WHAT TO DO WITH USED LOVE AMULETS?
Q
Hello, I received a lot of Feng Shui gifts from my ex-boyfriend, while we were still together and in love, which were meant to help us be together and overcome difficulties in a relationship. Eventually we broke up and I am now happily married to another man. My question is — what to do with my ex-boyfriend’s gifts? It includes feng shui gold jewellery and other love auspicious amulets, very expensive ones. I am somewhat afraid to bring them to the new house where I live with my husband, in case it may harm our relationship. They just lay covering dust in my previous room. Can I sell them, or will I lose some of my love luck? As they were my active amulets for long time. Thank you!
A
Those love amulets were from another time of your life. Since they were bought for you from your ex-love, it is probably best to leave them in storage, or you can sell them. Since you are happily married to another man now, you have moved on, so there is no point in rekindling feelings from the past, which can only cause problems. Don’t be attached. Those symbols of love worked for you with your ex-love, but the energies they contain include energies involving that man. So your instincts are correct, just sell them or give them away.
VISITING NEWBORN
QCan we visit newborns or should wait until after first month celebration? My mother told me to avoid visiting.
A
I couldn’t imagine why there would be anything wrong in visiting a newborn. I have not heard of that myth. I have visited many newborns of close friends, and it has never brought anything but joy and even good luck. Perhaps in the old days when disease was more rampant, with a lack of good healthcare and medicines, avoiding visiting a newborn was out of courtesy to the new parents. But it is customary to throw a “Full Moon” party to welcome the baby and to introduce the baby to the world after the passing of the first month, as the first month is considered the most “dangerous” for the baby; so if the baby survives beyond the first month, it is something worthy of celebration. Funerals are a different matter – and some people prefer not to attend wakes unless it is of a close friend or relative.
BASEMENTS
QIn our new house, my husband wants to build a basement, but I don’t want to. Can you tell me if it is good or bad to have a basement in the house?
A
It depends on what kind of basement you plan to build. The danger with basements is that if they are left unused, they can be sources of very yin energy in the home. If you are building a basement, it is good to ensure that it is well lit, kept clean and free of clutter. Basements are OK as entertainment areas but not as bedrooms and sleeping areas. And it is better if your basement has windows, rather than be surrounding completely by earth. So if the contour of the land is conducive to having a basement that adheres to the above factors, it should be OK for you to have a basement.
HOUSE NUMBER
QMy daughter wants to buy a house, but the house number is 14. She likes the house so she does not care about the number. Do you think it is good feng shui?
A
Actually the number 14 is not a bad number when analyzed using feng shui. The combination of 1 and 4 actually means success in academia and studies, blossoming romance and marriage opportunities for young people. It is also a number combination that means growth. If she likes the house and feels good about it, I wouldn’t let the number stop her from purchasing the house. When it comes to feng shui, it is the actual feng shui that is more important, like ensuring there are no massive poison arrows (that are difficult to correct), facing direction is auspicious, and the flying star lay-out is such that it is easy to work with.
PILLAR PROBLEM
QThe side of my office desk is just next to a pillar. What do I need to do to lessen the shar chi, as I understand all pillars are considered feng shui taboos. My seating arrangement however is not being hit by the pillar; it is just that the side of the table is very close to the pillar.
A
Firstly, not all pillars emit shar chi. Generally, the worst kind of pillars are the really huge ones with ominous looking edges, and even then, it only really harms you if you are sitting directly facing one of the edges. If pillars are round, or if they are wrapped with mirrors, they do not pose a shar chi threat. In fact, in some circumstances, pillars can act as support – e.g. it is better for the desk to be anchored by a pillar if you sit in a very large room, than to appear “floating” in the middle of the room. From what you say, it doesn’t sound like you are being harmed by the pillar. To make you feel better however, you may want to soften the effect of the pillar by placing a plant with leafy foliage against any sharp edge of the pillar that you can see from your desk.
WHEN DOES TIGER YEAR START?
