Let us assume that all schools of Feng Shui teach us how to achieve harmony and prosperity. Some methods are more effective, some are less so. Some are easier to learn and practice, others require wisdom and long years of hard work. If this assumption is correct, then different schools of Feng Shui can be compared to different levels of education.
In this way Feng Shui practitioners are only classified by their levels of knowledge and technique.
We will exclude those who have only the $ sign in their mind. These are not even Feng Shui practitioners.
[1] Level 1 - The Intuitive School
This school is based only on feeling. Most people can tell whether a house has good feng shui at the first sight. We can feel the energy inside a house once we step into the house. Some Feng Shui masters teach house hunters to bring a baby along. If the baby cries then the house has bad feng shui. If the baby is happy, then the house has good feng shui. It is because babies are more sensitive to qi. This makes sense.
After seeing many houses, a Feng Shui master of the Intuitive School is trained to feel qi with higher accuracy than ordinary people. We cannot say that this is not a Feng Shui School. It does not violate one important Feng Shui Principle: Beauty is Sheng Qi. A trained eye is a better assessor of qi. That is all.
[2] Level 2 - Life Aspirations School
This school originated in Hong Kong. To make Feng Shui easy to understand by most consumers, this school divides a house into eight locations: N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, and NW. Each location will be responsible for one aspect of life. A house is like the human body. Different parts have different functions. The eight aspirations are:
1. Social Ranking (N)
2. Intellect (NE)
3. Family (E)
4. Wealth (SE)
5. Fame (S)
6. Romance and Marriage (SW)
7. Fertility (Children)
8. Benefactors (NW)
No one knows how and why the directions are related to these aspects of life. Later, people refer these to the eight trigrams of the Ba Gua: Water, Mountain, Thunder, Wind, Fire, Earth, Marsh, and Heaven.
The North is the trigram Water. Water is related to wisdom and danger. In climbing the social ladder, wisdom is one major factor for success. If the qi is not beneficial, it could also mean danger in falling down. The three gods (Happiness, Prosperity and Longevity) are used to activate this area.
The Northeast is the trigram Mountain. Mountain represents the youngest son. Academic success is the major concern. To activate this area, four writing brushes or a ceramic tower may be used.
The East is the trigram Thunder. Thunder represents the eldest son. The eldest son in the old days had to shoulder the responsibility of the family. To activate this area, plants are used.
The Southeast is the trigram Wind. Wind represents the eldest daughter. The only way a poor family could get rich in the old days was to marry their beautiful eldest daughter to a rich man. This trigram also suggests making a windfall profit of 300%. To activate this area, a three-legged toad with a coin in the mouth may be used. Alternatively, a bat attached to a string of coins can also be used.
The South is the trigram Fire. It is the Red Bird location. This location can bring fame or gossip. To activate this area a lot of red objects may be used.
The South West is the trigram Earth. Earth represents the mother. Motherly love is supposed to be the noblest form of love. It also indicates marriage. Therefore, to attract romance and improve the love life, a picture of a pair of Mandarin ducks may be used.
The West is the trigram Marsh (Lake). This represents the youngest daughter or the concubine. In the old days, one reason why a man would take a concubine was to have more children. To activate this area, a statue of the goddess Guan Yin bringing babies can be used.
The Northwest is the trigram Heaven. This trigram represents the father or the emperor. To activate this area a chain of five emperors may be used. Alternatively, a pair of Qi Lin may also be appropriate.
Anyone can learn this within an hour, buy a Luo Pan and become a Feng Shui practitioner. In Hong Kong, a lot of people make a comfortable living practicing this type of Feng Shui. We cannot say that it is unfounded. It is just a very elementary level of Feng Shui. It is loosely connected with the Ba Gua.
To be continued?
Joseph Yu, ?1999, All Rights Reserved
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