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2020 Annual Flying Stars Plus the Favourable and Unfavourable Locations for Excavation and Construction during the Metal Rat Year

Posted on January 09, 2020 by Derelle Ball

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Posted in feng shui 2020, feng shui tips

The Most Important Key to Success

Posted on October 23, 2016 by Derelle Ball

Perception is such a funny thing. Two people can experience the same input on their 5 senses and yet come up with totally different conclusions – it all depends on their perception and the underlying subconscious beliefs that drive them.

For example, there is a famous story about 2 brothers who grew up in the same household with a drunken and abusive father. After becoming adults and leaving home, one brother became an abusive drunk and the other brother became a successful business manager who refused to touch a drop of alcohol. When both brothers were questioned as to why they felt they ended up where they did, they both replied “it was their only choice”.

I bring this up in relation to a discussion I had the other day with a friend who moved into his newly renovated home around a year ago. The renovation was extensive enough to shift the building permanently into the current Period of 8, and this gave him a water star 8 qi at the facing where his main entry and a beautiful external water feature are located.

He started the conversation by stating his finances have gone terribly since he renovated and moved into the house. I did not do the feng shui for his home, however I am familiar with its layout and fei xing/flying star chart and surrounding landform. I was surprised to hear his statement and this lead to a discussion of the underlying character of the 8 Zuo Fo qi.

Yes the water star 8 connects with the ruling energy for the current Period of 8 and deemed fortunate if you are able to harness its energy. The character of the 8 Zuo Fo is kind of like the mythical Pi Yao. It likes to gradually accumulate. Legend states the Pi Yao has no anus, so everything it eats is accumulated in its belly!

The character of the 8 qi connects with assets, knowledge, wealth, property, a steady plodding pace, altruism and accumulation. It does not like to be rushed.

My friend had set up his business from home and had expected to continue at his regular creative, frenetic and highly energetic pace, however it appears the 8 qi has had a slow but steady influence on his finances, although not in regard to where he expected it.

His home based business has floundered since moving into his renovated home, however upon digging deeper, it emerged that since moving there his investments in property have significantly increased along with the rental income he now earns from investments made in residential and commercial properties. He hadn’t really taken into consideration sources of income other than his home based business when he made his initial statement. Upon reflection, he realised the gentle plodding and accumulative influence of the water star 8 has indeed been very good to his bank balance via his substantially increased assets, investments and accumulated rental income.

I then dug a bit deeper still and looked at his 4 Pillars chart – especially the month branch, which gives a preview on how strong an individual’s capacity can be to begin and run their own business and whether or not their current luck pillar supports this, or if they should seek alternative ways in which to produce income.

In my friend’s case, there had been certain times in his life cycle where he was able to make good money via running his own business, however he had entered a new 10 year luck cycle when he moved into his renovated home, and the energy had changed, and now (as he has discovered) his money making capacity is better suited to property investment and capitalising on his inherent talents connected with the recognition of patterns and trends in the market, detailing and the development of systemized structures. He can still make money managing a business, however it would be easier to do so if he invests his money, time and/or skill in someone else’s business as part of the process.

So now he is very happy with the effect the water star 8 energy has had on his newly renovated home and capacity to accumulate wealth. Its subtle influence has allowed him to gradually accumulate assets and subsequent increased rental income over the past year and he is now keen to get further educated on this process in regard to utilising his talent for tapping into market trends and patterns in order to continue generating and increasing this valuable form of income.

And here is the most important part of this conversation. You see it’s not enough to simply be aware of your feng shui or astrology. These are tools which give you choices. It’s still up to you do something and take the correct action in order to make the most of what is on offer. As Tony Robbins famously states: “Action is the most important key to any success.”

Posted in feng shui consultations, Feng Shui for Property Investors, feng shui tips, feng shui wealth

Feng Shui Tips for Your Bedroom

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Derelle Ball

What’s Behind the Bedhead

Ideally, your bed should be placed in the bedroom so that both sides are accessible and there is a solid wall behind the bedhead.  If there is a window behind the bedhead and you are unable to shift the bed to an alternative location, then draw the blind or curtains while sleeping. 

From a psychological perspective, if your bedroom is located on the ground floor and you have an open window behind your bedhead, it places you in an uneasy position at night (esp if there is a road/walkway outside your window) where strangers could theoretically peak into your bedroom while you are sleeping.

