A Non-believer

I remember many years ago a story that was shared by my fellow classmates when I was learning under my Daoist teacher. My teacher had a best friend that he first knew when he was in the army. While my teacher is a Daoist master, his best friend was a firm believer of science and he never accepted the former's religious practices. One day, the friend made a visit to my teacher's home and saw the altar in the house. He queried the teacher about the many amulets he saw on the altar and my teacher explained that some of these amulets are actually home to spirits that he kept. Claiming his faith in science and not spirits, the best friend wanted proof and requested to bring one of the amulets home and see what happens. My teacher was reluctant but obliged, allowing him to take a spirit with him back. Before leaving, my teacher cautioned the friend that he will definitely return it before the next day.

True enough, the best friend called the teacher in the middle of the night and begged him to take the amulet back. The friend was not able to sleep as he kept hallucinating that the walls are closing in on him. Other supernatural occurences happened too but I was not given the details. Nevertheless, the spirit definitely scared the hell out of this guy and nearly drive him insane. My teacher then made a fast trip down to the friend's house and collected his spirit 'friend' back. The best friend became an overnight believer of the spirit world and learned to respect my teacher's religious practices.

Regards
Alvin Chua

怎么知道犯了太岁？

俗语云：“太岁当头坐，无灾便是祸。”太岁指每年流年的地支，2007年为猪年，天干地支丁亥，亥就是本年太岁了，而与猪有刑、冲、破、害的生肖也称为犯太岁。「冲」亦分为「年冲」及「对冲」。 「年冲」即是指生肖之年，例如今年是蛇年，属蛇者即为年冲； 「对冲」即是指生肖之年再加上六年，「对冲」又叫「六冲」，即子午冲、丑未冲、寅申冲、卯酉冲、辰戌冲、巳亥冲；以辛巳蛇年为例，巳与亥为相冲，因此肖猪的人仕在辛巳蛇年，便是「对冲」，犯了太岁；凡是遇到「年冲」或「对冲」的生肖，都要到庙里拜太岁，才会诸事顺吉。
甚麼叫做刑太岁，刑太岁，又称「偏冲」，自己的出生年如与流年所属生肖相差三年，便是刑克，即与流年太岁「偏冲」。古语有云：太岁当头坐，无喜恐有祸。例如蛇年，肖蛇为太岁，肖猪为冲太岁，而肖猴和虎为「偏冲」太岁。但太岁有生肖太岁和方位太岁两种。
生肖太岁：生肖猪者今年是正犯太岁，犯太岁者应留心自身健康及家中老幼健康外，已婚者更防是
非多多，亦不应投机，因今年宜守不宜攻，万事三思而行。 冲太岁是指和太岁相沖的地支属相，二00六年和太岁丙戌相冲者首是辰属龙，属龙者于狗年沖太岁，辰戌相沖，为正沖。刑太岁为牛及羊,但比正冲太岁的龙及犯太岁的狗，刑剋耗损力较少。犯太岁及沖太岁，只表示该年转动及变动较多，而不一定为祸。风水玄学上有“一喜挡三煞”之说，故除应放松自己忧烦不安及缺乏自信的心情外，冲犯太岁者亦可考虑于当年筹办一些喜庆事宜，比如做生日、结婚、生儿育女、换车、买屋、置业、上契及多参与一些喜庆活动，都有助提升自己的运程。 冲犯太岁者，今年属龙之人，变动较多，但并非一定为凶。故此在工作上之变动、迁移、搬屋、以至转业等都可助因应流年要有变动反而有所突破。 趋吉避凶的方法 １.宜用红色以辟邪化煞； ２.不宜入医院探病 (正月更不要去探病,若探病记得向病人要红包!) ３.不宜参加白事.4、宜带太岁符 5、宜拜祭太岁 6、初一、十五宜食斋 (平时不要吃狗肉) 7、多参加喜庆之事8、记得初一、十五穿红内裤.喜欢搏彩的易友事先也记得查下红裤子,下注前手指摸下红内裤子后再下注,大吉!祝你一本万利!!9,家中养几只兔.10,多念观音经.方位太岁：俗语云：太岁头上动土。所以太岁方位是不能动的。今年2007太岁在西北方，所以今年凡是坐西北向东南的房子不能动土或动工，西北方不能动。同时如若今年犯太岁及冲太岁者，可在家中西北方放一件陶瓷的虎(虎与猪合)。

其實，太歲方位重要，然而太歲的對方更是不容忽視，犯之則稱『歲破』。例如今年戌年，戌方為太歲，辰方則為歲破方，犯之則稱犯歲破。一般擇日的原則是「太歲可坐不可向」，若宅之坐方為太歲方，選擇以坐方之年月日時，仍可稱吉。若選擇歲破方之方位動土或年月日時，則凶矣！例如今年坐辰山的就不宜遷移或是入宅。
注意：今年2007农历新年虽是在西历的二月十八日，但丁亥年其实是在农历二月四日已开始。因为习命术者是用立春来定每一年的开始的。切记。

Feng Shui For Casino?

Too be honest, you don't need feng shui to build a profitable casino at all. All casino are bound to make $$$ regardless of its good or bad feng shui. This is because it is an industry built on the exploitation of the human intrinsic greed. Therefore, the masters that are approached by casinos to feng shui their buildings are super lucky to get paid big bucks for minimal work. And here's another fact:

When it comes to vices, no one beats the Chinese. Think about this, any place in the world where you can find a Chinese community, you can 100% find prostitution and gambling activities. These two actitivies are inseparable parts of Chinese culture, trust me. Wherever we Chinese go, we bring them along. So as long as you can find a Chinese community in a particular country, build a casino there and it will guarantee to flourish. That's also why the integrated resorts in Singapore are bound to make $$$$ in the future, feng shuied or not. Just wait and see...

