Is there a Dragon?

Mountains are often described as dragons in feng shui and it is not surprising to see how an undulating highland resembles a mythical Chinese dragon, with many feng shui practitioners looking for the ‘dragon’ when they evaluate properties. Ideally, the mountains should branch out to form embracing arms which have different lengths, appearing like a thumb and forefinger encircling a flat piece of land from outer space.

Embracing arms have the tendency to act as parabolic dish that pools energy in the middle and shield the area from strong winds that dissipate this energy pool. Dragon energy flows non-stop until it hits a medium of different rigidity, like water. Thus, in selecting a favourable location, there must be a body of water present, be it a river or sea. The location and shape of the waterfront has the ability to deflect, reflect, disperse or gather this energy.

A meandering river that curves inwards as if embracing the land is considered good and it bears a resemblance to a dragon. Hence, a C-shaped curve is sometimes referred to as a dragon looking back longingly, as it moves towards the sea. In any case, such a landform also suggests a plain and lowlands, for rivers do not meander in the highlands.

Will number ‘8’ bring me wealth?

Many are obsessed with the number ‘8’ but will avoid the number ‘4’ at all costs but is there logic behind this? We must understand that numbers are used to signify value and is used in calculations. The number ‘8’ in some Chinese dialects sounds like prosperity and to those who are more superstitious, it has come to denote a ‘prosperous’ life, by the same token, the number ‘4’ sounds like death in certain Chinese dialects, leading the superstitious to believe that number 4 denotes bad luck and should be avoided at all costs.

However, looking around, we discover that those living in houses with more than one number 4 or drive cars that have more than one number 4 still live good lives. Hence, numbers are for nothing more than counting purposes. In fact, lately there is an anti-number ‘2’ movement which in Mandarin sounds like hungry, however if the numbers 2 and 4 are not good, what shall we replace them with?

Should I ask the feng shui master for measurement of items like main entrance, table height and others?

In feng shui, the emphasis is on the positioning of the main entrance, master bedroom and kitchen(门主灶). The main entrance is calibrated according to the gua number of the master of the house, and the reference point of the master bedroom and kitchen is the gua number of the lady of the house. After this, the placement of the furnishings come into the picture and these can be as detailed as the measurement of the items. However, do we have to follow this?

Take for example, the main entrance, if the measurement is given to the contractor and the contractor gets the job done by telling the foreign workers about the measurement given, which they then complete without the considering when the cement is wet or dry. The difference of the measurement may be as much as 1 inch, which is quite significant. Then, when it comes to putting up the wooden door; again it is done by foreign labour, it could cause a 2-inch difference which doesn’t serve the original purpose anymore.

There are many more cultural beliefs linked to feng shui which has led to some feng shui practitioners selling display ornaments such as peacock feathers, wind chimes, ‘pi-xiu’ (dragon-like figurines) and others. However, as educated people, we need to analyse the situation intelligently with those engaging feng shui masters to calibrate properties having the right to ask for the reason behind it. While feng shui, if practiced accurately, can improve your life it certainly cannot change your life. In a nutshell, we may believe in feng shui but our life is not dictated by it.