Black Turtle Feng Shui

Wealth in the East in December?

Maybe along with a star in the east on Christmas Day, you can enjoy increased prosperity by lighting candles in the east during the month of December. For the idea behind activating monthly wealth energy, read my previous blog, "Feng Shui Wealth Tip for November 2010", then transfer any candles-or possibly use strings of holiday lights-to the east part of your home until January 5, 2011. 

As we talked about earlier, check your feng shui chart (if you have one), and don't do this if there are 5's or 2's in the east part of your home. It is best to activate 8's and 9's with fire. If you don't have a chart and are experimenting with this, pay attention to the results and discontinue using the candles if you experience negative things rather than increased prosperity. Inadvertently activating a 2 can bring illness; activating a 5 can bring injuries, accidents, or other trouble.        

On January 6, the monthly wealth qi moves to the southeast, so do check your chart or try again in that sector of your home.

Then in early February, on Chinese New Year, we can all celebrate as the yearly wealth energy will be released from the center of all structures and become usable again. 2011 promises to be a more prosperous year for all thanks to this. That will be reason to celebrate.

 

Feng Shui Tidings of Comfort and Joy

 
 
 

With Thanksgiving behind us-maybe with the exception of the leftovers-it's time to deck the halls. The lights, gatherings, and warmth bring comfort in winter, that most yin season of dark and cold. 

From a feng shui perspective, there are a few things to keep in mind as you decorate and cozy up your winter nest. 

For many, the holidays are more stressful than joyful. The way we decorate might contribute to that. Red is prominently used in Christmas decorating, and is also a strong activator for earth qi. As two of the three earth energies present in every home are negative when activated, all the red may cause trouble, not joy.

If you have a feng shui chart for your home, limit red, candles, and strings of lights in areas with 2's and 5's. They are best used in areas with 8's. If you do not have a chart, and have traditionally decorated with red, you and your family may be inadvertently inviting depression, argumentativeness, or stress.  

A solution is to use gold, silver, yellow, and cream colors rather than red. They represent metal, the most used remedy in feng shui. If you do not have a chart, using metal colors may bring relief from negative earth qi. You may actually find your circumstances have improved when using these colors, or round shapes, in your decorating. If so, consider incorporating metal more permanently into your decor after the holidays.  

Where to put the Christmas tree? They look beautiful in windows from inside and out. They also function as virtual mountains in feng shui. They will make the health and relationship qi stronger in a window, and decrease the influence of the active qi that governs wealth. Whether a tree is good or not in a particular window depends on the energies present there. Since it will make relationship qi stronger, if that influence is good, you are on your way to making merry. If the relationship qi is a negative influence at that window, you might be inviting Scrooge for the holidays.

In a similar way, a tree might either block positive prosperity energy, or prevent negative financial influences. Without a chart, just watch what happens after the tree goes up, and consider making adjustments if you notice negative things happening.

The colors blue and green are not strong feng shui activators, so feel free to incorporate them wherever you wish in holiday decorating.

Now that I have made holiday decorating seem more fraught with hazard than ho, ho ho-God rest ye, merry gentlemen (and women)-beauty is qi. Above all, enjoy the lights and colors and warmth of the season in every way. Happy holidays!

Feng Shui Wealth Tip For November 2010

Light a candle in the southwest...maybe.

A review of my home's feng shui chart in October showed that monthly wealth energy was in my bedroom. The other energies there were compatable with it. Because fire is a qi activator, I experimented with lighting a candle in the room as often as possible, when I was able to be nearby to keep an eye on it.

By the end of the month, more wealth was flowing. Several unexpected financial opportunities came up. 

Since then, the powerful monthly wealth energy has moved to the southwest, but I am NOT lighting candles in the southwest in my home in November. The other energies in the southwest in my home are not ones I want to activate with fire. Fire might trigger accidents and trouble, not prosperity.

If you have had your home's feng shui chart done, try lighting candles for wealth in the southwest until early in December only if there are no 2's or 5's present. If you do not have a chart, try this with caution. Light candles in the southwest to increase wealth, but stop immediately if you experience negative events rather than better financial results.

