8M TRILOGY-PRE

CLASSICAL 8-MANSIONS (bā zhái)

A TRILOGY: DOOR, BED, STOVE

Preamble:
The 8-Mansions technique (“八宅, bā zhái” in Chinese, abbrev “8M”) has a long history, and
was widely used in the Míng and Qīng Dynasties (Míng 1368~1644; Qīng 1644~1912). Despite
its age, the technique remained popular to this day for yáng house fēngshuĭ.

The better known 8M classics were published in the Qīng Dynasty at which time the technique
reached to its prime, but the underlying principles were developed much earlier. This paper
delves into some of the classics to give the serious student a deeper insight into 8M. A working
knowledge of the technique is a prerequisite. The paper is not intended for beginners.

The findings presented herein are drawn from the following classics, in chronological order:

a. “Entering Earth Eye” (入地眼) by Gū Tuō the Elder (辜託長老) – 990CE

b. “4 Books of 8-Mansions” (八宅四書) by Zhōu Jì alias The Lay Buddhist Yī Hè

(周繼、一壑居士) – 1601CE

c. “The Complete Book of 8-Mansions” (八宅造福周書) by Huáng Yī Fèng

(黄一鳳) – 1610CE

d. “Golden Light Star Arrival Classic” (金光斗臨經) by Jīn Wén Róng (金文鎔) – 1779CE

e. “3 Essentials of Yang Dwellings” (陽宅三要) by Zhào Jiŭ Fēng (趙九峰) – 1786CE

f. “8-Mansions Bright Mirror” (八宅明鏡) by Daoist Priest Ruò Guàn (箬冠道人) – 1789CE

The list is by no means exhaustive, but I believe it is fairly representative of 8M scholarship in

the Míng and Qīng era.

[In fact, the guà transformation manoeuvre on which 8M depended was attributed to a Táng Dynasty monk and
renowned astronomer named Yī Xíng the Monk (一行僧, 683~727CE), but his fēngshuĭ writings were lost, and only
the legend remained.]

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Neither does this paper set out to teach 8M comprehensively. It merely examines some of the
paradoxes that have confounded many 8M students, and explores some of the lesser known 8M
techniques not covered in popular 8M programs.

The earliest book in the list was “Entering Earth Eye”, purportedly written in the Sòng Dynasty
some 600~800 years before the other 5. In the book, 8M theory was discussed in Scroll-10, the
last scroll. I have my suspicions that this scroll was a later addition, probably Qīng Dynasty, as
the scroll’s writing style differed markedly from the earlier scrolls.

If my suspicion proved correct, “4 Books” and “Complete Book” would then be the earliest –
clearly Míng Dynasty.

“Golden Light” was generally thought to be Qīng Dynasty, but could be earlier. In fact Jīn Wén
Róng billed himself as the editor, not the author.

“3 Essentials” and “Bright Mirror” were unquestionably Qīng Dynasty.

In spite of its renown, “Bright Mirror’s” pedigree is somewhat suspect. In the preface, the
publisher said the book was given to him by a Daoist priest, Ruò Guàn, in 1789. Very little was
known of this Ruò Guàn. Neither did Ruò claim to have written it. In fact he attributed the book
to Grandmaster Yáng Yún Sōng (楊筠松, Yáng Gōng, 834~900CE), an outrageous claim from
what we know of Yáng Gōng’s teachings today. [The old man would have turned over in his grave ☹]

In studying the classics it is important to establish their chronology. It was a widespread and
accepted practice for authors to plagiarize entire passages from earlier works without
acknowledging the source. We want to know who copied from whom.

As with most scholastic deliberations, it was not uncommon for authors to hold contradictory
views, even on fairly major issues. The student would have to exercise judgment in deciding
which view to accept.

Many of the classics were hand-copied iteratively, and errors multiplied with each generation.
Moreover, the language used was literary Chinese (文言) which emphasized rhyme and rhythm

over clarity. In other words, what a mess! ☹

The 3 vital considerations in 8-Mansions fēngshuĭ are to locate the door, bed and stove correctly.
So I decided to present this paper in 3 parts aptly labeled “Getting In”, “Pillow Talk” and
“Kitchen Gossip” respectively.

Whoever said the study of fēngshuĭ classics has to be straight-laced? 😊😊😊😊

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1 Part-1: Getting In

1.1 Importance of the Main Door

There was unanimous agreement between the classics that the most important consideration
was the location of the main door, this being the primary qì mouth of the house.
Traditionally the main door was the main entrance that opened out onto the street.

The pre-eminence of the main door could not be overstated. If the door was correctly
located, the qì that entered the house remained good even if the internal layout was all
wrong. It was just that the good qì would not be utilized to its full potential. Conversely, if
the qì entering the house was already flawed, of what good was it to have the other parts
properly laid out to utilize the flawed qì?

Although the main door was defined in the classics to be the door opening out onto the
street, this definition needs to be reviewed in the case of modern houses, especially those in
which the door of the house proper (under roof and walled-in) opens out onto a garden or
driveway, and a gate at the end of the driveway opens out to the street outside. So is the
main door the gate or the door into the house?

The modern consensus view is that the entrance into the house should be regarded as the
main door, the rationale being that the house is a qì container whereas the compound is
outside the container.

If a house has multiple entrances, which is the main door? It should be the one used most
often by the residents to enter and exit the house.

1.2 House guà versus Life guà

If the senior male resident’s life guà was East Group, [Only the males mattered in those days.
Women’s Lib was not a Chinese invention 😊😊] and the house sitting was also East Group, then
there was no question that the main door should be located at kăn, zhèn, xūn or lí.
Likewise for a West Group person in a West Group house, the main door should be located
at gèn, kūn, duì or qián. But what if the person was of one Group and the house was of the
other Group? Therein sprouted divergent views.

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“Entering Earth Eye” said:

“凡屋有坐有向，命有東有西。而論山向而不論命者，大凶。論命而不論山向者，小
凶。合命又合坐向者，則獲福無窮矣。”

All houses have their sitting and facing. All lives are either East or West. To consider the
house sitting/facing and not the life would be a grave detriment. To consider the life but
not the house sitting/facing would be a lesser detriment. A match of life to sitting/facing
will receive unceasing benefits.”

The Míng Dynasty works “4 Books” and “Complete Book” focused on house guà and not
life guà. In this respect, they were in tune with Mastery Academy’s (“MA”) teachings.

