Maintain a balance of solar, earth and human energy for harmony at home

By Yanika Liew

As the Year of the Rabbit approaches, property enthusiasts and homebuyers are preparing themselves for a new fortune cycle. From homebuying to property market outlook, feng shui is considered ancient scientific knowledge that is both logical and practical.

Some of its principles could be compared to architectural principles, feng shui master Joe Choo said.

“In the olden days, houses were built individually according to the needs, details of all the family members and other requirements, nowadays houses are built in bulk like a mass production line in a factory. All of them are identical, as a result, the application of feng shui has to evolve to suit the constantly changing environment and lifestyles,” Choo said.

“To make life easy and practical yet to achieve the maximum results with the application of feng shui knowledge, it is best to start by selecting a property more so it is extremely important for your own use. The importance of selecting a property with the right landforms and main entrance is the most important,” she added.

Element matters

Feng shui master Stephen Chin noted that the influencing element is metal in 2023, pointing out that the element of the year has implications on the trajectory of every other field.

“According to the Five-Element theory, metal-related industries will do well, as it did in 2022, this includes defence and security, military, aerospace, travel and tourism, automobile, law enforcement and the legal profession, mining and machinery,” Chin said.

“The metal element produces water and therefore water-based industries will also fare well. This would be finance, banking, insurance, sales and trading, pubs and nightlife, cafes, coffee shops, laundry, spa, fitness, gym, marine, seafood and sea freight,” he added.

As the metal element is produced by the earth, earth-related industries rank third in 2023. This is where construction, property, and real estate, civil engineering, agriculture lie.

With these indications, as well as the new government and the recovering economy, Chin noted that it is likely that the property market will recover moderately this year.

Interior design

Feng shui is especially prominent when it comes to interior design. Through simple methods such as living plants, water features, colours and others, home owners will be able to ensure a harmonic living space.

“Colour application is an important topic in feng shui, it enhances an individual’s luck as well as property,” Choo said.

Lucky colours are often different for each person. She pointed out that some people may not like the colours that bring them luck, and might be reluctant to put the colour on their property.  

“To solve this issue, you may apply the auspicious colour on top of the neutral colour. Black, white, grey and beige are considered neutral colours. If you were told that purple is the auspicious colour to use on the external wall, then you may apply white as the base colour with purple colour at a small area/feature wall. You don’t need to paint the entire external wall purple. You may apply this method for the internal wall as well,” Choo said.

For plant lovers, a common auspicious feature for a property is living energy, which helps to create wealth and good health for a family. Water features and living plants are commonly used to create living energy outside and inside the house by placing them at the right location, especially having a garden with vibrant living plants and the sound of moving water.  

“Decorate it any way you wish! There are actually no rules or instructions on placing objects, trinkets, amulets or what-have-you in feng shui,” Chin said.

“At best, there are certain locations that can be beneficial with the placement of living plants and anything that enhances living energy. But these are unique to each individual and must be computed differently. You need to either learn how to calculate or engage a professional,” he added.

According to Chin, the general rule to follow is that deep purple is considered the auspicious colour of the year, followed by dark blue and deep yellow or dark brown.

However, an important aspect of feng shui is the location of the main entrance, which should be a sector afflicted by Jupiter, the governing planet. 

“In Chinese and Taoist mythology, a grand duke or Tai Sui is known to sit in a particular location each year, completing a circular path every 12 years. The Tai Sui’s position coincides with the animal of the zodiac. In actual fact, it is also the location of Jupiter,” Chin said.

“The giant planet exerts a very subtle influence magnetically, gravitationally and possibly more on its surrounding celestial objects. We know the moon, due to its size and proximity to Earth, can influence the tides, and to a certain extent, the fluids and biochemical equilibrium in our bodies – remember, the term lunacy is derived from going crazy due to the moon!” 

“We can infer that the ancient sages observed the subtle effects of Jupiter and prescribed ways to defuse it,” he added.

