Transform Your Space with Feng Shui Principles
Updated: Sep 29
Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese practice of understanding how the environment and the flow of Qi (energy) can influence the people living or working within a space.
Understanding Feng Shui
It looks at the relationship between people and their surroundings, including property orientation, spatial layout and time cycles to understand how energy interacts within a home or workplace.
More than simply arranging furniture or choosing colours, Feng Shui considers both the external and internal environment of a property. By understanding how Qi enters, gathers and moves through a space, we can identify areas that may be more supportive and areas that may benefit from adjustment.
The intention is to create a more harmonious and supportive environment for well-being, relationships, career, business and overall life direction.
The External Environment
In Feng Shui, the surrounding environment plays an important role in how Qi (energy) approaches and interacts with a property.
Before looking at the interior, we first observe the landform, roads, surrounding buildings, open spaces and movement of Qi around the property. These external features can influence how Qi approaches, gathers or moves away from the home or workplace.
Ideally, a property benefits from a supportive environment with a sense of stability behind, openness in front and balanced surroundings on both sides. The area in front of the property should allow Qi to approach and gather rather than being overly blocked, compressed or exposed to harsh incoming forms.
External features such as sharp building edges, fast-moving roads, direct road alignments, slopes, nearby structures and water formations are also considered, as their position and relationship to the property may affect the quality and movement of Qi.
A favourable external environment creates a stronger foundation for the Feng Shui within the property.
The Internal Environment
Once the external environment has been considered, Feng Shui looks at how Qi enters, gathers and flows within the property.
The internal layout influences how energy is distributed throughout the space. The main entrance, bedroom, kitchen and workspace are among the key areas considered because of their connection to our daily activities, rest, well-being and productivity.
The location and orientation of these important areas are assessed together with the overall property layout and energy patterns to determine how supportive each space may be for its occupants.
Key Areas Within the Home
Certain areas of a property receive particular attention in Feng Shui because of their role in our daily lives and how Qi interacts with these spaces.
Main Entrance
The main entrance is one of the primary points through which Qi enters the property. Ideally, it should be bright, welcoming, spacious and free from unnecessary obstruction, allowing Qi to enter and gather before circulating through the property. Sharp corners pointing towards the entrance and excessive clutter around the main door are generally avoided, helping to maintain a clear and welcoming flow of Qi.
Bedroom
The bedroom is an important space for rest, recovery and personal well-being. Ideally, the bed should have solid support behind the headboard, with sufficient space around it for balanced energy flow. Heavy beams or objects directly above the bed, mirrors facing the bed and positioning the bed directly under a window are generally avoided where possible.
Kitchen
The kitchen is traditionally associated with nourishment, health and household resources, making the position of the stove an important consideration. Ideally, the stove should have solid support behind it. Direct alignment between the stove and the main entrance is generally avoided, as the stove may be overly exposed to incoming Qi rather than being positioned in a more protected and supportive area. Where possible, the stove should also not be positioned too close to or directly opposite the sink, as this creates a direct interaction between the Fire and Water elements.
Workspace / Home Office
A well-positioned workspace can support focus, productivity and decision-making. Where possible, the desk should have a sense of solid support behind the person, while allowing a comfortable view of the room and entrance. This creates a more stable and supportive environment for work, career and business activities.
The direction you face while working can also be personalised according to your Life Gua (命卦). Positioning the desk to face one of your favourable directions may help create a more supportive and empowering working environment.
For example, a female with Life Gua 9, belonging to the East Group, may favour East, Southeast, North or South. A male with Life Gua 7, belonging to the West Group, may favour West, Northwest, Southwest or Northeast.
Note: The favourable directions above are based on the individual’s Life Gua (命卦) and are listed according to the traditional Eight Mansions (Ba Zhai) system:
Sheng Qi (生气), Tian Yi (天医), Yan Nian (延年) and Fu Wei (伏位).
How to Calculate Your Life Gua
1. Add the last two digits of your birth year and reduce the result to a single digit.
For Birth Years Before 2000:
For Male:
Subtract the single digit from 10.