“Complete Book” imposed an additional requirement that a yīn guà house should have a
yáng guà door, and vice-versa. (qián, kăn, gěn, zhèn are yáng; xùn, lí, kūn, duì are yīn)
The ideal match would be old yīn with old yang (kūn with qián), young yīn with young
yang (duì with gèn), etc. A balance of yīn and yáng was required for sustained growth.

“Golden Light” advocated the location of the door according to one’s life guà. It went
further to recommend that the door location should also match the incoming dragon, the
house sitting and the incoming water. What a perfectionist! Later writers have commented
on the impracticality of such an ideal arrangement. The passage about house guà versus
life guà in “Entering Earth Eye” quoted above also appeared ad verbatim in “Golden Light”.

Another paragraph in “Golden Light” stated that if the external features, including
incoming water and road, conformed to a structure [The book did not explain what a structure was.
The reader was supposed to know ☹], then the effect of the structure far outweighed the house
sitting.

“3 Essentials” dealt with the door in a radical way. It said nothing about a house having the
‘wrong’ door. All the examples quoted were of houses having compatible doors. Hence it
could be inferred that East houses having East doors and West houses having West doors
were a given. The book did mention that the benefits would be amplified if the resident’s
life guà matched the door guà, which was of course a no-brainer.

The book stressed harmony between the 3 critical components of a house: the door, bed
(the original word was “Master”) and stove – hence its title. The “3 Essentials” approach to
8M deviated from the mainstream and could be considered an alternative or supplementary
technique.

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“Bright Mirror” repeated “Golden Light’s” recommendations for door location ad verbatim,
including the bit about structures. Assuming our chronology was correct, “Golden Light”
was published a full 10 years before “Bright Mirror”. It would therefore appear “Bright
Mirror” plagiarized “Golden Light”, which in turn plagiarized “Entering Earth Eye” to a
certain extent. As I mentioned earlier, plagiarism was fairly common and not frowned
upon in the world of classics.

In summary: “Entering Earth Eye”, “Golden Light” and “Bright Mirror” stated quite
categorically that life guà had priority over house guà in determining the door location, and
“3 Essentials” appeared to have acquiesced. This stand was at variance with the approach
taught at MA. Master Joey Yap cautioned us that the Qīng Dynasty classics, though
popular, should not be relied upon blindly. He said pre-Qīng classics focused on house guà
and not life guà. Life guà only came to the fore during the Qīng Dynasty.

“Entering Earth Eye” was supposedly written in the Sòng Dynasty, but as mentioned earlier,
I suspect Scroll-10 was a later addition, probably Qīng.

“4 Books” and “Complete Book” were Míng Dynasty, and they did focus on house guà.

Even though several of the classics reviewed favored life guà over house guà for locating
the main door, my own inclination is to take the house guà approach. My reasoning is that
whilst locating the door based on the male head of household’s life guà was the accepted
practice in the past, today’s social fabric and average family structure are very different.
Women and children are no longer subservient. If the objective of fēngshuĭ is to optimize
the wellbeing of the whole family, then it would be inequitable to focus on one person’s life
guà to the exclusion of the other family members.

On the other hand, locating the main door according to the house guà should provide good
qì for the benefit of all the residents, albeit those whose life guà are harmonious with the
door guà would tend to benefit more. Whoever said life was necessarily fair? ☹

For an interesting diversion, let me mention a rather novel idea described by a modern
Taiwanese writer, Zhōng Yì Míng (鍾義明), in one of his books. Zhōng wrote that a man’s
yáng qì would decline after age 64, whereas yáng qì would ascend in a woman after
menopause. As such the fēngshuĭ of the house should be based on the matriarch’s life guà
after the patriarch surpassed age 64. A novel idea, but I doubt Mr. Zhōng would have much
of a sexagenarian male fan club 😊😊

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1.3 Measuring the Door guà

How do we ascertain that the main door is located at the desired guà? Measure with a
compass or luó pán of course! At which point of reference? There is evidently more than
meets the eye to this seemingly simple question.

In the Míng and Qīng Dynasties, houses of the rich [and only the rich could afford fēngshuĭ
masters] were sprawling mansions having multiple units [for multiple wives], each unit being a
suite of rooms with a courtyard in front. With the crude surveying tools of the day, to
pinpoint the geometric centre of such a sprawling complex could be a challenging task, and
to accurately locate the main door relative to the geometric centre would be even more
difficult, probably beyond the aptitude of the average fēngshuĭ master. Hence the concept
of “To each its own universe” (一物一太極), sometimes called “Small tài jí”, was invented.

How very resourceful 😊😊

Instructions given in the classics were to measure the main door standing at the centre of
the first courtyard behind the main door, i.e. the uncovered space between the main door
and the second door. Now what if the multiple units did not line up one behind another,
and the main door was located off-centre from the main axis of the house? In that case, the
guà of the door measured from the first courtyard (Small tài jí) could very well be different
from the reading taken from the centre of the whole house (Big tài jí).

In the case of a modern house, and with modern surveying and drafting tools, it makes
much better sense to draw up a scaled plan of the house and work from the drawing. My
take is that if the centre of the house can be accurately determined, it would make sense to
use that as the point of reference rather than an arbitrary point closer to the door.

It is interesting that the classics recommended taking measurements at the courtyard

without a roof overhead. I am not sure magnetic distortion was an issue in those days, but
with modern buildings held up by structural steel, it is very much an issue.

A practical approach is to measure the facing of a house standing at the door or outside to
minimize magnetic distortions, and once that is established, put the luó pán away. Do the
rest of the work on the scaled plan using a 24-Mountains template available from fēngshuĭ
book stores.

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1.4 Wandering Stars

At this juncture, it would be useful to review our knowledge of the 8 “Wandering Stars”
(遊星), sometimes called the “Greater Wandering Years” (大遊年). [What have “years” got to
do with “stars”? That’s yet another confusion the classics are so fond of throwing at us ☹]

Wandering Stars (the 4 good guys: shēng qì, tiān yī, yán nián, fú wèi; and the 4 villains: jué
mìng, wŭ guĭ, liù shā, huò hài) are fundamental to the study of 8-Mansions, and most of us
have been taught that the 8 wanderers are distributed around the house based on the house’s
sitting (often called “house guà”), i.e. fú wèi is located at the house’s sitting. Correct, but
that is only one approach, albeit the most popular one in modern 8M practice. For
simplicity, let us call this the “Primary Distribution”.