Regards
Alvin Chua

何谓五术？

黄帝平息战乱以后，命仓诘造字，将九天玄女所授天书内的各种秘术记载下来，此书就是后来被江湖人视若瑰宝的《金篆玉函》。黄帝留下来的秘籍，在周朝被姜太公在昆仑山得到，他利用秘籍上的方术助周伐纣，使周朝有八百年的统治。

战国时又传到鬼谷子--王禅老祖手中。他将秘术传给徒弟--苏秦、张仪、孙膑、庞涓，而使其徒成为当时赫赫有名的将相之才。到了汉朝，张良于黄石公处得秘籍，旺汉四百年。《金篆玉函》就这样在神奇的方式下一代一代的传承，到了三国时代传到诸葛亮手中，辅备夺得三分天下。两晋南北朝时期、隋、唐、五代，期间虽然也有得到《金篆玉函》者，但大都不全，如诸葛亮得到是道术，郭璞、杨筠松得到的是堪舆术（阴阳风水）。在宋朝得到《金篆玉函》的是一代鸿儒，著作等身的旷世学士朱熹。迨及明朝，刘基（字伯温）得到《金篆玉函》，助朱元璋创立大明江山，后全身而退。《金篆玉函》经过四千年的流传，期间内容有散佚增删，或有分歧而产生了很多流派。大致分为：命、卜、相、医、山，统称为玄学五术。

命

秘术中"命"是以时间、空间的磁场来判断人的命运的一种方法。其重要的方法有：

占星术--在占星术所包含的有《七政四余》、《紫薇斗数》、《五星术》。

干支术--以人出生时间，年月日时以天干地支排列成命，四柱中命的部分典籍最多，重要的古籍有：《果老星宗》、《星平会海》、《渊海子平》、《鬼谷遗文》、《孙膑遗书》、《三命通会》、《穷通宝鉴》（又名栏江纲）、《滴天髓》、《神峰通考》、《铁板神数》、《河洛理数》、《子平真全》、《子平粹言》……等等。

卜

所有数术玄学以卜术最为渊源流长，历史朝代中的军事家大多精通此术，汉朝的诸葛亮、唐朝的李淳风、宋朝的邵康节、明朝的刘伯温、清朝的曾国藩……诸术以卜派最为渊源流长，从古老的周易演化而来，如《梅花易数》、《纳甲断易》、《六壬神课》、《太乙神数》、《奇门遁甲》等数术学。有的门派在卜的这一部分还包括预言、克应占梦、测字解字、签贴、姓名学等方术。

相

相的部分包括两种；

人相――手相（玉掌）、面相（金面）、体相、摸骨、痣相等，代表著作有《观人于微》、《相理衡真》、《神相铁关刀》、《水镜神相》、《麻衣神相》、《金铰剪》等。

地相――地相就是古时的《堪舆术》，分为看门井灶的阳宅相法与看龙穴砂水向的阴宅相法，一般称为风水术。其主要的流派有《三元法》、《三合法》、《九星法》等。

医

秘术"医"包括三部分。

方剂--使用药物，根据表里、虚实、寒热，再应用古老的周易八卦来治疗各种疾病一种方法。

针灸--以《黄帝内经》、《难经》辩奇经八脉、穴道，用铜针刺穴道治疗疾病的方法。

灵疗--以催眠术、暗示法及集中精神意念，利用《祝由十三科》做药引来治疗疾病的方法。

山

山所包含的是修心养性、锻炼身体的秘术，"山"也是最深奥、最神秘的，也是最容易被人误解为"迷信"的一种。"山"所包含“玄典”、“养生”、“修密”三部分的修习：

“玄典”--一切可以修身养性的好书都可以用来修习，如《老子》、《庄子》、《列子》、《孙子》、《太公阴符经》、《黄帝内经》、《道臧》甚至《西游记》……等一切书籍都被拿来充实思想、参悟宇宙道理。

“养生”--追求健康长寿的吐纳法--气功。道家的炼丹法，称之为天丹、人丹、地丹。

“修密”--符咒法、压镇法、祈星法、武术等，利用运动以及精神、意念的统一来提高身心境界的方法。也有秘术门派将"山"分为仙、道、幻、灵、兵五种方法。而其范围不离上述三部分。

山是秘术中最不容易达到的境界，严格地说，它是凡人修仙道的工夫，是求超脱的形而上之追求，只有“命、卜、相、医”流在江湖凡尘济世了。山也因此时常被误以为是风水学。古人因得隐居于山中修炼故称“山”，并非指堪舆学中的“山”。山为五术最重要的秘术，而当中所用之其法都原自于道家，所以有一些习五术之道友称它为“道家五术”。道家不提倡宿命论，也深信“我命在我，不在天”之哲学，故以此五种以易经为范本的趋吉避凶方术来“知命”，然后“医命”。

How to know if someone is being put under a spell?

The following was taught by Master Xie Yuanjing of Taiwan:

如果想要知道一個人是否遭到下符或下降頭，有兩個很簡單的方法，第一個就是觀察眼珠正上方，如 果眼珠正上方出現一條黑線，通常就是中了降頭，如果出現一條灰線，通常就是中了符咒，如果出現一條紅線，通常就是被小鬼纏。

另一個方法，就是用米酒作測試。謝沅瑾表示，「米」具有潔淨作用，只要端著米酒到他人身前，如果是受到法術控制的，就會開始全身不舒服，如果強迫他喝米酒，則會出現十分激烈的反抗，如果有這樣的行為，通常就有理由去懷疑。

謝沅瑾表示，要解符咒或降頭，通常就是要用符解符，如果一般人沒有辦法自己用符解，可以試著用粗鹽、白米、榕樹葉，再加上白開水，然後喝下去﹔一 般而言，如果有中符或降頭，喝了這樣一碗水後就會開始不斷嘔吐，將體內毒素吐出，可以用來解除輕微的毒，如果沒有太多作用，就要求助法師。


Regards
Alvin Chua

Is Feng Shui a Daoist practice?

Is Feng Shui a Daoist practice?

No, Feng Shui exists much earlier then Daoism. Back then, the practice is not known as Feng Shui yet but as Kan1 Yu2.

But why is Feng Shui always associated with Daoism?