Check for Electro Magnetic Radiation (EMR) in the wall behind the bedhead if there is an electricity meter box or any other large electrical appliance on the other side of the wall adjoining your bedhead location.

Is the wall behind your bedhead adjoining a kitchen, laundry or bathroom?  If so, check not only for EMR but also for water pipes in the wall cavity behind the bedhead.  No matter how wonderful the mountain star qi may look on paper when you draw up a fei xing (flying stars) natal chart for your home and bedroom, if there is interference within the wall via EMR or water pipes, the mountain star qi is disturbed and not supportive for your health while sleeping. 

I once had a client whose elderly father had recently moved into her home and he was experiencing increased headaches and difficulty sleeping.  When I examined the location we discovered he was being affected by a significant amount of EMR from the transformer of a large aquarium positioned on the other side of the wall.  The only solution in this case was to relocate the bed away from that wall.

The mountain star qi residing in the wall behind your bedhead is very important from a feng shui perspective.  If your personal ming gua (also known as your kua) qi does not communicate well with the inherent mountain star qi in the wall, then you will not be nurtured and supported while sleeping.  If the mountain star qi you absorb from the wall behind the bedhead while sleeping is a negative (sha) qi and it also attacks your personal ming gua, then increased illness and misfortune in relationships is much more likely to manifest.

Your ming gua is calculated via your solar year of birth and gender and indicates which directions best support you in your work and study environment and which mountain star qi best supports your health and relationships while sleeping.  The mountain star qi in the wall behind your bedhead is determined via the surrounding landform, time period of construction and facing orientation of your home.

If you’re interested in learning more about your ming gua, mountain star qi and classical feng shui in general, I recommend reading: “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Feng Shui – Third Edition”, by Elizabeth Moran, Master Joseph Yu and Master Val Biktashev.

Geopathic Stress

If after addressing all of the above, you still find you are not able to sleep properly, there is a possibility your bed may be affected by geopathic stress from underground water streams etc.  Often if this is the case, there will be indications in the surrounding landform via trees with cancerous growths, hedges and/or sections of flora that simply will not grow, unusual ant trails, cracks in the ground etc.  One thing you can try in this case (if you're not able to relocate the bed to another location) is to place cork tiles on the flooring under the bed to help insulate and reduce the effect felt when sleeping on the bed.

Mirrors

When asleep, your spiritual energy expands out from your head chakra and if confronted with the reflection from a mirror positioned on or near the bedhead you are more likely to experience disturbed sleep patterns and restlessness. 

If you sleep in a room where exterior street lights or a night light shines in your bedroom while sleeping and the light is reflected and amplified in mirrors, the energy becomes yang/active in nature and can make it more difficult for you to maintain regular, deep sleep patterns.  If this is the case, then relocate the mirror and/or close the curtain or blinds at night to make the room darker (more yin) while sleeping.

There is some conjecture that mirrors in the bedroom automatically equate to the risk of third party interference in the relationship.  Personally I do not subscribe to this superstition.  Strategically placed mirrors can open up a small room and give the illusion of additional space as well as reflecting aesthetically beautiful objects and interior design.

Overhead Beams

When lying in bed, look up and if you have a solid beam running across the bed on the ceiling above you, then the flow of qi above the bed is disrupted when it encounters the beam and this can affect relationship harmony over time.  The solution is to move the bed or if this is not possible, then cover the beam with a false/dropped ceiling or fabric.

Doors and Hallways

If when sleeping in bed, there is an open door directly opposite the foot of the bed or an open door opposite the side of the bed and a corridor or hallway beyond the door, your sleep patterns will be disturbed by the flow of qi (transformative energy) travelling in a straight line along the hallway or corridor and entering via the open door.  The simple solution is to close the door when sleeping.

Slanted Ceiling

If the ceiling above the bedhead is lower than the rest of the ceiling, then place lamps that shine light up towards the ceiling on either side of the bed and paint the ceiling a light white or cream colour to give the illusion of space and height.

Mould

Mould can trigger a wide variety of health issues ranging from sinus and respiratory concerns to inflammation, neurological issues and in some cases, chronic life-threatening illness through exposure to mycotoxins.  Prolonged moisture provides the perfect environment for mould to manifest, so it pays to check for condensation and leaks in the ceiling, under the floor, in the walls, near pipes and in wet areas such as your kitchen, laundry and bathroom. 