There is another method of distributing the Wandering Stars starting from the door, which
we shall call the “Alternative Distribution”. More about this later.

“Primary” or “Alternative” distribution, students of 8-Mansions in the old days were

required to memorize and recite the following poem called the “Greater Wandering Years
Song” (大遊年歌):

乾六天五禍絕延生 qián: liù shā, tiān yī, wŭ guĭ, huò hài, jué mìng, yán nián, shēng qì;
坎五天生延絕禍六 kăn: wŭ guĭ, tiān yī, shēng qì, yán nián, jué mìng, huò hài, liù shā;
艮六絕禍生延天五 gĕn: liù shā, jué mìng, huò hài, shēng qì, yán nián, tiān yī, wŭ guĭ;
震延生禍絕五天六 zhèn: yán nián, shēng qì, huò hài, jué mìng, wŭ guĭ, tiān yī, liù shā;
巽天五六禍生絕延 xùn: tiān yī, wŭ guĭ, liù shā, huò hài, shēng qì, jué mìng, yán nián;
離六五絕延禍生天 lí: liù shā, wŭ guĭ, jué mìng, yán nián, huò hài, shēng qì, tiān yī;
坤天延絕生禍五六 kūn: tiān yī, yán nián, jué mìng, shēng qì, huò hài, wŭ guĭ, liù shā;
兑生禍延絕六五天 duì: shēng qì, huò hài, yán nián, jué mìng, liù shā, wŭ guĭ, tiān yī.

Whew, what a mouthful ☹, and they didn’t even have punctuations marks originally!

[ Of course there are English translations of the Wandering Star names, but I would rather students make an
effort to learn the Chinese names. If you are serious about learning 8-Mansions, that’s the least you can
do.]

In each line of the poem, the first word is the reference guà, and also the location of fú wèi.
The next 7 terms describe the distribution of the other 7 Wandering Stars around the luò
shū chart of the house, in clockwise order starting from fú wèi.

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With modern learning methods, there is little need to memorize the song. Just look it up as
needed, or better still, have a cheat-sheet in your smartphone 😊😊

Each of the 8 Wandering Stars is assigned a polarity and an element, and is associated with
a star of the North Dipper asterism. For revision purposes, this information is tabulated
below:

Wandering Star Big Dipper Star polarity element inherent

nature
shēng qì (生氣) Greedy Wolf (貪狼) yáng wood beneficial
tiān yī (天醫) Huge Door (巨門) yáng earth beneficial
huò hài (禍害) Rewards (禄存) yīn earth harmful
liù shā (六煞) Literary Arts (文曲) yáng water harmful
wŭ guĭ (五鬼) Chastity (廉貞) yīn fire harmful
yán nián (延年) Military Arts (武曲) yáng metal beneficial
jué mìng (絕命) Broken Soldier (破軍) yīn metal harmful
fú wèi (伏位) L & R Assistants (輔弼) yīn wood beneficial

Are the villains equally harmful in all houses?

“Entering Earth Eye” had this to say:

“絕命最凶，五鬼次之，禍與六又次之，謂之四凶。此四凶方，再以卦地參之，而輕
重始辨。如絕命凶矣，然惟剋宅者真凶。若生宅與宅比和，及為宅所剋者，皆凶不
甚惡。

jué mìng is the fiercest, wŭ guĭ is second, followed by huò hài and liù shā. These are the 4
harmful stars. Their degree of ferocity needs to be evaluated against the house guà. For
example, jué mìng is fierce, but it is only truly fierce if it counters the house. If it grows the
house or is friendly with the house, or if it is countered by the house, then it is not that
fearsome after all.”

In other words, jué mìng being a metal star is only to be feared in a zhèn or xùn guà (wood)
house. Its belligerence is mitigated in a kăn (water) house, qián or duì (metal) house, or lí
(fire) house.

This statement in fact opens up a whole new topic in the study of 8-Mansions, that of
“Palace & Star Interactions” (宫星生剋). I wrote an article on this topic some time ago,
and will not repeat the discussion here.

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1.5 Alternative Distribution

When we first learnt 8-Mansions, we were [at least I was] invariably taught the “Primary
Distribution” of the Wandering Stars, i.e. the 8 Stars are distributed around the house
starting with the fú wèi at the house sitting, and then progressing clockwise as prescribed in
the “Greater Wandering Years Song”.

There is another method of distributing the Wandering Stars, which we shall call the
“Alternative Distribution”. The reference guà has shifted from the house’s sitting to the
main door. Start with fú wèi at the main door and proceed clockwise as prescribed in the
“Greater Wandering Years Song”.

For example, in the case of a door at qián (Northwest): fú wèi is at Northwest; liù shā at
North; tiān yī at Northeast; wŭ guĭ at East; huò hài at Southeast; jué mìng at South; yán
nián at Southwest; and shēng qì at West.

Another example, lí (South) door: fú wèi at South; liù shā at Southwest; wŭ guĭ West; jué
mìng Northwest; yán nián North; huò hài Northeast; shēng qì East; tiān yī Southeast.

The following diagrams illustrate the 2 different treatments:

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Note that division into East Group and West Group is preserved in both “Primary” and
“Alternative” distributions, as long as the door location is compatible with the house guà
(i.e. East Group house East Group door; West Group house West Group door).

The “Alternative Distribution” based on the door guà warrants our attention as it is
mentioned in several classics including “Entering Earth Eye”, “4 Books” and “3 Essentials”.

1.6 Types of Houses

Before we go further into the Wandering Stars, let me first clear the air in respect of certain
terminology used to describe houses in 8M texts.

8M traditionally classified houses into 4 categories:

− A single unit house inside a walled compound was labeled a “Still House” (靜宅);

− A house having 2 to 5 units within a common compound was labeled a “Moving

House” (動宅);

− A house having 6 to 10 units within a common compound was labeled a “Changed

House” (變宅); and

− A house having more than 10 units within a common compound was labeled a
“Transformed House” (化宅).

[ The classics differed over the demarcation between “Changed” and “Transformed”, but I won’t lose sleep
over it!]

The methods of Wandering Star distribution discussed in this paper relate to “Still Houses”.
Most modern detached houses would fall under this category.

The last 3 categories typically referred to wealthy mansions having multiple units within
the same compound to cater for the guy’s multiple wives and children. A different
technique of distribution called the “Bamboo Nodes Method (竹節貫井法)” was employed
for such houses, but that’s another tale for another day.

