By Siou Foon Lee

In today's world, Feng Shui has fast entered the mainstream of practical information about alternative guidance. Authentic Feng Shui dating back 3500 years is timeless but so relevant in our contemporary lifestyles and business environments. A more harmonious interaction between people and their personal space is essential in this new millenium of thinking and living but more importantly, Feng Shui is all about life fulfillment. Large corporations are investing in this expertise in order to have a leading edge. They see Feng Shui as another unique way to handle the luck factor.

End users of this art seeking to find practical solutions to problems related to health, relationships or finances are finding that Feng Shui offers principles and guidelines. Even though the belief is inherently Chinese, it does not require anyone to display Chinese cultural objects. The recommendations are practical. No suggestion is made without a basis of fact, no solution given without a voice of reason.

Factors that govern our success

In spreading the vast knowledge accumulated linking human life to the universe, ancient sages teach that there are factors that govern our success. In our path through life we are influenced by:

• The Cosmic Trinity

• Good Deeds/Karma

• Knowledge and Hard Work 

They are all pieces of the picture called Life. Heaven Luck, Earth Luck and Human Luck are the realms in the Cosmic Trinity governed by time, space and action.

The time element is the luck factor connected to the moment of birth. This is Heaven Luck.

The space element is our residence or our workplaces and this is Earth Luck.

According to the sages, if we do the right thing at the right time and use the right place, we will be fortunate. If we do the wrong thing we get into strife. This is the element of action. Actions and inactions, skills and decisions relate to Human Luck.

Classical Feng Shui

Authentic techniques challenge the way we deal with problem solving and trouble-shooting. It is an age-old answer to modern day challenges and like any science; there are principles and concepts. Its holistic approach looks beyond furniture placement, symbolic objects and popular folklore. Its authenticity is Feng Shui rooted in mathematical formulas and theories which can enable home-owners, business owners, their companies and their towns and cities to achieve optimal success.

Time and tide waits for no man

Feng Shui charting an accurate course for current and future journeys help with maximizing potentials. However, like the weather, the energy flow in our lives is constantly shifting. As with a weather forecast, we are unable to influence or change conditions but being informed means individuals and companies can safeguard against weaker periods. Through the application of Xuan Kong Feng Shui, we can ultimately understand what each year unfolds for us. In this context, we cannot ignore the effect of the time dimension. What is advantageous this year might not be advantageous next year. Energy shifts even on monthly, weekly, daily and hourly basis. And it is these changes that affect us all.

Different Approaches

There are different approaches to a consultation depending on the practitioner's training. Overall it is about managing our luck/destiny, improving our relations at home/work, increasing productivity, promoting vibrant health/well-being, inviting abundance and success. The classical interpretation includes an understanding of intrinsic life force energy flow in a building and a recognition that each building is unique according to its facing, design, its residents and the type of environmental influences it attracts. Directional influence has a large bearing upon the energy of people. Favourable locations and directions feature significantly in practical applications. Equally important is Time and its cycle of change in both personal and business relationships and transactions. Feng Shui practitioners with indepth and vast knowledge of advanced methods can expertly recognize what is happening currently and also significantly forecast new changes taking place. Such personal advice gives us a decision making edge. Business key decision makers can operate well knowing the highs as well as the lows of the tide - ahead of time.

Knowing is Power

The ancient sages teach us that humans are linked to their environment, be it natural or man made, cosmic or earthly. A life force called qi surrounds the entire cosmos. Qi is also reflected in us. Being healthy then requires a balance between yin and yang energies within the body. The law of balance is simple: our habitual actions return to us in equal measure. We set about discovering ways of balancing qi to avert stagnancy and qi deficiency. Striving for ultimate health and longevity is the art of being in harmony with nature and the cosmic laws of balance and change.

Balance is the fundamental law of life. When disharmony in life situations occurs, we are called upon to become aware of how we perceive the flow of our own nature. Have we understood the cosmic factors of time, space, people, behavior and situations that influence our life? What has gone wrong? What action should we take to put the matter right? When we learn to let go of the many programs that hold us back from achieving our full potential, we are then able to bring about a holistic balance between mind and spirit. It is about understanding the path of life, reading the road map carefully before embarking on the road trip chosen. It is about strengthening our weaknesses and being guided by not only inspiration and intuition but by informed decisions we make. It is the art of being in harmony with mind, body and spirit.