DO NOT try to remove mould with bleach because it doesn’t actually kill it – it only colours it.  For non-porous surfaces a combination of 80% white vinegar and 20% water in a spray bottle works best.  For further information on where to look for mould and if you find it, how to deal with it, I recommend you read this great article by Nicole Bijlsma:

http://www.buildingbiology.com.au/index.php/Hazards/Mould-the-next-asbestos.html

Advanced Feng Shui Formulae for the Bedroom

There are a variety of advanced feng shui formulae and applications to help attract romance, stimulate fertility and support health qi in the bedroom.  The key to all these applications is in the action, location and timing.  Sometimes it’s a simple matter of placing a wood and water combination within your personal Peach Blossom location and other times you may be required to position your bed against a particular section of wall and make the bed with fresh new bed linen during a very specific time frame on a specific day according to Xuan Kong Da Gua or Qi Men Dun Jia.

It’s important to remember that these types of advanced feng shui applications cover a third of your overall luck potential via your Earth Luck.  Many of these formulae also take into consideration another third of your overall luck potential which is your Destiny Luck. 

Your Destiny Luck (also known as Heaven Luck) refers to the time, place and circumstances of your birth which cannot be controlled.  That being said, by examining your personal 4 pillars astrology, you can determine your general life path, major energy influences that have a higher probability of affecting you at particular times, your likely strengths and potential weaknesses, favourable elements and their associated colours, forms and so on.  

The final third of your overall luck potential is known as your Mankind Luck.  It refers to your subconscious beliefs and expectations, your personal choices, skills, education, values and virtues.   

If you apply advanced feng shui formulae to increase the probability of attracting new love into your life, yet your subconscious beliefs and expectations around relationships is that all relationships are doomed, then you have in effect wiped out a third of your overall luck potential in this area.

If you are seeking significant change in your life and have struggled to successfully implement this change, then I recommend you read the following book: “The Winner’s Bible: Rewire your Brain for Permanent Change” by Dr Kerry Spackman.

Finally, for those of you who assume the Southwest sector of your home or bedroom automatically corresponds to the so called "love" sector and should therefore be decorated in reds and pinks to attract romance, be warned that painting a wall red without first knowing the inherent fei xing (flying stars) feng shui actually affecting the space and surrounding land form can be a potentially dangerous thing to do. 

The strongest health and relationship energy (from an authentic feng shui perspective) corresponds to the ruling mountain star energy during the current time period.  So for example, while we are in the current Period of 8 (until 3 Feb 2024) the ruling mountain star energy is the mountain star 8.  This will be located somewhere on your property depending on when the building was constructed and/or completely renovated and the compass orientation of the building.  For some it may well be located in the Southwest sector, however for many it is not. 

Posted in Classical Feng Shui, feng shui consultations, feng shui for your bedroom, feng shui health, feng shui tips

Feng Shui and the Ba Gua

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Derelle Ball

"The nameless is the beginning of Heaven and Earth.  The named is the mother of all things."  (Tao Te Ching - Lao Zi, Chapter 1)

The term ''Ba Gua'' means ''8 Symbols'' and refers to 8 Trigrams which are made up of sequences of three lines (solid and/or broken) placed in a vertical row, one on top of the other.  When the Trigrams are combined (ie doubled), they become 8 x 8 different combinations known as Hexagrams, which are explored in detail within the 'I-Ching' (also known as the 'Yijing' or 'Book of Changes'), which originated around 2205B.C.E.   The meanings associated with the 64 Hexagram combinations provide a blue print for exploring and understanding the various underlying patterns and cycles in nature and the unseen energy forces around us.

"The broken and unbroken lines correspond to the dots and dashes of the binary code exactly .... Scientists have also discovered that the 64 Hexagrams of the I Ching correspond to the 64 DNA genetic code that are the basis of all life on the planet.  It is thus possible that in the I Ching lie the hidden meanings to life's existence." (Flying Star Feng Shui for the Master Practitioner, 2002 by Lillian Too, p10)

Trigrams are the foundation of yin and yang philosophy with the Qian Trigram (made up of 3 solid lines) representing Heaven/Yang qi and the Kun Trigram (made up of 3 broken lines) representing Earth/Yin qi. 

