Free Feng Shui Tips For 2008 Year Of The Rat

Just something to keep your entertained for now...my stuffs will come out ASAP...

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-02/07/content_6445045.htm

Feng Shui: Most prosperous year is 2009
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-02-07 10:04

The Year of the Mouse threatens to see a build-up of international tensions, natural and air disasters, and a more turbulent stock market, soothsayers and analysts say.

As the Year of the Pig ends, followers of Chinese feng shui will be scurrying to consult fortune-tellers, astrologers, feng shui geomancers to guide their year ahead.

Chinese fortunes are based on a belief that events are dictated by the different balances in the elements that make up the earth -- gold, wood, water, fire and earth.

Feng shui master Raymond Lo says this year will see the earth element sitting atop water, suggesting an outward solidity built on sliding foundations.

"The earth on top is Yang earth which symbolises a mountain, and mountain gives a sense of stability and firmness. But such floating earth in the ocean is weak in foundation and the stability appears to be fragile," Lo said.

"This elemental relationship will bring a year which apparently is more stable but there are a lot of underlying tensions and confrontations."

Lo added that the Chinese calendar follows a 60-year cycle, so 2008 will be similar historically to 1948, when Israel was established and the blockade of Berlin started, both events part of the build-up to long-standing conflict.

The lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon and associates each of the 12 years forming a partial cycle with an animal. Fortune-tellers base their predictions on the relationship between the zodiac animals and the characteristics of each.

The Mouse is the first of the 12 animal signs, so marks new beginnings, which Lo said will be reflected in changes of leadership in the United States and Russia.

It is followed by ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

The rodent is also seen as a "flower of romance" which means the year will stimulate romance, but also sex scandals.

More worryingly, it provokes a clash between water and fire which could mean heavy flooding or a tsunami, Lo added.

"The most famous water disasters in history, such as the south Asian tsunami in 2004 and the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, both incidents happened on a date with prominent appearance of the Mouse," Lo said.

He also said that the previous Year of the Mouse, 1996, witnessed more than 20 plane crashes including the Trans World Airlines Boeing aircraft which exploded over the Atlantic, killing 230 people.

Lee Sing-tong, a third-generation feng shui master, said China may suffer a water shortage in the next 12 months.

But after the property bubbles in the US and China's tightening monetary measures, Lee believes the US and China property markets will enter another chapter and will see stable development.

Although the subprime crisis has caused concerns in the global economy, unexpectedly the property market will stabilize in 2008.

He predicts a better economy for China after the 2008 Olympics. "2009 will be its most prosperous year in history," he added.

Kenny Lau, head of the small-cap sector at Credit Suisse, said the last three Mouse years had all seen very strong stock market growth in Hong Kong. It grew 232 percent in 1972, 30 percent in 1984 and 18 percent in 1996.

But he said high inflation -- he predicted 5.1 percent in Hong Kong and 6.5 percent in the Chinese mainland -- would provide a threat to economic growth and turbulent times were ahead.

His colleague Vincent Chan, head of China research, said the markets will not repeat the record returns of the past few years.

"It is likely that the volatility of the market in 2008 will be comparable to that of 2007, but the chance of significant absolute returns is rather remote," he said.

First thing you do is put more things that are of the "Fire" element according to the "5 Elements" principle to the East direction of your feng shui homes - both inside and outside.

Anything that emits visible or tangible energies are deemed as the representations of the "Fire" element, such as lights, sound, glass ( it reflects light ), crystals, candles, Hi Fi, TV, flashing objects, electronic devices, etc...

By having items like these at the East direction you'd start to notice that things are beginning to come along whole lot smoother within days.

Another Feng Shui job for you to do that can yield good result is to enhance those areas along the SE directions - inside and out - of the house with great amount of "Fire" element representations, such as those mentioned above.

Doing so will help ensure the prosperity aspect will be more deeply implanted into your Feng Shui home in 2008 the year of the Rat.

On the other hand, over there at the South direction you don't want to put anything that's too dynamic or emitting too much energy in terms of light, sound, and movement because this is the direction of the #5 Star of Yellow for 2008 the year of the Rat, and if there is anything that resembles incompleteness such as broken glass, smelly garbage, messy clusters of all sorts of odds and ends, a door of many smelly shoes laying around...etc, then it will definitely bring forth the so-called "bad luck" or "stickiness" in many ways.

