Is ancestors related to fengshui ?

[myfs_141454]

Dear Master Lee,

Is having an ancestor altarin the houserelated to fengshui ?

Please advise

thank you

[Cecil Lee]

1. Yes, there is such a thing as Yang and Yin Feng Shui.

1.1. Yang Feng Shui is for the living: Earth luck for the living

1.2. Yin Feng Shui is for the dead. And this range from burial site to placement of the altar in a location or home.

2. For example, if we need to place BOTH a deity like Guan Yin, then when facing the altar; the GOD should be to our right. And the ancestor tablet or frame is on the same altar but much lower to it's left.

3. And in addition, all proper altar has to follow Feng Shui ruler dimensions e.g. 49 3/4 inches where the Feng Shui ruler is auspicious for BOTH the living and the dead.

4. Do a SEARCH in this forum and you can find lots of information on where one should place an altar in a home environment:-

http://forum.geomancy.net/phpforum/article.php?bid=2&fid=1&mid=15799&new

[myfs_141454]

Dear master lee, thank you for your reply.

I got a big problem, i do not know who exactly is my ancestor.

Since young my family do not have any ancestor altar at home and i was not told who my ancestor is.

How to manage this situation ? My surname is Teo does it mean my ancestors are all the Teo's ?

Please enlighten me

thank you

[myfs_141454]

thank you for your reply.

I think i'll go to the clan available in singapore to check it out

hahaa

thanks for your support

[Cecil Lee]

Well good luck in finding your roots.

Generally, there are two "types" of clan associations:

1. Based on dialect e.g. Hakka,Teochew... clan (province related) and
2. Surname related ones... Chan, Lim clan associations

Yeah.. go dig out your past! Don't worry.. no skeletons in the closet!

[Cecil Lee]

1. Frankly, this kind of finding your Chinese roots kinda of thing, you have to really spent some investigative work.

2. For example, try to check with your elders e.g. parents: dad or mum (if applicable) and other older relatives.

3. The most logical questions are:

3.1. What dialect group is your grand-father.
3.2. For example are you a "pure hokkien" or say pure "teochew".
3.3. Pure breed = grandfather and grand mother pure hokkien as an example.

4. Usually the clue comes from the Surname: Hwang, Ng, Chan means yellow. For example many hokkiens use the surname Ng. But if one is a cantonese they don't use the hokkien dialect Ng but instead: Surname as Chan. Both Ng and Chan are one and the same.

5. For example, if one is a hokkien, some parents can remember or recall say their grand father came from the Fujian province: e.g. Kim Meng, Anxi etc...

6. There are many Singaporeans who after knowing which province and village their grandfather came from and then go to China to find out where their ancestors were buried.

7. Last year, met a person, who did this. He suddenly had a dream and in his dream; he dreamt that his ancestors asked him to go back to China, to "pray at their grave".

8. This person, knew where his relative's province was, checked with the records kept in that county and he was at least $20K poorer as he had to pay for the investigative work in China; and

9. The interesting thing was, when he arrived in China, to that province, he told me that suddenly, for a few days, people queue up to collect a Hong Bao (red packet) from him. That is why he was "broke" or poorer by $20K.

10. Frankly, this kind of thing is not like arm chair investigative work.

11. In Singapore, there are clan associations and some can remember which clan their grand parents or great grand parents belong to. Can go to such a clan to check it out.

12. In my opinion, I know which clan and which province my grand father came from. But the heck with all the protocols e.g or giving away "foolish" money to people who queue up for it.

13. For most of us overseas Chinese, so long as you know which provice e.g. Fujian and which county.. should be good enough! And if one really wants to visit the province in the future, do so - as a "simple" tourist. Personally, if it is me; I won't want to announce to the whole village that I am coming..!

[Cecil Lee]

It is always rewarding especially for those who found out they came from a good family tree.. Like this Italian family!

[Cecil Lee]

Source & Credit: The Sunday Times, Singapore
8 August 2010

New Hokkien clan Chief sworn in...

NOTE: The Hokkiens are Singapore's largest dialect group consisting around 27 percent of all the total Chinese in Singapore!