Feng Shui and the Bagua

Posted on November 08, 2020 by Derelle Ball

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Posted in Bagua, Classical Feng Shui, feng shui and the bagua, feng shui health, feng shui tips, feng shui wealth, New Age Feng Shui

Feng Shui, Astrology and Your Health

Posted on December 04, 2019 by Derelle Ball

When examining the fei xing/flying stars feng shui of a residence or business, there are particular energy combinations that indicate the potential for a higher probability of certain health issues occurring in that location of the building (particularly if it is being used regularly as a bedroom or office).  

Of course, not every bedroom containing any of these probability combinations will automatically result in the occupants getting sick.  Remember, feng shui covers your 'earth luck' energy which is a third of your overall luck potential.  You also need to examine the surrounding landform to see if the energies are supported or weakened, examine communication between the client’s Ming Gua and Day Master qi and current 4 Pillars astrology energy in relation to the energy in the bedroom and the energy being absorbed from the mountain star qi in the wall behind the bedhead while sleeping, the client's relationship to nutrition and exercise (ie do they live to eat or eat to live?), the current interplay of elements in the room itself according to the window location, general colour scheme, form, shapes and the effect of the annual energy influences currently in that location, in conjunction with any renovation, construction or excavation that may be occurring in the same compass sector of the home or property or in a neighboring property.   

Mountain star energy (which governs the general health and relationship potential affecting the occupants of a dwelling) is slow to move and takes its time to travel from ground level up a wall to the next level.  This is why people living high in the sky in apartment blocks tend to have limited access to mountain star qi inside the building, while the water star qi can be quite strong and/or dispersed in some locations due to the higher altitude and prevailing winds.  

You also need to take into consideration which mountain star qi is being drawn in by the occupants when they sleep.  Is their bedhead positioned against an external wall where a potentially negative mountain star qi is located or is the bedhead positioned against an internal wall drawing a totally different mountain star qi into the wall according to little taiji compass demarcation of the room itself.

OK, so now you may be thinking, well I have no idea if my bedroom or office has any negative mountain star qi, and I can’t afford a feng shui consultation at present, so what can I do to help protect myself and my family?   

Before I answer this question, I should add that all the mountain star energies have positive and negative associations depending on how they interact with the surrounding landform and the people absorbing them.

The individual's Kua (Ming Gua) must be able to communicate effectively with the mountain star energy residing in the wall behind their bedhead in order to absorb beneficial health energy, and this may entail adding a particular element between the client's head chakra and the wall behind the bedhead while sleeping, in order to facilitate positive communication of qi. 

You can locate positive health energy in your home and business according to the fei xing/flying star feng shui natal chart of the building which is ascertained according to the construction date and the precise compass orientation that it faces towards.  Each building has its own unique chart based on these 2 factors – there is no such thing as one natal chart fits all!  

Many homes constructed during the current Period of 8 have sectors affected by a 2+5 or 5+2 energy flow.  If the ruling qi for this current Period of 8 Time Period (ie the water star 8) is able to freely enter the home via doors and windows in the location of the water star 8, and the home is open plan in design (thus allowing the ruling 8 water star qi to easily interact with the other sectors affected by the 2 and 5 energies), then the potential health issues from the other earth energies are greatly reduced.  Keep in mind, from 4 Feb 2024, we enter the Period of 9 when the water star 9 will become the ruling qi.  

Anyway, back to the question – what can I do about potential sickness qi?  From a general simplified feng shui perspective, the answer is metal element and gourds.  The sound and movement of metal helps drain negative earth energy because in the natural cycle of elements, earth feeds metal, so if there is a continued vibrational quality of metal (via sound and movement) in the home, then negative earth is kept occupied and thus partly subdued.  This can be in the form of a chiming pendulum clock, an anniversary clock with moving metallic spheres at the base, a solar powered golden Prayer Wheel placed on a window sill that catches light, regularly playing harmonious piano music in the home, regularly ringing a pleasant sounding metallic bell or singing bowl in the home.  Metal element colours and forms are white, gold, golden yellow, silver, brass, bronze and round, curved, spherical shapes.  