Another area of concern is the NW direction, which is with the Star of Illness bestowed upon in 2008 the year of the Rat. Here you'd also like to follow the same guidelines as that of the #5 Star of Yellow above because it is not to be too dynamically ignited so as to avoid stirring up the energy of sickness.

If you happen to sleep in this direction, then you'd be advised to add a white vase to this NW direction so as to neutralize that negativity aspect of the Star of illness.

So watch out for this and...

Please stay tuned for more...

Bedroom is considered as one of the most important feng shui spots in the house. As we spend almost one-third of our time in the bedroom, we just have to make sure it is decorated with good feng shui design or we would end up suffering from many a bad feng shui symptom.

One of the symptoms of wrong location of the bed can be observed in those who are always accident prone. When one is subject to disturbing energy due to bad location of the bed on which one is staying static for at least 8 hours per night or more, one can be very nervous and ill-tempered during the day, to say the least. Not to mention a host of other problems that are related to this bad feng shui symptom. And this can be just the beginning of many problems, which include all kinds of dis-eases at the mental, emotional as well as physical level.

To locate the bed in the best feng shui manner, there are several main points to observe:

1. The bed has to be positioned in such a way that it has to have a solid backup to it. This is to say that it'd be vital to sleep with our heads close to the wall against which the head of our bed is leaned. The further away our head is from the solid wall, the less auspicious energy we're exposed to during our sleep.

2. It's not a good idea to have a ceiling fan right above the bed as, according to the 'Kua' in I-ching, it gives out intrinsic energy imprints for our 'middle section' to be empty, which is absolutely something a pregnant lady should refrain from no matter what. Even for those who are not concerned with pregnancy, such intrinsic energy imprint would throw the solar plexus' energy off balanced, which would create the 'un-groundedness' that is so evident in those who're always considered as having 'bad luck'. Hence the reason for 'bad luck' - when one's not 'grounded', one has nothing to show for, let alone 'luck'.

3. There is no place for mirrors in the bedroom, straight and simple. Besides being used for drawing in energy from its opposite direction, mirrors can bounce energies back and forth, thus creating much dynamic movement of 'chi' - the 'Yang energy'. When too much 'Yang energy' is present in the bedroom, the 'Yin state' is not facilitated. Therefore, it's a wrong idea to have mirrors in the bedroom where the 'Yin state' is to be preferred.

4. The height of the bed is also of much importance in terms of feng shui. One would not want to feel being suspended in mid air when sleeping.

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Much has been said about how some feng shui products are the must-have tools to enhance the 'chi' of the indoor and outdoor environment.

But is it correct? Is it appropriate that one has to purchase a certain tool to facilitate the free flow of 'chi' for the benefits of all?

If the question is presented to those who make a living by selling these tools to those who are desperately in need of help, the answer will definitely be a loud and clear 'yes.'

But the truth of the matter is: "It all depends."

For example, a lot of indoor water fountains have been sold recently to those who believe that by putting these indoor water fountains in a certain position, they will help bring forth prosperity.

As a professional feng shui practitioner for over 25 years, I can confirm that this belief is of much validity, and that when located correctly - that is, positioned to the right direction - these indoor water fountains can help facilitate the increase of income to a large extent. Sounds too amazing, doesn't it?

But it is true that when the 'water' element among the 'five elements' in the Chinese philosophy is well positioned, it will be able to stir up more 'water' chi which will result in bringing forth more prosperity. That's why all along Chinese history, water has been considered as the symbol of money.

Hence the fondness of these water fountains all through history by the architects who might have subconsciously tuned into the attractiveness of employing them to bring forth richness.

However, not all feng shui tools are created equal. There is more hype than truth when it comes to hanging a flute onto the side of the beam on the ceiling to ward off the downward pressure of the beam itself. This invalid belief has been made up by those who only want to sell more flutes to begin with! And it doesn't have anything to do with off-setting the so-called 'negative influences' from the beam itself either. Nevertheless, the flutes have been sold by the truckloads in these recent years.

The same is true of the belief that the diagonal corner from the entrance is considered the 'money corner' and thus it is never to be opened as a window, lest the good money 'chi' will run away. This is another typical abuse of creative thinking applied onto the feng shui philosophy. If this concept were valid, then all those nicely designed houses would end up leading their owners onto the road of poverty!

A little learning is dangerous - this is true in many facets of life.

