only know our environment better but also ourselves. We can then enhance our potentials and live the life we were born to live.

Ba Zi --- The Four Pillars of Destiny  --- The perfect tools to help you planning your future

The Four Pillars of Destiny are also named "Eight Characters"(Ba Zi). It is Chinese Astrology, and a study of human destiny, life and logic.

Ba Zi is a scientific study, not fortune telling or some kind of religious or superstitious practice. Through birthday analysis, you will not only learn about your fortune, relationships and health, but also your elements and yin yang combinations, and your strengths and weaknesses. Awareness of these information will allow you to harmonize your mind, body and soul with the living environment at a deeper level. By knowing what you are good at and what would be most suitable for you, you could choose what you want to do and how to do, then you could make the most of your life to reach the highest success.

To analyze the pillars of destiny, first we need to convert a person's birth data into Chinese characters by using a "Ten thousand year calendar". The four pillars consists of the year, month, day and hour of birth. Each pillar has two characters that represent a heavenly stem and an earthly branch, each character represents an element (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, or Earth) in the forms of yin (Negative) or yang (Positive). When a person's birth data has been expressed in the Chinese calendar, every item becomes a symbol of elements. We can immediately see the composition of elements in our moment of birth, which exactly reflects the elemental components of our destiny.

Many people know about BaZi analysis. It is Chinese astrology, also called The Four Pillars of Destiny, with analysis based on date of birth, hour of birth, as well as country and place of birth. Perhaps you can examine your own destiny, then control the progress of your life. Many doubt this. If the BaZi is unchangeable, what is the point of prediction? The prediction can only tell results, whereas people are more concerned with how to upgrade life and change luck.

Some masters talk about changing your life. However, from the principal of Chinese astrology, the foundation and journey of each persons life is written at birth, it cannot be changed. Bad cannot be converted to be good, good cannot be undone. But, we can use some techniques to enrich and correct luck, to upgrade and make our life better. However, if life is so easily changed, why is it that great masters do not change their own life, and make millions rather than doing predictions for living?

Through Bazi forecast, and in response to each person's Bazi, we can make adjustments and remedy destinies, from the aspects of suitable careers and life directions. We also can use some symbols to reduce troubles and disasters.

From Bazi forecast, we can understand the good and bad sides of life, and take control each year to mitigate losses through our own efforts. For example, in recent years many people are interested in shares, thinking it an easy way to make money. However if you are experiencing a robbing money luck year, then if you enter the share market you will be trapped and perhaps made broke. In contrast, someone who understands that their life forecast has no easy money luck will not become involved with speculation, and hence will not lose money.

Also, if someone is going to have good luck but does not know it, they may be promoted, perhaps making millions for their company, but none for themselves. Meanwhile others who have done the Bazi analysis will, at the right time, let go of an admirable job, start their own business and make millions. Same good fortune, the results differ by working for yourself rather than for a company. Hence to upgrade your destiny first you need to understand your life, then take the right actions.
　

Eight Mansions Feng Shui

Eight Mansions Feng Shui Sometimes called "Ba-Gua", this application uses a Luo-Pan compass to measure the alignment of a building. On the basis of this measurement, as well as the birth and gender of the building's inhabitants, the Feng Shui practitioner identifies auspicious and inauspicious "sectors" of a building for each person. By doing this, the best place for each person to work and live may be determined.

The auspicious configuration of the property:
Finding good locations, deflecting negative energies, ensuring balance, and creating harmony are the essential practices of Eight Mansion Feng Shui. These practices allow the energy of people to reach its full potential.

The classic location according to Feng Shui is one that is supported by the four celestial animals. More specifically, turtle hills are behind the location, dragon hills are on the left (from inside looking out), tiger hills are on the right, with a phoenix hillock at the front. The dragon hills must be slightly higher than the tiger hills, so that the overall configuration looks like an armchair - which is most auspicious!(This rule is only applied to property which facing south, sitting north.)

Please note that as in Australia, the definitions of Eight Mansions are different from China. As in Australia, Southern is cooler while in China Southern area means Hotter. Most Feng Shui maters in Australia still using the same definitions of Ba-Gua in Australia, which is totally misunderstand of Feng Shui.