Space clearing uses the sound of metal to help disperse sha (stagnant/negative) qi and when you combine the sound of metal and the clearing qi from sage or sandalwood incense, you can re-energise positive energy in a home or business, especially if the clearing is conducted on an auspicious date according to Xuan Kong Da Gua or via the annual Sun/Moon Ceremony dates for the specific dwelling and its facing orientation.  It’s also possible to collect sha qi for removal while space clearing, via coarse rock salt, onion and various other herbal concoctions.  

I like to fine tune my own space clearing with tuning forks pitched according to the Solfeggio Frequencies.  These frequencies resonate at a deep vibrational level with the earth and can be found in ancient Gregorian chants.  A particularly good CD containing cleansing solfeggio frequencies via authentic Gregorian Chants for effective space clearing in your home is:

"National Public Radio Milestones of the Millennium: Gloria in Excelsis Deo: Chants, Hymns and Sequences"  

The sickness qi that attaches itself to the 2 earth energy is naturally attracted to the shape of gourds.  Gourds (also known as the wu lu or calabash) belong to the pumpkin family and in many parts of the world, they are grown and dried and hung as decoration in the home and restaurants, and used as a container to carry grain, water and medicine.   

When using an organic gourd, you should make sure it has been properly dried, and cut a hole into the top section of the gourd so the sickness qi can flow into the gourd where it will be partially transformed into a less harmful energy.  You can add clear lacquer to the gourd or paint it golden yellow, gold or silver.  If you can’t locate an organic dried gourd, then you can also get brass gourds or alternatively, look for a metallic vase in a gourd-shape (ie with a big belly, a narrow neck and an opening at the top).  Keep the gourd beside beds and near work desks (on the floor or on a shelf or table).

Note: those of you who are familiar with the new age ‘fixed bagua’ or simplified ‘8 aspirations compass method’ may say “well shouldn’t I just concentrate on adding a water feature or jade plant to the East sector to feed and nurture the wood qi of the Zhen Trigram or in the section of each room to the left when standing in the doorway looking into the room to feed the 'health' sector?”  I really wish it was that simple!  

Every building has a unique natal chart of energy flow according to the time period in which it was constructed and the precise compass direction it faces towards and in many cases, adding a water feature to an area (without knowing the actual flying stars natal chart of the building) can actually do more harm than good - esp if you are placing water on a favourable mountain energy, thus drowning the positive health and relationship qi in that location, or on a negative finance energy, thus increasing the probability of loss of finances due to illness, litigation or misfortune.

In 4 Pillars Astrology, the first port of call when looking specifically at health is to examine which elements are dominant, scarce, non-existent and where certain clashes of qi occur between the earthly branches and heavenly stems.  Your Resource element also resonates strongly with your health qi and if it is clashed or out of balance, then this too can be a key indicator.  

Yang earth corresponds to the stomach and chest and yin earth corresponds to the spleen and belly.  The Ox, Dragon, Goat and Dog also connect to the earth element as they represent the end of the 4 seasons when earth is prevalent.   When the Ox, Dog and Goat combine together in an individual’s chart (in the 4 pillars and also in the time factor), this forms an ‘earth penalty’ which can indicate a higher probability of significant health issues emerging from hidden disease, and in some cases can also indicate issues connected with earth in the surrounding land form.  The Heavenly Stem sitting on an Earth Branch in your 4 Pillars astrology can help you identify which parts of your body are more susceptible to disease and illness in general. 

Hidden disease and tumours are more likely to occur when earth is unbalanced.   The types of growths connected with earth-related disease are most often in relation to oxidative stress via free radicals causing genetic damage to cells and in the process, altering the DNA which can then become cancer.  Earth element is slow to move, just like the hidden disease which can manifest and spread without the individual being aware of what is happening within. 

