myfs_74938

Hi Cecil, I just received a land boundary/lot diagram of my new house. The land is wider in the back and makes an arrow pointed shape. I remeber reading in your resouce forum that this particular shape is inauspicious. I am attaching a picture for your reference.Theback of the houseslopes higher than the front as the housesitstowards a base of a hill, with slight elevation higher in the back. There was tremendous landscape work done to the backyard already. Any advice isgreatly appreciated. You can use my picture as an educational reference. Thanks again.

Hi Cecil, It's been a few years since I participated on your forum. Anyways, I have a question. I read this article and it was the first time I've heard of someone using Feng Shui to predict the economy (US). I would like to hear your thoughts on this article if you can use Feng Shui in this manner. Here's the link and article: http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B709DCAEE%2D816F%2D4107%2D8A5A%2D02B7966609B7%7D&siteid=mktw Will Year of the Monkey unleash bulls? By Allen Wan, CBS.MarketWatch.com Last Update: 8:41 PM ET Jan. 21, 2004 TOKYO (CBS.MW) -- Y.C. Sun is on a roll. CBS MARKETWATCH TOP NEWS U.S. stocks end mixed in choppy trade Senate passes $820 billion omnibus spending bill U.S. leading indicators point to 'strong growth' Kodak to cut up to 15,000 jobs over 3 years AT&T's profit, sales shrink again TRADING CENTER Last year, the Chinese fortune-teller accurately predicted geopolitical turbulence rattling the financial markets in 2002, Saddam Hussein's demise, and the surge in gold prices. For the Chinese Year of the Monkey, which begins Thursday, the geomancer has set fairly attainable goals -- a continued rally for U.S. stocks and strengthening of global economies. Sun comes up with his predictions based on the principles of feng shui, the ancient system of environmental placement, and I-ching, the 2,000-year-old law of the universe, which is influenced by five basic elements (metal, wood, water, fire and earth). Using these methods to create a composite chart and drawing on key dates, Sun claims he can come up with a fairly accurate prediction of where the markets are headed in year 4701 of the Chinese calendar. Read a description. For 2004, Sun sees both the Dow ($INDU: news, chart, profile) and the Nasdaq ($COMPQ: news, chart, profile) resuming their climb from last year, though their gains will not be as steep. For the Dow, Sun sees the blue-chip index hitting a peak of 11,800 in June before finishing the year at 11,600 -- that's up 10.3 percent from current levels. Sun has history on his side. In the six zodiac monkey years over the past 60, the Dow has ended on a positive note. Monkey years tend to be good, but not great, years for stocks. In 1944, the last Wood Monkey year, the Dow climbed 11.8 percent. For the Nasdaq, he's also looking at a conservative 11.6 percent rise. The geomancer thinks the monkey year will be good for big-cap stocks, especially those in the telecommunications, networking, Internet and media sectors. In reaching his conclusions, Sun assesses key upcoming events as well as individuals that could determine the fate of the markets. He sees a difficult year ahead for President Bush, as the U.S. leader deals with dissension within his own cabinet, expanding twin U.S. deficits, interest-rate battles with the Federal Reserve and more ominously, a possible trade war that could torpedo the geomancer's bullish economic predictions. "The degree of the uptrend will be capped by President Bush's problems with his core cabinet team, an interest-rate tightening starting in June, new turmoil in the Middle East, a huge runaway federal deficit and Fed chief Greenspan's departure," he said. "There's a strong possibility for U.S. trade protectionism due to the clash between the element for trade and the Wood year." And there's the U.S. presidential elections in November. The Democrats aren't going to like to hear this, but Sun is predicting that Bush, a Fire Dog under the zodiac, will triumph again in another nailbiter. "President Bush will rally from behind to win the election," said Sun. While the U.S. economy will continue to perform well on the back of lower rates, tax cuts and higher federal spending, Sun is less sanguine about its Chinese counterpart after an incredible year marked by growth of nearly 10 percent. "I think the Chinese stock market will boom but the economy will stagnate," he said. Another concern could be Taiwan in March as the president notches up tensions with China to score points with voters ahead of tough elections. It's easy for Westerners to scoff at the predictions. But if a certain former Iraqi leader had heeded the Chinese fortune-teller's warning last year...

