Feng Shui is both an Art and a Science. In Fengshui emphasis is given to the five elements viz., water, wood, fire, earth and metal. In any home these elements exist and the art of assigning and aligning the layout and creating a balance is the basic focus in Fengshui.

Feng Shui and Vaasthu are generating lot of curiosity and interest in the minds of a common man; with this we have scores of people offering suggestion and remedies on the basis of books or self learning on either Vaasthu or Fengshui.

The situation has reached such alarming levels that we have “single window” services like “Vaasthu, Gemology, astrology, Numerology all packed together and the person who is looking for some advise to align his home in accordance with Vaasthu or Fengshui lands up completely confused from people who offer such remedies and in the end when things don’t look too prospective after following some general advise the whole Art and Science of Vaasthu and Fengshui gets branded as non functional.

One has to view Vaasthu or Fengshui as a tool to harmonise and align our place of dwelling and the basic requirements would be positioning of doors, windows, furniture, cots and stove. Apart from this the levels of the land, ventilation, and water source have to be in order so right place, the approach and the tuning is the essential requirement of a good practitioner and unless this is done, one cannot experience any positive changes.

Releasing Positive Energy

Fengshui considers the home as a holistic environment whereas real estate apprising views a home or property in monetary terms, and changes are made to improve its market value. Fengshui searches for ways to enhance the flow of Chi and release energy blockages that may manifest in corresponding life areas. Though seemingly very different disciplines, Fengshui can help maintain the optimum value of real estate holding or even increase its worth. With proper adaption of feng shui in housing schemes. It could be well utilized in town planning too. Singapore which has been modeled on the basis of the Fengshui texts known as the Secrets of the 5 dragons which speaks about the water resources, mountains and movement of vehicular traffic contributing to the overall prosperity of the country is a classic example of excellent town planning and design.

Buildings are dynamic entities that can either nurture transform your life or undermine and weaken it. When the life-enriching energy of Chi flows through your dwelling, you are supported in your quest for a prosperous and fulfilling life.

Let us remember the basic fact that be it Vaasthu or Fengshui, it can only harmonise your place of work or dwelling and for sure improve the quality of life. Most often this is mistaken to be a remedy for changing destiny of something, which can control birth and death. If only Vaasthu or Fengshui could offer immunity to those laws of Nature than all of us would live for eternity. Vaasthu or Fengshui is an excellent tool to enhance our skills and ability of think better work better and it is impossible to locate a 100 percent Vasthu perfect or Fengshui perfect dwelling.

The traditional method for an ideal home was to achieve the famous Chinese Green dragon-white Tiger design concept. This was nothing but achieving levels around the house by having the back higher than the front, left of the house higher than the right. It was also known as the armchair design, which was said to protect the house in the middle from nature’s fury and make the house stable and strong.

In modern city life, it would be difficult to achieve such levels around our home and we have no control on the shape and dimension of the neighbouring homes and buildings. In case you wish to adapt this method and you realize that the back wall of the house is shorter with regard to the front, you could go about planting trees or even use lights mounted on poles which illuminate and throw light upwards.

A house is much more than a physical structure of wood, concrete, shingles and siding. It reflects who you are and who you hope to be. Economics defines market value, as the most probable price a property will bring on the open market. On a practical level, you are concerned with protecting your home as an investment. You paint, repair, re-roof, and work hard to preserve its value. When it comes time to sell, you want to receive the highest possible price. What really constitutes value in your property? Could it be the flow of Chi (movement of energy in Chinese is termed as CHI) a home with an abundance of positive flowing chi attracts people and potential buyers like a magnet. This vitality is what constitutes the greatest value in real estate. Viewing homes through the eyes of both a real estate appraiser and a Feng shui practitioner, I have consistently seen a relationship between value and good feng shui. Homes that have good chi are homes that often command the highest price in the neighbourhood. Those with a certain stagnant blocked energy are the homes that sit on the market the longest, often selling for less than the asking price.

Value Addition

In countries like Taiwan and Malaysia, Fengshui services are quite often adapted to assess the property before putting it up for sale to ensure a value addition to the prospective buyers. Countries like USA and Canada have adapted Feng Shui to enhance the value of the real estate and the buyers prefer a property approved by a Fengshui consultant. The appraisal institute of Canada has included Fengshui services in its scope of work to enable property valuers and appraisers to offer a single window service. The institute says, “Modern day home builders, decorators, restaurateurs and such mighty international corporations as the Chase Manhattan Bank, Citibank, and Morgan Guaranty Trust in Hong Kong and Taiwan are not above calling on experts in this science for help. One could follow certain basic guidelines for Fengshui and value:

   1. Explore the neighbourhood and see if the property I having a harmonious design and it should have a sense of beauty with        its surroundings. Check for High-tension wires, environmental pollution, and sewage drains etc.
   2. The first impression is usually determined by the front door; it could either welcome you or drive you away. Remember all        opportunities enter through the main door and the door should exude a feeling of pride
   3. How does the house feel or smell? Is the space light and airy or dark and heavy?
   4. Is your house located at a cul-de-sac? This would block the flow of Chi and has no outlet.
   5. Look for T-junctions cross road locations
   6. Walk around the house and inspect the foundation. This will be the foundation of your life experiences. Ensure it is strong        and solid with no cracks. From Fengshui perspective symmetrical shapes are best and avoid houses with many offsets and        angles which indicate fragmentation
   7. A house with a detached Garage is considered best as it enables Chi to circulate freely and swirl around the house
   8. Check the ceiling for watermarks and ensure windows are in plenty
   9. Look out for bathrooms and kitchens in the center of the house, which is considered inauspicious.

One could enhance the Fengshui for better value or harmony by following certain simple guidelines. In case you have a home or feel like buying a building even if it is violating certain basic guidelines mentioned above, one could adapt and bring about certain changes through Fengshui although it may not be total solution offering perfect harmony and balance. Nevertheless such homes do show a remarkable change when corrected through Fengshui.

Road Factor

The other important factor is the road. Road is said to conduct “CHI” energy through environment and traffic patterns, which could affect the nature of the surroundings. Living close to highways and busy roads are not considered good as they have heavy vehicular movement and the CHI travels fast. Both is Vaasthu and in Fengshui buildings located at the end of the road or at a T-junction are considered extremely bad, as the energy putting up a nice green hedge of healthy plants would act as a shield. Other alternatives would be relocating the door or putting up porch and the most common method would be to put up mirrors.

Building situated close to flyovers also cause immense inconvenience to the occupants. It is said that the ill effect of flyovers is more for those who live at the eye level of the flyover or underneath it. If the flyover is bending and appearing to cut through the building it is considered very harmful and one could think of using dark glasses on the windowpanes, which would shield the home from the harmful sharp bends. If your home is situated beneath a overpowering and a very simple suggestion would be to put up lights on the four corners of the house focused towards the under surface of the flyover to symbolically lift the flyover. Nevertheless this is not a good home, as the residents would feel oppressed and drained.

Fengshui is not just organizing the interiors or putting up enhancers in place, it is more about practicalities and adjusting ourselves to the environment and surroundings. To live in a place which could be transformed and made supportive to the occupants is the key to good Fengshui.

Buildings are dynamic entities that can either nurture or transform your life or undermine and weaken it. When the life-enriching energy of Chi flows through your dwelling, you are supported in your quest for a prosperous and fulfilling life.