This is because both Daoism and the practice of Feng Shui are based on the same core concepts of Yin-Yang, the five elements, the Ba Gua, the He Tu and Luo Shu, and also the existence of Qi. They share the same philosophical roots that are derived from the Yi Jing (I-ching). The reason being the earliest practitioners of Kan Yu are the Fang Shi 方士 (experts of th esoteric formulas) of ancient China who also happens to be the predecessors of the Daoists. That is why Cate Bramble (a Certified Traditional Feng Shui consultant and affiliate with the American Feng Shui Institute) said:

"Daoists developing Feng Shui were the theoretical physicists of the ancient world — part mystics and part scientists, their keen observations of and hypotheses about nature are the closest thing the ancients had to modern scientific inquiry, surpassing the Greeks by a considerable margin."

Master Yap Cheng Hai also commented on this:

"Feng shui has no bearing with religion. It is similar to the Taoist philosophy, which has its roots in China much earlier than Buddhism, in that everything is cyclical and everything will revert to the Tao or nothingness.
The link between feng shui and Taoism is very obvious. The scholars in ancient days were all Taoists and you could say that the Taoists practised feng shui. As the general population became more educated, feng shui spread as a form of knowledge and broke free from Taoism."

As a result, both Daoists and Feng Shui practitioners alike find it easy to embrace each others’ beliefs and practices since ancient time. That is also why many Feng Shui masters happens to be a lineage carrier of some Daoist sects (especially in Asia). In fact, over the centuries ideas, concepts and terminologies have been borrowed from Daoism and incorporated into Feng Shui and vice versa. The author Lim Jian Qiang林健强 in his book [玄空风水科学检证] has mentioned:

“风水思想和理论的形成虽然比道教要早，但道教的思想和理论渗透到风水文化之中，为推动玄空风水的发展产生深远的影响，功不可没。”

“据学者考证，玄空风水中的“七星”、“九星”之名源出于道教。道教中应用的扶占、符箓、祝咒等，都在玄空风水文化活动中得到宽泛的运用。”

Lu Xun 鲁迅, the father of modern Chinese literature, once said: " The roots of China lie in Daoism 中国根柢全在道教." Delve into the history books and it is not difficult to see that almost everything Chinese has intimate links with Daoism.

However, do not be mistaken to think that one have to be a Daoist to practice and use Feng Shui. This is not necessary and definitely not my purpose here. But I need to make clear one thing: Please do not deny Daoism's role in the development of Feng Shui, for to do so is to deprive others of the chance to know Feng Shui comprehensive history. I know alot of teachers in an attempt to market Feng Shui to the masses always claim that "Feng Shui has absolute nothing to do with Daoism. Period. " . I feel that this is unjustifiable and uncalled-for.

Here's what Larry Sang's student P.K. Odle said in her Feng Shui Advantage's website:

"Classical Feng Shui is a science with the same roots as Acupuncture. Needles are used in Acupuncture to treat the energy patterns of the body, while Feng Shui uses the five elements to treat the invisible energies in your home / office. Unless your religious beliefs prevent you from visiting an Acupuncturist, there isn’t anything stopping you from using the science/art of Feng Shui to improve the energy patterns that are already affecting every area of your life."

Regards
Alvin Chua

Written by Alvin Chua. All rights reserved. Copyright @. Not for commercial use of any kind.

Can A Buddhist Practices Feng Shui?

Yes, why not? Qi affects us in everyway irregardless of our religious beliefs. Feng Shui works like acupuncture, it is the manipulation of the Qi in our immediate environment to cure our daily mundane ills. Its efficacy is not dependent on you believing it or not. A tribal villager may think that you are bullshiting him when you try to explain to him the existence of ultraviolet rays but it does not change the fact that he can get skin cancer if he is overexposed to the rays under the sun. However, please note that the Buddha is clear that such practices are not advocated for a Buddhist. I know that there are many Feng Shui Masters who promoted Feng Shui hand in hand alongside with their Buddhist practices and in turn hope that their apparent piety can rake in more Feng Shui audit deals fro them.

Regards
Alvin Chua

Feng Shui Master Or Just A Salesman?

A few days ago, I went to visit a local Feng Shui Master in Eastern Singapore who is quite famous since he is frequently featured in the Chinese newspapers. In fact, I was very excited about meeting him and listen to what's his comments on my house's floorplan., which is a free service provided by him. I have bought some of his audio cds before and thus thought that he's good but when he analyse my floorplan, I knew something was amiss. First, he used the facing of my main door to determine the House gua. He then commented that it is a very good house for me and my wife since we are both West Group based on Bazhai and my house is a West Group House. "Of course it's a auspicious house since I applied my Bazhai knowledge when purchasing this house ", I thought to myself. It was later in my further indepth study did I realised that the method of using the main door as a determinant of house facing is not recommended by many masters. And this guy here is using this method to analyse my house, what the hell? He then go on about how I can enchance my house with drastic renovation recommendation. From this moment onwards, I truly saw his true colors. This so-called master is simply just a salesman. Said that the main problem is that my main door faces the door of one of the bedrooms. And the only way is to change the position of the bedroom door. The other option will be to place a crystal boulder there, next to the door. He went on to recommend me the crystal boulders he's selling which ranges from $5000 to $10000. Gosh, no wonder these Feng Shui bastards are so filthy rich. A few thousands for a bloody rock?! He maybe able to con the layperson but not a fellow practioner. Classical Feng Shui doesn't use crystal in the first place except as a Earth element. .. To increase my wealth luck, he try to sell me his Buddhist vase which cost a few hundred bucks. Feng Shui has nothing to do with Buddhism. In fact, the Buddha is very clear in his teachings that Buddhists are to shun away from such practices. From this incident, I gathered that in Singapore, only the rich can afford to have Feng Shui consultation. I am really disappointed with the Feng Shui salesmen out there who simply want to con people's hard-earned money. Pui!


Regards Alvin Chua

Written by Alvin Chua. All rights reserved. Copyright @. Not for commercial use of any kind.

Who’s who in the Fengshui World?

Grand Master: Yap Cheng Hai 葉清海 (Malaysia)
Student: Lilian Too (Malaysia), CP Lim (Singapore), Adelina Pang (Singapore) , Joey Yap (Malaysia)

Master: Joseph Yu (Canada)
Student: Lynn Yap (Singapore), Joey Yap (Malaysia) , Heluo aka Roel Hill (The Netherlands), Kartar Diamond (United States)

Master: Philip Cheong (Malaysia)
Student: Joey Yap (Malaysia)

Master: Larry Sang (United States)
Student: Kartar Diamond (United States), Lorraine Wilcox (United States) , P.K. Odle (United States), Chris Shaul (United States).

