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

Q.		Is it true that one is not supposed to decorate the bathroom in traditional feng shui? What are the consequences? Does keeping the toilet lid down when not in use prevents one from throwing money down the toilet? Is it of any significance?
A.		In traditional feng shui, the treatment for bathrooms varies between systems. In the old days, the bathroom was basically an outhouse that was considered dirty and unhygienic. It was not decorated or located near the bedroom. Times have changed and the bathroom is no longer such a bad place. It can definitely be decorated with no dire consequences. But you still have to be careful about where you place the bathroom/toilet. Generally, the bathroom would be placed in an inauspicious location based on the Ba Zhai system of classical of feng shui to suppress these inauspicious locations. Whether you keep the toilet lid up or down is of no significance. As mentioned, the location of the bathroom is more important.
Q.		I would like to inquire about the animal zodiac for my son and daughter. My son’s birthday is Feb 17, 1985, and according to the Chinese calendar, he was born in the Year of the Rat. In the Gregorian calendar, he was born in the Year of the Ox. My daughter was born on Jan 29, 1991; is she considered born in the Year of the Sheep or the Horse?
A.		In my earlier articles, I highlighted that the Chinese solar calendar is used in feng shui and other Chinese metaphysical arts. The new year for the Chinese calendar falls on or around Feb 4. In the case of your son, he was born before the Lunar New Year, which fell on the Feb 20, 1985 — so we can say that he was born in the Year of the Rat. For the purpose of feng shui, however, he is considered born in the Year of the Ox. Hence he should be looking at the forecast for persons born in the Year of the Ox. For your daughter, it is more straightforward. She was born before the Lunar New Year, which fell on Jan 29, 1991. As such, she can be considered born in the Year of the Horse. As her birthday also falls before Feb 4, 1991, she is considered born in the Year of the Horse on both counts.
Q.		My husband and I are confused about his animal zodiac. My husband’s date of birth is Jan 27, 1956, and he is supposedly born in the Year of the Goat. But my sister-in-law consulted a medium and was told that he is under the Monkey sign. Which is correct?
A.		For an accurate forecast one would require the birth date and time of a person. We will assume that your husband’s birthday is correctly recorded in the government records. In the old days, there was discrepancy between the actual birth and the recording of that birth, which resulted in inaccurate birth dates and times. Assuming that the birthday is correct, your husband is considered born in the Year of the Goat. This is because his birthday is before the beginning of spring in the Chinese solar calendar, which fell on Feb 5, 1956.

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
Tel: (03) 2070 8009; Fax: (03) 2072 8009; E-mail: info@ychacademy.com

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