Knowing your chart is important because no two homes are the same. Classical feng shui does not rely on your front door for orientation. The "southwest" is the actual direction, not a "corner" based on its relationship to your front door. 

And please, don't keep candles lit in your bedroom while sleeping. Not only is this not safe with candles in general-always monitor candles-the active qi will interfere with your sleep.

The direction for monthly wealth changes in early December. Stay tuned for an update. Monthly energies for prosperity carry greater importance until early February 2011. Then a yearly as well as a monthly prosperity direction will be posted here.    

       

 

      

Monthly Stars

Several clients have asked that I post updates on monthly stars. They are not as big an influence as the other stars in a chart. They can be triggers, however, that may have positive or negative bearings on a chart. 

Right now, in February 2010, the monthly 5 is in the northeast. This star has the ability to be disturbing. In many charts, it will not be activated, but if you spend a lot of time in the northeast part of your home and you experience difficulties in February, try adding a little of the colors yellow or gold, playing music in that area, particularly piano music, or adding a bowl of still water.

The monthly 8, the ruling star, is in the southwest. This is where the annual 5 is during 2010. The 8 may be responsible for mellowing the more negative aspects of the 5 during this month. When the 8 moves to the east in March, the same remedies as noted above for the monthly 5 might be appropriate in the southwest if one notices negative experiences. 

These are the locations of the monthly stars in February. 9 (Fire)- east; 8 (Earth)- southwest; 7 (Metal)- north; 6 (Metal)- south; 5 (Earth)- northeast; 4 (Wood)- west; 3 (Wood)- northwest; 2 (Earth)- center; and 1 (Water)- southeast.

In March, just subtract 1 from each number to find the star that will take its place. For instance, the 8 will replace the 9 in the east. The monthly 5 in the northeast will become a 4. The 1 will become a 9, simply starting the nine-number sequence again.

While the 8 and the 5 are always worth watching, if you have been told about either potentially auspicious or inauspicious areas of your space, monthly stars can make differences in these areas. They can add to and enhance a productive cycle, or control an auspicious star, partially neutralizing its effect.

As an example, a client needs to do some home repairs in an area with the stars 5, 2, and 9 in the chart. This is a particularly unlucky and disastrous combination. This area is also where things seem to go wrong with the house. The porch roof leaks and has been occupied by bats in the past, a water line broke there, and there was a nasty hornet infestation in the wall last summer. To make matters worse, in 2009, the annual star in this area was a 5. The annual star 4 in 2010 may be somewhat better than the annual star in 2009, but probably won't have much effect. My suggestion is that they hold off on doing major porch repairs until the monthly star is metal, the remedy for this combination. In this case, I will also give them a list of daily stars, hoping they will make repairs on metal days, in a month with a metal star present. Otherwise, disturbing this combination with demo and construction activities may bring unfortunate results, including potential accidents to those working there.   

   

2010, Year of The Tiger

Welcome to the Year of The Tiger. 

February 6th was the start of a new year, so all those annual stars discussed in the previous post have moved their influences once more. In 2010, the Emperor 5 star will be in the southwest. The 5 brings trouble and calamity, but as an authoritarian sort of energy, is also calmed by order. Try not to disturb the surroundings in the southwest in 2010. It is not a good year to remodel in that area, or to install a swimming pool or make other landscaping changes in that sector, or to create noise and disturbance there. Soft gold colors work to calm the Emperor. If you have a well-used space in the southwest, incorporate butter yellow or gold colors in it. Still water, as previously mentioned, may also be useful, but be aware if experimenting with that remedy. Depending on the other stars present, it may not work, but may simply bring more trouble.

The annual 8 is in the center this year. If it has a positive impact on the stars at the center of your home or business, you can expect the year to be smoother in general. The downside? The center is more difficult to infuence with remedies, so this year, it cannot be enhanced or tapped at a particular location.

Look forward to monthly posts about the locations of the monthy stars, coming soon, by request.  

   

The Five Star

There are nine flying "stars" in classical feng shui. The name "star" is just that, a name for qi that can be described in nine different ways. The word is not connected to the stars in the sky.

Each of the nine stars has a personality of sorts, and each will display different qualities in different time periods. Except for the 5 star, each is also connected to a trigram, the arrangement of yin and yang lines in the I Ching. The trigram associations are complex, ranging from body parts to relationships (father, mother, eldest son) to animals, seasons, and the five elements.