Below are some examples of inauspicious properties and situations:
　

* A property located on a slope that is higher at the front and lower at the back - this may cause the owner's downfall after middle age.
* A house located in a triangular shape of land - this may cause fire and quarrels.
* A straight road directed towards the house - this creates "sha qi" or killing energy, which may cause accidents and sickness.
* A curved road, which appears to cut the house - this may cause disaster.
* A sharp corner from another building pointing towards your house - this causes bad energy.
* A neighbour"s roof line pointing to your house - this causes killing energy.
* A huge tree growing through the house or in front of the front door - this may cause health problems.
* A house or building in an "L" shape or "S" shape; this creates missing corners.
* A house with a room that is never used, or a garden with a corner never attended - this generates "si qi" or dead energy.
* A house with a front door and back door or window in a straight line - may prevent one from becoming rich.
* A bathroom or a toilet next to the entrance - may bring bad luck to your money, makes you can't save money.
* A bathroom doesn't have a window - may bring health problem to your family.
　

Feng Shui tips for optimizing your apartment

  
* Clean your apartment regularly.
* Put your apartment in good order on a regular basis.
* Throw away old things that you no longer need or like.
* Bring a fresh atmosphere into your home with colours, shapes, fabrics and new objects or accessories.
* Activate dark areas with light.
* Use every space.
* Liven up the atmosphere with water or plants.
* Do not put sitting or sleeping areas directly in a door-window line (energy draft).
* Avoid sharp corners and edges.
* Give each room a personal note.
* Use decorations, lights, plants, symbols and stones to activate certain areas.

Feng Shui tips for the living room

The living room is the meeting place for the whole family and that means it is an important space. Can a unfortunate interior design bring on family problems?

That can certainly be the case. When a living room is arranged in such a way that no one wants to stay in it for very long, then it can lead to less or even false communication and provoke constant tension.

How can the energy flow in the living room be optimized so that it doesn't come to such a situation?

The living room should be a large, light and inviting space that is tidy and not packed full of stuff. From the seating areas, one should be able to see around the whole room and look outside too. Be sure that the area behind the seats is not too open - a wall at the back creates security, a window here would be unfavourable.

If possible, avoid placing your sitting arrangements in the energy current between the door and the window. Should this be the case in your house, you can put a plant, a mobile or a rug in the energy movement zone.

What forms and colours are advantageous? What should be avoided in the living room?

The furniture should fit the proportions of the room, for example, a large, massive furniture group would be unfavourable in a small room.

Broken and wobbly furniture means blocks. Stable sitting arrangements with high backs and arm rests, in contrast, radiate security.

The forms can work from curves to right angles. What's important is that you connect soft lines with straight lines (choose closed forms, no asymmetrical pieces). Pointed corners and edges in the interior design can lead to conflicts, so place a plant in front of it to soften the effect.

As far as colour selection is concerned, the ideal colours are earth colours: yellows, beige and pastel tones, cream, green and turquoise.

Feng Shui tips for interior decorations

The home is the foundation of our living, it is important to create a harmonious, comfortable and good feng shui space.

Here are some tips for interior decoration which can help you to achieve good feng shui in your home.

1. The main door should not line up with the back door, if this is the case, you can put a partition, or curtain to block the straight line.

2. The living room should be bright and spacious. If it is too dark, you can use lights to balance it. Or you can also use bright pictures, such as peonies, sun flowers. The content of a picture should have good meanings, avoid pictures with fearful, strange or lonely feelings. Chinese people like to decorate their home with Chinese bush paintings and calligraphies. Most of them symbolize good fortune, love, peace, happiness, growth, more descendents and longevity.

3. A clock a common decoration for home and office. The clock is best to face the door, balcony or window.

4. A fish tank is a good decoration for the home. Fish bring positive energy and symbolize prosperity. A fish tank can help to balance the qi of the house. The size of the tank should be appropriate to the space, avoid oversized tanks. Avoid clutter near the tank. Also avoid placing altars or Buddha statues on top of the tank.

5. A pot plant is a good decoration for a home. It can be put along the east or south east side of the house. Big leaves plants, lily, jade plant, Chinese happy plant, fortune bamboos are good feng shui plants. Look after your plants, keep them fresh and lively.

6. Bedroom feng shui is a frequently asked question during my practice. Here are some tips for the bedroom: no matter if the bedroom is a master bedroom or kids bedroom or a spare bed room, you will need to open the windows for a few hours every day to let the air circulate.