"The higher the level of oxidation, the more damage occurs to the glandular system which is highly sensitive to oxidative damage from internal toxins and environmental toxins. Hormone receptor sites are also damaged or affected further contributing to hormonal imbalances. Oxidation is a natural process in the body, however heightened through increased intake of processed foods, alcohol, smoking and saturated fats. Consuming a diet high in natural plant antioxidants such as fruits and vegetables reduces the levels of oxidation". (excerpt from Jeff Butterworth's 'Happy Hormones Happy Life').

One way to help protect against this type of earth imbalance in your system is to exercise regularly in order to oxygenate the blood and promote healthy muscles (which also relate to earth) and also go to the root cause of the problem and fight the free radicals with plenty of regular antioxidants in your diet. 

Too many free radicals in the body (via oxidation) can also lead to other health issues connected with the eyes, inflammation, nerve damage, accelerated ageing, heart disease, arthritis and alzheimers disease.  Good sources of antioxidants to fight free radicals can be found in the following foods:

Red and black beans: (kidney beans, pinto beans, lentils)

Berries: (amla, goji berry, acai berry, blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries)

Vegetables: (artichoke, leeks, garlic, onions, asparagus, carrots, red capsicum, broccoli, red cabbage, spinach, egg plant, pumpkin)

Fruit: (pomegranate, plums, mangoes, apricots, oranges, guava, dark grapes, red apples, cherries, raisons and prunes)

Fluids: (coffee, red wine, green tea)

Spices: (cloves, oregano, rosemary, turmeric, sage, cinnamon)

Nuts: (pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pistachios)

There are many similarities between east and west astrology when looking at the health qi of an individual.  For example, just as 4 Pillars (Bazi) astrology initially looks at the balance of elements, Western astrology does the same in regard to the balance of elements and the 3 modes.  The Ascendant and its relationship to the rest of the natal chart in Western astrology is also similar to looking at Resource and its relationship to the Day Master and its interaction with the other pillars in a 4 Pillars chart when ascertaining the overall long term physical side of an individual's health. 

The month pillar in 4 Pillars astrology helps us examine the interaction and routines connected with work, health/body and mind, while in Western astrology the 6th House position and interaction with the rest of the chart provides information on the health and work habits, routines and long term health issues more likely to crop up in regard to encountering obstacles and/or frustrating situations etc.

In 4 Pillars astrology we experience a set of Luck Pillars (which begin anywhere from age 1-11 yrs old depending on the individual's gender and birth details) and each Luck Pillar lasts approx 10 years each.  The 6th Luck Pillar brings clash energy to the Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch of the month pillar of birth, which connects with the 'mid life crisis' concept when we find ourselves faced with inevitable change, often in connection with career and a different mindset.  The month pillar also connects most strongly with the chest and stomach area in the body.

If you've ever been diagnosed with high blood pressure or you tend to avoid drinking water every day, you should watch this video: 

The Importance of Salt and Water by Barbara O’Neill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm6fmiG4SAc 

A great book that can help you make full use of your Mankind Luck (ie by controlling what you put into your mouth) when looking after your health is: “How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease”, by Dr Michael Greger, with Gene Stone

If you have been diagnosed with a tumour or some other growth in your body, it's worth considering the reduction of sugar and dairy products in your diet.  There's a lot of potential hormonal growth stimulants in milk - whether it's cow's milk or goat's milk, and there is a large body of evidence that now links the consumption of dairy products in the diet to increased risk of breast, ovarian and prostate cancer.  If you're interested in finding out more, I can recommend the book: "Your Life in Your Hands: Understand, Prevent and Overcome Beast Cancer and Ovarian Cancer" by Professor Jane Plant. 

Here's an excerpt from the book: "When I eliminated all dairy products from my diet, a large ''secondary'' tumour comprising cancer cells in the lymph nodes in my neck, which was thought to be incurable, disappeared in weeks.  For me, this is pretty compelling evidence.  But that's not all.  Since many of the powerful chemicals contained in milk are known to have an important role in the development of young mammals, including cell division, and milk is designed for this purpose, it is worth asking the question: what happens if the chemicals designed to stimulate cell growth in newly-born animals send similar signals to adult tissue?"

