Henry Fong’s Blog

In a Chinese funeral, the dearly deceased is always placed with the feet pointed towards the door or the facing of the house.

I suppose - due to this practice - the Chinese have a taboo against placing their beds with the feet pointing out of the house.

This creates some inconvenience in Feng Shui, especially practitioners of the Eight Mansions system. What if ‘Sheng Qi’ or ‘Tian Yi’ direction means having the legs pointing out?

Personally I think it is alright. But if the client is very superstitious or is uncomfortable with breaking taboos, it will give him or her a better peace of mind if we recommend an alternative bed direction, one where the feet is pointed anywhere except out!

Do you agree?

Last weekend, some friends and I met at the local Kopitiam (equivalent to a Deli) to study natal – astrology - charts.

From the charts, we observed that one of them has a ‘flower of romance’ opportunity in 2009. It means that he will meet someone who will fall for him (and most likely vice-versa). It sounds good but not for him as he is happily married – so he says.

What can he do about it? He can do a lot.

He can remain true to his wife when the opportunity arises. Of course this is easier said than done.

From a Feng Shui perspective, I advice him to make sure that his ‘flower of romance’ is not activated. He is a Snake and his Peach Blossom location is south. If the south sector of his house is busy e.g. main door or have a water fountain, then the chances of it happening is enhanced.

I also remember what an old master once said. Avoiding ‘luck’ is difficult. Letting it happen (in a controlled manner) and getting over it (without letting your wife know about it) is easier! Oops.

During my last feel visit to the optician to adjust a pair of ill fitted spectacles, I realized that my ears are not perfectly symmetrical. Although it is not obvious, one is actually set higher than the other!

According to the optician, this is normal. Most faces are not symmetrical and there is nothing to worry about.

I do not agree – at least not from a face reading perspective. In face reading, if there are lots of differences between the two sides of the face, the person is prone to mood swings. The greater the difference the more the mood swing.

So, the next time you meet someone with a mood swing, check out his face for symmetry – or the lack of it!

The mood swings are due to his face.

Is that correct? No, the ancients believe that the face is a reflection of the heart (inner self)!

Not long ago, I gave a Feng Shui presentation to a group of property developers. This was in a state with a large Chinese population. They were a diverse group and included developers of low cost, medium and high end properties.

I ask them, if their clients make use of Feng Shui consultants to assist in their selection process.

They say that over 80% of buyers of high end properties make use of a consultant. Or they are themselves, well verse with Feng Shui to spot Feng Shui imperfections – correctly or otherwise.

For medium cost properties, this figure drops to about 50%. And for low end properties it drops further to about 15%.

I wonder if it is the same in your area. Feel free to comment.

I spoke at a recent property event. Some time after I started to speak, the organizer raised a place-card with the words ‘Behind Time’ written on it. I was in a dilemma. Am I behind time, which means I must extend my talk or are they behind, which means I need to end it quickly?

Why did I bring this out? It reminds me of a property that does not have a clear cut obvious facing direction.

In Xuan Kong Flying Star Feng Shui, the facing (together with the period of the property) determines the ‘qi’ map. In layman terms, it shows where the auspicious and inauspicious sectors are?

If the facing of a property is ambiguous, and if the practitioner misjudged the facing, all the subsequent recommendations are invalid.

If you have a property that has an ambiguous facing, I would strongly recommend that you carry out modification or renovation works to give it an obvious facing direction.

At the least, it will not give the Feng Shui Consultant is splitting headache! And you money will be well spent.

Are some people born to achieve great success? Are others are destined to failure?

After reading many birth charts, I conclude that the successes achieves by some and the failures that other experience during certain periods in their lives are somewhat influenced by their date and time of birth.

For example, many of those in influential positions have strong ‘power’ influences in their charts and strong luck cycles during their productive years.

Are some, then, destined to be poor?

While the birth chart influences, there are other factors that matters too such as the economy, parental help, Feng Shui etc.

In my opinion, even if someone has a weak fate potential, poor wealth and career luck during his more productive years, he should do still decently in a thriving economy.

Of course, the same person in a ‘down and out’ economy, will find life challenging and in extreme cases could end up as a beggar!

Recently, a practitioner friend from India came for a visit.

He is skilled in Feng Shui but at the same time also very well versed with Vasthu Sastra, the Indian version of Feng Shui.

He said that in his practice he tries to blend the practice of Vasthu with Feng Shui whenever he can. It is like how some practitioners try to blend Flying Stars and the Eight Mansions.

According to him, the north-east sector – based on Vasthu - should be kept empty. It is also known as the god’s sector because this is the place of choice to conduct prayers.

In his consultations, he makes it a point to keep the north east sector of the house and the north east sector of every living space empty. Living spaces means the bedrooms, living, kitchen etc. And he observed that it give good results.

I am going to try this out in my house wherever it is possible. Will it work for me? I do not know but it would not hurt to try.

Maybe you would like to give this a try too and share your observations.

Someone asked me if it is good Feng Shui to keep the ashes of the dearly departed at home.

That is an interesting question.

The ancient Chinese do not cremate their dearly departed. Instead they bury them - in auspicious location - so that their descendents can benefit from it. This is the basis of yin or burial Feng Shui.

Until recent times, cremation among the Chinese is considered taboo. These days, it is acceptable but even then, they do not normally keep them in their house. The usual practice is to scatter them (usually at sea) or to put them in an urn and place it at the memorial center (usually a building located within a cemetery compound).

Therefore, I really do not know.

Much depend on your comfort level. If the ashes do not bother you, I would think it is okay. However if it does (maybe due to superstitious bias) then I suppose not!

Will it improve the Feng Shui of the house? I do not think so!

Procedures for Moving House

What are the correct Feng Shui procedures for moving house?

I believe that if you ask a few practitioners, you will get as many different versions. However if you look deeply into the list that they provide, you will find some procedures that are common.

In my opinion there are a few procedures that you must follow. They are:-

1. Select an auspicious date and time - that matches the natal chart of the occupants of the house – to move in.
2. Open the doors and windows of the house to allow fresh ‘qi’ into the house.
3. Turn on the lights, fan and air-conditioners (and heaters).
4. Turn on the tap and let the water flow for a while.
5. Boil water, cook a meal (or a snack) and eat it.
6. Sleep overnight.

Some practitioners may include other procedures such as make a declaration that the house is yours, conducting prayers, jumping over fire, sprinkling a concoction of salt and tea leaf etc.

These are not wrong and you can follow them if are comfortable with it!

Recently I receive an email with an attachment that explains what the color of your urine can tell you about your health.

According to the report, ancient physicians study the color, smell and taste of urine as a way to diagnose diseases.

At the most basic level, the color of your urine can tell if you have an infection or if you are dehydrated.

Your urine should be light yellow. If it is cloudy, it is often a sign of infection (or kidney stones). If it is dark yellow, it is a sign that you need to drink more water.

If the urine is red or pink, it could be caused by blood in your urine, usually due to a urinary tract infection. It could also due to medication or simply eating too many blackberries, beet or rhubarb!

If it is orange in color, it means that you are either very dehydrated, on medication or eating too many carrots!
Blue or green urine can be caused by medication or may be due to a rare condition that causes high levels of calcium.

Brown urine may be due to some liver disorders while fluorescent yellow urine can be caused by vitamin B.

Finally, sweet smelling urine is a sign that you may have diabetes due to the high concentration of blood sugar in your urine.

So, the next time you take a leak, look at the color.