Grand Master: Lum Kwok Hung 林國雄 (Hong Kong)
Student: Joey Yap (Malaysia), Leung Kim Ho梁劍豪 (Hong Kong)

Master: Raymond Lo (Hong Kong)
Student: Kartar Diamond (United States), Georgia Kiafi (Greece)

Grand Master: The late Ma Jen-chou (Ma Renzhou) 馬仁騶 (Hong Kong; departed in the 6th lunar month of 2005)
Student: Eva Wong, Yi Guanyin 尹冠英

This is just a rough guide and may not be accurate. Please inform me of any mistakes.

Feng Shui of Marina Bay Intergrated Resort

It's a bad job done. It's definitely not authentic Feng Shui but I read in the Chinese newspapers that the geomancer was paid a hefty sum of money for his service. Please zoom in the picture to read the article and also the pointers I have added to the pictures. The three towers were said to be the mountains providing a strong support and the three main event centers to represent three Chinese coins (what?!). The structure on the left of the picture which is supposed to be in the shape of a lotus flower was designed so as to appease the 妈姐 Ma Jies (who have broken their vows and punished by death) who died along this coastline, based on the Buddhist values attributed to the lotus flower. (Yah right...).

Can't believe big corporations are willing to pay that kind of $$$ for questionable Feng Shui theories...I have never heard of the guy before and thus do not know of his credibility. His name is 张传力 but intensive search on the Net found no information about him at all. The newspaper said that he was a Feng Shui consultant for some international corporations especially in Europe.

I have read a interview with Master Tan Khoon Yong about his comments on the IR and he said that it is a beneficial design and further elaborated the feng shui analysis in the same line as the one given by 张传力 above. Hmmm, maybe I am not skilled enough to understand their analysis and interpretation. But I do notice that there is a excessive focus on the symbolic meaning in their interpretation. Yes, we do use symbols in Feng Shui but the key aspect is still the manipulation of Qi, otherwise it would have been a form of psychological studies.

The Chinese newpaper is here:

























Regards
Alvin Chua

濱海灣金沙風水格局

Taken from the site:

ChinaPress.com

May 28, 2006 18:01

濱海灣金沙贏得發展權
風水格局成焦點

（新加坡28日訊）拉斯維加斯金沙集團的濱海灣金沙脫穎而出，贏得新加坡首個綜合度假勝地發展權后，濱海灣金沙的風水格局，很自然的成為眾人焦點。

新加坡風水師對這一發展項目的風水佈陣有何看法？

濱海灣金沙和澳門的金沙娛樂場，甚至和設在美國拉斯維加斯的總部又有何不同？

這些都是引人入勝的有趣話題。

新加坡著名風水師陳軍榮今早受訪時說，濱海灣金沙的基本佈局是“七星伴月”。

他說，3棟高的酒店建築和4棟矮的主要建築形成七星，屬于陽性建築，外貌似蓮花的戶外表演場所是唯一的陰性建築，也就是“七星”所伴的“月”。

3棟酒店建築象征著福、祿、壽，代表著新加坡3代領導人的傑出貢獻，而4棟矮的主要建築是“四大護法”，起著保護福、祿、壽的作用。

象徵福祿壽

陳師傅說，這4棟建築將是賭場，主要娛樂消閒設施所在處，因此是比較會賺錢的部份，支撐著整個綜合度假勝地的運作。

至于那蓮花型建築，配上噴泉和燈光效果，將讓綜合度假勝地所處的水域增添各種水上活動，帶動了原本被封住的河口，使死水變活水。

陳師傅認為美中不足之處，是3棟酒店建築上面的空中花園，在形成平台后限制了其發展，以致難有突破。他認為3棟建築應有高低。

隱藏蝠從天降
風水師：福蔭新加坡

蝠從天降的格局！

另1位風水師魏錦文認為，濱海灣金沙隱藏“蝠從天降”的風水格局，正好與新加坡本身的“金鷹撲石”形成“蝠鷹”陣勢，可說是福蔭新加坡”。

他說，從上面看，濱海灣金沙的4棟主要矮建築像蝙蝠，取蝠（福）從天降的風水格局，而蝙蝠喜歡在夜間活動，因此會帶旺各種夜間活動，包括賭場，夜總會，夜間表演等。

至于蓮花形狀的露天劇場，剛好在白虎的位置上，那是管錢財位置，因此能大吉大利。

魏師傅說，靠水邊的升降台則將吸百川之氣，起著帶旺整個綜合度假勝地的作用。

那3棟酒店則起著“三足鼎立的作用”，將和雲頂及澳門的賭場抗衡。

Raymond Lo Talk: Feng Shui And You In 2007

Speaker:	Master Raymond Lo
Date:	Thu, 2 Nov 2006, 8pm - 9.30pm
Venue:	Singapore Conference Hall, 2nd Level
Price:	$10 (incl. GST) for all Singapore Pools’ customers

Click here for more details

Oh crappp............. what a sad day.......today is the talk and I can't get hold of any tickets for it. I went all over town, 5 outlets in all but 3 are retailers, telling me they don't sell the ticket and the other 2 are Singapore pools branches but the ticket are sold out. Really shitty that I have to miss this talk... Damned...

