The Most Important Thing to Know About Feng Shui

The key to success in Feng Shui lies in how it is applied. There are different methods of using Feng Shui, and no single approach is inherently more powerful or advanced than another. However, it is crucial to define the purpose of the Feng Shui audit from the start. Understanding what you want to achieve helps determine the most suitable method.

Below is an overview of the main techniques included in Traditional Feng Shui.

Traditional Feng Shui Map

San He (The 3 Harmony School) – Focuses on manipulating landforms and building placements to activate or enhance beneficial energies while neutralizing negative influences. Known as the School of Forms, this method prioritizes the natural landscape, making it ideal for designing new constructions where resources are available. It follows the "evergreen" principle, ensuring harmony and smooth Qi flow over multiple generations. However, it is not used to correct negative Qi effects in existing buildings.
San Yuan (The 3 Cycle System - Time-Based) – Used mainly for Yang dwellings (residential, commercial, industrial spaces). Also known as the School of Formulas, this method analyzes time cycles to determine the energy distribution in a given space. It is particularly useful for improving or correcting Qi in existing buildings. Depending on the technique used, the effects may be short-, medium-, or long-term. However, the time required to see results is proportional to the longevity of the applied adjustments.

Techniques Used in San Yuan Feng Shui:

Eight Mansions (Ba Zhai)
Flying Stars (Fei Xing)
The 64 Hexagrams
Qi Men Dun Jia
Mysterious Space (Xuan Kong) - Time-Space Feng Shui
The Eight Formations of the Dragon Gate

All these techniques are based on the 9 Stars concept, though their approaches differ. This system originates from the Luo Shu pattern:

This Luo Shu model describes how the Flying Stars move, influencing methods such as:

San Yuan Flying Stars system
San Yuan Qi Men system

The 9 Stars

The 9 Stars represent different manifestations of Qi, each with both positive and negative attributes, making them inherently neutral. However, in practice, Stars 2, 3, 5, and 7 are generally negative, Stars 1, 6, 8, and 9 are mostly positive, while Star 4 is neutral.

Each 20-year cycle influences the favorability of these stars. Below is a table outlining how the stars behave during periods 8, 9, and 1. From 2004 to 2024, we were in Period 8; as of February 3, 2024, we are in Period 9, which lasts until February 3, 2044, after which Period 1 begins.

	Prosperous Qi	Growing Qi	Retreating Qi	Bad Qi	Dead Qi	Sha Qi	Supporting Qi
8	8	9, 1	7	6	2	5, 4, 3	1
9	9	1, 2	8	7	6	5, 4	1
1	1	2, 3	9	8	6	5, 7	8

Factors Influencing Star Attributes

The current 20-year cycle – A star manifests more of its positive qualities when it is in its dominant period.
Surrounding environmental elements, such as bodies of water and mountains (in urban areas, these correspond to roads and buildings).
The presence of Sha Qi (negative energy) sources, such as T-junctions, high-voltage poles, and other disruptive structures.
Interactions between positive and negative stars – This can amplify or neutralize a star’s influence.

Each star is associated with one of the Five Elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) based on the Later Heaven Ba Gua representation. The best way to enhance a star’s positive effects or mitigate its negative impact is to use Elemental Interaction Principles. For example:

To strengthen Star 3 (Wood), use Water (which nourishes Wood).
To weaken Star 3, introduce Fire (which controls Wood).

The 9 Stars and Their Attributes

1 - Greedy Wolf - Yang Water - White - North
2 - Huge Door - Yin Earth - Black - Southwest
3 - Reward Star - Yang Wood - Jade - East
4 - Academic Star - Yin Wood - Green - Southeast
5 - Chastity Star - Earth - Yellow - Center
6 - Military Arts - Yang Metal - White - Northwest
7 - Broken Soldier - Yin Metal - Red - West
8 - Left Assistant - Yang Earth - White - Northeast
9 - Right Assistant - Yin Fire - Purple - South

For quick access to all attributes, manifestations, and elements of the 9 Stars, visit the Wisdom Vault section on BaZi Advisor and click on "9 Stars".

This section was created for practical use, providing fast access to essential Feng Shui and Ba Zi information, including the attributes of Deities and Stars, Five Elements properties, Luo Shu and He Tu diagrams, the 64 Hexagrams, and much more.

For deeper knowledge, check out the BaZi Advisor—Ba Zi & Feng Shui Course or explore our Easy Guide resources, which are tailored to specific needs, such as maximizing horoscope insights, using Feng Shui for wealth, career, or health, and much more.

Qi Men Dun Jia: The Art of Strategic Timing and Space

Among the many Chinese metaphysical systems, Qi Men Dun Jia stands out as a method of strategic decision-making, combining time, space, and action. Historically used in military tactics, it is now widely applied in business, personal decisions, and forecasting.

Qi Men Dun Jia maps the flow of Qi in a three-dimensional energy chart, revealing the most favorable actions at any given moment. It helps align decisions with natural opportunities rather than predicting fate.

Whether making a business move, negotiating, or improving personal relationships, Qi Men Dun Jia is a powerful tool for precision and insight.

Mysterious Space (Xuan Kong) - Time-Space Feng Shui

Feng Shui is more than just arranging furniture or choosing lucky colors—it is the art of aligning with the natural flow of energy in time and space. Among its many schools, Xuan Kong Feng Shui, often translated as Time-Space Feng Shui, stands out for its dynamic approach.

Unlike traditional Feng Shui methods that focus solely on physical structures and directions, Time-Space Feng Shui recognizes that energy is constantly shifting. Just as the seasons change and the planets move, the Qi (氣) in our environment also evolves over time. This is the foundation of Xuan Kong Fei Xing, or Flying Stars Feng Shui, which analyzes energy cycles to reveal their influence on homes, businesses, and personal well-being.

By understanding time and space patterns, practitioners can anticipate energy shifts and make adjustments to enhance prosperity, health, and harmony. Whether selecting a new home, optimizing a workspace, or aligning with yearly energy trends, Time-Space Feng Shui provides a powerful tool for creating balance in a fast-changing world.

Understanding a Property Through Xuan Kong Feng Shui

When we first analyze a property using Xuan Kong Feng Shui, we can quickly determine what has happened in the recent past, what is currently unfolding, and even predict short-term trends, up to a year in advance.

The method starts with identifying the Energy Chart of the house, which is based on the year it was first inhabited. This year falls within a 20-year cycle, and the home's facing direction plays a crucial role in defining its energetic structure. This Energy Chart is similar to a person’s Destiny Chart, where the Four Pillars are calculated based on birth data.

The building is divided into eight sectors corresponding to the eight cardinal directions of the compass. Each sector is influenced by three Permanent Stars—the Base Star, the Mountain Star, and the Water Star—as well as three Temporary Stars: the Annual Star, Monthly Star, and Daily Star. As their names suggest, the Temporary Stars shift positions each year, month, or day. When they enter a specific sector, they interact with the Permanent Stars, either amplifying or diminishing their effects while generating unique influences.

Because the duration of interaction is crucial, we primarily focus on the Annual Star and Monthly Star, as the impact of the Daily Star is often negligible.

How to Check the Feng Shui of Your Home

To see which stars are present in your home, simply enter the year it was first inhabited and the facing direction on the Feng Shui page of the BaZi Advisor web app. You will instantly get results, along with a wealth of useful information—most of it for free!

To assist you further, we’ve created an easy guide:
👉 Quickly Calculate Your Home’s Feng Shui – a step-by-step walkthrough.
👉 If you're unfamiliar with using a compass, check out A Practical Guide to Using Compasses in Feng Shui.

How Two Flying Stars Interact

To analyze the effects of two interacting Flying Stars, we must consider three key aspects:

Elemental Interaction – Each star represents an element, and their interaction follows the Five Elements cycle (Productive, Controlling, and Consuming).

Manifested Attributes – The way each star behaves depends on external Qi from the surrounding environment (both interior and exterior). You can find detailed analyses for each sector on the Feng Shui page of BaZi Advisor, in the Flying Stars Analysis section.
Hexagram Interpretation – Each Flying Star (except for Star 5) corresponds to a trigram, and the combination of two stars generates one of the 64 hexagrams from the Yi Jing. This ancient divination system is at the very root of Feng Shui itself. The impact of these hexagrams is analyzed in the Feng Shui / Xuan Kong Predictions section of the Practitioner Guide on BaZi Advisor.

Understanding Temporary Energy Shifts

Sometimes, people perceive sudden life changes as mystical or religious phenomena, when in reality, they are temporary yet intense effects caused by the interaction of Qi energies in specific sectors of their home. These influences can affect the residents of that sector or even the entire household.

An experienced practitioner can foresee career changes, diagnose health issues, and even suggest remedies to prevent major misfortunes. They can also develop strategic plans to resolve existing problems.

When analyzing Flying Star interactions through the Yi Jing hexagrams, order matters. For instance:

The 2-9 combination generates Hexagram 36: "Intelligence Hidden."
The 9-2 combination produces Hexagram 35: "Progress."

So, which star do we place first? Since we are dealing with predictions and temporary influences, we prioritize combinations where a Permanent Star interacts with an Annual Star or Monthly Star.

For a combination to be considered beneficial, the Temporary Star must support the Base Star. This is determined using the Five Elements cycle. The specific Base Star used in the analysis depends on the objective:

Water Star – Career and wealth.
Mountain Star – Health, personal growth, comfort, and relationships.
Base Star – Overall luck and fortune.

However, the sector’s external or internal Sha Qi (negative energy) can completely alter the outcome—turning positive effects into negative ones and vice versa.

The Importance of the 20-Year Feng Shui Cycle

Another key factor is the 20-year Feng Shui cycle. We are currently in Period 9 (2024–2044), meaning the most favorable stars are 9, 1, and 2.

Star 9 and Star 1 are traditionally positive.
Star 2, usually considered negative (linked to illness), will gradually gain strength and exhibit positive attributes related to real estate and asset acquisitions, particularly after 2044.

Personal Qi and Its Influence

Each resident of a home has their own Qi, determined by their Kua Number. This personal energy interacts with the Permanent and Temporary Stars in each sector. It’s no surprise that not everyone in a household experiences the same luck at the same time!

Using Star Combinations for Predictions

Annual Star & Monthly Star combinations help make predictions for specific sectors over a defined period.
Monthly Star & Daily Star combinations can produce dramatic but very short-lived effects (lasting only a day), making them difficult to utilize practically.

All of these analyses, including Flying Star interactions and their corresponding hexagrams, are available on the Practitioner Guide page of BaZi Advisor, in the Feng Shui / Xuan Kong Predictions section.

Final Thoughts

When making conclusions, remember that Qi interactions are influenced by multiple factors, including:

The external and internal environment of the home.
The personal Qi of each resident.

By integrating all these insights, you can gain a comprehensive understanding of how Feng Shui energy affects your life—and how to optimize it for success, harmony, and well-being.