Feng Shui: How external environment influences home?

If you are in the market for buying a new home or you are desirous of upgrading your current home to more luxury real estate, you know you have an important job at hand in the form of a house hunt. The hunt for a new home is an overwhelming task, which can often cause a lot of stress as you try to accommodate various considerations.

However, Feng Shui master Jill Lander of Golden Elements avers that you can avoid much stress if you allow the principles of Feng Shui to guide your house hunt.  Jill adds if you have a Feng Shui-compatible home, it translates as the generation of good energy and ensures that you will always find buyers for the property later on if need be. We recently asked Jill about external Feng Shui factors to keep in mind while hunting for a home.

We have often heard that we should not choose a home that overlooks a cemetery or is close to a hospital. Could you explain why such a choice is not ideal?

[Jill Lander] Many people are afraid of living near or next to a hospital or cemetery. These sites are considered to be influenced by an excessive yin (passive) energy that is thought to be not so conducive for any residential property. The reason for this belief is the potential imbalance of yin and yang, which may have an impact particularly on the energy of the young, sensitive members of the household.

I have visited many homes located close to hospitals and graveyards where I have come across problems relating to children’s sleep disorders. I can, with some gentle Feng Shui applications, eliminate and re-balance many such issues.

Buyers are often told to steer clear of homes that face an expressway or the main road. What is the Feng Shui logic behind this?

[Jill Lander] Any property located too close to any fast-moving traffic (expressway) can have an impact on the health or wealth of the residents, as fast-moving energy can deplete human energy.

Many people love to live near the sea or overlooking some water bodies. Is a water-facing location of a home considered good or bad according to Feng Shui?

[Jill Lander] Water is one of the two most important features in an external environment analysis. To be facing the water is considered good Feng Shui as it accumulates wealth especially for properties that face east, southeast, north, and southwest and which were built after 1964.

Water on the left of any property is called the green dragon formation and considered desirable for wealth and prosperity. Water directly to the right of any property is referred to as the white tiger formation and contrary to what you may have read before does NOT always indicate the male of the home to have a wandering eye! Water on the right-hand side of any property can bring about significant benefits in terms of authority, status, and positive recognition for the occupants.

Hong Kong has a hilly terrain. More often than not homes do look out onto the hillsides. Is a view of a hill or mountain compatible with Feng Shui?

[Jill Lander] The Mountain is the other main important feature in external environmental analysis. The front of any property is considered yang while the rear yin. When properties face a mountain, this is regarded as an unfavorable formation especially if the mountain is large and or it is too near. Generally, if the mountain is within a radius of 30 feet of your property, it can indicate difficulties in gaining recognition and success thus unable to receive the benefits of the energy of the mountain. However, if the mountain is at a relative distance, it can be considered quite a desirable formation as it affords the occupants stability and harmony. There may also be less of a turnover of tenants making landlords euphoric. All these factors are much better for the overall energy of any property for there are fewer disturbances.

In the study of landform Feng Shui mountains to the left of any property, help protect against the effects of loss through theft creating a “dragon formation” and usually governs the male prosperity of the home. If you can see a dragon mountain from your property do check that it is not too near. Otherwise instead of creating protective energy, it can have suppressing energy.

Mountains to the right are considered to create the “White Tiger” formation and if they are the same height as the green dragon mountain then this is fine, denoting a balance of yin-yang energy embracing the property.

While looking for an apartment, Jill, can you explain the Feng Shui appeal of a higher floor?

[Jill Lander] When selecting a floor, we assess the external environment. It is always considered better Feng Shui to live on or above the 9th floor.  In urban Feng Shui, the loss of energy is an important consideration.  Energy can dissipate due to an excess of energy being drawn from any property by the roadways, especially a flyover for example. Also, light is a huge consideration, and usually lower floors receive less light in comparison to higher floors.

However, it is common knowledge that lower floor units do cost less. So if the upper floors are out of your budget and yet you are drawn to a particular apartment block, it is also good Feng Shui to take into consideration your personal elemental requirements and look for as much support as possible when choosing a lower floor unit.

Each number 1-9 relates to an element. For example, the first floor of any building usually relates to the element of water so if you require and your luck benefits from water this can be entirely acceptable.  Provided the external formations and environment balances do not exhaust the water energy, for instance, if there is a car park directly below the unit.

Many folks in Hong Kong inhabit tall skyscrapers, but there are also people who live in stand-alone homes here. Jill, if the house under consideration is an independent home, what Feng Shui tips should the prospective buyers keep in mind?

[Jill Lander] Yes, many people are choosing to live a little further out of the city to gain greater space and more bang for their dollar. Stand-alone properties are called “landed properties” and can be highly desirable and offer good Feng Shui. You would do well to keep in mind some basic tips when purchasing a landed property.

For instance, you should make sure you have an open space in front of the main door, as this is where the main Chi energy of the home will collect.

Further, if the property is located at the bottom of a hill, you should make note of the gradient of the road. When the road slopes gently towards the property, this is good for business. However, if the road is higher and plunges steeply towards the property, this transforms into an aggressive form of energy, and losses or ill health may incur.

A gradient with an upward formation from the property that is not too steep will help maintain stability and may indicate the residents would do very well in terms of harnessing recognition and personal power.

The MTR network in Hong Kong is always expanding. Some dwellings in the city located next to the network, yet others are located on top of the system. The constant sounds and vibrations from the moving trains are said to be a Feng Shui challenge. Can anything be done to alleviate this problem and ensure good Chi flow? 

[Jill Lander] Yes, with our ever-expanding desire for even greater convenience we pay an environmental price for the energy of our wonderful city. To alleviate and help restore the balance we can introduce within our personal space(s) more wood Chi in the form of plants as they help to absorb the energy and vibrations. Other cures take the form of large pieces of porcelain or ceramics and natural quartz crystals. These objects can help restore balance and correct and stabilize the energy of any home, especially when placed within the southwest and northeast of the home, as these are the natural earth sectors of the home.

If all other aspects work, but the location of the home is not ideal, is there any way to cure incompatible Feng Shui?

[Jill Lander] Yes, I pride myself on always finding solutions for my clients. Depending on the individual requirements of the family structure or for single occupancy there will always be an elemental or directional solution of some kind to mitigate any negative location influences.

Do you think you need to eliminate any adverse location influences on your home? Or do you need help and guidance for a Feng Shui compatible house hand? Feng Shui Master, Jill Lander is available right here in Hong Kong for consultations and remedies. Jill Lander can help you determine if luxury estates being presented to you by a selling agent match your interests. Do contact us to set up an appointment with Jill at +852 2561 3616 or email us at midlevelswest@engelvoelkers.com so that with her expertise, you can learn how to balance energies for a happy, content home life.