I am confused on the symbolic animals article listed on your website. Our home has both a north and south entrance, we consider the south to be the "main" entrance since this is the one we use dailey but actually, it is in the back of the lot. Anyways, you say that the "mountain" should be in the north/back but the mountain/trees are in the back of our home except they are located in the south, not the north as you say they should be. The front of our home--north--is the open space that slopes down slightly towards the road. I'm wondering, do we need to plant some trees or put something in the front/north of our home to represent the "mountain" or are things ok the way they are now? I am confused.
Thank you
Carrie

Dear Carrie,

So far, I’ve found that there are at least four ways of understanding the Four Symbolic Animals concept.

The two most common ones are:

1. What you mentioned about north/south, where the mountain is at the north/back, is based on the traditional “China” concept.

In China, the cold winds blow from the north, and most houses do not have windows or doors on the north or at the back of the house. Dust also tends to blow in from the north.

So, in this first scenario, this is why north is considered the back of the house, while south is, for example, the facing direction of the house.

2. In general, if you set aside what was mentioned in Paragraph 1, then:

- The facing direction should have clear, open space, like the bird.

- The back of the house should have a solid backing or protection.

Here, it would be incorrect to say that north always equals the back.

3. Under the Four Symbolic Animals concept, you need to note that the back should have a solid backing. This means having proper fencing, shrubs, or even a brick wall behind the house to provide solid “protection.”

4. For the front of the house, it is always good to have clear, open space. It’s fine to plant some trees, but they should not grow so large that they make the front too dark or heavy.

5. I’ve also mentioned in a few previous messages that, in addition to the meanings above, the Compass School of Feng Shui also relates the Four Symbolic Animals to the actual compass directions.

6. It’s always good to ask these kinds of questions, as it helps you better understand the reasoning behind how north came to be associated with the back. However, this idea does not apply to every situation or every house.

Hope the above helps.

Quote

On 2/6/00 7:32:41 PM, Anonymous wrote:
I am confused on the symbolic
animals article listed on your
website. Our home has both a
north and south entrance, we
consider the south to be the
"main" entrance since this is
the one we use dailey but
actually, it is in the back of
the lot. Anyways, you say
that the "mountain" should be
in the north/back but the
mountain/trees are in the back
of our home except they are
located in the south, not the
north as you say they should
be. The front of our
home--north--is the open space
that slopes down slightly
towards the road. I'm
wondering, do we need to plant
some trees or put something in
the front/north of our home to
represent the "mountain" or
are things ok the way they are
now? I am confused.
Thank you
Carrie

Summary

Above explains different interpretations of the Four Symbolic Animals in Feng Shui, clarifying how house orientation, especially front (clear space) and back (solid support), relates to both traditional Chinese climate-based practice and compass directions, and why “north = back” is not a universal rule.

Key Takeaways

- There are at least four ways to interpret the Four Symbolic Animals concept in Feng Shui.

- One common view, based on traditional Chinese conditions, treats north as the back of the house because of cold winds and dust from that direction.

- Another view focuses on form: the front should be open (bird), and the back should be solid and protected, independent of compass north.

- A solid backing can be provided by fences, shrubs, or walls behind the house.

- The front of the house should have clear space; trees are acceptable if they do not overly darken or burden the frontage.

- The Compass School links the Four Symbolic Animals to actual compass directions, adding another interpretive layer.

- The association of north with the back of the house is contextual, not universally applicable to all houses or locations.