Book 69 - Household Feng-Shui

Setting up a shrine inside a residential home is tantamount to "tapping into the higher forces of gods and spiritual beings," or the term yung-shen. Put another way, to employ yung-shen is to change a site's existing magnetic field.

Many oriental families traditionally install shrines in their homes to worship and make offerings to the spirits of gods or ancestors. It is true that when one's devotion is sincere, the spirits will respond. However, one must also observe the proper rules when designing the shrine. If the shrine is set up correctly, it will complement one's fortune; conversely, an improperly designed shrine and improper worshipping will bring misfortune. In this regard, caution is warranted.

In judging whether a home will prosper or decline, geomancers should evaluate the house for the presence or absence of the "essence of affection." Its presence leads to prosperity; its absence leads to failure. Proper analysis of the essence of affection, a very intricate, complex subject, demands deep study and training.

How does one determine if the essence of affection exists at one's shrine? The answer lies in the shrine's ability to bring in the "water spirit chi" which carries the essence of affection. "Water spirit" is a collective term that includes rivers, streams, lakes, ditches, oceans, or any other gathering of water vapor. On flatlands, the traveling course of the water spirit is not obvious. However, geomancers have the following definitions:

"Mountain" refers to any site at least an inch higher than its surroundings.
"Water" refers to any site at least an inch lower than its surroundings.

Even on relatively flat land, the water spirit can still follow a meandering course.

Listed below are examples of shrines and their relationship to the water spirit and the essence of affection:

1. Outside the bow water - This shrine faces water spirit that forms a curve. The shrine is located outside the curve and is unfavorable.

2. Water spirit from behind - The shrine does not face water spirit which, instead, approaches the shrine from behind. This is unfavorable.

3. Obliquely departing water - This shrine faces water spirit that flows away from the house obliquely. This is unfavorable.

4. Ordinary water - This shrine faces water spirit that flows by in front of the house in a straight course. This is neither good nor bad.

5. Inside the bow water - The shrine faces water spirit that forms a curve cradling the house. This is favorable.

6. Goldfish water - The shrine faces water spirit shaped like the belly of a goldfish. This is favorable.

7. Facing water spirit - The shrine faces water spirit that flows towards the shrine. From the shrine, one must raise one's head to see water flowing from high to low. This is favorable.

8. Side entry water - The shrine faces water spirit flowing in an angle towards the house. This is favorable.

9. Shower water - A tall mountain with a waterfall or stream behind the shrine gives rise to great disasters such as incest or rebellion against superiors.

10. Licentious sounding water - If the shrine faces a river with a blockage that creates turbulence and splashing sounds, this is also greatly disastrous and portends lascivious behaviors.

In brief, the direction the shrine faces may determine whether benevolence or destruction befalls one's home; the type of water spirit faced affect the generation of the essence of affection

To suppress the noxious or destructive chi associated with water, geomancers learned in the art of yung-shen typically employ the following three talismans:

1. On the first talisman, the following words are inscribed: the Buddha decrees the water to be purified and all noxious chi to be extinguished.

2. On the second talisman, the following words are inscribed: by Heaven's edict received by Master Chang, Master Yang orders the Water Virtue Star to guard this location.

3. And on the third talisman, the following words are inscribed: by Heaven's edict received by Master Chang, Master Yang orders the Sun Water Virtue Tsai-hsun Star to guard this location.

These three talismans were treasures transmitted secretly to me by my master Taoist Master Ch'ing Cheng.

There are many magic practices dealing with water. Among them is the Five Ghosts Method, used primarily to determine whether a residence is favorable or unfavorable. Another method uses the Nine Stars System. (The names of the nine stars are Purity and Truth, Military Pursuits, Destroyer of Armies, Left Supporter, Greedy Wolf, Great Gate, Prosperity, Scholar, and Right Guardian.) Another method employs the twenty-four mountain positions.

Here is a secret I will share with readers. If there are two different trees of similar size in front of the shrine, two crescent shaped watercourses in front of the shrine, or two crescent shaped watercourses behind the house, this portends that the man of the house will have two wives.

Generally geomancers have many taboos regarding the setting up of shrines. For example, shrines should not be installed under beams, under a staircase, beside passageways, at places concentrated with noxious chi, or in places with frequent foot traffic.

I, Living Buddha Lian-shen, feel that a shrine bringing in or receiving water spirit chi definitely "has the essence of affection." Some shrines receive the water spirit faster than others because water may be entering from the front, the side, and the back. This is why some people get rich quicker than others do. Wealth may be acquired through proper or legal channels, or through unexpected or ill-gotten money arrives slowly; in other cases, the situation is reversed. Only experts can tell whether the wealth will come rapidly or slowly and whether it will come by proper or unexpected channels.

Finally, to relocate a shrine, one must pay attention to these two key factors:

1. Select an auspicious date and hour for the relocation,

2. And invite a Taoist priest or Buddhist monk, nun, or master to perform the ceremony.

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