香港科学研究风水住宅面向西南 高楼居民最健康

Below is an report from the local Chinese newspaper, titled 'Hong Kong Scientific Studies discover that those staying in highrise apartments and facing Southwest are more healthy':

（新加坡）新明日报　(2005-08-02)
　　（综合电）香港科学研究风水，香港理大建筑系的研究显示，在香港住在面向西南与高层楼的居民最健康。而面向马路的居民，每月却较常看医生。住宅的坐向和景观与健康息息相关，香港理工大学的研究，证实两者关系有科学根据。

　　研究发现，住在面向西南及高层的住户是最健康一族，面向马路的居民每月却较常看医生，通风设计差的房子可能累积较平均高五倍的有害氡气。

　　研究人员测试不同住户的通风效果，发现有部分住户居民紧闭窗户外出或使用分离式冷气机时，室内便积聚二氧化碳等空气中的有害气体，有些住户累积的可致癌气体氡气，较平均水平高五倍，达到危险水准。

　　研究认为部分楼宇呈十字形设计的住户，‘天井’空间十分狭窄，各住户厨房向‘天井’排放的油烟难以消散，若倒流入住宅内，会污染室内空气。低层没有分开设置的独立污水系统，令高层住户的污水和臭气容易经马桶倒流入住宅内。

A Recent Feng Shui Audit I Did Of A HDB Flat

Here 's a report I have done up for my relative's house:

It's a 六运子坐午向之宅

FENG SHUI ANALYSIS

House: Period 6 (Built between 1964 – 1983)

Facing: 180 degrees South坎宅 (东四宅)

Current Period: 8

Usable Stars: 3 and 6

Guardian Star of each Family Member 命卦

Father: 4 Wood巽 (Year 1969己酉) 东四命
Auspicious Directions (In order of from the best to the average): North, East, South and Southeast.
Unlucky Directions (In order of from the mild to the worst): Northwest, West, Southwest and Northeast.

Mother: 9 Fire离 (Year 1976丙辰) 东四命
Auspicious Directions: Southeast, North, East and South.
Unlucky Directions: Northeast, Southwest, West and Northwest.

Son: 6 Metal乾 (Year 2003癸未) 西四命
Academic Locations: North-East寅 (文昌位) and West酉 (文曲位).
Auspicious Directions: West, Southwest, Northeast and Northwest.
Unlucky Directions: East, North, Southeast and South.

Daughter: 3 Wood震 (Year 2006丙戌) 东四命
Academic Locations: South-West申 (文昌位) and North-East寅 (文曲位).
Auspicious Directions: South, Southeast, North and East.
Unlucky Directions: Southwest, Northeast, Northwest and West.

Remember: When seated (whether doing work, calculating finances, studying, etc), always face your auspicious direction. As for sleeping, the top of your head should point towards your auspicious direction. Harmful directions should be avoided whenever possible. These directions can also be applied to your workspace in the office.

Also, regarding the Academic locations (文昌/文曲), the children can use the given sector in terms of the whole house or of a particular room. E.g. Academic location is West, the dining area in the kitchen will be the West in terms of the whole house. As for rooms, just set your compass in the center of the room to find out where is the West and place the study table alongside the western wall.

General

This house will benefit the female owner greatly in terms of her career luck. This is because the Period Star at the main entrance is the 3 Wood star which gives birth to her guardian star 9 Fire. As for the male owner, career luck will be average since the house will not help him much but won’t cause much trouble also. As head of the family, he will be prone to injuries. Children will be generally unhealthy because of the 8 and 4 combination at the main entrance. In fact, health and relationships with others will be below average since the ruling mountain star 8 has “gone down the water”. Also, the Gen (Northeast) sector of the house is missing which means its occupants will tend to have stomach, spleen and intestinal problems.

Remove or cover any empty containers in the living room and dining area (the half of the kitchen that is nearest to the living room, where the dining table is), such as vases (both empty or with flowers/water), umbrella stands, etc. This will help in the well-being of the relationship of the husband and wife.
Room A (South-east)

Water Star 2; Mountain Star 1; Period Star 5

There will be frequent illnesses (especially concerning kidneys, urinary organ, and ear-related problems) for those who sleep in this room due to the combination of the 2 and 5. It will be worse if the room is used as a study room or play room. The effect will be felt strongest in the year 2006 and 2012. The occupants may even be injured. If out of necessity this place is to be used as a bedroom, make sure to hang a string of six-emperor coins六帝钱 with a calabash 葫芦. Never hang any wind chimes in this room. Among all the family members, the son is the most suitable person to sleep in this room.
Room B (East)

Water Star 3; Mountain Star 9; Period Star 4

The best room to sleep in since it contains the mountain star 9 which is the future ruling star, bringing good health. Other than sleeping, limit the use of this room to activities that are quiet or restful such as reading. The water star 3 is a quarrelsome star, however, it is usable in this period and thus will not cause any trouble.
Room C (Center)

Water Star 1; Mountain Star 2; Period Star 6

Not recommended to be used as a bedroom. Its door is located in the sector of the sickness star, 2. The mountain star 2 is also residing here, therefore making it a sickly place to sleep in. Best to have it as a study room, activity room, etc. Hang a string of six-emperor coins六帝钱 with a calabash 葫芦 to prevent the sickness star from creating trouble.
Living Room

Water Star 6; Mountain Star 6; Period Star 1

The water star 6 is usable in the current period; therefore the living room will provide a good space for family gathering. No remedy is required here.

Dining Area

Water Star 8; Mountain Star 4; Period Star 8

Keep this area alive by having meals here as much as possible because this is the part of the house where the money star is located.

Stove Area

Water Star 9; Mountain Star 3; Period Star 7

The water star 9 is the future ruling star and thus another money star also. Preparation of meal here will help give it power to bring beneficial energy. However, the combination of the 7 and 9 may cause fire and it is also physically supported by the Roof Ledge Sha屋檐煞 outside the kitchen window. Be careful when using the stove especially in the year 2010, 2012 and 2014. Another point to note is the stove which can be seen clearly upon entering the main entrance of the house. This represents money leakage as the stove is traditionally viewed as related to money luck. It can be remedied by using placing a standing screen in the living room or beads curtain at the kitchen entrance to prevent visitors from seeing the stove clearly when entering the house.

Prepared by:

Mr Alvin Chua
29 June 2006

P.S. I have focused more on spiritual healing in recent years (with my guru's guidance) thus I have no time left to do feng shui audit for people.

All rights reserved. Copyright @. Not for commercial use of any kind.

Interesting Post from SingaporeBrides.com

Below is a post in the website's forum, in which a member by the nickname of Mint commented about her experiences of engaging the service of a local Feng Shui master:

Posted on Tuesday, September 14, 2004 - 11:12 am:

Hi all,
I had a very bad experience with Master Koh Pu Lin and find that he's a con-man. We paid him and he never called back to do a follow-up as promised. We were so angry. Then he still had the cheek to ask us for donations. Later I got another geomancer and realised that Koh Pu Lin had given us the wrong directions of our house. He said that my main door faces north but in actual fact, it faces south. Can't believe this, a geomancer can actually get simple directions like this wrong and he's still so famous. Famous con-man more like it.

