Geomancy, or feng shui, is not new in Singapore.
You must’ve heard about people buying property that faces a certain direction, and otherws who spend thousands of dollars on fancy crystals in the name of good luck.
Want in on the "huat", but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry – we’ve got your back.
Cultivating good feng shui in your house can be a little daunting for beginners, so here are some easy tips to follow if you want to improve the fengshui energy in your new home.
What is Feng Shui All About?
Feng shui is about bringing positive energy, or ‘qi’, into your house. Living in a house with good feng shui means that you are primed to receive good luck, which may include wealth and health. Your relationships may also be more smooth-sailing.
2022: Optimising Feng Shui for the Year of the Tiger
2022 is the year of the Water Tiger, and the Chinese zodiac sign of the Tiger is associated with the Wood element. Backed by the 5-element theory, water feeds wood; this is a generation cycle where one element generates the next.
Professionally, the water element corresponds to professions that deal with person-to-person contact, such as sales. The wood element corresponds to learning, growth, and development. In general, the year of the water tiger is an excellent year to upskill and invest significantly on your network. Capitalize on the roaring good energies to move away from the negativity from 2021 as you usher in the abundance that 2022 has to offer.
At home, it is a great year to consider trying for a baby. Individuals born in the year of the Tiger are spontaneous, courageous and fearless. Naturally full of valour and vigour, they are natural-born leaders.
2022 Flying Stars
Cosmic energies change; and the Flying Stars analysis in Feng Shui determine the positive and negative energies in a physical space. On an annual basis, the movement of the stars dictate where the lucky spots are so that you can "summon" more prosperity.
To do this, you’ll need to identify the negative areas and take caution of them.
Positive areas for 2022:
Southeast: Fame, Academic and Career
South: Love and Harmony
Northwest: Career & Wealth Opportunities
North: Benefactor’s Luck
Northeast: Wealth & Fortune
Negative areas for 2022:
East: Discords & Arguments
Centre: Disaster Star
West: Troubles & Gossips
Southwest: Illness & Injuries
The auspicious areas in your home should also be freed of clutter. Consider placing a water fountain at the positive points to "activate" the abundance of good fortune. Other popular wealth amulets include the Wealth Pot and ornaments featuring the mythical creature Pi Xiu.
For negative or inauspicious areas, always keep the area sparkling clean, neat and dry. You want to prevent unexpected accidents from happening in those spots.
New Condo and BTO Feng Shui: Do’s and Don’ts
If you are buying a brand new home, you might want to consider feng shui when selecting your future home unit.
Avoid imbalances in the terrain. Houses that are on a higher terrain are preferred. Occupants staying in houses of a lower terrain might feel easily stressed and oppressed at work and in life.
Houses that are closer to places of worship (such as temples) are generally avoided. The surrounding energy is believed to be more ‘yin’ (passive).
Ensure that drains are not parallel to your main door. A drain would negatively affect the smell and disrupt the good flow of ‘qi’ entering your home.
A square and rectangular floor plan layout is the best. Avoid houses with too many missing corners.
Traffic flow is the modern-day water flow. It should work to your favour. Ensure that no sharp curves are leading to your house. The movement of the cars will drive destructive and dangerous ‘qi’ into your home, hence it should be avoided.
Ideally, the toilet or kitchen should not be positioned in the centre of your house, as it will adversely affect wealth accumulation and fertility.
Avoid a main entrance that is directly facing your neighbour, as this promotes an interchange of energy between the two units – not everything should be shared!
Unfortunately for many of us, the facing and layout of our houses, or the landmarks in the area are beyond our control. Thankfully, you can counter that by boosting the feng shui energy within your house.
We’ve compiled a list of fengshui best practices to help you achieve optimal balance in your house.
Feng Shui in Your House: How and What to Arrange?
Inviting good feng shui in your home is not just about having a fountain. There are specific, yet simple actions and precautions you can take to maintain optimal ‘qi’ and prevent bad energy from affecting you and your family.
Here’s a room-by-room guide to optimise your feng shui:
Feng Shui at the Main Door/Foyer
A tall structure should not be within sight of the main door. The main door is the doorway through which the ‘qi’, which means energy, enters your house. The ‘qi’ should be able to flow into your house easily to cultivate a good feng shui at home. Having something tall just outside the main door, such as a tree or lamp post, can disrupt the energy flow.
Refrain from having shadows cast over the house. If you have draping plants over the main door, you should get rid of them as well. It is said that this can help cause disruptions in mental health.
Avoid having a staircase that leads directly to the main door. When a staircase is facing the front door directly, the feng shui energy rushes upwards and leaves the whole main floor without good ‘qi’ nourishment. Owners with homes like this can install a partition or a false wall to redirect the ‘qi’.
If your main door is directly facing your neighbour’s door, place two Tiger’s Tail Plants (also known as Snake Plant) to counter the clashing energies. With pointed sharp leaves, this plant is known to help deflect negative energies.