There is also a belief that our destiny is linked to our environment. It is about time, space and people. When we use Feng Shui we deal with Earth Luck. When we find a place to live and work, that has the capacity to maximize our potential, we are then enhancing luck and chance.

From a different perspective some of us thrive on challenges and enjoy leading hectic lives. Inner peace is not everyone's cup of tea. Most of us continue to struggle to find balance while maintaining a hectic lifestyle in the belief that one day our quality of life will improve. If only we can gaze into our future and find that compass that will be revealing enough to help us make the most of our decisions.

There is a general saying among the Chinese when discussing the quality of life: First is destiny, second is luck and third is Feng Shui. They say that our quality of life is not only affected by these factors but our success is also affected by virtues and education/knowledge. They say we are not separate from the universe and the universe has fixed rules and orders. We are subject to these rules. Understanding the workings of those rules that govern our lives we obtain a clearer view of our future and also understand our life journey.

For centuries the Chinese have been fascinated with not only Feng Shui but with the mystery of Chinese metaphysics. A reading of the four items of their birth data translated into the Four Pillars allows them to delve into the great mysteries of life through interpreting their destiny code. Getting good Chinese metaphysical advice is not easy to obtain as there are misunderstandings and general exaggeration about evaluating fortunes. Street fortune tellers lacking a strong theoretical background might not be your choice if you are looking for more in-depth and profound understanding. While most are satisfied with a brief and general reading from a fortune teller; others are more discerning and so will seek out skilled astrologers trained in logical deductions based on the five elements theory (wood, fire, earth, metal, water). The aim of gaining this knowledge is to know what course of action to take. Preparing for what lies ahead requires informed decisions.

Our original four pillars or eight characters (Ba Zi) do not change with time or space. However during ten-year luck pillars and annual pillar in our natal chart, we receive different energies. These react with the elements of our inborn four pillars. Heaven's energy, Earth's energy has much influence but our Four Pillars is not at all fatalistic because Human energy allows us to take control of our ACTIONS. The mind is most powerful when it comes to decisions. The actions we take once we understand our potential and the chronological ups and downs in our path of life is Human Luck.

Taking a leaf from my revered master's book, Confucius said: If a person does not know his path of life, he cannot be an honorable man.

Chinese Astrology

To express a person' s birth details into a horoscope called The Four Pillars of Destiny. It incorporates eight characters from the Ten Thousand Year calendar which expresses the five main elements. The Yin and Yang aspect to the Five Elements describing the Twelve Earthly Branches and Ten Heavenly Stems. Its elemental influence is believed to be the unique destiny code which has been imprinted for a person. Deciphering the Eight Characters by a skilled astrologer is called the art of Ba Zi.

An analysis of these unique aspects can reveal character, personality, nature, the type of patterns that can hold influence in our life and future life path. It helps us understand our strengths, weaknesses and how to deal with uncertainties. It allows us to make informed decisions based on forecasts of our current or coming cycle of luck. It helps us understand how these cycles of luck influence our lives. Understanding our life path it can lead us to make the necessary changes. If potentials are already maximized than assurance is given that life is going to full extent and we need to maintain that balance. If life style is lop sided than balance must be sought. Luck cannot be changed totally but it can be improved with human actions. Even those with good destiny can go through cyclical changes.

Does Heaven Have The Final Say?

Westerners are taught that their destiny lies in their hands. They determine their own fate. The Chinese concept of fate and luck is different from the Western view. The Chinese view destiny as something that embraces matters as intangible as human fortune, luck and fate. It is believed that the time we are born will determine the dominant energy that underpins our lifespan. Our life journey can be revealed by interpreting the strengths and weaknesses of these elements and how they interact with each other. Understanding this unseen force dominating our lives is important in both personal and business relationships and transactions. Undoubtedly our success, reputation, wealth, intelligence and capabilities are governed by fate. We learn from the ancient sages and so we never discount the fact that there is a cosmic trinity present in Heaven's Will, Human Actions and Earth Luck.

Some will ask these questions: Is not success in life due to our behavior and our own actions? If we fail in a business, a career or a marriage is not it our responsibility and our fault? Some of you were brought up to believe and think differently about destiny. In the modern Western culture it is a commonly held belief the factors in the development of a child lies in heredity, environment, education and honest hard work. Nothing is ever attributed to destiny or astrology. In the Chinese view our life path is determined the moment we were born by some higher power and beyond our control. It is believed luck is predictable and luck is post-heaven. If we know our fortune or luck for that period of time we can use it to our advantage. On the other hand, Westerners tend to believe that luck cannot be predicted for an individual.

Sometimes it is destiny or heaven luck to meet the right person to hand you the earth luck. But without human luck which are actions and decisions, changes cannot be made. When we decide to make correct changes we receive good outcomes and thus reap the benefits. If we keep doing the same things and still expect changes then we are fooling ourselves. To see changes in our luck we have to make the changes. We make informed decisions about changing when we know what lies ahead.

Heaven, Earth and Human are the three levels of the cosmic order. This order influences all beings and things in our universe even through time. Between heaven and earth stands us, humans.

Heaven Luck belong to pre-heaven. It is fixed at birth and difficult to change. The circumstances of the major events like heredity, the social position of our family or our status in the world are determined. Thus, we cannot change parentage, nationality or birthplace as they are, in the main, determined or Heaven's will. Astrology gives us the knowledge of how our life path will pan out. It will be either smooth sailing or it will be blocked. Knowing our future and the resultant life pathways and knowing we have control over our actions we then get on with our lives. We know we cannot change the roadmap that has been given to us but we can choose the way we walk life's path. We cannot change destiny but we can improve on it or even mess it up further. Changing it is not possible; it is like wanting it to be rewritten. But improving it is different. Improving destiny is improving our gains during a period of good luck. We have control over how we will achieve in fortunate times or how hard we will fall during periods of misfortune. Given a profile of our ups and downs corresponding to phases in life we can understand the influences affecting it. This can lead us to make informed decisions which promote happiness, progress and prosperity. We are equipped with sufficient freedom to make or mar our own self. This is about our actions, skills and decisions which is Human Luck.

Human Luck: The ancients have understood that the problem of life is to know how to live within ourselves maximizing opportunities while accepting limitations. Astrology seeks to guide us by revealing our future and the resultant life pathways. The positive approach is making conscious changes and informed decisions in charting an accurate course for future journeys. We can become wiser and more fulfilled when we have informed decisions to make. The aim of gaining this knowledge is to strengthen those weaknesses and to prepare for what lies ahead. By analyzing the horoscope and the inter-relations of our eight characters, we can also learn much about our nature, the kind of structure our natal chart belongs to and the type of luck we attract with these patterns. These patterns can hold influence in our life. By learning about these patterns we can begin to understand our own energy and be more aware of these influences on a personal level. Understanding ourselves helps to understand others. If we cannot understand ourselves how can we understand the other person in a partnership or the difficult dynamics in our relationship with others.

The search for knowledge, truth and fulfillment is as old as life itself. We are responsible for our relationship with our human luck. We have the power to choose and it is up to us what we choose. All the choices we make are aimed at attaining harmony and avoiding disharmony. Knowing our success is governed by five important factors it is then essential to do the right thing when it comes to human luck. Understanding the five key factors listed below should bring progress to our life.

1. Destiny: determined at birth, knowable but unchangeable.

2. Luck: varies with time but is predictable.

3. Feng Shui: The art that involves the study of the environment and how energies interact with a home or premise. Feng Shui can hasten fulfillment of a good destiny and give a better quality to life. It is also the means to keep a drowning man from sinking to the depths below by allowing him time to thread water before he reaches dry land.

4. Virtues: good deeds like charity for the needy, donations to the poor. The understanding that the more we give the more we will receive, takes on a greater meaning

5. Education/Knowledge: requires our effort and hard work. Without education, knowledge and effort, good luck can be wasted.

It is up to us when it comes to choices. The roadmaps we get to help along the highways of life will need personal qualities and they include will power, determination, hard work and self belief etc.

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