Q: Mr. Whittier asks why the entrance on most Ba Gua charts is on the Northern direction while most book she reads suggests that the entrance should preferably be facing South?

A: The entrance is not necessarily preferable at the north or south. The Ba Gua (Eight directional charts) is usually orientated on anorth or south direction for easy reference. There are different schools of feng shui. Some schools use a north pointing compass while others usea south pointing compass. The north/south axis is the dominant direction of the geomagnetic frequency. This has misled people to think these are the only desirable directions. Furthermore, it is likely that most of the books you are reading are limited translations from old Chinese texts. In ancient China, the north was where the cold Mongolia winds came from and it was desirable at that time to have mountains in the north as protection from harsh weather. The south is where the sun rotates from east to west.This energy is vital to our well being. Thus, it is preferable to face south. However, as you can see, taking a literal translation and applying it directly to our unique situations is not necessarily correct all the time. Nonetheless, the concept of having a mountain situated behind us to shield us from the cold and to face a positive source of energy is desirable. The best entry or orientation also know as the "facing" and "siting" direction differs for everyone depending on their birth date.

Q: Mrs. Vaness asks if it true that if you have a stairway directly lined up with your front door you should place a chime above the front door so that it activates upon opening to get the "Qi" (chi) moving correctly?

A:If your front door aligns directly with a staircase, thereis a tendency for the house's energy or qi to be lost. Because the staircase is a circulation way where people are constantly moving up and down, it creates an energy flow that leaves the house if it is directly aligned with the main door. Depending on what direction the door is and what kind of energies the residents have, there will be different effects on the people living inside. It is possible that this is not the best entry to use. In this case, an alternative entry is used and the front door is left closed (only used occasionally for guests) and a wind chime is not necessary. However, if this is the only door for entering the house, the wind chime (the metal bars of the chime should be cut according to the five element frequencies) helps disperse some of the energy from directly leaving the house. If possible, a better alternative is to put up a screen between the staircase and door. Crystals or plants can also be used to make the energies in this area stronger to prevent energy lost.

Q: Mr. Lee tells me that he had a feng shui practitioner come to his house who told him that the southeast corner of the lot was the marriage and family corner. He has read two books which says the wealth corner is the southeast corner. Mr. Lee wants to know if things can be that different between practitioners? Shouldn't there be standard in which point of the compass corresponds to which subject?

A: When reading books, one must check the background of the author. Their information can be limited or mistranslated. Depending on what type of energy a person has based on their birth date, the different directions relate to him or her in various ways and this fluctuates annually as the planets shift. For instance, if you are born within the Lunar year 1952,your energy is categorized as the "zhen" or east direction. In 1996, your wealth energy is strongest in the southeast direction. In 1997,this will change to be the north direction. Also depending on the age and orientation of your house, there may be other directions that will better stimulate different aspects of your life. There is a standard from which the compass directions corresponds to the subject. It is rather complex and not everyone uses this because it requires a life time to understand it.