Hi Cecil, I ran the Flying Star for my mom's period 6 house, SW facing today and it says to use Metal, Wood and Fire cures. Would you be able to give me some examples of Fire cures? For Metal, I'm familiar with hanging 6 I-Ching coins, 6 rod windchimes (to use outsside of house) or grandfather clock or moving metal to hammer down bad earth. Anything else? For Wood, I'm familiar with using Plants. Anything else? For Fire, I haven't any personal experience with this yet as my own flying star didn't call for it. The sectors that call for cures are N (4 Mountain, 7 Water, 2 Base, 2 Yearly)- Use Metal E (2,5,4,5)- Use Metal SE (1,4,5,6) - Use Metal S (5,8,1,2) - Use Wood SW (3,6,3,4) - Use Fire Appreciate your help

I read this article online in our local Newspaper and thought I'd share it in this forum. This article is from the major newpaper distribution here in "Silicon Valley" just South of San Francisco in the US and as Cecil has mentioned numerous times, Sector FS by Lin Yun has found it's way here and is, unfortunately, quite popular here. Other pertinent information about my area. 1 Silicon Valley is one of the most racially diverse areas in the US, around 70%white, 30% minority (black, hispanic, asian, etc) 2 Feng Shui is cultural and has it's heritage in Asian countries 3 US is essentially an open and melting pot society 4 Therefore, it is easy to spread the teachings of Sector FS here since we don't have a clue. 5 This is my take on it anyways. Also, Feng Shui here is like Jackie Chan in the US. In the Big Brawl and Rush Hour, Jackie Chan does Kung Fu, fighting style is all the same, just knock the other guy out. In Hong Kong, Jackie doesn't just do Kung Fu, he does Drunken Style, Snake, Tiger, etc. Likewise, people here see Feng Shui in a similiar light. They think the various methods are all the same. Also, I dont think people here are educated enough to question or ask why. It's some ancient chinese secret of enhancing yourself. Fortunely I found this website so I know better. Enough of my babbling, on with the article I'm sure you'll find this article amusing The chef's path to kitchen harmony RESTAURANTS TURNING TO FENG SHUI IN QUEST FOR BALANCE AND PROSPERITY By Carolyn Jung Mercury News At Don Ramon's restaurant in San Francisco, the hostess stand had to have flowers. Not just any flowers, but roses. At Betelnut Pejiu Wu in San Francisco, the decor had to be red. At PlumpJack Squaw Valley, the seasonal menu had to include fire, earth, metal, water and wood elements. And at Crimson in Los Gatos, it was all about the bathroom. These days, the new key to success is location, location, location -- in more ways than one. Northern California restaurants have turned to feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of arrangement and placement, in hope of achieving not only balance and harmony, but also packed tables and glowing reviews. Feng shui originated more than 4,000 years ago as a way to place graves auspiciously to ensure the future success of families and nations. It has gone far beyond that now and is being applied to include how we live, play, work and dine. You'll find its principles at work in the design of the new Hong Kong Disneyland, set to open in 2005. In Northern California, with its diverse population, proximity to Asia and willingness to embrace all things New Age-y, feng shui has been incorporated into the design of companies such as Sybase in Emeryville and Esprit de Corp in San Francisco, some Charles Schwab offices, a host of new Bay Area homes and even restaurants. While burning incense, hanging crystals and other such feng shui practices may seem like smoke and mirrors to some, interest in the ancient art is growing. ``Our lifestyles these days are so hectic,'' says Chris Beals, owner of Pathways in Redwood City, which has specialized for 15 years in feng shui consultations. ``People want things calmer. Anything they can do to get more peace, they will do it.'' Beals says her business has quadrupled in the past two years. Her clients, who pay $175 for a six-week class or $300 for a business consultation, span the gamut of ethnicities and religions. They include not only Crimson and Don Ramon's restaurants, but also real estate agents, attorneys and even a hospital (all of which she declined to name because she says they fear losing credibility). Feng shui means ``wind'' and ``water.'' It prescribes the placement of furniture and other objects to manipulate chi, the metaphysical life force believed to animate all living things. Practitioners believe good chi makes life wonderful, whereas bad chi wreaks havoc. Under feng shui, an area -- a kitchen, office or house -- is divided into an octagon (ba gua), with each side representing an aspect of life: career, knowledge, family, wealth, fame, marriage, children and helpful people. Once the area is mapped, symbolic objects, mirrors, plants and water fountains can be placed in strategic locations to convert bad chi into good. Physical well-being To San Francisco restaurant developer George Chen, much of feng shui boils down to good old common sense. Putting a house in front of a hill naturally makes the home more sheltered. Putting up a mirror to see behind you if you sit with your back to a door leaves you less prone to being startled. ``If it doesn't hurt to think about feng shui when designing a restaurant, why not incorporate it?,'' Chen says. ``All the architects I've dealt with are open to it, not because I'm a big client, but because it makes sense.'' Chen, who has developed 10 restaurants in the Bay Area, including Shanghai 1930, Betelnut Pejiu Wu and Long Life Noodle Company & Jook Joint, has incorporated feng shui into all his projects. Chen, whose family practiced the traditional art, believes so firmly in it that he has turned down restaurant projects because of bad feng shui. Of course, all the feng shui in the world does not guarantee infinite good fortune. But even though a restaurant named Feng Shui recently closed in San Francisco, Chen believes it makes sense to draw on feng shui to design a place where the atmosphere, lighting, decor and food are relaxing and comfortable. It took him four years to open Betelnut Pejiu Wu, but he persevered because feng shui had convinced him the location was one of greenery, wealth and luck. Now, he says, it remains one of his most successful restaurants ever. The decor is red, the color of prosperity, the most auspicious and powerful hue in feng shui. And the windows open up to the sidewalk and outdoor seating so that trees, which otherwise might block the flow of good energy, instead are better incorporated into the overall environment. Chen prefers an unobtrusive approach when working with feng shui. For instance, instead of putting up a mirror to deflect the view of a light pole (which has a potentially disruptive energy field), Chen will design the restaurant so you don't see the light pole. But that's not always possible. At Crimson restaurant, the ``wealth'' corner ended up being in the single, unisex bathroom, the worst place, Beals says, because it means the business' money will be flushed down the toilet. To deflect negative energy, chef-owner Diane Rose put a small mirror near the base of the toilet, as well as a piece of obsidian (glass made from cooled molten lava). For added prosperity, she bought a deep red terry cloth cover for the toilet lid. And to help keep wealth from draining away, she put a sign above the toilet that reads: ``Please kindly put the lid and seat down. After all, a woman is cooking your food.'' Rose, who had read up on feng shui, was open to most of Beals' changes. Except for one. Rose, and her husband, chef Eric Tosh of Eulipia restaurant in San Jose, had done almost all the renovation themselves, including the ceiling work, which required lowering the sprinklers, installing acoustic tiles and spray painting it all. She wanted to create a cocoon-like environment in the tiny dining room, with crimson walls and a dramatic black ceiling. Beals thought she had constructed a disaster. ``It's too dark,'' Beals says of the ceiling. ``It attracts negative energy and a negative clientele.'' Even so, Rose won't budge on the ceiling. She intends to keep the color but may add gold fabric or lights that mimic stars to lighten the look. The ceiling also was one of the last things owner Lee Ramirez wanted to tinker with at Don Ramon's, the colorful, tri-level Mexican restaurant. Two weeks ago, she relented, taking down the last of the hundreds of papeles picados, festive doily-like decorations that had formed almost a canopy. Old and dusty, they were cluttering up the place, Beals says, inhibiting the flow of good energy. Ramirez also had replicas of the Virgin Mary, Buddha, voodoo symbols and icons from almost every other religion scattered around the restaurant, causing conflicting and unharmonious energy. Beals advised her to get rid of them. Now the restaurant, in its 20th year at its south of Market location, is making a significant profit for the first time, according to Ramirez. Of course, it helped that Beals, who also has a background in hotel and restaurant management, suggested Ramirez expand the number of private parties to create new business and work on keeping costs down. But Ramirez believes it's the feng shui that really made the difference. ``Once we removed so much inside, you could feel the lightness. The energy is better,'' Ramirez says. ``We used to be totally surrounded by dot-coms, and they all died. But we're still here, doing well.''