The 5 star is called The Emperor. It does not have a trigram, but is related to all of them. It does not have a season, but instead represents the transition between seasons, for example, Indian Summer. The 5 is at the center of the bagua.  

The energy represented by the five can be thought of as a stern ruler, difficult to please. This energy prefers order, and very much needs to be acknowledged as a ruler.

Star 5 is untimely in Period 8, our current time period. It is also thought of as evil in all periods except its own, bringing greater chances of any number of calamities, including sickness and accidents. 

A building's chart is created when its roof is put on. With a chart, one knows where the 5 is, and can take advantage of that knowledge by using five element feng shui remedies or simply using its location for storage, bathrooms, or less active uses.

There is something to be done about the 5 even without a chart, however. Every year, the nine flying stars also occur as annual and monthly influences. In 2009, the annual 5 star is in the north, for every building. To counter its presence, try putting a bowl of still water in the north, inside your home. The bowl (or vase, or other container) may be more effective if it is yellow in color. Yellow is the color of the 5. The container should be carefully filled, without excessive splashing. It should be undisturbed, not used as a drinking bowl for pets, for example, with the water changed every few weeks. 

This encourages the 5 to show its better side. Once the emperor has been acknowledged, the less fortunate results can be tempered. 

Without a building's chart, this is rather experimental, because the element of water may also influence the other stars present in a location, with varying results. In theory, you could be rewarded with more opportunities for making money. It won't be easy money, but money that needs to be worked for. That beats catastrophe and casualties by a long mile, even so.   

Alternatively, other star combinations may be activated that will be less auspicious. If you try this, pay close attention to the happenings in the next few days. If negative things happen, like blocked opportunities, accidents, or arguments, remove the still water.

The nine stars also have a monthly presence. In August, the 8 star, or most beneficial energy for the period, was trapped in the center of every building. You may have experienced atypical difficulties, or trouble getting things going. The monthly qi of 8 was not available from any direction in August. The monthly 5 star was in the southwest at the same time. If the southwest is an active area of your home or business, the double effect may have been quite noticeable as negative  influences came into play.

Think about this during September. The monthly 5 is now in the east, and the monthly 8 is in the northwest. If you have better experiences in a room in the northwest during September, and worse than usual experiences in a room in the east, whatever you use them for, these time-based stars may be the cause.      

  

What is the Bagua?

The Xian Tian Bagua (Before Heaven)

The Eight Trigrams 

 

“Ba” means “eight”. “Gua” means “trigram”. The bagua is an arrangement of the eight basic trigrams.

 

The trigrams, in turn are based on the concept of yin and yang. A solid line is yang (male). A broken line is yin (female). These lines are also actually an expression of binary mathematics. A yang line is the equivalent of the number one, and a yin (broken) line is the equivalent of zero.

 

It’s all zeros and ones, the same system used in computer programming. The eight basic trigrams are simply the numbers zero through seven represented by solid and broken lines rather than zeros and ones. Trigrams are read from the bottom line up.

 

______      __    __      ______      __    __      ______      __    __

______      ______      __    __      __    __      ______      ______

______      ______      ______      ______      __    __      __    __

                                                                

     111                     110                     101                    100                     011                    010

        7                         6                          5                         4                          3                         2

 

 

    ______      __    __

    __    __         __    __

    __    __      __    __

 

        001              000

         1                          0

 

The bottom line represents earth; the middle line, humankind; and the top line, heaven.

 

Each trigram has a gender, a name, and a personality. Over time, each has been associated with various characteristics, including seasons, time of day, magnetic directions, the five elements and their colors, animals, body parts, and illnesses. The trigrams, built of yin and yang, represent virtually everything. Everything that exists follows a path of birth, growth, maturity, decline and death.

 

If the eight basic trigrams are multiplied by themselves, the result is the sixty four hexagrams of the I Ching, The Book of Changes.   

 

Two Baguas

 

Although the trigrams could be arranged in a variety of ways, two are important in feng shui. The first is the Before Heaven bagua illustrated above. It represents perfect balance in a world that does not change, a sort of underlying order. Yin and yang balance each other.