It's always a good idea to locate the bedroom as much away from the front entrance as possible. On a subliminal level, this gives you the extra feeling of protection, constancy and security. Although it's believed that to have the bedroom right next to the main entrance is bad, most of the times it's not too practical to carry out such a theory due to physical restrictions of some kind- it's always a good idea to consult with Feng Shui Masters before actually making any decision.

To ensure you'd have a very comfortable setting paint your bedroom neutral colors such as terracotta, cream or peach, colors like light blue, green or lavender will create a tranquil vibe and invite healing energy.If getting more action or dynamic as far as your love life is concerned use more stimulating colors, though you still are suggested to use them only when necessary lest it'd be too much to handle; Stimulating colors as such are very Yang and thus keep you moving instead of resting.

Position your bed as far away from the door as possible and out of the direct line of the door. Avoid putting it under a window, which lacks the symbolic support and protection of a solid wall and can lead to fitful sleep as energy enters and exits through the window. Always have a headboard as part of the bed for stronger back support.Sleeping with the feet toward the door is one of the bad signs according to Chinese culture. Such positioning is termed a "Death Position" as if the body were of a deceased that is to be carried away feet first.Practitioners believe sleeping this way can drain your life force. If you can't avoid it, use a footboard or a substantial trunk or other piece of furniture at the foot of your bed. Always avoid creating clusters as they block the flow of energy. Make sure no pointed objects are protuding to any direction. Put some plants or simply just some soil around these "Poison Arrows" will very easily counter-balance the whole situation.

De-clutter! Clutter in your bedroom prevents the free-flowing of Chi. However, don't solve the problem by putting everything under the bed, this will block energy and lead to stagnation in life. Objects can have the memory of past events and therefore take those memorial items out of the bedroom especially those that remind you of some unhappy experiences. It's good to add some items that have good vibrations such as blessed objects, positively mind-programmed crystals, holy water, etc round this area.

Remove items such as TVs, exercise equipment and computers, they take up a lot of energy and can distract you from rest and romance. Further to this although having a few books placed on your nightstand can encourage your Zen, having shelves loaded with books all calling out to be read and thus distracting you from rest. If you must have these items in you room then it is best to use a screen to hide them whilst sleeping or keep your television set in a cupboard so that it can all be shut out.

For those who are single they will find that setting up the bedroom and its items in pair can enhance the chance of meeting the long-awaited lover. The bed is indeed a love shrine to those who're in relationship already. Therefore, it's equally as important to have significant items around the bed rather than those things that reflect or carry bad energies via unhappy experiences that took place in their presence.

A common Feng Shui trick is to place pictures, art or items around the room that represent what you would like to see in your own life- such as inner peace, love or success. A carefully chosen piece of art can have an impact on your own personal achievements.

Do not to place a mirror opposite, next to, or over the bed. This will bounce too much energy around the room to allow for good rest, and will magnify problems and worries - and it is thought that mirrors in the bedroom can invite a third party to interfere in your relationship. The only solution to this is move the mirrow far away from the bedroom and put it in a place where it's not easily seen.

Lighting, if too much, is reflecting too much Yang energy which makes one too nervous and sensitive. On the other hand, too little lighting makes one too Yin which is just too passive and withdrawn. Neither too much nor too little is desirable; therefore, it's best for the lighting to be just right.

The master or main bedroom is the most important bedroom of the entire house. Everything from the harmony of the house to the finances of the house can be influenced by the master bedroom.

There are four major factors you should consider about it. What shape is the bedroom? Where is the bed? What area of the house is it in? What is used for decoration? These all play a pivotal role in the flow of energy in the house.

The shape of the bedroom is very important in feng shui. A rectangular or square room is the best. If your bedroom is oddly shaped, you can use a room divider to help it maintain a more rectangular shape.

The bed shouldn't face a door or protruding edge of any kind. These are both symbols of negative energy and can be impossible to correct without moving the bed.

You should also avoid having any overhead beams above the bed or windows behind the headboard. Mirrors facing the bed also negatively affect the Chi of the area.

The ideal place for the master bedroom is in the Northwest of the house. This might not always be possible however and the next best choice is the Southwest. These two areas represent the Patriarch and Matriarch respectably.

Decorations are important but you don't want to overdo it. Depending on what your goals are, you can configure and energize the bedroom for romance, marriage, or relationships. You should avoid energizing the bedroom for luck in wealth.