Ahhh yes, the common sensse approach, and in this case it definately looks like the best approach for this type of corner house indeed. The 2 bagua's pales in comparison to the Meyer house which looks like a Feng Shui Fortress. Thank you for showing me the extent that one can go into protecting one's house. This seems to be very basic common sense but then again, Feng Shui has a lot to do with common sense and I'll have to keep this in mind along with Shape/Forms, Flying Star and 8 House Theory. I've started to become much more aware of houses in the neighborhood that practice Feng Shui, using baguas/keiloons etc which is why I had to ask the question "What are they trying to do?" and which is why I took the pictures because a picture can say a thousand words, much more better and accurate than me trying to type and describe a picture/situation. This, for me anyways, is the best way for me to learn, by example. Side Note: Visited my tenant, the one at End of Street, the Chinese wife, who was happy with the bagua mirror I put up. She knows it as Chinese Superstition which her mother tells her. She had a story. In Australia, she also lived at a house in a T Junction. Husband is now here in US on work visa. She told me that for an 8 month stretch, her daughters were constantly in ill health, if not one daughter, the other. And she would have to take off time from work, without pay, to care for them. After her mother visited from Hong Kong, she had a bagua sent and she put it up and within a few days, her daughters got well and end of Sickness story. So she was happy to see a bagua on the house. She knows it as Chinese superstition, and I say "Yes that's all it is, if it helps, Great! If not, it doesn't hurt. I dare not elaborate what I know for fear of them leaving. I'm just happy to rent out the house. I also would not live in such a place, now knowing what I know. I asked how she felt about Keiloons and that she must see a lot of them in H.K. She likes them and I offered to put up a pair on the front so now I have to go shopping. I think my luck is starting to change for that house.

1 more attachment, Notice someone knocked/ran down the road/stop sign in front of house. Maybe corner houses are not considered auspicious as they are more vunerable to traffic flow? But not as bad as at a T/Intersection.

2 more pictures attached

Hi Cecil, I drive by this house everyday which is located at the corner of a street. I noticed that they used both a bagua on corner of their garage at a 45 degree angle facing out toward the street and a mirror on the side of the house next to a window(on left side looking at the house). I'm very curious as to your comments on their placement of the bagua and mirror. My guess is that they are trying to deflect chi when cars turn into their street. Based on what I know/learned, from reading this forumn, is that bagua's and mirrors should be placed/located either above windows or doors as that would be an entrance point of negative chi into the house. It's also interesting that the occupants used 2 similiar cures at the front of the house. My guess is that 1 bagua mirror would be sufficient if place above the front window but I'm not sure as this house is at a corner and I've only experienced houses at end of a street/or T. I'm curious as to how you would properly Feng Shui the outside of this house. See attached. Thanks

Hi Cecil, I went down to my local hardware/garden center today to look for a "Garden Light" to place at the corner of the Missing Corner of my house, ie missing corner greater than 33.3% on second level of house. I've seen a variety of garden lights, those that are 1-2 feet tall with a small lamp at the top. Those are used to light walkways or pathways. They also sell lamp lights attached to a tall post 6-7 feet tall which are used more for area lighting. I've also seen porch lights which are attached to the side of the wall or building like next to the front door. My question is which of these lights would work for my missing corner and which would be preferable. As always, thanks for your reply

Hi Cecil, I don't mind at all in using my post as an example for learning Feng Shui. And I even learned somthing new and now have more options but I think I'll stick with the windchime as you recommended. Thanks again. Appended by Cecil: Ben, thanks very much. On behalf of everyone, appreciate it very much:)

