Black Turtle Feng Shui

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.   

   

Black Hat Sect Feng Shui

Cate Bramble, a classically trained feng shui practitioner, author, and scientist, has a great website called "The Ultimate Feng Shui Resource: Feng shui facts without the New Age Psychobabble since 1995" (http://qi-whiz.com/content/about-fsur ). She is not faint of opinion. Her words and website are straightforward. As a scientist, she abhors what she has termed "Mcfengshui", the shortcut versions that leave the practices of classical feng shui in the dust for easy profit.

In an earlier post, I said where you live, the luck you were born with, and what you DO about it will determine your life path. Cate says it better.  

"Feng Shui is not an excuse to lay on the couch and expect that a mirror or wind chime can fix everything in your life. In Chinese tradition, Feng Shui is third on the list after what you were born with and what you do with your gifts — that means your life is still your responsibility."

I go to her website for reinforcement when I am dismayed about the uphill battle classical feng shui faces after it was commercialized and distorted in the west. Most people think feng shui is about mirrors and bamboo flutes, or interior decorating, or charlatanism. No wonder. That is how it has been sold. I cringe to see a certain California practitioner's name mentioned on her site. I once paid this guy $300 for a consultation early in my explorations with the subject. He showed up with a crystal, did a "cleansing ceremony" in a room that had "bad energy", and ran through some form school observations that I knew about by then, although I was not yet a classical feng shui student. After he left, a friend said, "He didn't tell you anything new." Last year, as an experiment, I bought a new book he co-authored. It was tripe, like the consultation.

To see the worst possible manifestations of Mcfengshui, one only needs to go to LivePerson.com and search feng shui. The practitioners who come up have handles like "Angel Messenger", or call themselves feng shui psychics. Even in this crowd, though, there appears one classically trained practitioner named Monica Hess. Because the patrons of this site seem to lean towards the psychic version of feng shui, or any topic, Monica is probably not getting the business she deserves, and scads of folks leave the site after their "feng shui" consultation with newly twisted views of what it really is, or should be.

Today, I read a never-before-seen (at least by me) link on Cate Bramble's site. As much as I visit, I have yet to read everything on it. Although it is a linked article from 1998, it is the best I've read about how Lin Yu, creator of the Black Hat Sect, hijacked classical feng shui in America. Read it here- http://www.sfweekly.com/1998-08-26/news/in-the-money-corner/full .

Stay tuned for my promised, and as yet undelivered, post about monthly stars.

  

 

Feng Shui for the People

During medieval times in China, feng shui was reserved for the elite. Feng shui masters might pay with death for helping common men. One admired exception was a master named Yang Yunsong, nicknamed "Save the Poor", who managed to use feng shui from the mountains of Northwest China to aid everyday people. He also shared some of its traditional secrets, making it more accessible for all.

This should be the ideal. Feng shui and Chinese metaphysics are about all mankind living in harmony with nature, not just a handful of the privileged. 

Lisa Rohleder, author of The Remedy:Integrating Acupuncture into American Health Care(available online at http://www.lulu.com/content/466287/ ), has made an excellent case for making acupuncture widely available by rethinking how it is offered to the public. After reading this gem of a book, worth the cost of admission if only for its brief, clear explanation of Tao, I began to wonder if a similar effort could be put into place for feng shui.

At first glance, this doesn't seem doable. No two audits are the same. Each one, if done well, takes much individual time and at least two site visits. There are typically factors that affect an audit that are puzzling, requiring investigation.

Still, it is striking that those who might most benefit by an audit are less likely to be able to pay the full cost for one. If a home or business is locked for prosperity, the people living or working there are also less likely to spend limited resources on feng shui. Similarly, if someone is ill, the last place one might consider for investing limited time or money resources may seem to be feng shui, especially if one has had too much exposure to schools or practitioners that make it seem only glorified home decorating.