 

There is another arrangement called the Hou Tian, or After Heaven, bagua. This arrangement follows the cycles of a changing world, describing movement.

 

Both baguas were said to be gifts from heaven to early Chinese sage-kings. Fuxi was said to have received the Before Heaven arrangement in a text from the fifth century B.C.E. Yu the Great, founder of China’s first Xia dynasty (2100-1600 B.C.E), was said to have received the After Heaven arrangement. Both have interesting mathematical features. They could be called mathematical diagrams of the universe, one describing it in motion, one describing it as if it were stopped.

 

Classical Flying Star feng shui, or Xuankong Feixing, is based on these two diagrams, most notably the second, or After Heaven bagua. It is estimated that Flying Star feng shui was developed between 618-1279 C.E.

 

For those with a mathematical bent, it is possible to correlate the mathematics of the baguas to quantum physics and chaos theory. Science does not at all disprove the underlying theory of feng shui as describing a holistic universe.     

Renter?

Renting is not different than owning your home or apartment in feng shui. The space you live in infuences you, no matter the financial arrangement. You carry qi through the door when you come in, sleep there, cook there, and spend leisure time there. 

Without a time-space, or flying stars, chart done, it is hard to determine if a rental will bring you good or not-so-good financial or relationship opportunities, but there are some things you can investigate without a chart. These are general and are based on form school theory, one of the components of a full audit.

Your rental place should be somewhere that feels full of life. The plants and trees around it should be healthy and vital. It's even better if you see rabbits, birds, and other wildlife nearby. Look for pidgeons or squirrels in a city. 

The entrance to your space should be welcoming and well lit. You should feel safe going in the door. The views from the windows you look out of most often should be more pleasant than not. It is better to see something nice than to have a view of the dumpsters.

The roads surrounding your rental carry qi to you. You want them to do this rather gently. If your living room (or bedroom) window faces a busy street aimed right at it, the energy is too strong. It's the same if you live at the end of straight road in a house in a subdivision, facing oncoming traffic. If you live in such a situation and cannot change it for the moment, deflect some of the strong energy aimed at doors and windows with soft curtains, plants, screens, or other objects that are pleasing to you.

The other extreme is a space that is too yin, with an entrance blocked by walls or other barriers that don't let energy in at all. If you feel like a mouse in a maze getting to your door, beneficial qi from your surroundings is not getting there, either, especially if you can't see the sky from the windows once you are inside.

The space you sleep in should be yin, or dark and quiet. If you have a TV in the bedroom, turn it off before you go to sleep. It is even better if you cover it in some way while you are sleeping. Weather allowing, keep bedroom windows closed while you sleep, and don't sleep directly under a beam or ceiling fan. If you have to have a computer or work station in your bedroom, make sure everything is turned off when you go to bed. Ideally, screen this area from the bed itself for better sleep.

For better finances, it is best to consult a practitioner, since no two spaces are alike. Adding water features, often a method to attract financial prosperity, can bring negative results if placed incorrectly.

Bottom line; if you feel uncomfortable in your rental based on the above information, you might be better off looking for another.

          

The Name "Black Turtle"

Why "Black Turtle"?

Form school feng shui holds certain physical site characteristics as desirable. Time-Space school also takes these characteristics into consideraton in a more studied way.

The black turtle is a protective mountain, virtual or real, behind a home or building. In ancient times, it was thought to protect against strong winds and invaders, keeping the building's occupants safer. The location of mountains in time-space school is site-specific. They do not necessarily need to be behind a building to offer good health and relationships, support, and protection. 

I chose the name "Black Turtle" because it seemed fitting for what I offer my clients; the use of feng shui to minimize negative influences and produce a happier, healthier, more productive environment to live and work in.

There are other landforms identified in form school feng shui. Besides the black turtle, an ideal home would have a "crimson bird" in front. This is a pond or more slowly moving water feature where positive (sheng) qi can collect to benefit the residents. 

There would also be smaller mountains on either side, known as the white tiger and azure dragon. Traditionally, the white tiger on the left would be slightly smaller than the azure dragon on the right. This was because the dragon was thought to offer support to the master of the home. The breadwinner needed a little more power than the woman of the house, so her tiger was a little smaller. If the white tiger was larger than the azure dragon, it could identify the home of a hen-pecked husband. 