Here's a great book to read if you or a loved one has just been diagnosed with cancer: "Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds.  The 9 Key Factors that Can Make a Real Difference" by Kelly A Turner

If you are interested in understanding how food is viewed and utilized via Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), I recommend you read "Food as Medicine" by Tracy Huang and "Healing With Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition" by Paul Pitchford.

If you are suffering from symptoms associated with auto-immune issues (eg arthritis, lupus etc), I recommend you read "Goodbye Lupus: How a Medical Doctor Healed Herself Naturally with Supermarket Foods" by Brooke Goldner, M.D

A simple question I often ask clients (especially those living in high rise apartments) is "when was the last time your bare feet connected with the earth?"  A great and cost effective way to help reduce built up anxiety and stress is to find a pleasant location in your back yard, in a park or at the beach where you can comfortably sit and place your bare feet on the ground for at least 30 minutes.  The more regularly you do this, the less stress build-up you will have in your body.  This process is called "earthing".  You can sit facing towards your personal Tian Yi/Heavenly Doctor direction (according 8 Mansions Feng Shui), or better yet, lay down on the grass, earth or sand with your head pointing towards a favourable direction according to your Kua (Ming Gua).  

Some people find themselves succumbing to a repetitive pattern of negative self talk or self belief/expectation (eg "I always miss out" "I'm not good enough" etc) and this ties in with your Mankind luck and programming your brain to only see the negatives.  If you find you are habitually falling into a negative pattern of thinking, it's worthwhile exploring the concept of the reticular activating system (RAS) and how your focus of attention can determine how you feel.  A good book to help reprogram your brain to focus on the positives is "The Winner's Bible: Rewire Your Brain for Permanent Change" by Dr Kerry Spackman

Posted in feng shui health

Don’t Underestimate the Effect of Landform on the Feng Shui of Your Property

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Derelle Ball

There are a lot of feng shui articles on the internet that place emphasis on the interior design, colour scheme and furniture layout of a dwelling, with little or no mention of the effect of the surrounding landform. In actual fact, around 80% of the feng shui is governed by the influence of surrounding landform, so my advice is to always look at the surrounding landform first before you even start assessing the interior of a building.

When I say ‘surrounding landform’ I’m referring to the natural and man-made forms surrounding the building, whether it’s a lake, river, mountain, pool, freeway, roundabout, cul-de-sac, deep storm water drain, a neighbouring building, power poles, driveway, trees, electricity pylon and so on.

The whole point of the exercise with feng shui is assessing the pathway and quality of Qi as it enters a property and affects the dwelling and occupants. The easiest definition of Qi is ‘living/transformative energy’ although this definition doesn’t really do justice to the highly complex wonder known as Qi. In reality it is the driving force for change (both the potential for change and the result of change) linking matter and spirit (form and the formless) in connection with the ever changing force of yin and yang.  

There are 4 main categories of Qi: Universal, Heaven, Earth and Human, with many off-shoots and definitions deriving from these main 4 labels. Qi is also made of up 2 main parts, the Hun (Yang Qi) and Po (Yin Qi) and these form the cycle of perpetual transformation. The process of this ever changing cycle is Spirit and the outcome of this ever changing cycle is Action.

So how does this relate to your house? Well think of it like this. The Po or Yin Qi affecting your home comes initially from the energy in the earth and the surrounding natural and man-made objects. Yang Qi comes to the facing side of the house (the Hun) via Water Star energy and how this affects your home (especially the finances of the occupants) depends on the character of the Water Star Qi, whether or not the facing side of the property allows you to collect and accumulate the Qi and how the occupants personally interact with this energy.

In some cases, the best Water Star energy to stimulate abundance opportunity for the occupants may enter your property from the side or rear of the block of land, so this is where you seek to capture and accumulate the Qi with a body of water strategically placed in the surrounding landform.

The whole concept of Yin and Yang can get pretty in depth and is relevant to whatever you are assessing and comparing. You can have a Yin mountain and a Yang river, but you can also have a Yin mountain and a Yang mountain or a Yin river and a Yang river. It all depends on what you are examining and comes back to the perpetual interaction and transformation of Yin and Yang.