I have realized, though, that the most severe problems encountered simply by living where you ive are usually readily identifiable on a building's energy chart. Preparing this chart takes only an accurate compass reading and a floor plan. A practitioner can zero in on areas most needing attention simply by seeing the chart, then asking questions relating to those areas only, without needing to complete a full audit.

With this in mind, I am trying out a new kind of audit; the problem-solving audit. If there is no money coming in, if household members are having a rash of accidents, if someone is sick, or if relationships are suffering, there may be something you can do about it with a five element cure. Sometimes the only remedy is to move, but these cases are unusual. More typically, some relief can be had by using a different door to come in the house, by using some rooms less, or by installing a powerful remedy, as examples.

This sort of audit-one looking at simply the most powerful qi at work-can be accomplished remotely. With the chart and an idea of the problems being encountered, relief may be possible. Keep in mind that feng shui is about a third of the major influences one encounters (the other two are an individual's life path as described by Four Pillars Astrology, and one's own choices and priorities in life).

It is my goal to make feng shui accessible to the people who need it most, at a far more affordable price-to help solve some of life's gnarliest problems-using this abbreviated audit method. Interested?  See my website (www.blackturtlefengshui.com) for details. The best part is that I don't have to personally visit your home or business, so where I live relative to where you live does not matter. If you have access to the internet, I can make classical feng shui accessible for you. 

  

   

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.    

 

 

 

 

Mini Audits

New Service

Black Turtle Feng Shui is now offering mini-audits for specific reasons. If you are considering adding a pool or water feature, an outdoor kitchen with a barbecue or a firepit, painting or changing color schemes for the interior or exterior of your home, or exterior landscaping, a mini-audit will give you the information you need regarding these improvements.

The locations of water and fire are both powerful outside of your home. A correctly located and sized water feature will bring beneficial influences, particularly concerning money, while water in the wrong location can have very negative influences.

Fire is an accelerator of other elements, particularly the element earth. There are three earth influences in your home or business. Only one of the three will bring enhanced prosperity with the use of fire. Locating fire elsewhere may accelerate health problems, increase argumentativeness among residents, or sometimes even increase chances of an actual, physical fire.

The locations of flowering shrubs, retaining walls, and walkways around your home have an impact on heath issues in particular. For every building, there are good and not-so-good locations to gain health benefits from the form your landscaping takes. 

A mini-audit will address the issues concerning the improvements you are planning without the expense of a full residential audit. Simply making these improvements in line with traditional feng shui practices can bring you results. See my website (www.blackturtlefengshui.com) for more information.     

Feng Shui for Real Estate

Along with everything else right now, real estate in general has the blues. In many localities, it's the black and blues. Can feng shui help?

Feng shui remedies do help. Current circumstances seem overwhelming right now, and they are. Painting your front door a different color is not going to change the global economy or turn the economic clock back five years. 

In 2004, we changed periods, moving from Period 7 to Period 8 in feng shui. Every building out there got a different energy take on its chart. What was good until 2004 may have taken a nose dive after. Feng shui is related to time. Periods last 20 years. We are just starting a new 20 year period. Now is exactly when to determine what changes your home needs to bring health and wealth until 2024.

If you are buying, it is very helpful to get charts for specific homes when you have narrowed them down to a few possibilities. If you are buying a foreclosed home, a home where a serious illness recently happened, or a home on the market because of divorce, lawsuit, or other problems, be aware. The previous owners' problems may well become your own. With an energy chart, you can do your best to remedy the causes of previous owners' misfortune, especially if these problems had roots in the last few years. What worked in Period 7 very likely needs changes to work in Period 8.

If you are selling, you can implement feng shui solutions that will maximize your returns. It is always advantageous to have your home in top shape to sell, in any market, and to fix things that are broken. A little extra feng shui advice can help a lot, however. Certain places in your home will attract wealth more than others. You can determine what path your buyers walk on a showing, making sure they are taking positive energy with them; stage your home with feng shui principles in mind; and implement suggestions for wealth. The color of your front door does matter, and not all front doors should be red. This does not cure the recession blues, but classical feng shui assistance may allow you to sell your home for the best price in this market.