Many factors come into play when choosing the right location in which to live. Obviously, we need to find a site that has an abundance of ch‘i, and fits in well with our particular element. The yin and yang aspects have to be well balanced. Finally, we need to look for any potential shars. These can be natural as well as man-made.
Today, most people live in cities, rather than in the countryside. If you are searching for a home in a suburban area, become familiar with the shapes of the hills around you, and look for potential dragons and other shapes. While you are doing this, also look at any streams, rivers, harbours, or other waterways. Make sure that they are gently moving and are not stagnant.
Check the vegetation in the area. If it looks lush and healthy it means there is good drainage and sufficient water and sunlight. This is a sign of good ch‘i.
Ensure that your property gets sufficient sunlight. In China people like to have their houses facing south to allow as much sun as possible to warm the house.
Look also at the roads. Are they straight or gently curving? Avoid locations where the roads create shars. Also avoid situations that are windswept as strong winds carry away beneficial ch‘i.
If your piece of land slopes, the back of your house should be higher than the front. This allows the ch‘i to flow gently down towards the front of the house. Naturally, if the slope is too steep, the ch‘i will disappear down the hill.
Avoid hilltops, unless a nearby higher range of hills provides shelter and protection. If this is the case, ensure that your front door does not face the larger hills. In fact, if possible, have your front door on the opposite side of the house, as it is always better to have the higher hills behind you.
The shape of your plot of land is also extremely important. The ideal site from a feng shui point of view is either square or rectangular. Triangular and L-shaped sites are much more difficult to deal with, but feng shui remedies are available.
The house should be sited on the property so that the front and back yards are similar in size. This creates balance and harmony, essential requirements for good ch‘i. Bad luck can come if either the back or front garden is extremely large compared to the other.
If you have bought the land and are about to build, you can ensure that all the feng shui aspects are taken care of before you start. This is easy if the section is square or oblong in shape. If the shape is unusual, it can be made to look more regular by the use of outside lights on top of poles. This is a common remedy in Taiwan. Ponds and waterfalls add to the ch‘i, as do musical wind chimes. Imaginative use of boulders and rock gardens can simulate dragons, increasing feng shui and making life more pleasant for the occupants. Good landscaping of the gardens can do a great deal to improve the feng shui of a property. This can also hide negative influences, such as power or telephone poles.
The entrance to the house is also important. The driveway should be curved or meandering. A straight driveway heading directly to the front door is very bad as it creates a shar of negative ch‘i. Driveways should also not be narrower at the street end as this has the effect of limiting money. If you have a driveway like this, a light on each side of the driveway will eliminate most of the negative effects. Driveways should not be too narrow or wide compared to the house, but should balance and harmonize the home. Driveways should not slope downwards away from the house as money and good luck will flow away. If you have a driveway like this, ensure that your front door faces away from it. This removes the effect of this shar.
Gardens and shrubs planted alongside the driveway are very beneficial and serve to bring ch‘i energy into the house.
Walls and fences can do much more than merely delineate the boundaries of a property. They can be used to hide or block shars. If you have a stagnant stream next to your property, a wall will conceal it from your view and eliminate the harmful negative ch‘i. Brick walls need plants and shrubs near them to provide the right balance of yin and yang.
Fences should be chosen with care. Wrought iron fences with spikes or arrows should be avoided. If any of these point towards the house they become negative shars, sending daggers towards you. Downward-pointing arrows indicate downward movement, which eliminates forward progress and could lead to disaster.
