|
Looking
for Wealth
By Howard Choy (B.Arch).
Published in Easy Feng Shui.
There
are many traditional feng shui schools, and each
school has its own way of locating the wealth
position (Cai Wei) in your home. They differ
from each other greatly and are sources of
confusion for many feng shui students.
In
this article I will cast some light onto this
confusion by examining the working of the five
most popular feng shui schools in Asia today,
namely the Feixing (Flying Stars), the Bazhai
(Eight Houses), the San Yuan (Triple
Primary), the San He (Triple Combination)
and Luan Tou (Mountain Tops or Form)
School.
I
have left out the Three Door Bagua method
made popular by Prof. Lin Yun of the Black Sect
because I consider it to be non-traditional.
However, it is very easy to locate: When you
walk into a room, according to the Three Door
Bagua, the wealth position is always located in
the top left hand corner facing you. (Ref
Diagram 1)
|
WEALTH
|
FAME
|
MARRIAGE
|
|
FAMILY
|
|
CHILDREN
|
|
KNOWLEDGE
|
CAREER
|
HELPFUL
PEOPLE
|
Diagram
1 The Three Door Bagua
(taken from “Interior Design with Feng Shui”
by Sarah Rossback, published by Rider & Co.
1987)
At
the end of this article, I will use a typical
house plan to show where I would locate and
actuate the wealth position using these methods.
Feixing
Pai (the Flying Stars School)
Feixing
or Flying Stars
refers to the stars (that is the numbers) in a
Luoshu diagram.
A
Luoshu Diagram is a 3 x 3 ‘magic square’ -
where every line of numbers; vertical,
horizontal and diagonal, add up to 15. (Refer
Diagram 2)
Following
the numerical cycle 5,6,7,8,9,1,2,3,4,5
identifies the fixed “forward flying”
pattern of the “stars” (numbers). (See
arrows on Diagram 2).
Diagram
2 “Flying Stars” pattern in a Luoshu Diagram
The
eight directions South, South East, East, North
East, North, North West,
West
and South West are shown. The name for each of
the eight “palaces”
(sectors
of the diagram - excluding the centre) is shown
next to its direction.
The
centre number of the diagram changes according
to a pre-determined cycle of time based on
twenty year and yearly cycles. These cycles are
calculated from the birthday of the Yellow
Emperor. By consulting the Tong Shu (the Chinese
Almanac) you can see which star flies into the
central ‘palace’ each year. The same
“forward flying” pattern is applied to the
diagram, following the numerical cycle
5,6,7,8,9,1,2,3,4,5, to determine which
“stars” fly into which “palaces”.
To
determine the yearly or twenty yearly wealth
position we look for the ‘palace’ where the
‘star’ (or the number) 8 ‘flies’ into.
The 8 ‘star’ called the Zuofu Star is
considered to be an auspicious star related to
wealth.
Let
us look at an example:
In
the year 1995, the five star “flies” into the
central “palace”. If we construct the flying
pattern (Refer to Diagram 3) we can see that the
8 star is in the Gen Palace (the north east),
which makes the North East the wealth position
for the year 1995.
|
SE
|
|
|
S
|
|
|
SW
|
|
|
XUN
|
|
LI
|
|
KAN
|
|
|
|
|
4
|
9
|
2
|
|
|
|
E
|
ZHEN
|
3
|
5
|
7
|
DUI
|
W
|
|
|
|
8
|
1
|
6
|
|
|
|
|
GEN
|
|
KAN
|
|
QIAN
|
|
|
NE
|
|
|
N
|
|
|
NW
|
Diagram
3 Yearly Flying Stars Pattern for 1995.
For
the year 2000, the nine star flies into the
central palace. If we construct the yearly
flying stars chart as shown below (Diagram 4) we
can see that the 8 star is now in the Xun Palace
(South East), which makes the South East corner of the
house the wealth position, for the year 2000.