These features are still used in Time-Space School, or Flying Stars. The difference is in using a home's unique chart to determine where they should be positioned to bring the best results.    

 

 

 

 

The Nine Flying Stars

So what are those numbers that are on the floorplan of your audit? There they are, an inverted triangle, two numbers on top and one on the bottom. They are referenced in your report, but how one gets from the numbers to the conclusions makes any analytical person crazy. You can learn to wire a two-way switch, fix the icemaker or the lawnmower, read plans, plant seeds, build your own website, or design a nuclear power plant if you really want to. Why do those numbers have to be inscrutable?

This is the quick primer. It is not meant to take the place of solid instruction in feng shui, but as briefly as possible, here is what those numbers mean.

They look like this.    1   2

                                    3

The number on the top left side is called the “mountain star”. The word “mountain” is somewhat maddening in learning feng shui because it has several meanings beyond the usual, physical meaning. “A mountain is a natural elevation of the earth’s surface larger than that of a hill.” Okay, knew that, but what is a “mountain star”?

“Star” in this sense in feng shui refers to an energy, not to the stars in the sky.

The number on the top left means it manifests as a yin rather than a yang energy. The pie segment it is shown in on the chart shows what direction it is coming from. It will quietly gain strength behind a wall, an actual mountain, or somewhere protected. Mountain stars govern health and relationships. They do not flourish with activity, but rather by inactivity. A good mountain star is great in a bedroom. It can be a battery charger while you sleep. A more negative mountain star can bring illness while you sleep.

If you have a floorplan showing the stars, the numbers on the left are strongest where physical forms support them.  A mountain star is yin, and it grows stronger with physical protection. The protection could be, say, an actual mountain, or shrubbery on the outside, or a retaining wall, or an earth mound, or heavy furniture, or a nearby building. If it is a good number, you hope for a nice “mountain” there, whether actual or virtual. Your health and relationships will benefit.

If it is a number, or star, that carries negative connotations in the current time period, better to remove the physical objects that increase its strength. If the stars flying outside your bedroom walls have a negative number on the left, cut down the shrubbery outside along the wall. Do what you can to reduce the opportunity for that influence to grow to unhealthy levels. If it is a positive number and there are no shrubs, mountains, or other solid barriers outside your bedroom walls, then get some there and enjoy the health benefits.

The number on the right is called the “water star”. This represents yang, or active energy, coming from that direction. It is like flowing water. If the number is good, you want to open the windows and doors to let it in, and pursue active things in that space. You will strive not to block its entrance with walls, heavy furniture, or shrubbery.  If it is a negative number, better to keep the doors and windows shut. Water stars represent wealth.

The number on the bottom is the “time star”. The energy represented here can help or hurt the mountain or water stars, but is not as strong. It is like a plate. If you were offered a gourmet meal on a used tin pie plate, it would not seem as palatable as the same meal presented artfully on china. Same in reverse; a corn dog on a fine dish with a garnish is more presentable than if served on a greasy paper napkin. Time stars help, hinder, or are neutral, but do not really change the character of the basic offering. Corn dog vs. gourmet is pretty much a mountain/ water star debate. Presentation matters, but to a lesser degree.

We have discussed the position of the stars, but not the meaning of the numbers.

Stars are numbered 1-9.  Each has a five element character, or belongs to the energy of one of the five elements (earth, metal, water, wood and fire). As previously discussed in this blog, the five elements are simply names for different sorts of energy, or qi. Some are typically positive and some are typically negative. They all have the ability to help, hinder, or destroy each other. Ideally, we want them to be helping each other in our living/ working spaces. This is called a productive cycle.

Just to keep it complicated, the personalities of the nine stars change with time. A typically negative star will be extraordinarily positive during the time period when it is in favor. These time periods change every twenty years, and repeat after 180 years. The periods were established based on astronomical observation.

We are in Period 8 right now. This period started in 2004 and will last until 2024. Star 8 is king. When it appears on the left on your chart, get a mountain, virtual if not actual, there if you don’t have one now, because it will bring the best health benefits. If it is on the right, open the doors and windows in that area and let it in. Your health and wealth, respectively, will benefit.

