Book 69 - Household Feng-Shui

In Yunling, Taiwan, I once conducted a feng-shui reading for a family living in a western-style building.

Within one year after the owner had moved into this building, three members of his family passed away. One was an elderly individual, but the other two were young people who should not have met such early deaths.

Upon arriving at their home, I first proceeded to the shrine room to pay my respects. I then took a seat in the living room and turned to the owner and asked, "Is there an old well on these grounds?"

"Why yes," the owner replied greatly surprised. "Mr. Lu, you are indeed psychic. We inherited this land from our ancestors, and there indeed was a well. But we had it filled during a previous construction project."

I then told the owner, "Inside the well is the spirit of someone who died there. When you filled the well, you did not perform a Bardo Deliverance service for the soul, and it is now buried inside causing you problems."

"Oh!" the owner was speechless. After a while, he remarked, "I do remember my father telling me a story of a wrongly accused concubine who had jumped into the well. This supposedly occurred during my great grandfather's generation. But Mr. Lu, how did you know about the well?"

"The deity at your shrine told me," I laughed.

"Can you tell me then the actual location of the well?" the owner asked testing me.

"Of course." I stood up and walked over to one of the bathrooms. Pointing inside, I told the owner that the well was underneath the bathroom.

The owner replied, "You have my admiration. You are indeed the best feng-shui master in the world."

Several of my feng-shui students had accompanied me on that trip and are well aware of the details of this "old well incident." To solve the problem, I used the following two spiritual remedies:

1. A ritual was performed to deliver the begrudged soul from the filled well.

2. At the site of the old well, I unearthed a bit of soil and buried a green bamboo inscribed with a talisman for purifying and suppressing noxious chi.

The family living in the building then peacefully resumed their lives.

Old wells play important roles in the feng-shui of residential homes and should not be neglected. In the past, wells, essential to people's livelihood, served as important sources of water and were regarded as key aspects to consider in geomancy surveys. The excavation and closure of wells can significantly affect household feng-shui. Many living creatures, as well as possible spirits, also inhabit old wells.

Old wells can be found not only in Taiwan, but also in modern countries such as the United States. In America, houses built beside lakes or in remote areas far from commercial water suppliers often have wells to draw underground water.

When closing or filling a well, one should obtain a piece of green bamboo, peel off its skin, and inscribe upon it the Earth God Mantra. Select a "Man" date from the lunar calendar to toss the green bamboo into the well. Then one may fill the well with earth. It is better yet if one performs a Bardo Deliverance ceremony prior to the Earth God ritual. This spiritual remedy I learned from my teacher, Taoist Master Ch'ing Chen.

In the United States, to close a well, one can invite a Catholic priest to pray for peace and sprinkle holy water around the mouth of the well before sealing it. The closing of a well is a significant matter that must not be slighted.

Another structure related to underground water is the "water tower." A water tower is often located at the highest point of a building. Being large in size, such a tower naturally protrudes affecting the feng-shui of the entire building. A protruding water tower is difficult to conceal and often creates imbalance or asymmetry in a building.

To avert the water tower's negative influence on feng-shui, I suggest one work on altering the design of the tower. If a water tower is built on the eastern side of a building, then another structure similar in size and shape should be erected on the western side to balance the original protrusion. This structure can be put to many uses and will, at the same time, remove the destructive power of the water tower.

I once inspected a factory where the owners had built a very tall water tower on the tiger side (the north end, in this case) of the factory. After its construction, numerous factory trucks encountered accidents, and the factory suffered great losses. The partners who owned the company began engaging in a power struggle, the morale of staff plummeted, and people loafted during their jobs.

As a solution, I recommended the erection of a second tall water tower, similar in height to the existing one, on the dragon side, the south end of the factory. Strangely, with the completion of the second water tower that restored the building's symmetry, the freight trucks no longer encountered accidents, the efficiency of staff members improved, and the partners began cooperating and working as a team.

Preferably, water towers should be balanced by similar structures and concealed. In this way, the negative forces of water towers can be controlled.

In household feng-shui, geomancers often neglect old wells and water towers. However, their influences are significant, and their locations must be specifically determined.

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