When he came to my house, he was very rude. We asked him if we could hack down a wall because we wanted to do open concept, he just said no without giving proper explanations. When I asked him again if we could hack it, he said, "when I say no, you just listen and dun ask so much". Can't believe he was so rude. He even said that we cannot sleep in our master bedroom and have to move out of the house after five years. He even ask us to put an umbrella stand at our front door. Lillian Too's basic feng shui already mentions that cannot put umbrellas at the front door and he's supposed to be a well-known geomancer. He didn't even use a luo pan when checking the directions of my house. He just used a normal compass and said that my door faces north. I was quite sure it faced south because I checked it with the Lillian Too's compass many times before buying the unit.

Later on, I got another geomancer and he explained to me that I should not hack down the wall because my wealth will fly out. My geomancer also said that the house is good for me and my hubby and that we should stay here long-term. Of course my geomancer was shocked when he heard that KPL asked us to put umbrella at the front door.

Anyway, I wasted money by getting that KPL. Consider it as "po4 qian2 xiao1 zhai1"

Myopic Nation

I attended a talk on eye care and the optometrist reveal that the primary cause of myopia among Singaporeans is the result of the environment. By the way, Singapore is one of the countries with the highest myopic population in the WORLD. The environment factor alone makes up 85% while other factors like hereditary make-up, etc are in the 15%. What environment we talking about here? A superbly enclosed area. Due to the lack of land space, developers have no choice but to squeeze every building close together in order to optimize the land use. Without distance objects to focus on, prolonged visual exposure to nearby objects thus increase the risk of myopia. From a Feng Shui perspective, most of these buildings are lacking a Bright Hall 明堂. Other than those buildings facing the sea, all inland facing buildings or offices would mean a small Bright Hall or no Bright Hall at all. The occurrences of Poison Arrows will also be very high due to the proximity. Thus, a negative environment can actually have such a detrimental effect on a nationwide level.

Regards
Alvin Chua

Clarifying Traditional Chinese Feng-shui

Below is a posting I found from the Shambhala Publications Community Discussions Forum (now defunct) in which Eva Wong was one of the moderators back then.

Clarifying Traditional Chinese Feng-shui
There are a number of requests for guidelines on how to distinguish traditional Chinese feng-shui from popular feng-shui and a mixture of the two.

The following is a set of guidelines. It is by no means exhasutive. It is designed to answer many common queries coming from many readers.

Now, here are some pointers.
1. Four Pillars is NOT a part of classical traditional Chinese feng-shui. NOWHERE in the traditional Chinese feng-shui classics are Flying Stars, or Three Periods, or Three Combinations, or 8 Mansions discussed together with Four Pillars. Four Pillars is astrology and is a stand-alone divinational system. It is only used by several contemporary practitioners in Hong Kong as part of a feng-shui evaluation.

2. EAST-WEST LIFE (K'UA) is part of 8 Mansions system. The technique of determining a person's life trigram is particular to the 8 Mansions school. It is inconsistent to use it in conjunction with Xuan Kong (Hsuan-k'ung). In the Flying Stars system there are 9 guardian stars.

3. Traditional Chinese feng-shui does NOT use crystals at all. Other cultures may use crystals, but use of crystals has never been a part of Chinese culture.

4. The Flying Stars of Hsuan-k'ung (Xuan Kong) uses 24 directions. There is only ONE technique of flying the stars. There are no "alternative" techniques.

5. If there are "alternative simplified" approaches to Xuan Kong, Three Periods, or Three Combinations, we would have seen them emerging in the last several hundred years. The fact that simplified versions of these schools did not appear until feng-shui has "reached" the west says something about the "simplified" versions.

6. Feng-shui is very complex. Eva Wong's two books and the YCH xuan kong homestudy course cover at most 10% of knowledge of the entire field. This gives you an idea of the scope of the knowledge of feng-shui.

7. All traditional Chinese feng-shui schools are concerned with hsing-ch'i (landform energy) as well as li-ch'i (directional eneregy). The dichotomy of Form school vs Compass school does not exist in traditional Chinese feng-shui. ALL traditional Chinese feng-shui schools (with the exception of 8 Mansions) use the Chinese geomantic compass or lo-p'an of the 24 directions.

8. Black Hat School of feng-shui is not a traditional Chinese school of feng-shui. For more information about this school, please check the website: www.qi-whiz.com.

9. So many feng-shui schools are cropping up these days that it would be impossible to keep a list of them. Best way is to know what's traditional and make the comparison yourself.Other than the James Wu post of Feng-shui Schools, the following posts may be of interest:-Eva Wong on "Clarifying Xuan Kong (Hsuan K'ung)-all the discussions centered around "xuan kong da gua"-Eva Wong on "schools, lineages, and transmissions"(You can use the Search function to locate these posts quickly.)- the discussions centered around shang shan hsia shui will give you an idea of the most up-to-date issues that concern the traditional pracititioners in Hong Kong and Taiwan today.

10. It is a problem that traditional Chinese feng-shui is still not understood well in the West. Introducing the non-Chinese-reading public to traditional Chinese feng-shui is a great challenge. We are just seeing the beginning appearance of authentic traditional Chinese feng-shui in the West during the last five years or so.

11. Responses from the moderators - Eva Wong, Yang Hsi, James Wu, Stephen Lin, and Gina Stick - will give you a feel for the kind of feng-shui typically practiced in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Information about the moderators can be found in the post: "Introducing forum moderators".

The above points do not address the issue of which system of feng-shui is correct or incorrect. It merely gives you a feel for distinguishing what is accepted as traditional Chinese feng-shui among the Chinese and what is not.

The forum moderators

Faith & Feng Shui - Should Christians be taking Feng Shui seriously?

Today we take a look at Feng Shui from the Christians' perspective. The following article was originally published in the Jul-Aug 2005 edition of The Plain Truth – A Magazine of Christian Understanding.

Faith and Feng Shui
Should Christians be taking Feng Shui seriously?