1.7 Exposing One’s Behind

A rather interesting application of the “Alternative Distribution” method was mentioned in

“Entering Earth Eye”. It said:

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“先從坐上起星，飛到門上即從門上起某星，飛到本坐。吉門飛得吉星到本坐，忌開
後窗户以洩之。凶門飛得凶星到本坐，又宜開後窗後門以洩之。

First distribute the Stars starting at the house sitting, until the door. Then start distributing
the door’s Star from the door until the house sitting. In the case of a beneficial door
producing a beneficial Star at the house sitting, avoid opening a rear window or door to
prevent leakage of beneficial qì. Conversely, a harmful door producing a harmful Star at the
house sitting would benefit from a rear window or rear door to release the harmful qì.”

The distribution was of course done according to the “Greater Wandering Years Song”.

The same classic went on to say that having an unfavorable door would turn beneficial
locations, as determined by the “Primary Distribution”, into harmful ones. The expression
used was:

“逢恩不發，蓋緣恩落仇宫 Unable to prosper in spite of grace, because the affinity

with grace has fallen into enemy territory”

What a disaster ☹

“4 Books” said more or less the same thing about opening a rear window or door. It added
that opening on to a backyard was acceptable provided the backyard was walled in and did
not have an opening in the rear wall.

The same book also had this to say about so-called harmful doors:

“大門在凶方者，則以門上起遊星。繞屋一數遇生天延方，亦因地盤之吉，而有發
達。但禍福相兼，不如吉門之有福無禍也。

In the case of a main door at a harmful location, start distributing the Wandering Stars
from the door. Go round the house to meet up with the shēng qì, tiān yī and yán nián
locations (based on “Primary Distribution”). It is still possible to prosper at these
locations by virtue of the beneficial (“Primary Distribution”) Stars therein, but the good
fortune will be mixed with problems. A beneficial door is preferred as it generates good
fortune without the problems.”

“Complete Book” echoed “4 Books” almost word-for-word. Note this represented a less
severe verdict for harmful doors compared with “Entering Earth Eye”.

The above passages clearly treated the “Alternative Distribution” as supplementary to the
“Primary Distribution”. In plain language, a door at one of the beneficial locations based

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on the “Primary Distribution” is much preferred. But all is not lost with a door at one of the
harmful locations. The “Alternative Distribution” in this case will return harmful Stars at
the beneficial locations determined by the “Primary Distribution”. These locations are still
usable but the residents’ fortunes will fluctuate.

1.8 Highs and Lows

The classics also recommended that the height of structures at the various locations should
be guided by the Wandering Stars. “Entering Earth Eye”, “4 Books” and “3 Essentials”
based their recommendations on the “Alternative Distribution”, i.e. starting at the door.

That is to say, the buildings (or parts thereof) at the beneficial Star locations should have
taller roofs, whereas those at the harmful Star locations should be lower. The ridge of the
roof determined the height of a building.

In the modern context, the location of any protruding tower or loft should be guided
accordingly.

The classics also said that external hills, tall man-made structures or tall trees in the
directions of the beneficial Stars would enhance the benefits. Conversely if the ground fell
away in these directions, then the Stars’ benefits would be compromised. And if the owner
were foolish enough to build a toilet or cow shed or dig a pit at these locations, then the
good Stars’ benefits would be negated.

I have my own reservations on the matter of toilets. In the old days, toilets were
unhygienic and foul-smelling places. Not so with modern sanitation systems. Moreover
the en suite bathroom cum toilet has become a modern-day convenience that few would
want to give up. The practice of fēngshuĭ should be in consonance with the times. The
classics should always be read in the context of the era they were written.

As for the areas in the directions of the harmful Stars, tall structures would naturally be
negative. Neither would a depression or pit be any good, as such depressions would only
create a harmful situation called “Earth wind sweeping the meridian spot (地風掃穴)”.
These areas should be low lying but wholesome.

In the modern context, all 8 sectors of the house should be present, favorable or otherwise.
Missing sectors are invariably negative. Steep depressions in the land close to the house
are also undesirable.

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1.9 House guà vs. Door guà

So, is there a conflict between the “Primary Distribution” based on the house sitting and the
“Alternative Distribution” based on the door location? Superficially yes, but on closer
examination, not really.

There was no argument that ideally the main door should be located at a sector having a
beneficial Wandering Star derived from the house sitting. In such a case, the 4 beneficial
Stars would be distributed between the same 4 sectors in both “Primary” and “Alternative”
distributions. Only their individual seating could have changed. No big deal. The basic
premise of East Group and West Group remained intact.

As to whether it should be shēng qì or tiān yī, the answer should not be all that significant.
If I had to choose, I would defer to the “Primary Distribution”, on the basis that the house
guà (house sitting) was the host and the door guà (door location) the guest.

Neither should it be an intractable issue if one decided to open the door at a harmful sector
vis-à-vis the house guà, as would be the case if the head of household’s life guà was
incompatible with the house guà, and he decided to locate the door according to his life guà.
This would be a compromise solution at best, and advocates of such a solution would want
to go all the way, i.e. enhance the life guà and deemphasize the house guà. In such an
instance, releasing incompatible qì through a rear opening would make sense.

So wherein lay the conflict?

Enough said about the door for now. Let us turn our attention to the other 2 critical components
of a house in the eyes of 8-Mansions – the bed and the stove.

[End of Part-1]

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2 Part-2: Pillow Talk

2.1 To Bed or Not to Bed

The catch phrase “Door, Bed and Stove” (門、床、灶) actually evolved from the original
version which read “Door, Master and Stove” (門、主、灶).

“Master” referred to the dominant unit in a multi-unit house. Sometimes it was the head of
household’s private chambers. In other instances it was the main reception parlour where
important guests were received and old style family counsel held. Dominance was
determined by the height of the roof ridge. The tallest unit was the “Master” irrespective of
its location. The word did not refer to a person. The classics were quite clear on that.

Somehow the emphasis changed over time. I am not sure at which point the bed took over
as the focus of attention, but evidently it did. In a modern house, few people would
consider the lounge the most important part of the house. The rationale often ventured was
that one spent about one-third of one’s life in bed, so the bed should be given prominence.
Fair enough I suppose. [I guess it’s rational to assume the head of household slept in his own bed and
not the maid’s 😊😊]

Like the main door, there was unanimous agreement that the “Master” should be located at
a beneficial Wandering Star. And just like the door, there was a difference in opinion
whether it should follow the house guà or life guà in the case of a divergence.