Thank you Cecil. I now have a better understanding of applying the cures from my Flying Star report. Most homes, those built in the last 20 year here in the US have living rooms with high vaulted/sloped ceilings ie. extending to the second level of a 2 story house. Such is the case in my house and my rental. I'll have to keep in mind the missing corners for both levels of 2 story homes in the future. Thanks for enhancing my Feng Shui knowlegde. What a Great Website! Ben

a. Yes, try to use a 6-rod windchime to `destroy' wood since this is a long pillar. b. However, do check and make sure that this sector is not at North-east (devil's gate) or South (devil's backdoor). If so, can u let me know the Flying Star number(s) in this sector. The front door is facing the SOUTH sector of my house. The flying star numbers are Mountain(6),Water(8),Center(2),Yearly(2. We don't use the front door as the main entrance, rather we enter through the garage in the SW Sector Can you further elaborate: 1. which compass direction this is. And what is the colour painted on the wall. The room is right above the front door and also is in the South Direction. We use that as our Den and spend most of our night time in that room until we retire in our bedroom. The whole interior of the house is painted white. 2. For info, your binding element for Strong Metal and Strong Earth is water element. I ran the report on your site and it says that "WOOD" is our binding element. And I double checked and saw that Water and Wood is Favourable for both of us. If you have a layout plan, you can either scan it and upload here or sent me via Fax to: 065 - 64820570. I can help you to determine the actual centrepoint for confirmation. I attached the layout with the compass directions and flying star number for each of the directions on the 1st Floor. Another question: My flying star says I need to use "Metal" in my SW direction. Will I need to place a cure both on the 1st floor and 2nd floor in the SW direction or will placing the cure on the 1st floor be sufficient? I'm still planning on putting a picture tour of my house on the web in the near future so you can see all the changes I've implemented. Thanks again!

Hi Cecil, It's a wooden pillar painted white that supports a portion of my den/room on the second story. Thanks

Hi Cecil, I've been wanting to use a windchime here for the outside of my front door but I keep remembering your comments of getting a proper FS audit before using windchimes as they may "attract" spirits since they use similiar sounds during budhist funerals. So I attached 3 pictures of the post that slices through my front door so that I may get "proper" FS feedback :) The post is part of my house that supports a section the second floor. The front door faces South (fire). You'll also notice on one of the pictures that I have blue miniblinds(water) on the 2nd floor which is above the front door. Questions: 1) Would I be able to properly use a windchime outside my front door to deflect the negative chi from the post without attracting spirits? Or should I use something else? If so, what? 2) Should I change the miniblinds to a different color since the blue(water) and South(Fire) direction clashes? If so, what would be an acceptable color? 3) I have a screen door that swings out as you can see from the picture. As I recall, doors that swing outwards is not good Feng Shui. Should I be concerned here? 4) My house is shaped as a rectangle with a cutout starting at the front door that extends to the front of the garage. You can see this in the picture. The front door faces S and the garage faces SW when I take the centerpoint measurement of the house. When I look at the picures on your site regarding "cutouts/indents" my house doesn't look like the shapes of the S or SW cutout but rather it looks exactly like the one described as SE. I'm confused as to how to interpret the cutout of my house. Can you help explain? Other pertinent information: We use the garage as the main entrance. My main direction is SW and my wife is N, daughter is NE. I'm Strong Metal, my wife is Strong Earth and my daughter Strong Wood. My Flying star report says South direction is Good this year.

Hi Cecil, I got around to going to my rental to check up on the landscaping work done which you had recommended. I had that bare tree replace and centered on the 1st story window with a more hardy tree that doesn't lose leaves. I also had boxwood hedges planted along the front of the house. Both the hedges are tree are not mature yet but hopefully within a 1-2 years the tree will fully cover the front window and the hedges will grow knee high. I also placed a bagua mirror above the window (Not the red/green with double door but one my mother found. What does double door look like?). You can see from the attachments. I haven't been able to convince (haven't dared asked) the tenants (chinese and caucasian couple) to let me place cannons or keiloons in the front. I'm not sure how to ask them because I don't want them to feel uncomfortable about the house. I should have done it before I rented it out. But they do seem like nice tenants, paid on time and hasn't called to bother me yet. Question: 1) If you look at the roof, you can see a skylight in the middle. It is positioned in the middle of the second floor. I remember reading that it is not good feng shui to have a staircase in the middle of the house. But what about a skylight? My guess is it would be similiar but I'm not sure. 2) The front door faces South (fire direction) and the front door has oval glass in the upper middle portion of door (water element) It's painted green (wood). I know that fire and water clashes. What do you recommend? Replace the door with no glass and leave it green or paint it red OR not to worry about it since it is secondary in importance to the being at the end of the street. Thanks