The 8 Star is also the ‘sheng qi’ (or the
vitality star) for the seventh period
(1983-2003), because it is the same number of
the period to follow (the eighth period is from
2004 – 2024).
|
SE
|
|
|
S
|
|
|
SW
|
|
|
XUN
|
|
LI
|
|
KAN
|
|
|
|
|
8
|
4
|
6
|
|
|
|
E
|
ZHEN
|
7
|
9
|
2
|
DUI
|
W
|
|
|
|
3
|
5
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
GEN
|
|
KAN
|
|
QIAN
|
|
|
NE
|
|
|
N
|
|
|
NW
|
Diagram
4 Yearly Flying Stars Pattern for 2000
There
is another way of calculating the Wealth
Position according to a 20 year cycle. The
method not only takes into consideration a
longer
time cycle but also the orientation of the
house. For example, for a house constructed in
the 7th Period (1984-2003), sitting
due north and facing due south, the flying stars
chart is constructed as shown below in diagram
5.
|
|
|
|
|
Facing
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SE
|
|
|
S
|
|
|
SW
|
|
|
|
|
XUN
|
|
 LI
|
|
KAN
|
|
8
Water Star
(Facing
Position)
|
|
 Mountain
Star
(Sitting
Position)
|
|
|
4
1
6
|
8
6
2
|
6
8
4
|
|
|
|
|
|
E
|
ZHEN
|
5
9
5
|
3
2
7
|
1
4
9
|
DUI
|
W
|
|
|
|
|
|
9
5
1
|
 7
7
3
|
2
3
8
|
|
|
7
Water Star
|
|
|
|
GEN
|
|
KAN
|
|
QIAN
|
|
|
|
|
NE
|
|
|
N
|
|
|
NW
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sitting
|
|
|
|
|
Diagram
5 Showing Flying Stars pattern for a house
constructed in the 7th Period.
Sitting due North and facing due South
From
diagram 5 we can see that the north is where the
7 water star has landed, so north is considered
to be the Wealth Position for this house
constructed in the 7th Period.
We
can also see that the 8 water star is located
towards the SW, making it a secondary wealth
position for the house.
You
need some knowledge of the Flying Stars
calculations to work out the charts for
different houses with different orientation and
construction periods. The idea is to look for
the star for the period you are in. Therefore
after 2003, you should look for the 8 water star
for the wealth position and the 9 water star
will become the secondary wealth position.
Bazhai
Pai
The
Bazhai Pai or the ‘Eight Houses’ School uses
the Sheng qi (or Vitality) sector as its wealth
position. The eight houses refers to the eight
sectors or palaces of the Luoshu Diagram (Later
Heaven) Bagua (Refer to Diagram 5) The central
palace is not named.
|
SE
|
|
|
S
|
|
|
SW
|
|
|
XUN
|
|
LI
|
|
KAN
|
|
|
|
|
8
|
4
|
6
|
|
|
|
E
|
ZHEN
|
7
|
9
|
2
|
DUI
|
W
|
|
|
|
3
|
5
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
GEN
|
|
KAN
|
|
QIAN
|
|
|
NE
|
|
|
N
|
|
|
NW
|
The
eight palaces are classified into West Four Gua
(Kun, Dui, Qian and Gen) and East Four Gua (Li,
Kun, Zhen and Kun).
By
using a compass we can determine the
directionality of a house, that is in what
direction the house sits and faces from this we
can work out what the type of a house it belongs
to and where is the sheng qi sector. For example
if the house is sitting on North West and facing
South East it is a Qian house (zhai gua = qian)
and the sheng qi sector is located at the west,
therefore the wealth position is to the west.
A
secondary wealth position is located at the Yan
Nian (Longevity) sector. Both the sheng qi and
Yan Nian position can be calculated from the
Song of the Big Yearly Cycle or the Da Yu Nian
Ge. For convenience I have summarised these two
positions for the eight different house types
below
|
House
Type
|
Primary
Wealth Position
|
Secondary
Wealth Position
|
|
Zhai
Gua (Sitting Direction)
|
Sheng
Qi (Vitality Location)
|
Yan
Nian (Longevity Location)
|
|
West
four Houses
|
|
|
|
Kun
(SW)
|
NE
|
NW
|
|
Dui
(West)
|
NW
|
NE
|
|
Qian
(NW)
|
West
|
SW
|
|
Gen
(NE)
|
SW
|
West
|
|
East
four houses
|
|
|
|
Li
(South)
|
East
|
North
|
|
Xun
(SE)
|
North
|
East
|
|
Zhen
(East)
|
South
|
SE
|
|
Kan
(North)
|
SE
|
South
|
Referring
to the Chart, so if your house faces the north
(that is it sits on the south) you have an East
Four Li House and the primary wealth position (sheng
qi) is located in the east and the secondary
wealth position (Yan Nian) is located in the
north.