A logical answer would be to follow the door. Whatever approach was taken for the door
should also apply to the bed.

2.2 Measuring the Bedroom

From which reference point should we measure the bedroom? “3 Essentials” and several
other classics advocated the “Small tài jí” method, and that entailed placing the luó pán at
the centre of the courtyard in front of the bedroom suite and pulling a line to the centre of
the bedroom door.

As modern houses do not as a rule have a courtyard outside the bedroom, such a method
would be clearly inadmissible. One way is to make the geometric centre of the house the
reference point and work from a scaled plan [see Part-1, paragraph 1.3], but even that is quite
unnecessary.

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8M TRILOGY–2

Wandering Stars are after all bodies of qì, and qì is fluidic in character, taking up the shape
of its container. In this case, the container is the room. If the major part of a room is
located in a certain sector of the house, it is logical to expect the dominant qì in the room to
be that of the Wandering Star residing at that sector. As long as we know the house guà
and have a scaled floor plan, we should be able to locate the appropriate Wandering Star
without too much difficulty.

2.3 Which Bedroom?

Given the choice, should we opt for a tiān yī, shēng qì, yán nián or fú wèi bedroom?
Actually the classics were not too particular, just as long as the bedroom was located at one
of the beneficial Stars.

Several of the classics did mention that shēng qì and yán nián were preferred as these Stars
formed a yīn yáng pair with the reference guà, whereas tiān yī did not. (eg. shēng qì for a
kūn house is gĕn – yīn/yáng; yán nián is qián – yīn/yáng; but tiān yī is duì – yīn/yīn.) fú
wèi was regarded as a lesser beneficial Star. One view was that fú wèi was beneficial only
if the door was beneficial. A harmful door would in turn produce a harmful fú wèi.

“Golden Light” and “Bright Mirror”, being more life guà oriented, said that family
members should occupy rooms compatible with their respective life guà, i.e. kăn, zhèn, xūn
or lí for East Group, kūn, duì, qián or gĕn for West Group. The 2 classics used the same
words to say this – more plagiarism?

2.4 Locating the Bed

“Bright Mirror” had the most to say in respect of bed placement within the bedroom. Its
recommendations are summarized below:

a. The bed should not be placed under a beam. A beam behind would cause bad dreams
and a beam in front breathing difficulties. Strange that the words “in front” and
“behind” were used instead of the more usual “head” and “foot”. No explanation was
given. In the old days, canopied beds were commonly placed sideways against the
wall. So “in front” could mean the side of the access, and “behind” the side against the
wall.

b. If the shēng qì location was used, the bed should be placed in the middle one-third of
the room, i.e. not offset to the left or right side.

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 8M TRILOGY–2

c. The prime consideration should be the room door. This part could be controversial, so
let me quote the original text:

“安床總以房門為主，坐煞向生，自然發財生子，背凶迎吉，自然化難生恩。

The room door is the prime consideration for bed placement. To sit (the bed) on shā qì
and face growth qì would naturally produce wealth and offspring. By backing onto the
harmful (Star) and facing the beneficial (Star), the dissolution of disasters into
blessings is assured.”

What constituted the sitting or facing of a bed? The classics did not say. The majority
of modern schools took the view that the headboard end (i.e. the direction to which the
sleeper’s head would normally point) was the facing.

If we applied the “Small tài jí” principle to the bedroom and made the centre of the
room the reference point, it would be quite difficult to have a shēng qì door (say, at the
East wall) and at the same time place the bed with the headboard orientated towards
shēng qì (East).

Could the classics have taken a different point of reference? I shall leave the reader to
ponder over this. I am still pondering… ☹

If still in doubt, just ignore this recommendation. After all it came from only one book.

d. The bed should be bright and not dark. A darkened bed brought tears. The bed should
be exposed to sunlight.

e. The bed should not clash (be directly opposite) the room door. An intervening screen
should do the trick.

f. If the bed could be placed to simultaneously match the sleeper’s life guà, the room guà
and the house guà, then to become wealthy and to procreate would be “as easy as
turning one’s palm”.

There was another interesting way to evaluate bed placement, which reportedly came from
a treatise called “Uncommon Aspects of House Method” (宅法舉隅) by Zhū Xù Lún (朱旭
輪) – 1832. It called for the luó pán to be placed along the leading edge of the bed at the
centre (presumably referring to a laterally placed bed as mentioned earlier), and a line
pulled to the room door. The guà of the door thus obtained was then compared with the
direction of the pillow (headboard) relative to the luó pán. It was considered beneficial if
the element of the door grew, equaled or was grown by the element of the pillow. If the
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8M TRILOGY–2

door element countered the pillow element or the pillow element countered the door, then
the bed was in the wrong place.

“Complete Book” even specified the dimensions and types of timber suitable for making a
bed. That could hardly be pertinent these days, but just for the fun of it:

“The dimensions should be odd numbers. Length should be 6 ft 3½ in, or 5 ft 4½ in. Width
should be 4 ft 5½ in or 4 ft 1½ in. Single beds should be 3 ft 6½ in or 2 ft 7 in. The height
should also be an odd number…”

[ The old Chinese “ft” (Qīng Dynasty) was equivalent to 320mm on the modern metric scale, and 1 “ft” = 10
“in”. So the largest bed translated to 2032mm L x 1456mm W. This compared with the modern “Super
King Size” of 1980mm L x 1830mm W.]

2.5 Fidelity & Progeny

I don’t know which was worse for an old fashioned Chinese male: to be cuckolded or to
have no descendants! Good thing 8M was around to save his honor 😊😊

The classics warned in particular against having the door or bed located at liù shā. The
womenfolk were in danger of losing their morals and sexual inhibitions. [Of course the men
could be similarly affected, but I guess that was ok 😊😊]

“4 Books” gave a graphic description that was almost comical had it not been so tragic:

“六煞在乾兑，如献笑靚妝，逾垣窺户。在艮坤，如老婦妻于士，夫唱随可丑。在震
巽，如貞女失身，穢德彰闻。在坎宫，如濮上合歌，桑間增樂。在離宫，如姑婦同
室，啐語哼唏。

liù shā at qián or duì is like a woman donning makeup flashing her smiles over the wall and
peeping through the door. At gĕn and kūn it is like an old woman giving herself to a
younger man, with her husband tagging behind singing songs, how disgraceful. At zhèn
and xùn it is like a virtuous girl being violated and the disrepute spread far and wide. At
kăn palace, it is like singing and merrymaking in a house of lust and debauchery. At lí
palace, it is like a room full of women bickering and contemptuous.”

