Buildings on a slope road are not recommendable, as money is leaking on slant ways. But if there is no other alternative, option-1 in the photo is better than option-3.

By Janet Shin

Feng shui has gained global reputation for various reasons since it was first studied in the Orient. Some appreciate it for its value to energize our lives, while others look to it to improve fortunes. This, so-called Western feng shui has been re-imported to the East, especially Korea, as “feng shui interior.” Quite often, we watch television programs to show houses or stores renovated by employing feng shui and how it changed people’s luck. It may improve the physical and psychological health of people living there but more importantly, the changed feng shui brings fortune, as they put it. Many feng shui books provide various tips on making people rich. Apparently modern feng shui is more interested in living spaces including business sites rather than burial grounds which the past feng shui scholars studied in old days.

Before I get further into this topic, I must make it clear that studying nature and apprehending the shapes and “qi,” or life energy, of an environment such as mountains, rivers and villages are still crucial parts of feng shui studies. Nature is where the source of qi is generated. A true feng shui practitioner should be able to comprehend the qi of nature before he or she comments on the feng shui of living spaces.

During feng shui lectures for general people, what attract them most is specific feng shui advices for interior design, decorating and auspicious places. People want to hear easy and quick measures. They simply put certain ornaments in a house. Even changing furniture arrangements is not as difficult as judging a location. A crystal ball, a water bowl, and a lamp are often introduced to change the overall qi. Despite its convenience, we must sublate too many shallow tips, such as a yellow wallet brings luck, or images of certain animal are symbols of good fortune and so on.



Nevertheless, some information is fairly useful and complies well with feng shui principles. Let’s think about how to live in wealth, our eternal goal in life. From the olden days, water has been considered very important to bringing wealth. It is not just a teaching of Eastern philosophy but a very logical truth. Rivers functioned as routes to carry and trade goods. Then villages along the river became crowded with people as they built more and more houses and stores nearby. As civilization progressed, land and air routes were added as means of transportation. Nowadays people flock around metro stations and terminals. Subway lines are constructed at new towns or vice versa. Major business districts are developed by the accessibility and volume of traffic. It is not a surprising fact that traffic has substituted the meaning of water in terms of feng shui.

This accessibility is a major requisite of feng shui to determine a prosperous location. Many people consider starting their own business. Some may establish a business with little capital while others do not have financial difficulties. But all of them have a common goal to make money. However it is common to see them struggle with slow business and even go bankrupt within a short period upon their foundation. Is there any reason? Could we avoid the worst-case scenario if we applied feng shui?

Here is a pretty simple but very helpful feng shui tip to avert slow business. If you are looking for an office or opening a shop on the first level, do not lease one with a steep staircase toward the entrance. People are reluctant to ascend the stairs while easy accessibility is a major attraction of first level stores.

Buildings on a slope road are not recommended, as money is leaking down the slant. But if there is no other alternative, option one in the photo is better than option three.

In our living spaces, the front door is the most important place to determine feng shui. It is because qi enters through the front door. The direction and location of the door, and how to arrange doors and furniture are the key to determining the overall fortune of the home. At the same time, windows are also compared to a place that produces or leaks wealth. Furniture shouldn’t block the windows as it implies clogged fortune. Meanwhile, money may leak through oversized windows. So it is recommended to draw curtains in order to protect leaking energy from big windows.

Information: Are you interested in learning more about the ancient Chinese teaching about the “Four Pillars of Destiny?” For further information, visit Janet’s website at www.fourpillarskorea.com, contact her at 010-5414-7461 or email janetshin@hotmail.com.

The writer is the president of the Heavenly Garden, a saju research center in Korea, and the author of “Learning Four Pillars.”