Q&A - The Sun Property Plus
26th May 2006

Q.		THE more I read about feng shui, the more confused I am, especially about my house. My home faces S3 at 187º and it was completed in 1939, making it a period 4 house. My 11-yearold daughter is a wood Pig; I am a metal Rat (1960) and my husband is an earth Ox (1949). It is a beautiful home and everyone loves it, but for some reason, I do not feel comfortable in it. We have a swimming pool in the North of the house. Last year, I extended the house by one-third. The only thing I did not do was to change the front door. If I had, it would be a period 8 house, according to some people. They say a period 8 house is good for us. Can you please help me clarify this confusion?
A.		First of all, your house facing 187º is a bad direction; it is too close to the division between S2 and S3 and is considered an inauspicious degree. It is a common fallacy that all a person has to worry about is which of the 24 mountain directions to face. This is actually insufficient as just 1º can mean an auspicious or inauspicious direction. If your home is a period 8 house, it is definitely better than period 4. However, you would also need to consider the indoor layout. For instance, the NW sector is very good for a period 4 house, but very bad for a period 8 home. As to whether your home has changed to a period 8 house would also depend not only on the size of the renovation but also the type of renovation and where it took place. You should also consider the direction of your main door to see if it is suitable for you. Based on the Ba Zhai school of feng shui, South is actually not good for you and your husband. I would consider having a West door regardless of whether your house is period 4 or 8. In your case, there is no simple answer. Both a period 4 or 8 house can be good or bad depending on your house. If you really need a definite answer I would recommend that you contact a feng shui consultant.
Q.		I am keen to learn more about classical feng shui. I will be most grateful if you can answer my query - when is a person's Gua number calculated from? The many charts relate the year to a specific Gua number, but I am certain that it has a starting date based on the Chinese calendar. Is this true? If it is, what is the reference date? Is it the date of the Chinese New Year?
A.		The date that we use for feng shui is based on the Chinese solar calendar that has 24 seasons. This is different from the normal Chinese lunar calendar that we use for Chinese New Year. The cut-off date for the calculation of the Ming Gua is the start of the Li Chun (Coming of Spring) season which falls on either the 3rd, 4th or 5th of February (Gregorian calendar). To confirm the exact date and time of the cut off, you will have to use the Man Li or the 10,000-year calendar which has pre-calculated all the lunar and solar calendar seasons and the timing thereof.
Q.		I heard that when your stairs meet the front door, it means your qi will also run out the door. How true is this? How can I solve this problem?
A.		That would depend on the distance between the stairs and the front door. We do not want the stairs to be too close to the front door, not just because the qi will run out the front door but because in such a situation, there no space for the qi to pool. This is also called the Ming Tang or Bright Hall that is mentioned in feng shui books.

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