So how does one fix that? Move. If moving is not an option, there are always the cures
prescribed in “Bright Mirror” under “Control & suppression of the 9 Stars” (九星制伏).
The rationale for these cures was hotly debated by later scholars, but “Bright Mirror” did
not bother to explain. It was a simple “Take it or leave it”!

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 8M TRILOGY–2

The relevant phrase in “Bright Mirror” was:

“… 延年壓六煞 … yán nián suppresses liù shā”

The solution was to either open the room door at yán nián, or introduce a significant metal
feature into the room (yán nián is metal).

Progeny was highly regarded. A successful man was entitled to show off his wealth and his
virility. For prolific procreation, 8M placed emphasis on the door more than the bed. After
all the door enabled the productive qì to enter; the bed was only the workplace to make it
happen 😊😊

“4 Books” and “Complete Book” both summed it up in a short paragraph:

“貪生五子巨三郎，武曲金星四强。獨火廉貞見二個，輔弼只得半兒郎。文曲水星多
一子，破軍絕敗守孤孀。禄存土宿人延壽，生剋休囚仔細詳。

Greedy Wolf (shēng qì) 5 sons, Hugh Door (tiān yī) 3. Military Arts (yán nián) the metal
star a healthy 4. Chastity (wŭ guĭ) the lone fire sees 2. Left & Right Assistants (fú wèi) only
half a son (meaning son-in-law). Literary Arts (liù shā) the water star usually only 1 son,
Broken Soldier (jué mìng) a total disaster spells solitary widowhood. Rewards (huò hài)
the earth star heralds long life (didn’t say how many sons though). Growing, countered,
retiring and trapped (Palace & Star interactions) should be carefully evaluated.”

“Bright Mirror” said much the same thing in a longwinded way.

[End of Part-2]

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3 Part-3: Kitchen Gossip

3.1 Why the Stove?

The correct word was “stove” (灶) [also written as “竈” in old texts]. “Kitchen” (厨) was just an
approximation, a sort of container for the stove, so to speak. The stove had 2 key attributes:
(a) it was a facility to process the food before it got ingested by the residents; and (b)
certain unpleasant by-products were released in the cooking process including odour,
smoke, soot and ash. At least that was the case in the days when the fuel was fire wood or
low grade coal.

The stove’s inseparable relationship with the residents’ health ensured its place in the
trinity of critical components that need to be regulated by fēngshuĭ. Although the
celebrated trinity was always quoted as “Door, Bed and Stove”, it did not mean the stove
was the least important. On the contrary, the majority of 8M classics paid more attention to
the stove than the bed. “Complete Book” even stated categorically that the door had first
priority, the stove second, and the bed brought up the rear.

[And why “kitchen gossip”? Because I can’t cook. So let’s stick with the simpler stuff, like fēngshuĭ 😊😊]

3.2 Controversy

One of the biggest controversies in 8M was whether the stove (a.k.a. kitchen) should be
located at a beneficial or harmful Wandering Star.

Prior to “Golden Light” and “Bright Mirror”, the classics held the common view that the
stove, along with the other 2 critical components of the house, should be located at one of
the good Stars. Their argument was simple: beneficial Star, beneficial qì, benefits all the
way.

Then along came the 2 mavericks. “Golden Light” and “Bright Mirror” argued that the
nasty by-products of the stove could be used to suppress the harmful Stars. They
recommended that the stove, and hence the kitchen, should sit at a harmful Star location,
but the mouth of the stove should face a beneficial Star to draw in the beneficial qì. This
dual usage of the stove could be regarded as an innovative development in 8M philosophy.
Problem was we now have 2 conflicting views.

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3.3 Quoting from the Classics

Let us see what the classics actually said:

a. “Entering Earth Eye”

“七政者，以生天延為三吉。三吉之方宜開門，放灶擇房安床 ...

灶乃五祀之一，為家之主，養命之原也。宜擇三吉方安之，必易生子。故人丁不
旺者，宜安天醫灶。名利不成者，宜安生氣灶。財旺壽高者，宜安延年灶。此三
灶，俱要宅命相合。假如不合，即将床与灶口，向本命之吉方安之亦吉。但不如
門主灶並床與灶口五者，全合本命為上吉。

Of the 7 primary Stars (of the Big Dipper), shēng qì, tiān yī and yán nián are the 3
beneficial ones. Their locations are suitable for opening the door, placing the stove,
selecting the room and setting up the bed…

The stove, being one of the 5 places where prayers are offered, is of prime importance
to the family, it being the source for sustaining life. It should occupy one of the 3
beneficial locations, where it will surely help to beget children. Hence for those who
wish for people luck, the stove should be placed at tiān yī; for those who seek profit and
status, it should be placed at shēng qì; and for the prosperous and elderly, a yán nián
stove is appropriate. These 3 stove placements should match the house and life guà
simultaneously. Failing such a match, setting up the bed and aligning the mouth of the
stove to face one of the favorable Stars according to one’s life guà will still produce
beneficial results, but for superior benefits, all 5 features: door, master (unit), stove,
bed and stove mouth should be compatible with the life guà.”

b. “4 Books” had very little to say on the stove, and the little that was said was confusing.
Best to let it pass.

c. “Complete Book” had an interesting piece, albeit not all of it was original:

“灶乃五祀之一，司命之神。宜擇生天延三吉方放之， 必易生子。蓋除大門，總
門最緊外，則灶則次緊。況婦人朝暮吉路，生子宜矣。

灶前宜潔淨。横過門與適無妨。灶前切忌門路衝之，光窗射之，立主疾病。横過
門與窗無妨。

灶門向西大吉，向南次之，向東北凶。又雲，向東得木氣吉。惟向北凶。此说有
理。
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The stove is one of the 5 places where prayers are offered. It is a god that commands
life. Placing the stove at the 3 beneficial locations shēng qì, tiān yī and yán nián will
make it easy to beget children. The main door is always the most important. Next in
importance is the stove. Moreover the stove is frequented by women day and night,
making it instrumental in begetting children. [I’m still trying to figure out how children can be
produced just by making frequent trips to the stove 😊😊]

The front of the stove should be kept clean. A doorway crossing in front does not
detract from the location’s suitability. The front of the stove should not be clashed by
(directly facing) a door or pathway, or pierced by light from a window. This will bring
about illness. A door or window at the side is not a problem.