By Dr. Chan Geok Oon

How can feng shui maximise your luck for the year? You have probably come across this in an advertisement. You may also have heard or read about someone who struck a lottery after rearranging his furniture according to certain feng shui principles. You

may even have been told to place a certain plant at a certain corner of your living room to improve the feng shui of your home.

What is feng shui? Why do people—from the highly educated to the illiterate, from the East to the West—believe in it? In the last two decades, the interest in feng shui has caught on globally. In fact, one of the non-fiction best sellers listed by The Star for the week ending November 16, 2003, was Flying Star Feng Shui For Period 8 by Lillian Too.

Feng Shui, literally ‘wind water’ in Chinese, is the study of ancient Chinese philosophy of nature. It is often identified as a form of geomancy—that is divination by means of geographic features— and is mainly concerned with understanding the relationship between nature and man so that man might live in harmony within the environment. Its original focus was to provide an auspicious burial site for the dead but this was later expanded to include providing auspicious structures for the living, fortune-telling, and prescribing remedies to people who have poor feng shui, and thus, miserable lives.

In ancient days, feng shui was conscientiously sought after and utilised by the Chinese emperors, especially in the building of imperial palaces and for personal power and success. The Imperial City in Beijing is a great example of good feng shui construction and landscaping as the environment and structure conform to the best feng shui principles. For a long time the knowledge of feng shui was closely guarded from the enemies. Later, it was confined to the upper ruling classes.

When a person says he has good feng shui, it probably refers to his state of well being resulting from arranging his surrounding in auspicious harmony with the natural environment. Given that a human being has a natural tendency to interact with nature, the ultimate goal is to capture the intrinsic energy or shen chi which moves around the atmosphere, to attract or harness all the good fortune that one can desire: wealth, health, success and happiness. Since the Creator God exists in every human heart, the natural environment—as opposed to our modern scientific desert—testifies to His existence.

In general, the practice of feng shui draws upon the fundamental concepts of the ancient Chinese view of the universe, which requires an understanding of balancing yin and yang forces and harmonising the combinations of the five elements—fire, earth, metal, water and wood. Among the Chinese, feng shui technology is commonly applied to designing, construction, orientation and decoration of buildings in order to “tap into the beneficial energies that cause intangible forces to generate good fortune,” according to Lillian Too’s Feng Shui Fundamentals: FAME.

Science, Superstition or Art?

Certain feng shui experts like to call it a science while others look at it as an art. In two interesting articles on migratory birds and lemmings, the Malaysian feng shui master Dr. Ong Hean Tatt used feng shui principles scientifically to explain the interconnection of the 12-year zodiac cycle with climatic and environmental changes.

Indeed, feng shui can be very exact in its calculations to get the best location, form, structure and decoration of a dwelling place. It also demands careful interpretation and subjective evaluation and intuition. This is perhaps why women are sometimes considered more efficient in undertaking feng shui analysis because they are more intuitive and detail oriented.

The feng shui language is full of symbolism. Besides the yin and yang symbol and the five elements mentioned above, there are the trigrams, the octagonal pa kua symbol, and the nine sector of the lo shu grid. Others are symbolic of abstract aspirations such as longevity, happiness, fame, wealth and fertility in marriage.

For example, placing the frog with a coin in its mouth outside the main entrance of the house is expected to bring wealth to the family. The crane symbolises longevity and a pair of mandarin ducks symbolises happiness in love. Jars attract chi to settle when placed near the entrance of the house. A fan is a symbol of protection for the home.

Likewise, placing the umbrella at the front part of the lobby is believed to ward off burglars. The mystic knot indicates a never-ending cycle of good fortune. There are many other symbols believed to attract or activate the energy that brings good luck.

“The cosmic breath of the dragon is the ultimate shen chi,” says a well-known geomancer. The “symbol of the dragon is the ultimate yang symbol,” and it is also said to be the “ultimate symbol of good luck.” Obviously the dragon is the centre of feng shui considerations. To most Chinese, it is a symbol of good fortune. Therefore it is highly desirable and is even revered or worshipped as a good luck charm.

Harmless decorations?

It may seem harmless and attractive to utilise some of these symbols as decorations. But for Christians, there is a danger that we may unconsciously put our trust in them to bring good fortune. When that happens, we insult God because it indicates greed and a lack of trust in Him. Such practices amount to idolatry. Colossians 3: 5 says, “…don’t be greedy which is the same as worshipping idols.”

Christians make choices that lead either to ultimate good and divine blessings or total destruction. “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?”

The feng shui literature and advertisements are definitely enticing, feeding on our fleshly desires. In her book “Feng Shui and Wealth,” Lilian Too says: “Earth luck is feng shui… Earth luck helps you to enhance good heaven luck, thus expanding the scale of your successes during good times and bringing you good fortune and prosperity. It also modifies inauspicious heaven luck, helping you overcome difficulties and loss during astrological bad times.”

Christians can be enticed by mammon if we are not alert. It is worth reminding ourselves of James 1:14–15, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn by his own desires and enticed. Then when desires has conceived it gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown, brings forth death,”

A professional feng shui consultant, advertised his course this way: “Learn the crux of the ‘Moving Stars’ and the ‘Shien Kong Moving Stars’ Schools which are practised by top Hong Kong Geomancers. You will be able to forecast events and adjust the feng shui to either enhance or neutralise them. Thus you become the Master of Your Destiny! When you conclude this level, you will have attained the standard of a respected Hong Kong Geomancer.”

Wouldn’t you be fascinated? There is an innate desire to satisfy our curiosity of the unknown, to learn the secrets of our future and the hidden things. God has made it such that we want to find out about our future with the intended purpose of seeking Him and to fear Him alone. Unfortunately people create schemes to bypass God’s way.

“Curiosity killed the cat,” so the saying goes. The moment we have an interest in things of the occult, we make an opening to the influences of the enemy. When we seek them out, the enemy wastes no time to be found.

Our future is in God’s hand. The secret things belong to the Lord (Deuteronomy 29:29). As Christians we are forbidden to dabble in or have any dealings with the elemental or nether world spirits. In Christ we have died to the elemental spirits of the universe. C.S. Lewis claims that pantheism is the natural bent of human mind because deep down in every human heart, God exists.

