Here are some FAQs or frequently asked questions regarding feng shui: (Part 1)

Question 1:
Mr. Whittier asks why the entrance on most Ba gua charts is on the Northern direction while most books he reads suggests that the entrance should preferably be facing South?

Answer:
The entrance is not necessarily preferable at the north or south. The Ba gua (Eight directional charts) is usually orientated on a north or south direction for easy reference. There are different schools of feng shui. Some schools use a north pointing compass while others use a south pointing compass. The north/south axis is the dominant direction of the geomagnetic frequency. This has misled people to think these are the only desirable directions. Furthermore, it is likely that most of the books you are reading are limited translations from old Chinese texts. In ancient China, the north was where the cold Mongolia winds came from and it was desirable at that time to have mountains in the north as protection from harsh weather. The south is where the sun rotates from east to west. This energy is vital to our well being. Thus, it is preferable to face south. However, as you can see, taking a literal translation and applying it directly to our unique situations is not necessarily correct all the time. Nonetheless, the concept of having a mountain situated behind us to shield us from the cold and to face a positive source of energy is desirable. The best entry or orientation also know as the "facing" and "siting" direction differs for everyone depending on their birth date.

Question 2:
Mrs. Vaness asks if it true that if you have a stairway directly lined up with your front door you should place a chime above the front door so that it activates upon opening to get the "chi" moving correctly?

Answer:
If your front door aligns directly with a staircase, there is a tendency for the house's energy or chi to be lost. Because the staircase is a circulation way where people are constantly moving up and down, it creates an energy flow that leaves the house if it is directly aligned with the main door. Depending on what direction the door is and what kind of energies the residents have, there will be different effects on the people living inside. It is possible that this is not the best entry to use. In this case, an alternative entry is used and the front door is left closed (only used occasionally for guests) and a wind chime is not necessary. However, if this is the only door for entering the house, the wind chime (the metal bars of the chime should be cut according to the five element frequencies) helps disperse some of the energy from directly leaving the house. If possible, a better alternative is to put up a screen between the staircase and door. Crystals or plants can also be used to make the energies in this area stronger to prevent energy lost.

Question 3:
Mr. Lee tells me that he had a feng shui practitioner come to his house who told him that the southeast corner of the lot was the marriage and family corner. He has read two books which says the wealth corner is the southeast corner. Mr. Lee wants to know if things can be that different between practitioners? Shouldn't there be standard in which point of the compass corresponds to which subject?

Answer:
When reading books, one must check the background of the author. Their information can be limited or mistranslated. Depending on what type of energy a person has based on their birth date, the different directions relate to him or her in various ways and this fluctuates annually as the planets shift. For instance, if you are born within the Lunar year 1952, your energy is categorized as the "zhen" or east direction. In 1996, your wealth energy is strongest in the southeast direction. In 1997, this will change to be the north direction. Also depending on the age and orientation of your house, there may be other directions that will better stimulate different aspects of your life. There is a standard from which the compass directions corresponds to the subject. It is rather complex and not everyone uses this because it requires a life time to understand it.

Question 4:
Ms. Marshall tells me that she lives right next door to a cemetery. (within 7ft. of her apartment). She wonders about the influence it has on her abode. Although she does not feel oppressed by it, she wonders if it is useful to add some protection to the boundary by placing a Bagua mirror outside along the wall of the apartment that faces the graves. The theory being to reflect its influence. Since she has one above her doorway on the opposite side of the building to attract blessings to her door, she is not sure if this is advisable.

Answer:
A cemetery has strong "yin" or dark energies of death. This imbalance of yin/yang energies can cause instability by lowering the energies around it. Depending on which direction the cemetery is at in relation to Ms. Marshall's apartment, how large it is, and the nature of the people who are buried in the cemetery, there are different levels of effects. Also, depending on the energies of the people who live next to a cemetery and how long they have lived there, they may not always be aware of how the negative energies effect them. It is usually not advisable to live next to a cemetery. Although Ms. Marshall may not feel oppressed, over time, she may find it hard to excel. Ba gua (eight trigram direction) mirrors can be placed to reflect away negative energies. However, its effects may be limited on a cemetery. Ba gua mirrors are not used to attract positive energies. In many cases like this, an altar is usually setup to help release negative frequencies and allow positive energies to help you.

Question 5:
Mrs. Wong asks how can she can find out about the effects of colors chosen for rooms? Specifically, she plans to paint her kitchen. She would like something light and cheery, and was thinking of yellow until a nurse told her that yellow had some negativity about it.

Answer:
Everyone has an unique chi or energy field. Depending on your body's energy, there are certain colors that can have positive or negative affects on you. In relation to feng shui, not only the kitchen, but depending on where every room is located (direction), there are different colors every year you can use to stimulate positive effects.

Part 2 >>