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| Feng Shui and Heaven, Man & Earth Luck
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Before we discuss how feng shui can better your well-being, it’s worthwhile to understand how this fascinating Chinese practice fits into their concept of luck. The Chinese believe that a person’s success is based on five factors that are categorized under Heaven, Man, or Earth luck:
Heaven Luck
1. Destiny (Ming)
2. Luck (Yun)
Man Luck
3. Accumulation of good deeds (Ji yin de)
4. Continuous study (Du shu)
Earth Luck
5. Feng Shui (Feng Shui)
Heaven luck is governed by God or what you may call the collective consciousness or higher power. What’s the difference between destiny and luck? If your life’s purpose is your destination, then your destiny is the kind of car Heaven has fated you in which to make the journey. While some people are destined to drive a luxury automobile, others must be satisfied with an economy car. Despite what car you drive, good luck is finding a timesaving short cut, driving on an open road in fine weather and with no traffic. Bad luck is getting lost, or taking your vehicle onto roadways not suited to it.
Man luck is governed by you. Man luck is the accumulation of virtuous deeds and diligent self-study. Simply, treating others as you would want to be treated, helping those less fortunate than you, refraining from gossip, and keeping your mind sharp will help bolster your own luck. Man luck is your free will. Positive thoughts and actions beget positive results. Negative thoughts and actions beget negative results. (Interestingly, man luck is mistakenly packaged as New Aged-style feng shui.)
Earth luck is governed by visible and invisible forces that surround and permeate your living and working space. The practice of studying and manipulating these forces to better your health, wealth, and relations with others is called feng shui.
What is Feng Shui?
Feng shui is a meta-physical practice that studies how time (invisible energy) and space (visible energy like buildings, streets, the layout and shape of your home and rooms, and the placement of your furniture) interact to bring you fortune or misfortune. Generally, good feng shui is:
Situating or living in a house on a gentle slope or flat terrain. Houses built on hilltops or on steep inclines bring the probability of sickness and financial loss.
Allowing qi to flow smoothly around and within your dwelling. Square and rectangular houses and lots are better than circular or angular shapes, which can cause qi to whirl and ricochet.
Selecting a house in a well-protected location, such as a cul-de-sac. Houses positioned at a T- or Y-junction are not auspicious.
Balancing light and dark. Whereas too much darkness (yin qi) can lead to illness and misfortune, too much brightness (yang qi) can lead to anxiety and insomnia.
Minding where you position your bed. It should not be placed beneath ceiling beams, under a window, directly opposite a door, or at an angle. The bed should be placed against an unobstructed wall.
Proportioning furniture to the size of the room. The pieces should not block pathways. The backs of sofas or chairs should not face the entrance.
While the above factors are largely common sensed-based, many aspects of classical feng shui defy our five senses. For example, most people can “feel” if a house is happy or not. Some houses and business spaces (and people for that matter) have a contented spirit. Its occupants thrive and its owners have an abundance of customers. Some houses and businesses (and people) emit a bad “vibe” that causes divorce, financial disaster, and employee turnover. It’s easy to spot an unlucky business space. First, it’s a drying cleaning business, then it’s a copying center, then it’s a beauty parlor, and then, it’s a bookstore. In between, the space is vacant much of the time.
Setting aside environmental and architectural factors, a classical feng shui practitioner can “measure” a building’s innate happiness or luck. Depending on the building’s magnetic orientation (space) and the year (time) it was built, it falls into one of four categories. The building is either:
1. Good for people, good for money (wang shan wang shui)
2. Bad for people, bad for money (shang shan xia shui)
3. Good for people, bad for money (shuang ling xing dou zuo)
4. Good for money, bad for people (shuang ling xing dou xiang)
Some houses or places of business are inherently lucky, some are unlucky, and some are lucky in bringing either good health or good money. For example, according to a sophisticated method called Flying Star, a house built in 2004 that faces 210 degrees southwest is quite lucky. It is a good for people, good for money house. Conversely, a house built in 2004 that faces 220 degrees southwest (a difference of 10 degrees) is very unlucky. It is a bad for people, bad for money house.
While a reversed or “bad for people, bad for money” house is very difficult to fix, and therefore, should avoid being purchased, most spaces can be remedied. How? Well, space restricts us from delving into the particulars of Flying Star in this article! But, let it be known that your birthday is an important factor, each person having four lucky and for unlucky directions. With this knowledge, you can position your bed and desk accordingly. For example, for a female born in 1962, her best directions are south, southeast, north, and east.
Like a person, a building is uniquely different. If you’re single and wish to be married, you’d want to live in a house that enhances your prospect for marriage. If you’re financially down on your luck, you’d want to live in a house that fosters promotion, fame, and respect. If you’re retired, you’d want to live in a house that brings peace and stability. In other words, you can find a house tailored to your specific needs. Contrary to popular believe, feng shui is not a one-size-fits-all scheme! It is a rich and complex practice that can affect your earthly luck.
[This article, in part, contains excerpt material from The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Feng Shui.]
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This article is brought to you by |
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Elizabeth Moran and Master Val Biktashev
Master Val Biktashev and Elizabeth Moran are authors of The Complete Idiot’s
Guide to Feng Shui (Alpha Books, 2002). Featured on the acclaimed news magazine
program, Sunday Morning, Master Val travels extensively providing classical feng
shui consultations for individuals and businesses. He can be reached at 323-810-8180
(Los Angeles) or at [email protected].
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