Some people get too caught up in strict rules and definitions of Yin and Yang and thus miss the underlying beauty of perpetual cycles of transformative change. Yin Qi initiates the motion and calls out to the Yang Qi and the Yang Qi in turn responds with action.

Some feng shui professionals examine the Fei Xing/Flying Star Natal Chart of probability factors drawn over the floor plan of a home and automatically assume the energy on the chart is actually there in reality. In actual fact, the potential for the energy may be there however the reality may be that the energy trying to enter the property from that side is perpetually blocked or dispersed due to factors in the surrounding landform.

Sha Qi is when Yin and Yang Qi are in discord and thus create a state of disharmony.

I have witnessed Sha Qi generated via a man-made inclusion in the surrounding landform having a negative impact on the Water Star 9 Qi travelling towards the East facing orientation of an apartment on level 8 of the building. The facing side of the apartment contained 2 windows and a sliding door leading to a balcony attached to the living room.

There were 6 cranes located directly outside the balcony and at 7am each morning, 6 days a week, the main crane would start swinging and rotating randomly and very effectively dispersing the Qi of the Water Star 9. There’s a famous feng shui saying in regard to the Sha Qi effect of an object in the surrounding landform depending on its distance from the building being “within the distance of 1,000 horses”. So while not every sharp object in your surrounding landform is necessary cause for concern, the effect of the crane was actually very quick.  

The previous tenants of the apartment had happily lived there until the building works began and the crane was put into position, and within a short span of time the patriarch of the home suddenly developed health issues connected to the onset of vertigo which affected his ability to work or live in a high rise building and forced him to prematurely vacate the apartment.

The effect can be even more devastating when a natural landform feature is somehow corrupted or put into Sha motion.

For example, I had a client who had enjoyed a high level of spiritual connectedness and nurturing health Qi drawn from a very well located benevolent mountain supporting the Mountain Star 8 energy in and around her home.   Her health then started to dramatically decline and when I spoke to her over the phone trying to work out if there was a potential feng shui connection, I asked her to look out towards the mountain and tell me what she saw. She described the way in which a new large estate development had taken over the side of the mountain facing towards her property and it was being significantly cleared, sliced and diced and was now very upsetting for her to look at. Coincidence? What do you think?

Posted in Feng Shui for Property Investors, feng shui health, feng shui landform

Feng Shui - in Search of Qi

Posted on November 02, 2012 by Derelle Ball

Those of you who were fortunate enough to attend the recent AFSC Conference in Melbourne were treated to some exceptional discussions examining the essence of feng shui and the origin of qi. A key point brought to light during these metaphysical discussions is the way in which our modern day ‘quick fix’ approach in the pursuit of wealth can so easily overshadow the fundamental observation of qi in the surrounding landform and its inherent link to fertility/nourishment or lack thereof.

Hindsight is such a wonderful tool and in this case, I can now see the interesting dichotomy between the commercial side of the Conference title: ‘Feng Shui Water & Wealth’ compared to an alternative title which certainly sprung to mind during the Conference: ‘Feng Shui: Fertility and the Nourishment of Spirit’.

Our key note speaker for the Conference, Dr Michael Paton, highlighted the importance of getting back to the roots of feng shui via careful observation of qi in the surrounding landform. I recently read Dr Paton’s fascinating article “Feng Shui: A Continuation of ‘Art of Swindlers’?” and I laughed out loud when he mentioned Karen Kingston’s assertion about using “colonic irrigation as an extension of feng shui theory”. Oh dear – this sounds rather intrusive!

Karen Kingston is a fabulous teacher and advocate of space clearing which is a highly useful methodology that can be used alongside feng shui practice – I use it myself, however I can see where Dr Paton is coming from. There are too many so called experts out there who gain a little knowledge about feng shui without any real in depth study and then market the process as a commodity that is simplified for ease of consumer use and wrapped in vague mystical connotations without necessarily having any real substance from a classical xuan kong feng shui perspective.