In feng shui, it is important for the main entrance to not be located in the same sector as the influence will be too strong. Correspondingly, one’s entrance should not be at the opposite sector either. According to the ancient sages, this is where the Three Killers are located.

“For 2023, they need to make a slight adjustment, such as adding a strip of wood to the door frame, or placing a screen, to alter it,” Chin said.

Of course, the property should also be compatible with its occupant. Chin described the concept of Yijing (I-Ching), which states that each person has a life number derived from his or her date of birth.

This determines if he or she is a West group or East group person. People in the West group have four good sectors – Northwest, West, Southwest and Northeast; while the East group people have North, East, South and Southeast as their good sectors.

The main entrance of the property needs to be in a good sector of the Master of the house; the internal rooms and arrangements need to conform to the good sectors of the Lady of the house.

House-hunting in 2023

When it comes to following the guiding principles of feng shui in 2023, practitioners believe that it influences not just the home, but lifestyle as well. 

“A property with an ideal landform and the main entrance is commensurate with the year of birth of the eldest earning male of the family, all the occupants in the property would enjoy life with minimum hurdles. If a property is not feng shui compliance, the occupants in the property would be having a lot of problems,” Choo said.

After selecting a home, homebuyers must carefully study the internal design of a property. This involves the placement of the stove, fridge, sink and electrical appliances in the kitchen; bedrooms, study rooms and other functional areas for the family.

According to Choo, there are a few important considerations to acquiring a property. Firstly, the higher land mass must be at the back of a property and the lower land mass in front of the property. The higher landmass could be a hill or mountain which might not be near but far, it is still considered as at the back of the property. Naturally, the river or sea is in front of your property, again it might not be within your visibility but it counts.

This landform can cultivate good energy that brings you and your family good health, wealth and advancement. Secondly, a property located in the concave of a road or river is ideal. 

“Concave is where energy is being collected, convex is where energy is being dispersed.  In feng shui, collective energy means containing wealth and dispersing energy means depleting wealth.  Hence it is very essential to buy a property in the concave of the road or river,” she said.

Chin expressed a similar statement, whereby he pointed out that properties should not be sited on steep slopes. The terrain should be gentle and undulating, with the back higher than the front. Better yet, home buyers should look for a property with high ground on both sides and the back without being on rocky terrain.

Choo also warned against procuring property in areas where many people congregate unless homebuyers are looking at condominiums. 

“There are three types of energy we emphasise in feng shui, namely solar, earth and human. In this point we are talking about the imbalance of human energy, comparatively, the human energy from the properties nearby is not as strong as those at hospitals, schools, shopping malls and others.  When human energy is not as strong, it creates health issues and bad temperament that leads to family disharmony,” she said.

History of feng shui

The history of feng shui is a long one. The term was first coined in a book called The Burial Canon by Guo Pu, who was compiling a guide of do’s and don’ts for burials, based on the knowledge that had been in practice for over 2,000 years. 

“The idea is that when the dead are buried well, their descendants will prosper. And by the same token, if the living chooses a similarly conducive landform, they will also prosper while alive,” Chin said.

“In general, a property with good feng shui will have vibrant energy and attract life. Homes with good feng shui will have harmony; offices and retail spaces with good feng shui will enjoy better business,” he added.

While feng shui prescribes a solution to the energy and balance of the home, in accordance with Chinese traditions, Chin made a point of saying that it was not the end all be all of lifestyle.

“Good feng shui is only a part of the equation to a happy, prosperous, and successful life. With good feng shui, one will do comparatively better than others without it. It does not confer immunity or a guarantee of success. Hence, in an economic downturn, all will be impacted but one with good feng shui will fare better,”

“We can change our living and work environment so that it is conducive to our wellbeing. So, live holistically and don’t get too obsessed with feng shui,” he concluded.

Some of its principles could be compared to architectural principles, feng shui master Joe Choo said.

“Decorate it any way you wish!” Chin said.

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