San
Yuan Pai
San
Yuan Pai or the Triple Primaries School, like
the Feixing Pai uses the 3 Yuan (3 cycles of 60
years each and 9 Yuan (9 periods of 60 years
each) and 9 Yun (9 periods of 20 years each) to
do their calculations. The cycles and periods of
time (refer Table 2) is transplanted onto the
Luoshu Diagram to give a correlation between
space and time.
|
Cycle
|
Period
|
Years
|
|
Upper
Yuan
|
1st
Yun
|
1864
– 1883
|
|
|
2nd
Yun
|
1884
–1903
|
|
|
3rd
Yun
|
1904
– 1923
|
|
Middle
Yuan
|
4th
Yun
|
1924
– 1943
|
|
|
5th
Yun
|
1944
– 1963
|
|
|
6th
Yun
|
1964
– 1983
|
|
Lower
Yuan
|
7th
Yun
|
1984
– 2003
|
|
|
8th
Yun
|
2004
– 2023
|
|
|
9th
Yun
|
2024
– 2043
|
Table
2: Showing Time Cycle of the 9 Periods from 1864
– 2043.
Since
we are in the lower cycle of the 7th
Yun (1984-2003). The number 7 (West) in the
Luoshu Diagram becomes the “Zheng Shen” or
the “Principal Spirit” of our time (Ref.
Diagram 6).
|
|
SE
|
|
|
S
|
|
|
SW
|
|
|
|
|
XUN
|
|
LI
|
|
KAN
|
|
|
|
Ling
Shen
(Wealth
Position)
|
|
|
4
|
9
|
2
|
|
|
Zhao
Shen
(Secondary
Wealth Position)
|
|
|
E
|
ZHEN
|
3
|
5
|
7
|
DUI
|
W
|
|
|
|
|
|
8
|
1
|
6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GEN
|
|
KAN
|
|
QIAN
|
|
|
|
|
NE
|
|
|
N
|
|
|
NW
|
|
Diagram
6: Luoshu Diagram Showing Position of Zheng Shen
for the 7th Period (1984 – 2003)
Opposite
to the Zheng Shen (East, number 3) is the Ling
Shen the Zero (as in origin) spirit. The San
Yuan Pai rule says that if there is water in the
Ling Shen direction, wealth will come with the
water.
So
the Ling Shen becomes the wealth position if we
charge it with water (Refer Diagram 6)
After
2003, we will enter the 8th Period
(2004 – 2023) and the Zheng Shen will shift to
the NE (number 8) and Ling Shen will be in the
SW. SO if you put water in the SW direction
after 2003 you will activate the wealth qi of
the house there (Refer Diagram 7).
|
|
SE
|
|
|
S
|
|
|
SW
|
|
|
|
|
XUN
|
|
LI
|
|
KAN
|
|
Ling
Shen
(Wealth
Position)
|
|
 Zhao
Shen (Secondary Wealth Position)
|
|
|
4
|
9
|
2
|
|
|
|
|
|
E
|
ZHEN
|
3
|
5
|
7
|
DUI
|
W
|
|
|
 Zheng
Shen
|
|
|
8
|
1
|
6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GEN
|
|
KAN
|
|
QIAN
|
|
|
|
|
NE
|
|
|
N
|
|
|
NW
|
|
Diagram
7 Luoshu Diagram Showing Position of Zheng Shen
and Ling Shen for the 8th Period
A
secondary wealth position can be obtained by
looking at the Hetu Coupling of 1,6; 2,7; 3,8;
and 4,9 numbers (Refer Diagram 8)
|
|
|
S
|
|
|
|
|
|
7
2
|
|
|
|
E
|
8
3
|
10
5
10
|
4
9
|
W
|
|
|
|
1
6
|
|
|
|
|
|
N
|
|
|
Diagram 8, Hetu
Diagram Showing Coupling of Heaven and Earth
Numbers.
Since
these pairs of numbers represented Heaven (Odd
Numbers) and Earth (Even Numbers) coming
together to achieve harmony in the Universe we
look at the pairing of 1,6; 2,7; 3,8; 4,9; 5,10
in the Luoshu Diagram. So in the 7th
Period, the Luoshu number 2 or the SW becomes
the secondary wealth position called the Zhao
Shen or the Reflected Spirit.
For
the 8th Period, the Luoshu Number 3
the East direction becomes the Zhao Shen, the
secondary wealth position from 2004 – 2023.