As Dr Paton points out in his article through the following quote from the Xing Qian (Star Seal), this issue of confusion and potential loss and/or misunderstanding of original feng shui concepts has always been an issue facing modern day feng shui practice – it was just as relevant a thousand years ago as it is now. It appears no matter when or where – mankind has a propensity to gravitate towards a ‘cut-to-the-chase’ approach when it comes to increasing wealth and/or a position of higher office.

“The method is on the lip and in the breast.
Yet the spirit is not passed on by the eye.
And the fundamental mystery is not passed on by the heart”.

I agree with Dr Paton, this is indeed a challenge faced by all Associations and collective groups of feng shui students and practitioners – esp in our current consumer hungry and materialistic society.

Our challenge as an Association is therefore twofold. On one hand, we need to promote and research the ‘origins of feng shui practice’ and help steer new students towards authentic teachers and learning institutions (keeping in mind, one teacher cannot be the master of all knowledge – it is better to learn from more than one source and use your own observation and research to ascertain which methodologies prove sound in practice).

I would like to think we were on the right track when we invited Dr Paton to speak at our Conference, alongside the canonical literature genius of Tyler Rowe and theoretical expertise of Master Gayle Atherton, Master Jodi Brunner and Master George Bennis, interspersed with the metaphysical and astrological insight of Vic Ketis alongside a selection of practical case studies.

For me personally, Master Joseph Yu is my ‘Enlightening Teacher’ (Qi Meng Lao Shi 啓蒙老師). He is not the only Master I have studied with, however he is certainly the most profound and I love the way in which he provides succinct interpretation of the classics and then demonstrates practical application in the modern world. He encourages the student to think for themself, observe, research, debate and share experiences with other practitioners so that we may learn together, rather than blindly accepting everything he says as feng shui law.

The second challenge our Association of feng shui currently faces, is the fact that members of the Association seek not only to increase their knowledge and expertise, but also to make an actual living from this practice, whether on a full time or part time basis. This is why the first day of the Conference addressed the commercial side of putting together a feng shui business and explored ways in which to market your services and realise the value in what you provide. The need for a more structured cost per service system was highlighted and this will be an ongoing discussion in order to help provide a more uniform fee structure depending on the level of expertise of the practitioner and the service they provide.

Coming back to Dr Paton’s article, he makes a good point that:

“In the West there is a perception that much of the “magic” of life and the power of the individual has been lost to the powerful corporate conglomerates, which tend to hold the reins of scientific knowledge through dry statistical analysis. Thus, there has been a gradual increase in distrust of modern knowledge systems, whether they are economics or medicine, and a search for more meaningful humanistic knowledge systems that meld both the intellectual and the emotional.”

This leads us back to the alternative title I came up with (in hind sight) for our recent Conference: ‘Feng Shui: Fertility and the Nourishment of Spirit’.  Now, from a feng shui perspective, I should probably point out the concept of 'fertility' ties in with the transformative interaction of yin and yang qi in its most nurtured form, which stimulates a state of harmonious synchronicity with one's surroundings.  I believe this is the crux of what people are really searching for these days and we are certainly in a great position to help lead the way with authentic feng shui practice and application. The tricky part is finding that all too pervasive balance between commercialisation and generosity of spirit, consumer appeal and metaphysical insight/application based on key observation of the surrounding landform, the abode in which an individual works and lives and observation of the individual’s inherent strengths and weaknesses as practiced via traditional xuan kong feng shui and san cai (the trinity of luck).

Anyway, if you are currently thinking about learning feng shui, a great starting point is to join the Association of Feng Shui Consultants International Inc (AFSC) which can be found at www.afsc.org.au and begin your journey surrounded by like-minded individuals seeking to enrich their metaphysical learnings with authentic teachings and via the shared experience of the collective :-)

cheers,

Derelle

Let Derelle enhance the health, wealth and nurturing potential of your home with an Off-Site Residential Feng Shui Consultation.

Posted in Classical Feng Shui, feng shui, feng shui conference, feng shui health, fertility