Feng Shui in the Living Room
The Love and Harmony direction in 2022 is in the South. Do not decorate that corner with artificial plants and flowers. Artificial plants in that corner could attract unwanted love temptations and may trigger quarrels or marital problems. Potted plants at positive locations are generally desirable. If unsure, check with a geomancer.
The living room should ideally be directly accessible from the main door. People should not pass by the kitchen and bedrooms before entering your living room as this can lead to a loss of privacy. In addition, the inauspicious layout may disrupt your career.
Feng Shui in the Bedrooms
Place nightstands on either side of the bed for good feng shui in your bedroom
Feng Shui in the Master Bedroom
Have a bedside table on both sides of the bed for good feng shui. Not only will you and your partner have your own space and storage, but this also helps in creating balance and good fengshui in the bedroom. The nightstands also serve to create harmony in your relationship and cushion potential disruptions.
Position your headboard against a solid wall. This invites a stable feng shui into the bedroom, allowing you to have a good night’s sleep.
No mirrors facing the bed. This is a fengshui no-no that can diminish your ‘qi’ while you sleep. It will also spook you easily. Instead, you can place them on the inside of your wardrobe door.
When lying on the bed, feet should not face the window. This will prevent you and your partner from replenishing your ‘qi’ while sleeping. If this is unavoidable, place a screen or partition between your bed and the window.
Avoid placing electronic devices on your bedside table because they can interfere with the flow of ‘qi’ in your bedroom.
Feng Shui in the Bedrooms (for Children)
Study tables should ideally be rectangular. Alternatively, your children can have square or round study tables. Avoid having tables of irregular shapes. The best direction for 2022 to place the study table is the Southeast direction.
Do not place mirrors opposite the bed or door. Doing so can attract unnecessary troubles or gossip towards your children. Mirrors at the entrance can also invite undesirable people into your children’s lives and disrupt their future.
A small fan keeps ‘qi’ moving. An air purifier can refresh stale air. Open the windows regularly to bring in a good flow of energies.
Feng Shui in the Kitchen
Avoid having the kitchen door facing the main door. This helps to prevent clashes in feng shui, and a potential loss of wealth. You will also be less likely to experience health and relationship problems.
Avoid having stove and refrigerator in direct line-of-sight when opening the main door. Otherwise, this might lead to an erosion of wealth or difficulty in accumulating wealth as outsiders ‘steal’ your bounty.
Position the stove towards an auspicious direction. This allows positive energy to flow into your house, and bring wealth and prosperity to the family. You may consider renovating your kitchen if your stove is facing the toilet. Toilets are considered inauspicious, so you should shift your stove away from the toilet. Toilets are generally considered a place of filth and germs, so you should shift your stove away from the toilet.
The kitchen is a space that nourishes your body. The sink, washing machine and fridge should not be facing the stove. The kitchen stove belongs to the fire element. Whereas the sink, wishing machine and fridge belong to the water element. When they are facing each other, it produces a fire and water conflict and is detrimental to family harmony.
Feng Shui in the Bathrooms
Close the bathroom door and toilet seat cover after use. Water symbolizes wealth, and bathrooms are where the water flows out of your house. Closing the door and seat cover helps to trap wealth and prevent it from being flushed away.
Any positioning where the bathroom door is in line with your bed is bad feng shui. It negatively impacts and influence your health.
So, What About Feng Shui Fountains?
As mentioned earlier, water signifies wealth. But it’s not necessary to place a fountain in your home to reap the benefits, if you’ve already followed the steps to optimise ‘qi’ in your rooms.
But, if you insist, it is recommended that you place the feng shui fountain in the living room of your residence. You can either place it in the Wealth (Northeast) or Career positions (Northwest). Ensure that the water flow is consistent and moving to allow wealth and prosperity to enter your life. Water fountains that are faulty should be removed immediately.
Following these fengshui best practices could attract and enhance positive vibes, but geomancers agree that buying the right home is still the most important, which is why we’re increasingly seeing feng shui masters tagging along with buyers and agents when viewing property!
More FAQ Related to Feng Shui
What is Feng Shui?
‘Feng’ literally translates from Chinese to wind, and ‘shui’ is water. It strives to balance the yin-yang energies using the 5-element principles. It is the practice of arranging objects and using the right colours to create positive energy, harmony and balance. Fengshui works on the assumption that the world is driven by unseen forces.
What are the Rules of Feng Shui?
There are no hard and fast rules to feng shui, as different fengshui masters are likely to prioritise different things. That said, there are some consistencies in their advice, for example, to place your bed’s headboard against a solid wall for stability.
What are the Benefits of Feng Shui?
Feng shui helps you find harmony in life. The art of placement of objects can influence the flow of ‘qi’ and attract positive energy into your environment. When the energy flow is optimized, you are inviting positivity, good health and happiness (amongst other good energies) into your home.
Is Feng Shui Really Effective?
Feng shui is not science, and environmental psychologists have concluded that there is no evidence measuring the effects that feng shui can have on a person. That said, one cannot deny that having certain objects placed in a certain way, or opening up your home and decluttering the space can affect one’s mental being. There is no harm in dabbling in a bit of fengshui for more positivity in your life!