QIf I purchase a house in early January 2010, does it still fall under the Tiger Year? Understand that the Tiger Year will start from 4th February 2010…
A
Actually the Tiger Year begins on 14th Feb 2010 – Valentine’s Day! 4th Feb is the Lap Chun day and that follows the solar calendar, not the lunar calendar. But if you bought your house in January, it is still considered the Ox Year.
WEARING WEDDING GOWN TWICE
QMy son is getting married this year. He will be having a church wedding on 17th July 2010. The bride will be wearing her wedding gown and veil. Then on 12th Dec 2010 they will hold a Chinese traditional wedding and will be wearing the gown and veils again. Is it alright or auspicious to wear twice? Please I need your advice. Thank you very much.
AThere is no problem wearing the wedding outfits twice, but there IS a tradition that you shouldn’t wear the white veil twice, because once the groom uncovers the face of the bride, she becomes his wife, so to re-cover her face with the veil is considered unlucky. What you can do is advise your daughter-in-law to be to wear the veil only at the first wedding (the church wedding) but at the second one, only to wear the dress.
PET DONGS FOR DRAGONS
QI was wondering if we could have a pet dog? We have always wanted one BUT my father and brother are Dragons and would it cause a conflict? Would it actually affect them?
A
It is totally fine for Dragons to own dogs and to fraternize with dogs. Whether real dogs or other people born under the animal sign of the Dog, the Dragon is in control, so it would not affect your father and brother adversely at all. Chinese astrology does not work like this. So the good news for you is that it is totally fine for you to keep a pet dog. Hope you find yourself a nice one – they truly are man’s best friend!
BELIEVER OF FENG SHUI
QI placed a tiger, dragon and rabbit fountain in my bedroom in the Southeast direction. Is that good? As no one in my house believes in feng shui?
A
It is better not to place a water fountain in the bedroom. Water features in the bedroom can cause you to lose money, either in the stock market, through someone cheating you or even to get mugged. It is safer actually not to place too many feng shui enhancers in the bedroom, with the exception of love enhancers (which are fine in the bedroom). Your water feature is better off in the SE sector of the living room or main public area of your home. As for other members of your family not believing in feng shui, that is OK. You don’t need to “believe” in feng shui for it to work. But maybe after they see it working, they will be converted in their view of feng shui!
BROKEN AND USED CURES
QI bought a pair of Mandarin Ducks sitting on a lotus leaf for about 2 years ago and placed them in my bedroom. I was advised to tied a red string around the necks of the mandarin duck to enhance my love relationship with my overseas girlfriend. When I was cleaning the ducks one day, the lotus leaf detached from them. I tried to use glue to glue the lotus leaf back, but as time goes by, it has become loose and the mandarin ducks are unable to sit properly on the lotus leaf. What should I do? Throw away the damaged mandarin ducks and get a new pair? What about the red string, can I just cut it?
A
Don’t get over-sentimental about your feng shui cures. Your mandarin ducks are a symbol, which when placed correctly manifests into a certain kind of luck. But if it breaks or gets damaged, simply replace it with a new one. If you feel bad to throw it away, you can bury it. But it does not mean anything. Just get a new one, which will work better to enhance luck with your girlfriend. As for the red string, whether you cut it or not does not matter. You can leave it on. Your mandarin ducks don’t need a red string around them to work. For you new pair, it is not necessary to do this. Good luck!
TWO PANEL MAIN DOOR
QWe have a two-panel main door; half of which faces Southwest while the other half faces West. But in the original land title, our lot is facing Southwest. We are now in a quandary of what our house facing direction actually is. Enlighten us, please. Thank you and more power.
A
For purposes of Flying Star feng shui, you should take the facing direction of the building, not just the door, so looking at the main walls of your home, take the facing direction of that to calculate the Flying Star natal chart of your home. As for your two panel main door, that is unusual but OK. However, make sure your main door looks like a proper main door – solid and sturdy – as this is the kind of main door that is most lucky.