The Deceiver may grasp every opportunity, through the large number of symbolisms used in feng shui to make man pantheistic instead of just worshipping the one true living God. When the human minds are obsessed with feng shui, which promises them everything that they desire, they then have no need for God, let alone worship Him.

Published in Berita NECF, Jan–Feb 2004.
Reprinted with permission from NECF Malaysia
Research Commision. July–August 2005

Determining the Facing of a House: Different Feng Shui Masters’ Perspectives

Lum Kwok Hung 林國雄 (Hong Kong): Main door of the unit / house as the facing. If many doors, take the one with the unit number or name of the building.

Li Kui Ming 李居明 (Hong Kong): For level 1 to 5, use the main entrance of the whole building. Level 6 and above, use the unit’s door facing.

Pak Hok Ming 白鹤鸣(Hong Kong): Use the most Yang side of the house, normally happens to be the side with the most sunlight. Must also consider the facing of the main entrance, the side with the most windows, the nearest road, the ming tang, the nearest water feature and also nearby mountains / hills (to determine the sitting).

Raymond Lo (Hong Kong): The side with an open space in front will be the facing of the house. It must also be assessable from outside (e.g. In the case of a beach house, despite having wide windows facing the sea at one side (open space), this side cannot be considered as the facing since it is not assessable by land).

Yeung Dengkwong 杨椗光 (Hong Kong): The main entrance of the whole building. If in terms of an apartment building, the chart is drawn using the facing of the main entrance of the whole building. The best unit is then chosen from this chart of the whole structure. Using the same chart, it will then be superimpose on the unit's floor plan to allocate the kitchen, the masterbedroom, etc. Finally, another chart is created based on the facing of the unit itself. This second chart is for evaluating the external forms and Castle Gate 城门 only. He reached this conclusion after evaluating the other methods in details and many experiences. This method is said to have the least conflicts and thus most accurate.

Joey Yap 叶威明 (Malaysia): The facing of the whole building. An apartment building is simply just a big house with many rooms. Therefore, all units will have the same facing.

Lynn Yap (Singapore): Must consider as a whole, from exterior first then interior. In the past, she used the main entrance of the house or unit as facing but realized that it was not very accurate.

Yap Cheng Hai 叶清海 (Malaysia): Main door of the unit / house as the facing. HE's one of the few masters that uses the main door of the structure, to the extent of a apartment's door. Probably he based it on the book 阳宅三要．

Joseph Yu (Canada): Must consider as a whole. Apartments are to be viewed as a stand alone house. The front door plays no role in determining the facing.

Lilian Too (Malaysia): For houses, use the most Yang side of the house, normally happens to be the side with the best unencumbered and spectacular view. For apartments lower than 9th floor, use the facing entrance of the whole building. Do not use the facing direction of the apartment door. If the unit is on the 9th floor and above, the side with a view from the balcony or patio will be used as the facing since this is akin to living in the high mountains and the Qi distribution will be different.

Larry Sang: The open side of the house is the facing and the closed side is the sitting. You can also think in terms of Yin and Yang. The Yin side is the sitting and the Yang side is the facing. The door does not determine the orientation of the house. The architectural intent is also something that can be used to determine the sitting and facing. Apartments often have the balcony or large windows off the living room as the facing and the hallway or door as the sitting. Remember that the main rule in Feng Shui is it depends. Each house needs to be looked at individually and a determination as to the sitting and facing is both key to the reading and something to be very careful with.

Johnny Chan 陈癸龙 (Hong Kong): The main entrace of the whole structure. This is because in the ancient scriptures, it is said that Qi will 随地而行 flow close to the ground, thus the main door that opens on ground level will have the most Qi entering the structure. This is true even though you maybe staying in a high-rise apartment building. As for deciding which is the main entrance of the building, it should NOT be based simply on the size of the door or that it is frequently used by most people. This is because when a structure was erected, the facing and Qi entrance were already established at the same time irregardless any human was using the entrance or not.

Liang Chao 梁超 (China): Use the most Yang side of the house or apartment.


Often when a practitioner gets negative feedback from a reading, it is because the sitting and facing where incorrectly determined.

Regards
Alvin Chua

Written by Alvin Chua. All rights reserved. Copyright @. Not for commercial use of any kind.

Is Bazi Necessary to do Feng Shui?

Here's what Master Joesph Yu has to say:

Should the Four Pillars be an indispensable tool in Feng Shui studies? The answer is "No!".

Four Pillars of Destiny deals with Heaven Luck. It tells us what is ahead of us in our path of life. It gives us suggestions to handle situations in the future. One of the ways is to use Earth Luck, that is, Feng Shui. The other way is the appropriate use of Man Luck.

Another question is, "In prescribing Feng Shui cures, should we take into account the four pillars of the occupants so that the right elements are assigned?" The answer is a simple "No!". Is this answer shocking? Ask yourself, "If water is my most unfavorable element, should I stop drinking water?" Is the answer obvious? What more intimate relationship between yourself and water than letting water into your body? It is simply a misconception and misunderstanding of the five elements theory to try to use objects and substances to balance the four pillars. Feng Shui and Four Pillars are divided into different levels. In the basic level, we may be using colors and substances to balance our Four Pillars. Since it is not harmful and may be beneficial in a psychological sense, it can be recommended.

Extracted from Jospeh Yu's Feng Shui Made Really Easy IV online article.

By the way, I have known that Bazi is never mentioned in the ancient Feng Shui scriptures. However, it is a common practice among many practitioners to utilise it to aid their analysis. Anyway, here's a quote on this from Johnny Chan, a Xuan Kong Master from Hong Kong:

"坊間人們都產生了一大誤會，以為懂看命理運程的，都應懂看風水，此眾人之誤解的確難為了很多「師傅」，原本未有進修風水的，都要「求求其其」，學些形家、八宅，想著馬馬虎虎，應酬兩句，便可蒙混過關。"

Regards
Alvin Chua

 An update in 2021: After so many years since i wrote the above, the answer is still no BUT if one is able to utilised solutions from Bazi or Vedic astrology simultaneously, then the effects can be many times better instead of solely relying on fengshui alone.