A stove opening facing West is highly beneficial. Facing South is next. Facing
Northeast is harmful. It is also said that facing East to receive wood qì is beneficial.
Facing North is harmful. This is a rational view.”

d. “3 Essentials” deliberated on the stove more than any of the other classics. 2 chapters
were devoted to listing the 8 alternative stove positions for each of the 64 permutations
of Door and Master (unit), a total of 512 scenarios in all. It was made abundantly clear
that the stove should be located at a beneficial Star, and to be truly superior, the stove
location had to be compatible not only with the Door but also with the Master.

The following 2 paragraphs described the gist of “3 Essentials’” recommendations.

More than that, they illustrated the rather convoluted logic that was typical of this
radical classic:

“西四宅門主灶，以延年為上上大吉，土金相生，夫婦正配。以天醫門主灶為中
吉，雖是相生比和，未免純陰純陽，故為中吉。以生氣門主灶為次吉，夫生氣乃
星中第一吉星，何以名為次吉？蓋生氣雖有陰有陽，但非夫婦之正配，又系宫星
相剋，故為次吉。

In West Group houses, a yán nián stove is best. Earth grows metal, and yīn yáng
pairing is ideal (qián with kūn, zhèn with xùn, etc.). tiān yī is next, for although the
relevant elements grow or support each other, the pairings are uni-polar (yīn with yīn,
yáng with yáng). shēng qì takes third place in spite of the Star’s customary leadership
role. This is because the yīn yáng pairing is less desirable (eg. a qián house’s shēng qì
is at duì - old man paired with young girl, etc.), and moreover the elements of the

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Palace and Star counter each other (eg. shēng qì is at duì - Palace is metal whereas
Star is wood).

“東四宅門主灶以生氣為上上大吉，水木相生，木火通明，雖非夫婦正配，然亦
有陰有陽，又得宮星相生之理，故曰生氣為東四宅上上大吉。以延年門主灶為中
吉，雖得夫婦正配，未免金木相剋，水火相煎，宮星相剋，故曰中吉。以天醫門
主灶為次吉，不是純陰，即是純陽，故曰次吉。

In East Group houses, a shēng qì stove is best. Water grows wood, and wood feeds fire
to brighten it. Although the yīn yáng pairing is off-ideal, both polarities are
nevertheless present, and moreover Palace and Star are in a growth relationship.
Hence shēng qì is pre-eminent in East Group houses. yán nián is second best, its ideal
yīn yáng pairing marred by metal countering wood, confrontation between water and
fire, Palace and Star countering each other. tiān yī is third on account of its uni-polar
nature.”

There was a passage that described how the stove could be used to rectify certain
problems, a little far-fetched perhaps, but intriguing nonetheless. As the passage was
rather lengthy, I would not quote the Chinese text but only paraphrase it:

1) The stove affected the fortunes of the family as it was the place where the food was
cooked, and illnesses were caused by food ingestion. Hence the stove should only
be located at the 3 beneficial Stars;

2) The worst Star at which to locate the stove was wŭ guĭ, followed by liù shā.
Violation of these 2 Stars would bring unease to the family, or the family members
would succumb to frequent illness;

3) A quick remedy was to take the ash from the existing stove, wash it with (spiritually)
purified water, and on the 5th day take it out of town and dump it in a river, or if
there was no river, dispose of it at a crossroad. The 5th day was chosen to send
away wŭ guĭ (5th star of the Big Dipper).

New bricks, earth and stones could then be purchased, and a new stove constructed
at the tiān yī location of the Door or Master. Harmful qì would be dissolved,
effective almost immediately.

Within 30 days in the case of a wood stove (East or Southeast), 50 days for an earth
stove (Northeast or Southwest), 40 days for a metal stove (West or Northwest), 20
days for a fire stove (South), and 60 days for a water stove (North), the desired
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effects would be felt, whether it be recovery from an illness, financial gain, children
luck or an elevation in status. The effects would be good for 3 years;

4) Iron utensils used at the old stove could retain the harmful qì for a while. They
should be stored away for 100 days before being reused. Only iron utensils were
affected, not earthenware or crockery.

e. “Golden Light” and “Bright Mirror” were the mavericks. These 2 classics sang the
same tune and advocated the stove to be seated at a harmful location, with the proviso
that the fire mouth (火門) should face a beneficial location, based on a person’s life
guà. The fire mouth referred to the opening in a traditional stove through which fuel
was fed into the fire.

The following passage was common between “Golden Light” and “Bright Mirror”:

“鍋灶人皆視為細小事，而不知為立宅之要務，如灶座壓本命生氣方，則懷鬼胎
或落胎不孕，即有子也不聪明，不得財，不招人口，田畜損敗。

若壓天醫方，則久病卧床，體弱服藥無效。

若壓延年方，則無壽，婚姻難成，夫婦不和，傷人口，損六畜，多病窮窘。

若壓伏位方，則無財無壽，終身貧苦。

若壓本命之絕命方，則無病有壽，多子發財，招奴婢，又無火災，一家平安。

如壓六煞方，則發丁發財，無病無訟，無火災，家門安稳。

若壓禍害方，不退財，不傷人，無病無訟。

若壓五鬼方，無火災，無盗賊，奴婢忠勤得力，無病發財，田畜大旺。

......

火門者，鍋底納柴，燒火之口，得向吉方，發福甚速，期月之間可驗子嗣貧富，
災病壽夭，蓋以日用飲食者，此為人之根本也。

Many people pay scant attention to the stove that holds the wok, not knowing its
importance in setting up a house. If the stove sits on and suppresses shēng qì of one’s
life guà, unfortunate events like deformed foetus or miscarriage or failure to conceive
will occur. Even if a child is born, he will not be intelligent. The family will not
become wealthy, will not multiply in numbers, crops and livestock will fail.

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8M TRILOGY–3

If the stove suppresses tiān yī, the outcome will be long term bed ridden illness or a
body too weak to respond to medication.

If the stove suppresses yán nián, it will lead to shortened lifespan; difficult marriage;
disharmony between husband and wife; injury to people; damage to livestock; multiple
illnesses and poverty.

If the stove suppresses fú wèi, the family will not enjoy wealth and longevity; will
endure lifelong poverty.

If the stove suppresses jué mìng of one’s life guà, life expectancy will be extended with
freedom from illness; there will be multiple children, abundant wealth, many servants,
and no fire disaster. The family will be safe.

