Ch'i (energy force)

Imagine you are in a room and all the windows are closed. Do you
find the room `stuffy' and the air stale? Prolong stay may result in ill
health for the occupants.

Chinese belief that there are energy forces in the earth and there must be an equal
balance between Yang (positive) and Yin (negative) in order to achieve good Ch'i or
cosmic breath. The discovery of magnetic forces on the earth also lead to the
invention of the compass.

Ch'i around us promote growth, health, vitality. Feng Shui is all about the art of
detecting and utilizing this cosmic breath for perfect health, harmony, wealth and
happiness for the occupants.

Two important points to note:-

1. Adverse or bad Ch'i flows in a straight line. This can be corrected with the use of
the "Pakua" or a Trigram with a reflective mirror in the middle.

2. Good Ch'i does not flow in a straight line but rather it is advantages to allow it to
circulate within a building to avoid `stale air'. Straight paths should be avoided at all
costs as good Ch'i cannot be retained in such a situation.

The Rule of Thumb in choosing a site either for dwelling or burial site

In general, there are several rules of thumb to assess a site. Some of these are:

1. The front portion of the plot of land should be lower than the back. The back
should preferably face a hill, mountain or higher ground and the front of facing a pool
of water e.g. swimming pool, a serene lake or slow flowing river.

2. Site must have good drainage, dry and with clean top-soil.

3. The site have a `perfect' natural scenery where the front should face the sea, valley
or lower ground with a fairly good view in front and slightly elevated ground at the
back.

Conquering Nature: Watercourses

Emperor Xia Yu, founder of 1st Chinese Dynasty before 4,000 BC was
said to be the descendant of the sixth generation of Emperor Huangdi.
He left his footmarks all over China, trying to harness the big rivers like the Yellow
River, Han River, Yantze River etc...

He was revered as the very first to champion the quest in conquering nature.

Watercourses : The 5 elements in the shape of:

Unfavourable sites:
 Favourable sites:

Types of building

Unfavourable:

Favourable:

Note: Geometric shapes are auspicious only for large buildings.

Unfavourable:
 Favourable:

Shapes of roofs:

The above are examples of unfavourable shapes of roofs characterised by:

1. Unevenly shaped.

2. Irregular.

3. Continous sloping roof from one side to the other.

Favourable roofs are `even', regular shaped and proportional in shape.

Roads - Unfavourable:

1. Watch out for houses at dead ends.

2. Avoid staying in a house directly facing a road. In the `worse' situation if you are
staying in such a house, resort to `hanging' a Trigram with a mirror in the middle to
reflect sha (bad) Ch'i. In most cases the Sha Ch'i is too strong. Best is not to stay in
such a house.

Trees - Unfavourable:

Favourable:

1. Preferable that larger trees be planted behind the house.

2. Trees and shrubs has to be regularly trimmed.

The Home
The Entrance - Unfavourable entrances:

Favourable:

The Staircase - Unfavourable:

 Favourable:

The Living Room -

Unfavourable:

Favourable:

The Bedrooms - Unfavourable:

 Favourable :

A wide view is good. Best that bed should be diagonally opposite the
door.
 The Ceiling - Unfavourable:

Favourable:

In general, other than shown above, a normal `flat' ceiling is ideal:)

The Kitchen - Unfavourable:

 Favourable:

The kitchen should have sufficient lighting, airy and spacious.

Ideal to have the stove (the knobs) face towards the door. (Some stoves have their
knobs `facing' the ceiling, this is acceptable or in a `neutral' position).

Water in the sink belongs to `yin' or water element should not be too close to the stove
(minimum at least 2 feet away) as it belongs to the `fire' element or `yang.'

Doors - Unfavourable:

Favourable:
It is recommended that doors should open inwards to allow beneficial
Ch'i to enter the house.

The Toilet - Unfavourable:

Favourable:

1. It is good to place mirrors in the toilet.

2. Waste pipes should preferably be covered up.

The Office
The concept of analysing office are similar to that of the Home.

Lets look at the various arrangement of the orientation of the office table and chair. If
you are a `superior' i.e. having a room of your own; you can orientate the position of
your office table to suit you. Do take note of the following examples:-

Unfavourable:

Favourable: