- Quickstart Feng Shui: Building Analysis for Beginners - Part 1

In this article, we'll delve into understanding the energetic blueprint of a building, whether it's a residence, office, restaurant, or any other space.

In Feng Shui, each person is associated with a temporal energy pattern determined by their year of birth. This pattern helps calculate the Kua number, as discussed in our previous article "Quickstart Feng Shui: Mastering the Basics in No Time!". The Kua number then determines a person's Trigram or Flying Star. There are 8 possible Trigrams, each associated with a number, an element, a color, and a direction among the 8 cardinal directions.

Do you know your Kua number and personal Trigram? If not, don't waste any more time - find out now, it's free on Ba Zi Advisor!

These 8 Trigrams represent the Qi movement's manifestations, originating from Yin and Yang's fundamental principles. The feminine Yin principle is symbolized by a broken line, while the masculine Yang principle is represented by a solid line. From these two fundamental forces, four derivatives or "children" emerged, and from these four, the eight trigrams were born.

Based on personal Trigrams, individuals are divided into two categories: Western and Eastern, each with 4 favorable (F1, F2, F3, F4) and 4 unfavorable (U1, U2, U3, U4) directions. We discussed these concepts in more detail in our previous article "Quickstart Feng Shui: Decoding Compatibility Through Kua Numbers".

While in Feng Shui, an individual corresponds to only one temporal energy pattern, when it comes to a building, we consider both a temporal and spatial energy blueprint. The spatial energy pattern of a house is determined by its magnetic orientation, while the temporal pattern is influenced by the construction period.

The Eight Palaces of a Building

In Feng Shui, a building's Kua number is determined by its facing direction, typically indicated by the main entrance or the direction it faces. However, it's important to note that the entrance doesn't necessarily have to align perfectly with the facing direction.

Traditionally in Chinese Feng Shui, the preferred orientation for a house was with the back facing a mountain and the front facing a body of water. The mountain acted as a passive protective barrier, ensuring security and promoting health and tranquility. Meanwhile, water symbolizes active Qi flow, bringing wealth and prosperity. In this context, the facing direction referred to the side of the house facing the body of water.

In modern urban settings or where natural bodies of water are absent, roads are considered to mimic the flow of Qi-like water. Therefore, the front of the house typically aligns with the busiest road, which becomes the primary flow of Qi.

Determine the Facing Direction

• Locate the Front of the Building: Stand at the building's front entrance or the area facing the main road, typically the busiest thoroughfare.
• Hold the Compass Level: Hold the compass level in your hand, making sure it remains flat and steady.
• Align the Compass: Hold the compass in front of you, ensuring the direction arrow points straight ahead.
• Read the Compass: Check the compass to determine the indicated direction. The direction toward which the compass needle points indicates the building's facing direction.

Once you've determined the facing direction, the next step is to identify the sitting direction, usually opposite to the facing direction. This sitting direction plays a crucial role in understanding the energy flow within the space and its alignment with Feng Shui principles. Utilizing the Kua number of a building helps identify its favorable and unfavorable sectors, enabling the optimization of energy flow within the space.

Determine the Building Kua Number

Look in the following table to find the Kua number and corresponding Trigram for the facing direction determined using the method described above.

The easiest way is to enter the facing direction in Ba Zi Advisor to obtain the analysis of the palaces of the house.

From Kua Numbers to Directions

The association of Kua numbers with cardinal directions is linked to the legend of Emperor Yu the Great, who supposedly discovered them engraved on the shell of a tortoise, known as the Lo Shu square. This arrangement is first mentioned in the Confucian Annals.

From the Lo Shu square, the Magic Square was derived, playing a key role in Chinese metaphysics and considered of divine origin due to its properties: the sum of numbers along any row, column, or diagonal equals 15.

Trigrams in the Magic Square illustrate the natural flow and transformation of Qi, allowing us to analyze its effects on individuals. Essentially, by placing Trigrams in the Bagua grid and associating them with elements, we can observe the cycle of transformation of the five elements. It is called also the Bagua After Birth.

Bagua Hou Tian (After Birth)

This diagram serves as an ideal reference for identifying the element associated with each direction (Palace). Essentially, whenever we mention the South Palace, we are referring to Fire as its associated element, while the North Palace is always associated with Water, and so on.

Once we determine the spatial energy pattern of the building, we can easily identify the favorable and unfavorable Palaces (sectors) from the tables presented above. As demonstrated in the article "Quickstart Feng Shui: Decoding Compatibility Through Kua Numbers", we can also analyze the compatibility of the building with its occupants. With Ba Zi Advisor, simply input the direction of the house facade as measured with a compass, and all this information is readily presented to you, already analyzed, and more.

Ideally, everyone should occupy or engage in activities in favorable sectors. However, since this isn't always possible, it's important to remember that personal directions are paramount. Even if you're in a negative sector, if your personal direction is good, it takes precedence. Additionally, adjustments can be made to sectors, as Feng Shui is the art of remedies. We'll delve further into this topic in the following sections.

The direction of entry into a home can be auspicious or not, depending on each occupant's personal directions. If there are multiple entrances, it's advisable for each person to use the one that suits them best.

The Flying Stars

It's time to focus on the temporal energy pattern of the building. This is determined based on the year of completion of its construction.

However, it's essential to first understand that in Chinese philosophy, time is cyclical rather than linear. The largest unit of time is the Great Cycle of 180 years, divided into 3 parts of 60 years (San Yuan), and each of these is further divided into 3 periods of 20 years.

Until February 3, 2024, we were in the period of 8, and now we are entering the period of 9. This, in turn, will be followed by periods of 1 and 2.

The period star is the leading star, the most active, and tends to manifest only positive characteristics. It is followed in activity by 1 (the future leader) and 2 (the apprentice), both of which also tend to manifest positive qualities.

On the opposite end is the star that has just been extinguished, depleted, and tends to manifest only negative qualities. The other extinguished stars have less energy and manifest both positive and negative qualities.

As mentioned, each 20-year period is associated with a leading star represented by a number from 1 to 9. Period 7 (1984 - 2003) was followed by period 8 (2004 - 2023), which in turn will be succeeded by period 9 (2024 - 2043), followed by period 1, then 2, and so on.

According to the principles of Yin and Yang, each star corresponds to both positive and negative traits. These are presented in the following table, and for ease of understanding the upcoming analyses, it would be beneficial to gradually memorize them over time.

In the previous chapter, we saw that each building is divided into 8 sectors according to the cardinal directions. In the following sections, we'll delve deeper into this concept. Each of the 8 main sectors, or fundamental trigrams, is further divided into 3, resulting in 24 directions, known as mountains. The compass used for analysis is called Luopan and has 24 mountains, each representing a sector of 15 degrees. For example, from the Qian trigram (NW), we derive NW1, NW2, NW3.

What are Flying Stars in Feng Shui?

Flying Stars in Feng Shui refer to a complex system of energy influences that affect the Qi (energy) within a building or space. These stars are represented by numbers from 1 to 9 and are associated with specific directions within the space. The Flying Stars system is based on the Lo Shu Square, a grid with nine squares containing numbers arranged in a specific pattern as described above.

Each square in the Lo Shu Square corresponds to a direction and is associated with a particular Flying Star. These stars are not fixed but moved as explained below, hence the term "Flying Stars." The movement of these stars is believed to influence the energy dynamics within the space and can have various effects on the occupants, ranging from health and wealth to relationships and overall well-being.

Practitioners of Feng Shui use the Flying Stars system to analyze the energy patterns within a building and make recommendations for adjustments or enhancements to optimize the flow of positive energy (Qi) and minimize negative influences. This may involve rearranging furniture, adding or removing objects, or using specific remedies to balance the energy in different areas of the space.

Stay tuned as we will explain these things in the following articles!

Placement of Flying Stars

First, we determine the 20-year period in which your house was built and accordingly, the corresponding number of the leading stars from that period. This number is placed at the center of the diagram, representing the leading star of the period when the house was built. Following the "flying" rule: NW, W, NE, S, N, SW, E, SE, the other stars are positioned in numerical order. For example, if the house was finalized in the period of 8, this number is placed in the Center, and then in order, 9 is placed at NW, 1 at W, 2 at NE, and so on until 7 is placed at SE. Again, don't worry, Ba Zi Advisor does all the work for you.

Next, we take the sitting star (also known as the mountain star, or the star of people, health, and relationships) found in the sector corresponding to the sitting direction of the building (opposite to the facing direction) and place it in the upper left central sector. Then, we take the facing star (also known as the water star, money star, or star of prosperity) found in the sector determined by the facing direction of the building and position it in the upper right central sector.

The other sectors are now filled in using the "flying" rule described above, but following the rules: flying in a direct or reverse direction depending on the odd or even number of the star and the division of the house's placement sector (1, 2, or 3). It may seem a bit complicated, but Ba Zi Advisor does all this work for you.

The central palace (which ultimately reduces to a single point) represents the innate essence of the house.

In practice, imagine overlaying this qi diagram created over the plan of your house.

Do this to understand the qi energies in the 8 sectors of your house.