If the stove suppresses liù shā, people numbers and wealth will multiply; there will be
no illness, no legal problems, and no fire disaster. The family will be stable.

If the stove suppresses huò hài, wealth will not dwindle; people will not be hurt; there
will be no sickness or legal problems.

If the stove suppresses wŭ guĭ, there will be no fire disaster; no robbery; servants will
work hard and be loyal; no illness; crops and livestock will thrive.

......

The fire mouth is the opening below the wok that receives firewood to keep the fire
burning. Facing the fire mouth to a beneficial location will produce quick results.
Expectations related to descendants, wealth or poverty, disasters, longevity or early
demise will become manifest in a matter of months. This is because the stove goes
down to the very roots of the people who eat and drink from it daily.”

[Sounds rather like a TV commercial, does it not?]

Now this alternative view delivered a major impact on 8M theory and practice.
“Golden Light” and “Bright Mirror” chose to clash head-on with the classics before
them. It took guts. Is the difference irreconcilable? Before we draw a conclusion, let
us see what else “Bright Mirror” had to say about the stove.

f. Recommendations on the stove were scattered all over “Bright Mirror”. Not all of the
comments were consistent. It looked as if “Bright Mirror” was not the work of one
author, but a collection of several articles of the same genre but each having its unique

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flavor. It would require a mammoth task to correlate everything said about the stove in
“Bright Mirror”. I won’t even want to attempt it.

However, the following passage could be an eye opener:

“安灶十忌：

一忌東西錯卦坐，二忌背後有井碓，三忌背宅反覆作，四忌左右向外凶，五忌路
巷直衝灶，六忌背後有空曠，七忌溝渠穿灶底，八忌天井飄下風，九忌背後有横
路，十忌屋脊直壓灶。

10 taboos of locating a stove:

(1) Seated on the wrong East West guà;

(2) Having a well or grain hammer behind;
(3) The back of the stove facing the house;
(4) External shā qì to the left and right;
(5) A road or lane clashing directly into the stove;
(6) Empty space (i.e. no wall) behind the stove;
(7) Drain running underneath the stove;
(8) A draft (wind) drifting down from the courtyard;
(9) A road running across the back;
(10) Roof ridge pressing down on the stove (the same would apply to a beam).”

3.4 Resolution of Controversy

8M practitioners faced a dilemma. Which of the 2 approaches should they adopt? It was
not as if the approaches allowed the practitioner to choose depending on circumstances.
“Golden Light” and “Bright Mirror” were particularly harsh, even savage, in their
condemnations.

Practitioners had to take a stand, often inadequately substantiated. When pressed, masters
were fond of saying their practical experience verified their approach, but I would question
how many masters actually conducted statistically valid studies?

Let me try to reason it out, going by the classics.

If we studied what “Bright Mirror” had to say about locating the toilet to suppress the
harmful Stars, we would see a parallel being drawn between the unpleasant effluents of the
toilet and the disagreeable by-products of the stove. “Bright Mirror” clearly wanted to

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exploit the “fighting poison with poison” (以毒攻毒) principle. Traditional stoves were
built to channel the gases, smoke and soot to exit from the back, and the ash to collect at the
bottom of the stove. Hence locating the stove at a harmful Star would mean discharging the
gases, smoke and soot in the direction of the harmful Star, and depositing the ash directly
on it. [Talking about spitting in your enemy’s face and sh***** on him!].

Now it was a matter of conjecture whether such a direct confrontation with a harmful Star
was the best strategy. In Chinese metaphysics, dissolution was often preferred to clashing
head-on, but I guess “Bright Mirror” wanted to take the bull by the horns.

The point to note is that modern stoves, with the aid of cooker hoods, no longer discharge
the nasty by-products of combustion, just as modern toilets are no longer dirty and smelly.
So the modern stove, along with the modern toilet, has lost its ability to “suppress” harmful
Stars. Therefore “Bright Mirror’s” original intent, wise or unwise, can no longer be met.
This invariably swings the argument in the opposing camp’s favor.

The recommendation to place the stove with the fire mouth facing a beneficial Star
attracted no dispute. It was a logical and readily acceptable concept. But then modern gas
or electric stoves do not have an obvious fire mouth. Practitioners often regard the control
knobs as the modern equivalent, and the side of the stove on which the control knobs are
mounted is taken to be the facing of the stove. Is this substitution real or symbolic? That’s
open to individual interpretation.

Having reviewed the classical positions and understood the rationale behind them, we ought
to interpret the classics in the light of our modern environment, and decide for ourselves
which of their recommendations remain valid and which are evidently outdated. The
following is but my own view:

a. By virtue of the modern stove being a relatively clean device, its location at a beneficial
Star should no longer gives rise to the dire consequences threatened in “Golden Light”
and “Bright Mirror”, meaning it is not hazardous to have the kitchen and stove at a
beneficial location of the house;

b. Given total freedom to design a house layout, which is a rare occurrence, I would defer
to locating the kitchen at a beneficial Star. I find the pre-“Golden Light/Bright Mirror”
camp’s argument more straightforward and persuasive;

c. However there is a practical advantage to locating the kitchen at a harmful Star. In the
tight living space of a typical modern house, we need to make optimum use of all

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available locations, including those with harmful Stars. So to locate the kitchen at a
harmful Star is often a practical necessity. We have to deal with reality;

d. To face the fire mouth to a beneficial Star is desirable, whether one regards the modern
control knobs to be real or symbolic fire mouths. This is especially so if the stove is
placed at a harmful Star. The positive effects of placebo medication should not be
underestimated;

e. Whilst I hold the classics in high regard by and large, I do not subscribe to their scare
tactics. Some classical writers were fond of making prophetic pronouncements, scaring
their readers into submission. Were students in the old days so gullible? I found such
cheap tactics distasteful. In other words, go for the crux and cut out the crap.

[End of Part-3]

In Closing:
The trilogy will take a hiatus here. As stated in the Preamble, the intent was to explore certain
intriguing or contentious aspects of 8-Mansions. If the paper managed to rekindle interest in this
not exactly fashionable but no less effective technique of yáng house fēngshuĭ, it would have met
its objective; and if the occasional frivolities tickled the reader, then the objective would have
been happily exceeded.

And if the paper only confused the reader even more, no apologies are offered. They say a little
knowledge is a dangerous thing; a bit more is confusing; only ignorance is bliss 😊😊

Blissfully...

from the rumblings of one hhc, a fengshui crazee

Dec-2007
edited Aug-2017

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