THOUGHTS ABOUT FENG SHUI ...

The above picture of me was taken on 5th May 2005.  It was a special date as when written numerically it appears as 050505.  Some people would take this as a special date because it only appears once in a hundred years. Some may even say it is auspicious and choose to get married on this day.  There might be some Chinese who think that this date is unlucky because Wu or Ng in Mandarin or Cantonese sounds like No implying nothing.  However, to others this date would be just another ordinary day without any significance.

Similarly, those people who believe in Feng Shui would say they prospered because of the position of their house or that they became bankrupt because of poison arrows pointing at their house.  To most of my Muslim friends, they do not believe in such things.  There is one retired principal whom I know whose house was said to be have very bad Feng Shui.  When three of her children died in an accident, her Chinese friends kept telling her that the tragedy was because of the Feng Shui of her house.  To her it was God's will and nothing else. 

So, does Feng Shui really work?  And if it does, what is good Feng Shui?

To answer the first question, let us look at what Feng Shui actually is.  In Chinese "Feng" is Wind and "Shui" is water.  It has something to do with balancing the energies of wind, water and other elements (like fire, earth and metal) of any given space to ensure the wellbeing of the people living there.  It is defined as an ancient Chinese system of aesthetics believed to use the laws of both Heaven (astronomy) and Earth (geography) to help one improve life by receiving positive qi.  Actually, Feng Shui is really a lot of common sense about our living environment.  That is what basically what Feng Shui is.  Based on the descriptions given, my answer to the first question is that Feng Shui works. 

However, I find that people seem to be associating a lot of different things with Feng Shui nowadays.  Some I dare say are derived from Taoist beliefs, Chinese superstitions and also the fertile minds of entrepreneurs.  There was at one time this craze for some type of fish that would bring luck to people who kept them in their homes.  Well, there were many people who went and bought this fish but when they realised that the only people getting rich were the people who sold them the fish, they released the fish back to the river or gave them away to friends.  Can you imagine how many millionaires there would be if by planting a certain type of auspicious plant would make one beget a fortune?  I am afraid the way of the world is much more complicated. 

If one were to follow the advice given in books and websites on the Internet, then I assure you that more than half of the houses we live in would have something which is considered bad Feng Shui.  Believe me, there are many of us who would have homes with electric pylons close by, pointed rooftops of neighbours, busy roads outside, tall buildings in front and so on.

However, if you were to do a little research, you might find that people who have been living for a long time in such homes which are considered as the the horror houses of Feng Shui are doing perfectly fine - living happily, healthily and in great harmony oblivious to all the poison arrows and negative energies which are supposed to be doing them in. 

I remember consulting my Sifu who is a Taoist master when I wanted to buy my new house.  I told him that according to Feng Shui, my Kua Number is 2 which means I am a west group person.  The house that I am currently renting is facing South-west which is my personal development position. My new house faces east which is not a lucky position according to the Feng Shui Kua number. Know what my Sifu said?  He chided me for being so silly and asked me if I have become very wealthy, famous or powerful after living in a South-west facing house which is said to be the best house position for Period 8.  Actually, come to think of it, all of my neighbours are still the same as they were before.  As a matter of fact, the occupants of the first two houses to my right are Indonesian workers and the corner house to my left also happened to be occupied by Indonesian workers.  I do not forsee much change in their wealth or authority status because they happen to stay in a South-west facing house.  Before I forget, my Sifu said that my new house is suitable for me and that is what matters. 

So what is good Feng Shui?  One way to test is to see is whether the occupants living in a house are living happily, healthily and harmoniously in it.  If they are, then that my friend is good Feng Shui.