There are 2 sequences of the 8 Trigrams used in xuan kong feng shui - the Xian Tian Ba Gua and the Hou Tian Ba Gua, which are used to observe the cyclic interaction of yin and yang qi and determine how the movement of qi affects people.

"When the world began, there was Heaven and Earth.  Heaven mated with the Earth and gave birth to everything in the world" (King Wen, Zhou Dynasty, 1122-256 BC).

For many people in the western world the term ''Bagua'' is known for having 8 specific Life Aspiration labels that correspond to various directions and elements.  This concept was invented in America around the late 1970's and has been simplified even further to a ''Fixed Bagua Map'' which no longer includes any actual directional aspect, other than being orientated from an external doorway leading into a building and/or the doorway leading into internal rooms.   

Many clutter busters, space clearers and interior designers incorporate this simplified 8 Aspiration Fixed Bagua concept into their work and automatically label it Feng Shui.  So, it is then assumed for example, the North sector and/or the front centre section of any home, business or internal room automatically corresponds to the "Career" location.  This method then automatically allocates the water element to this area and dictates you can improve your ''Career Luck'' by decorating with a water feature and also by nurturing the water element with metal element colours and forms in conjunction with placing a plethora of symbolic objects in this location to support  "Career Luck" for all the occupants living or working in the building. 

And here is the problem - you see this is not authentic Classical Feng Shui, but rather a fun, quick fix, easy to apply, one size fits all approach that corresponds very much to an individual's Mankind Luck (ie the individual's personal aspirations).  The westernized new age quick fix simplified Bagua approach does not address the inherent qi (living/transformative energy) of the surrounding land form, (which corresponds to your ''Earth Luck'' and has the greatest impact on the actual Feng Shui affecting any building) or the time period of construction and compass orientation of the building itself, which reveals the internal flow of qi affecting the occupants. 

Note: the concept of Qi itself is a very complicated and fascinating topic and while in this article I refer to Qi as 'living/transformative energy' this is the most simple identifier of Qi in the english language although in reality it falls far short of the myriad of complex meaning behind the multi-layered concept of Qi.  This link provides a more detailed description of Qi by Howard Choy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DlYfBAO8Tw&t=1s). 

While applying the new age 8 Aspiration Bagua Methods to their home or business, most people feel empowered that they are affecting positive change in their life.  This is great as long as they realise they are focusing positive energy on their individual Mankind Luck when doing so (ie their internal qi which corresponds to their personal aspirations, goals, intentions, education, values and desires in life), however they are NOT addressing the actual Feng Shui because this method does not examine the actual flow of energy and unseen forces actually affecting the building. 

Classical Feng Shui examines the macro and micro Earth qi (ie external environment as well as inside a building) in order to determine who is being affected by what type of energy, where it is occurring, what the most likely result will be and how to balance, retain, protect and harmonise this energy flow inside and outside so the building is fundamentally nurturing its occupants. 

Xuan Kong Da Gua is a specialised branch of Feng Shui that allows the practitioner to further fine tune nurturing potential and synchronicity of the qi affecting a home and/or business in conjunction with specific periods in time and the inter-relation this has on the Hexagrams of the individual's day and year Gua according to their date of birth. This method is great for fine tuning the strategic placement and activation of water features, internal office furniture orientations, activating for fertility and so on.

Many Classical Feng Shui practitioners examine the 4 Pillars astrology of their clients and address the inherent strengths and weaknesses, character traits, clashes and combinations of qi and periods of time deemed most favourable to them personally. This astrological practice examines the individual's Heaven Luck which cannot be changed, however it can be navigated with advice given in regard to which area of their life is currently affected in a potentially positive or negative way and recommendations on how to better deal with and approach the peaks and troughs in their life accordingly. 

Space clearing is a wonderful practice for addressing built-up energy or energy voids lingering inside and around a building via the residual interaction of people via arguments, sickness, unhealthy pastimes, depression, predecessor/ghostly phenomena in conjunction with an assessment of underlying qi affecting the building via the surrounding landform.  