7. The bed room should not have too many windows and doors. More than three is too many, some bedrooms have six, seven qi mouths (windows, doors, including the doors of walk in wardrobe and en suite.) If a bedroom has too many qi mouths, the energy will not accumulate well, and it can affect the familys wellbeing.

8. The bed room should not be cluttered, keep it as light and spacious as possible. Spring clearing regularly, get rid off junk, do not bring in more junk.

9. Big mirrors reflecting the bed are bad feng shui. They unsettle the energy and create images. This is no good for sleep and for relationship commitment.

10. The colour of the room is better to be light, such as: white, light blue, light green, cream. Avoid black or grey. The ceiling colour should be white, the floor or carpet can be a darker colour. Ceiling represents heaven, floor represents earth. Heaven is light, earth is heavy, meeting the principle of yin yang balance.

11. Some people like to hang wind charms, Ba Gua mirror in the house. These objects are not necessarily good. It is best to consult a feng shui professional before using them.

Services

Feng Shui is the art of harnessing the earth energy, or qi, to benefit your goals and well being. The home we choose to live in, along with our workplace, impacts on our existence, influencing our lives in many ways. A property can be the cause of muddled thoughts, agitation , bring illness and loss; whereas a good Feng Shui-ed property can clear your thoughts and understanding, restore balance, assist you with your endeavours and goals, allowing you to perform at your best. It can bring prosperity, healthy relationships and well being. Feng Shui has been used by the elite Chinese for over 2000 years. This classical art can be used today to give you the edge over your competitors, to enhance your family life, benefit your health and to empower your aspirations.

Before you build a house

By far, the best time to utilise Feng Shui is in the planning stage. It’s much simpler and certainly cheaper to rectify any issues before construction has begun. We have worked with clients and their architects to deliver functional, luxurious and appealing properties all using Feng Shui principles. If you are thinking of building a new house, office or specialist property, taking the time to discuss your ideas or have your plans assessed by a Feng Shui consultant will prove to be a valuable investment.

The location of a property is of vital importance, classical Feng Shui believes that 70% of all energy is derived from the surroundings, so with this in mind, selecting the right place to build makes all the difference.

Once you have the place, you will benefit from the right time. Date selection for construction along with the correct move in date can also be provided.

The resident’s birth details are taken into consideration as this information is used to further customise the important design aspects such as the main door, bedrooms and kitchen, supporting the life path and personal needs of the resident. Future placement of furniture can be also incorporated.

Before you buy a house

One person’s house is another person’s home. We all know not every property is suited for every person or their lifestyle. When faced with the decision to buy a home, how do you get it right? A Feng Shui quick audit can be valuable in your selection. Often buyers have narrowed it down to a couple of choices. We will view the plans, notice any potential problems, forecast the chart of the home, compare it with the resident birth chart and see if the future home will support your endeavours. Some homes have good Feng Shui and only require a few positioning changes to make the most of them, while others are full of problems and would be very costly to rectify. Once we have looked at the chart we then report our findings with a recommendation as to which house would be more suitable as a purchase for you. This service can later lead into a full house audit or a renovation service once the building is secured.

Your existing houses or business

In order to make the most of a property, you need to know the quality of its Feng Shui and how it then affects your goals. Having your existing home or business assessed gives you the knowledge to implement any changes. In assessment we utilise San He Landscape formula, Ba Zhai - 8 Mansions and San Yuan - Flying Star along with BaZi and life gua. We combine these elements to produce a series of recommendations which can be implemented by the client. Often there is a specific query that can be addresses in such an audit, such as romance, career or wealth.

Before you do renovations

A renovation to a home or office can change the energy and feel of the building as the Feng Shui reference points can be inadvertently altered. As always, the ideal time to engage in an audit is during the design phase, however if you have already commenced the project, it’s not too late. We can work in with your plans and make recommendations which can alleviate any adverse issues while strengthening the positive. We’ll also select the best dates to begin work and advice on dates which activities should be avoided. The timing of your renovations is important as the wrong timing can bring detrimental consequences. To make the most of your renovation, seeking a Feng Shui assessment here would be beneficial. Like the ‘before you build’ why go to the trouble of extending or upgrading your home if in the long term will bring no real benefit.