San
He Pai
San
He Pai or the Triple Combination School uses the
12 Zodiac Animals orientation as the wealth
position. As the name implies the 12 animals are
grouped into combinations of 3 and their
locations are marked on the compass shown in
Diagram 9 below.
Diagram
9 “San He” or “Wealth Position” A total
of 5 sets of combinations.
There
are a total of 5 sets of combinations shown
below:
1.
Water Combinations
Monkey
(WSW), Rat (N) and Dragon (ESE)
2.
Fire Combination
s
Tiger
(ENE), Horse (S) and Dog (WNW)
3.
Metal Combinations
Snake
(SSE), Rooster (W) and Ox (NNE)
4.
Wood Combinations
Pig
(NNW), Rabbit (E) and Ram (SSW)
5.
Earth
Combinations
Dragon
(ESE), Ox (NNE), Dog (WNW) and Ram (SSW)-
forming a square to represent earth.
By
looking up your zodiac animal sign (Refer to
Table 4 below). You will obtain the Wealth
Position in your house.
|
1919
|
Feb
1
|
Ram
|
1950
|
Feb
17
|
Tiger
|
1981
|
Feb
5
|
Rooster
|
|
1920
|
Feb
20
|
Monkey
|
1951
|
Feb
6
|
Rabbit
|
1982
|
Jan
25
|
Dog
|
|
1921
|
Feb
8
|
Rooster
|
1952
|
Jan
27
|
Dragon
|
1983
|
Feb
13
|
Pig
|
|
1922
|
Jan
28
|
Dog
|
1953
|
Feb
14
|
Snake
|
1984
|
Feb
2
|
Rat
|
|
1923
|
Feb
16
|
Pig
|
1954
|
Feb
3
|
Horse
|
1985
|
Feb
20
|
Ox
|
|
1924
|
Feb
5
|
Rat
|
1955
|
Jan
24
|
Ram
|
1986
|
Feb
9
|
Tiger
|
|
1925
|
Jan
24
|
Ox
|
1956
|
Feb
12
|
Monkey
|
1987
|
Jan
29
|
Rabbit
|
|
1926
|
Feb
13
|
Tiger
|
1957
|
Jan
31
|
Rooster
|
1988
|
Feb
17
|
Dragon
|
|
1927
|
Feb
2
|
Rabbit
|
1958
|
Feb
18
|
Dog
|
1989
|
Feb
6
|
Snake
|
|
1928
|
Jan
23
|
Dragon
|
1959
|
Feb
8
|
Pig
|
1990
|
Jan
27
|
Horse
|
|
1929
|
Feb
10
|
Snake
|
1960
|
Jan
28
|
Rat
|
1991
|
Feb
15
|
Ram
|
|
1930
|
Jan
30
|
Horse
|
1961
|
Feb
15
|
Ox
|
1992
|
Feb
4
|
Monkey
|
|
1931
|
Feb
17
|
Ram
|
1962
|
Feb
5
|
Tiger
|
1993
|
Jan
23
|
Rooster
|
|
1932
|
Feb
6
|
Monkey
|
1963
|
Jan
25
|
Rabbit
|
1994
|
Feb
10
|
Dog
|
|
1933
|
Jan
26
|
Rooster
|
1964
|
Feb
13
|
Dragon
|
1995
|
Jan
31
|
Pig
|
|
1934
|
Feb
14
|
Dog
|
1965
|
Feb
2
|
Snake
|
1996
|
Feb
19
|
Snake
|
|
1935
|
Feb
4
|
Pig
|
1966
|
Jan
21
|
Horse
|
1997
|
Feb
7
|
Horse
|
|
1936
|
Jan
24
|
Rat
|
1967
|
Feb
9
|
Ram
|
1998
|
Jan
28
|
Ram
|
|
1937
|
Feb
11
|
Ox
|
1968
|
Jan
30
|
Monkey
|
1999
|
Feb
16
|
Monkey
|
|
1938
|
Jan
31
|
Tiger
|
1969
|
Feb
17
|
Rooster
|
2000
|
Feb
5
|
Dragon
|
|
1939
|
Feb
19
|
Rabbit
|
1970
|
Feb
6
|
Dog
|
2001
|
Jan
24
|
Snake
|
|
1940
|
Feb
8
|
Dragon
|
1971
|
Jan
27
|
Pig
|
2002
|
Feb
12
|
Horse
|
|
1941
|
Jan
27
|
Snake
|
1972
|
Feb
15
|
Rat
|
2003
|
Feb
1
|
Ram
|
|
1942
|
Feb
15
|
Horse
|
1973
|
Feb
3
|
Ox
|
2004
|
Jan
22
|
Monkey
|
|
1943
|
Feb
5
|
Ram
|
1974
|
Jan
23
|
Tiger
|
2005
|
Feb
9
|
Rooster
|
|
1944
|
Jan
25
|
Monkey
|
1975
|
Feb
11
|
Rabbit
|
2006
|
Jan
29
|
Dog
|
|
1945
|
Feb
13
|
Rooster
|
1976
|
Jan
31
|
Dragon
|
2007
|
Feb
18
|
Pig
|
|
1946
|
Feb
2
|
Dog
|
1977
|
Feb
18
|
Snake
|
2008
|
Feb
7
|
Snake
|
|
1947
|
Jan
22
|
Pig
|
1978
|
Feb
7
|
Horse
|
2009
|
Jan
26
|
Horse
|
|
1948
|
Feb
10
|
Rat
|
1979
|
Jan
28
|
Ram
|
2010
|
Feb
14
|
Ram
|
|
1949
|
Jan
29
|
Ox
|
1980
|
Feb
16
|
Monkey
|
2011
|
Feb
3
|
Monkey
|
Table
3 Chinese Calendar.
For
example if you are a monkey your wealth
positions are towards the North (Rat) and ESE
(Dragon). Since each of the combinations has an
element attached to the relationship you can use
this element in the choice of your cure to bring
