Q&A
The Sun Property Plus - 17th February 2006

Q.		I have an enquiry regarding the animal zodiac I am born under. My birthday is Jan 13, 1977. According to my grandmother and parents, I was born under the Year of the Dragon because I came into this world before the Lunar New Year was celebrated. But the feng shui books say I come under the Year of the Snake because I was born in 1977. As a result, I am very confused as I do not know which animal sign I should refer to when reading about what lies in store for me in the Lunar New Year forecasts. I have been reading both the Dragon and Snake forecasts every year, which confuses me even more. I hope you can tell me which animal sign I should refer to.
A.		Actually, both the books and your parents are partially correct. The books say people born in 1977 come under the Year of the Snake. This is with the assumption that the person is born after the Lunar New Year. It might be mentioned somewhere in the small print which you may have missed. Your parents and grandparents say you are born in the Year of the Dragon as you were born before the Lunar New Year. Again they are not incorrect but both the books and your family have missed one vital fact — for the purpose of the Chinese metaphysical arts, whether it is feng shui or any of the other divination, we do not actually refer to the Lunar Calendar but the Chinese Solar Calendar where the new year starts on Feb 4, 1977. As such, you were born in the Year of the Dragon.
Q.		I moved into a condominium unit in 2003. After moving in, I lost my job and I still can’t find a suitable career. All the jobs I have been in since have not lasted long. Is this anything to do with feng shui? My gua number is six and my husband’s is two. My condo is a north-south unit with the main door facing west and the front facing north. Even though I don’t have a career, my husband is doing quite well and my own finances are still okay. Can you tell me if there is anything wrong with the condominium unit?
A.		You moved in 2003. The San Sha position for the year was in the west, which is also the direction your front door faces. If you have renovated your front door or the western area of your house you would have offended the San Sha, which could be contributing to your problems. The other possibility is the location of your door. You did not mention it but I would assume that it is in the NW sector of your unit. This would be good for your husband but not so good for you. The general direction of yourdoor based on your Gua is correct in that your west-facing door is good for your husband and you. Other things to consider are your bedrooms and kitchen. Forgive me if I am wrong but looking at your overall situation, other than not being able to hold down a career, things seem to be going okay. So, the overall feng shui situation is not too bad. Of course, the situation can be improved.
Q.		I would like to know how to determine the position with the compass when inside the house. Do we stand facing in front of the main door holding the compass or do we face inside the house holding the compass to determine the position of the home? My home is a condominium.
A.		The direction of a house in feng shui is determined as either a facing or sitting direction. Depending on the school of feng shui you use either or both the facing or sitting may be used. Problems crop up when determining the facing of a house, especially for a condominium. Certain masters would determine the facing of a condominium from the balcony, basically standing at the balcony door looking outwards. We have found that this is not necessarily correct. In most cases we would use the actual entrance door of your condominium, standing inside the unit and measuring outwards. Why measure outwards? This is the direction the Qi is coming from.

Master Yap Boh Chu is the son of Grand Master Yap Cheng Hai. He co-founded the Yap Cheng Hai Academy to propagate the proper teaching and practice of classical feng shui and qi gong.

Yap Cheng Hai Academy Sdn Bhd
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Disclaimer: Yap Cheng Hai Academy Sdn Bhd does not, and cannot, in any way whatsoever or howsoever represent, warrant or guarantee that the recommendations given in this column mean that the happiness and good fortune of the person(s) who put these recommendations into practice will naturally or necessarily follow