Paths to wealth with Feng Shui
When I started this column, one of the first issues I tackled was the misconception most people have about Feng Shui and Wealth. If there are two things in this world that can make people try anything, they are money and love. Unfortunately, feng shui has been used as a means of selling people all kinds of items, in order to help them acquire more of one and find the other.
So this week, I want to talk about what ‘wealth’ means in classical Feng Shui, and what is the logic behind certain common practices that have been associated with ‘wealth enhancement’. By understanding these basic fundamentals and appreciating the philosophy of Feng Shui, I hope that people will be able to understand how to respond when faced with a ‘Feng Shui’ wealth increase claim, or offered a ‘Wealth’ magic formula.
Think of vibrant Qi, not wealth
The word ‘Wealth’ has crept into the technical vocabulary of Feng Shui. Feng Shui practitioners use it as a shorthand way to explain the result of using certain energies or sectors on a property. Instead of getting all technical, they got straight to the point. Somewhere along the way, the concept of ‘Wealth Sector’ appeared. As I have said in my previous article on this subject, Feng Shui does not actually speak in any of the classics directly about ‘Wealth’ or ‘Money’. So a magical Feng Shui formula for making money is something that should definitely make you ask questions instead of reaching for your wallet.
So what do classics like Di Li Bian Zheng talk about? They speak of ‘Prosperous Qi’ (or Wang Qi) and means to identify where Prosperous Qi resides. They discuss techniques and methods to collect Qi and avoid or transform negative Sha Qi.
The Book of Burial (one of the oldest Feng Shui classics), by Kuo Pu, which explores the core principles of Feng Shui, says that Qi accumulates at the boundaries of water and is dispersed by the wind. He does not say, MONEY appears wherever there is an aquarium. He doesn’t say, put 8 goldfish in the aquarium and you will inherit a billion/million dollars. He says nothing about boats of gold, kittens flapping their paws over cash registers, and building a fountain in his backyard.
Get the Vibrant Qi
Feng Shui, like many Chinese metaphysical sciences, is one of those practices where complexity and simplicity are integrated with each other. You need to understand the basics to appreciate complex formulas. But at the same time, raiding formulas and being able to recite them by heart, without understanding the fundamentals of Feng Shui, is also of no use. This is why formula books are not the answer to successfully applying Feng Shui, because without an understanding of the fundamentals, the formula is just a bunch of numbers. A cookie recipe doesn’t make much sense to a person who doesn’t know how to bake.
When it comes to using Feng Shui to enhance Wealth opportunities, we must first understand the type of Qi that can promote Wealth opportunities. In Feng Shui, we need to locate the ‘Prosperous Qi’. To the average layman this is usually called ‘Yang Qi’. However, Feng Shui practitioners refer to it by its more technical name, ‘Prosperous Qi’ or ‘Wang Qi’ (in Chinese) because Qi can be classified into 5 types of Qi, depending on its currency and professional level, it is important to know exactly what type of Qi and what stage of opportunity it is in.
I must dispel the notion that ‘prosperous Qi’ can somehow be ‘created’. You cannot ‘create’ Prosperous Qi by making an area more ‘Yang’, for example by putting red lights or bright lights on a certain area. The Qi must have the quality of Prosperous first, depending on the time period. Remember, in Feng Shui, it is about what is natural and prevalent in the environment we are interested in, not what is artificial or man-made. In any case, you can’t just decide that you want your front door to be where the Prosperous Qi is and try to force the issue. The location of the Prosperous Qi is not dictated by convenience, but by the Qi map, as derived from calculations. The name of the game is to work with what you have, without having to make costly and unnecessary aesthetic changes to your home that make it obvious that you are trying to ‘Feng Shui’ the place!
The location of Prosperous Qi is determined by two methods: by calculations based on the address of the property, such as Eight Mansions or Xuan Kong Flying Stars, and by evaluating natural environmental features. Typically, calculation-based methods are used for Interior Feng Shui and the method of observing environmental features, known as Shapes, is used for Exterior Feng Shui.
So, for example, we want to place the Prosperous Qi in a house that faces the South 2 direction. The Prosperous Qi of the house is where the #8 Forehead Star position is. Of course, each house will have its own Rich Qi location and the practitioner’s role is to locate this Rich Qi area.
Since the location of the Wealth Qi is different, based on the Qi map of the property, derived from calculations, it is a fallacy to think that there is a standard universal ‘Direction of Wealth’ for everyone. There isn’t, it depends on your home address. Now, you may notice that not everyone who lives in the same row as you (with houses facing the same direction!) is equally wealthy and affluent. In the context of Feng Shui, external forms still need to be taken into account. But there is also the context of Fate: a person who lives in a house with a personalized address for their Fate will definitely have an advantage over a person with a house that is less in tune with their BaZi.
Once the location of the prosperous Qi has been identified, the Qi must be activated. Locating an activity room (such as the TV room or living room) in this sector is one way to stimulate the Welcoming Qi in a place. Placing a main gate at the location of the Prosperous Qi is also a way to activate the Prosperous Qi in a suitable area. Sometimes, in order to activate Qi, Feng Shui consultants recommend that clients place water in certain places. It is purely to activate Qi. It has absolutely nothing to do with Water itself or the fish in the water, but rather with the Yang quality of Water. Water, even when it is still, is always moving because the molecules keep moving. The fish only help keep the water active and also provide an aesthetic appearance.
When you have the right type of Qi on hand, then you need to collect that Qi. There is no point in having the Wealth stars in the correct location on the Flying Stars chart, or locating the Prosperous Qi sector, if the Qi cannot be accumulated. This is where the relief of the environment and the internal forms of the property make the difference. An extremely important aspect of Qi collection is having a good Shining Hall or Ming Tang as it is known in Chinese.
A Bright Hall is not a corridor with many lights. It’s also not around because your porch is well lit or you have a 100-bulb chandelier in your house. If this is what a Bright Hall is, every store that sells lights would be coining it! Instead, a Bright Hall is a wide, airy, open area that allows Qi to settle and collect. Ideally, a property should have three Bright Halls, in conjunction with the Three Divide, Three Harmony principle (the San Fen San He formation).
Have it, make it and keep it
Earning more money and having more opportunities for wealth is not just a case of fixing your Feng Shui. Your personal destiny code also enters the equation. Feng Shui cannot fix or give you what you don’t have (in your Destiny) in the first place. Therefore, you may need to realign or moderate your goals, adjust your perspective, change your attitude, and see how Feng Shui can help you along the path that Destiny has laid out for you. Sometimes that means having realistic expectations. Sometimes that means being prepared for difficulties or being willing to take on certain challenges. Sometimes that means adjusting the timing of your plans.
I might add, being rich doesn’t mean you have great wealth. It means that you have the ability to earn money and keep it long enough to enjoy it. And even when people have the capacity and destiny of great wealth, that does not guarantee that they will actually become rich or fulfill their destiny.
Yes, you read it right. Some people don’t really fulfill their Destiny!
A Destiny chart may show a tremendous capacity for wealth or opportunity for wealth, but it will not come true if the person is not willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their Destiny. BaZi tells you that you can be rich, but he doesn’t always say that it will be easy. There are no shortcuts in life!
Why does Bill Gates still go to work every day? Has being the richest man in Asia prevented Li Ka Shing from continuing to pursue business opportunities? Destiny is only part of the equation. Being willing to take the risk, make the sacrifice, meet the challenges, that’s the other component. Some people have a Destiny that demands hardship, great personal sacrifice, even going through bankruptcy, divorce, bad relationships, bitter family ties, before they can emerge to see the pot of gold at the end of the proverbial rainbow.