in the wealth qi. Using the monkey as an example
again, you can bring in the wealth qi with a
water element located at the North or the ESE
direction.
Luan
Tou Pai
Luan
Tou Pai or the Mountain Top School uses the form
of a space to assemble the qi in order to
assemble the wealth. Therefore the Jue Qi
Position (assembled qi position) is also the
wealth position, referring to Diagram 9 below,
you can see where the qi is assembled in a room.
Diagram
9 (a) Showing Jue Chi position with door in the
right corner of room.
Diagram
9 (b) Showing Jue Chi position with door in the
left corner of room.
Diagram
9 (c) Showing Jue Chi position with door in the
middle of room.
Area
near the entry doorway usually cannot assemble
qi well due to traffic going in and out of the
room. Generally, the wealth position is
diagonally opposite the point of entry. The
solid corner of the walls holds the qi together
to assemble wealth for you.
As
a general guideline the wealth position in a
house should be actuated in either the living
area (where the family gathers together) or in
the study/office where you handle your finances.
Now
that we have an idea how the five different
schools locate their wealth position, if you
were to apply them to your home, which of the five
methods is most effective?
Different
experts have different opinions but they all
agree that to do Feng shui well one must combine
the Form analysis with the Compass orientations
so form, space and time can harmonise each
other. For that reason I would use the Luan Tou
method (Form) combined with the Bazhai Space
method, followed by the San Yuan and the Feixing
(time).
The
San He method is also useful since there is
normally more than one person in a house who
will bring in an income.
The
best approach is to integrate all the methods as
much as possible, using the form (that is, the
physicality) of the space to make your final
decision. The sketch below shows the result of
one such case.
This
shows the wealth position in the living area of
a typical north facing unit . The location
against the east wall towards the north-east
corner satisfies the Luan Tou, Bazhai and San
Yuan methods of analysis. It will also satisfy
the San He combination if the owners zodiac
animal is a pig or a ram. The Feixing (yearly
cycle for 2000) reading locates the wealth
postion in the south-east corner of the room
where the corridor runs into the bathroom. so,
looking at the physicality of the space, we can
see that this corner is difficult to activate
and should not be considered an option.
In
reality each house or a room has an “outer”
wealth position which can be located according
to different feng shui techniques. However what
is more important is the “inner” wealth
position that exists in our own minds. We must
bear in mind that feng shui is no more than a
working tool to help us to achieve our goals.
When we have the desire to work hard and spend
wisely, it's not so difficult to become wealthy!
If
you are interested in learning traditional feng
shui, the Feng Shui College of Sydney conducts a
Professional Practitioners Course and
informative weekend workshops regularly. For
further inquiries please call 02 9810 0162 or
email info@feng-shui-architects.com
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