A previous blog also discussed the five element relationships. Earth creates metal, which creates water, which creates wood, which creates fire, which again creates earth. Metal weakens earth, which weakens fire, which weakens wood, which weakens water, which weakens metal and so back to earth. Earth controls (or can destroy) water, which controls (or can destroy) fire. Fire controls metal. Metal controls wood. Wood controls earth.  (“Or can destroy” is implied in all the above.) What feng shui is all about is using those cycles to enhance the positive and reduce the negative effects that those stars (numbers) on your floorplan are announcing.

If you have hung in there and read this far, congratulations! Comprehending this is a challenge.

Here is what the numbers (stars) themselves mean in Period 8.

1-Water- Future timely (read “less strong right now, but there”). Governs wisdom, fame, and fortune.

2-Earth-Untimely. In this period has the meaning of infertility and ill health. Metal weakens this influence.

3-Wood-Untimely but usable (meaning it will not have strong negative effects in this time period, but can be thought of as simply “wood”). Generally has the meaning of misfortune, quarrels and robbery. These qualities are not so apparent at this moment. It is to be thought of more as its contribution to the element cycles than as carrying negative qualities right now, unless paired with a disagreeable star. The combination of 2 and 3 is called “bull fight sha”, for example.

4-Wood-Untimely. This is generally a good star, bringing success with achievement, creativity, writing, and romance. Some caution is needed in Period 8, because it can bring affairs and sexual entanglements.

5-Earth-Untimely.  This is the big daddy bad star in Period 8, bringing catastrophies, casualities, lawsuits, and sickness. Do something about it where it occurs on your chart. Metal is the cure.

6-Metal-Untimely but usable. In this period, this star is somewhere between authority, dignity and fame, and loneliness and lawsuits. It can generally be thought of as simply “metal”, without a good or bad connotation. In a good combination, it is good.

7-Metal-Unique in carrying a more positive than negative influence into the next time period, 7 can mean financial gain and fertility as well as fire, theft, and casualties in Period 8. It doesn’t hurt to tone it down a bit with water in this period. Much depends on its partner stars. 6 and 7 together are negative, for example.

8-Earth-Timely, ruling star. Support this star where you find it, for health or wealth. It trumps the 2 and 5 earth stars in this period, so if you have 2-8 or 5-8 combinations, no worries. As a time-star “plate”, it brings out the best. Its meaning is “Steady progress in Finance, Happiness, and Good Fortune.” Fire creates earth, so use of the fire element where you find the 8 star is excellent. Minimize metal around the 8 star. Minimize wood influences as well.

9-Fire-Future Timely. The 9 star generally means “Success and promotion”. When paired with an 8, it brings very good stuff (fire creates earth). When paired with a 2 or a 5, it accelerates their negativity (fire creates earth). 9-1, Fire and water, can be very good together if carefully balanced. The 9 star will be powerful when paired with 3 or 4, wood. If the 9 is on the left and the 3 or 4 on the right, this is a powerful health influence. A 9 on the right, with a 3 or 4 on the left, is good for wealth. Support as needed.         

Stars 1-9 will appear once for each meaning (mountain, water, or time) in every chart. They will occur in the center and at each of the eight different directions. There are 144 different possible charts, based on the time your building was built and its directional orientation. In addition to the influence of the “stars”, surrounding forms need to be included in analysis of the chart to determine the strength of their influences.

Classical feng shui is complex. Its complexity is why some schools have sought to simplify it. The simplified versions, however, don’t do it justice. None of us would choose an acupuncturist who learned the “shortcut method”.

The analysis of a chart takes time and thought. No two buildings are the same. When you commission a feng shui practitioner, consider that far more goes into an analysis than the few hours you see the practitioner. It takes study to master and time to do correctly. An analysis prepared in less than two full working days is not likely to be on the mark. Complex studies will take longer. 

If you are interested in pursuing feng shui, this isn’t meant to dissuade you. Feng shui needs educated practitioners to counteract the various popularized versions out there. Take the high road, though, if you have an interest, and invest in learning classical feng shui.