Now, for those who want to practice the simplified new age 8 Aspiration Bagua Methods to their home or business, I strongly recommend you avoid painting walls red (eg DO NOT assume the SW sector and/or far right corner of the building or internal room automatically benefits your love and relationships by adding large amounts of fire element colour) and avoid using large water features (eg DO NOT assume you are automatically enhancing your abundance luck by placing a large fountain in the SE sector and/or far left corner of the building or internal room).  For some homes, this may be fine, however for others it could be rather disastrous.

The reason I give you these 2 specific pieces of advice is because in the 18 plus years I have been practicing Classical Feng Shui professionally and full time, I have repeatedly come across heart breaking examples where people did add a red wall or a large water feature to their home/property according to the simplified 8 Aspiration Bagua methods which soon resulted in devastating consequences.

For example, the case where a lady painted the walls of her SW sector bedroom red in the hope of stimulating enhanced love energy with her partner.  Soon after the colour change her partner hung himself in their bedroom. 

I was asked to visit this home around a year after the tragic incident had occurred, and I had no idea about the history of the occupants when I arrived.  According to a Classical San He and Fei Xing/Flying Star Feng Shui assessment of the home and surrounding landform, there was sha (negative) external mountain qi affecting the SW sector, the internal energy in the SW sector was inherently negative and needed a LOT of protective metal element and the room required regular access to the ruling 8 energy (which was currently blocked).  I told the client the red walls in the SW sector of her home were potentially quite dangerous and should be replaced as soon as possible with metal element colour and forms, recommended a different bed orientation to draw in more supportive qi for her Ming Gua and advised screening of the negative landform outside the bedroom window.  At this point of the consultation the client burst into tears and explained what had happened shortly after painting her SW sector bedroom walls red in the hope of attracting more love qi according to the 8 Aspiration Bagua compass method.  She tragically lost her partner, fell into severe depression and had been suffering ongoing abdominal issues.

Of course, this could all merely be coincidence and I did not examine the 4 Pillars astrology of her former partner's birth chart, however the negative energy created by the surrounding landform and addition of fire element to the SW sector of this specific home is exactly what the Classical Feng Shui analysis indicated. 

A second example is the case of an affluent client who lived in a West facing home with the main entry located in the Northwest sector.  According to the Fei Xing/Flying Star Feng Shui natal chart of the building, the main entry was very positive for the client and her family because it generated the ruling 8 qi in the water star, so I advised adding a beautiful water feature to the Ming Tang in this location and positioned it according to 9 Star Water Method which supported a Ju Men water dragon for enhanced income luck.  This worked VERY well for them.  

Then in early 2006 I heard back from the client asking if I could advise about putting a pool in the West sector of their property.  I strongly advised against putting a pool in the West sector of their property because it would unbalance the inherent qi and increase the probability of significant money loss due to legal problems, theft and deception.  I emphasized the fact that the annual 5 Yellow energy was currently affecting the West sector of their property and if they chose to ignore my advice, the inherent negative flying star combination, negative surrounding landform feature in this sector of the property, plus the trigger of excavating and adding a large body of water to the West sector that year would greatly increase the probability of severe financial loss and legal problems affecting the occupants. 

Of course, the West sector at the front of their home theoretically corresponded to the ''Career'' location according to the Fixed 8 Aspiration Bagua method and the West sector is known as the ''Children and Creativity" location which corresponds to Metal and is in harmony with Water according to the Compass version of the new age 8 Aspirations Bagua method. 

I next heard from the client around 7 months later.  She was in tears and re-read my recommendations back to me over the phone in ironic hind-sight and confessed they had decided to ignore my advice and had dug up the West sector and installed the pool.  Since then, her husband's work place had unexpectedly gone bankrupt and he was left holding the blame as one of the financial advisors, while the CEO had fled the country.  Their bank accounts were frozen and they were faced with a lengthy court case and terrible emotional and financial stress.

I have many other examples of negative repercussions occurring to the client's health and/or finance qi when adding a large body of water or painting a large area red in their home according to the new age 8 Aspirations Bagua methods, so like I said earlier, it's fine to use this method with positive symbols and linking them to your intentions as per your Mankind Luck, just don't confuse the issue and assume you are also addressing the actual Feng Shui of your home or business in the process.

Let Derelle enhance the nurturing potential of your home with an On-Site Residential Feng Shui Consultation.

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