Example: 1975 → 7 + 5 = 12 → 1 + 2 = 3
Life Gua = 10 − 3 = 7
For Female:
Add 5 to the single digit and reduce again if necessary.
Example: 1976 → 7 + 6 = 13 → 1 + 3 = 4
Life Gua = 5 + 4 = 9
For Birth Years 2000 Onwards:
For Male:
Subtract the single digit from 9.
Example: 2002 → 0 + 2 = 2
Life Gua = 9 − 2 = 7
For Female:
Add 6 to the single digit and reduce again if necessary.
Example: 2004 → 0 + 4 = 4
Life Gua = 6 + 4 = 10 = 1
Note:
Life Gua calculations traditionally use the solar-year boundary around 4 February (Li Chun 立春). For births around this date, the applicable year should be checked carefully.
If the calculated number is Gua 5 → Male: Gua 2; Female: Gua 8.
If the male calculation results in 0 (e.g. year 2009) → Gua 9
Feng Shui in Period 9
Feng Shui considers not only the physical environment and orientation of a property, but also the influence of time. As time cycles change, the energy patterns within a property are also interpreted differently.
We are currently in Period 9 (2024–2043), the ninth 20-year cycle in the Flying Star Feng Shui system. Period 9 is associated with the Fire element and is often linked with themes such as visibility, recognition, innovation, technology and transformation.
During Period 9, Flying Star 9 is the prevailing prosperity star of the period, while Flying Star 1 is associated with future prosperity and is also regarded as a favourable energy.
Understanding where these energies are located within a property can help identify areas that may be more supportive for important activities such as rest, work, business and daily living.
Understanding Sitting & Facing Flying Stars
Within a Flying Star chart, two important energies are the Sitting Star (山星) and the Facing Star (向星).
The Sitting Star represents the more Yin aspect of the property and is traditionally associated with people, health and well-being. It is particularly relevant when assessing quieter areas intended for rest and recovery, such as the bedroom.
The Facing Star represents the more Yang and active aspect of the property and is traditionally associated with wealth, career, opportunities and activity. It is particularly relevant when assessing active areas such as the main entrance, kitchen and workspace.
In Period 9, favourable stars such as 9 and 1 may therefore be considered together with whether an area requires stronger Yin or Yang support.
Example of a Flying Star chart showing the Sitting Star on the left and Facing Star on the right within each sector.
Applying Flying Stars to Key Areas
Different areas of a property serve different purposes, so the Flying Stars are interpreted according to how each space is used.
For the main entrance, the Facing Star is an important consideration because the entrance is one of the main points through which Qi enters and activates the property. A favourable Facing Star, such as 9 or 1 during Period 9, may support opportunities, career, business and overall activity.
For the kitchen, particularly the stove, the Flying Star combination and the energy of its location are carefully assessed. As the stove is an active feature traditionally connected with nourishment, health and household resources, the Flying Star combination, location and surrounding conditions are assessed together to determine whether the stove is appropriately positioned.
For the bedroom, greater emphasis is placed on the Sitting Star, as the bedroom is a Yin space associated with rest, recovery and personal well-being. A favourable Sitting Star such as 9 or 1 may provide more supportive energy for its occupants.
For the workspace or home office, the Facing Star can be particularly relevant because work involves activity, productivity, career and business development. Favourable Facing Stars such as 9 or 1 may support a more active and opportunity-oriented working environment.
Flying Stars should not, however, be interpreted individually. The combination of stars, property orientation, external environment, internal layout and actual function of each space should be assessed together to understand the overall Feng Shui of a property.
Family Sectors Within the Home
In addition to Flying Stars, traditional Feng Shui associates the eight directions of a property with different members of the family.
Each direction represents a particular family role:
Northwest — Father
Southwest — Mother
East — Eldest Son
Southeast — Eldest Daughter
North — Middle Son
South — Middle Daughter
Northeast — Youngest Son
West — Youngest Daughter
The Centre represents the heart of the home and relates to the household as a whole.
A well-balanced property generally benefits from a regular, square or rectangular layout, with all sectors present where possible. Missing or significantly weakened sectors are traditionally considered when assessing the balance of the overall space and the family member associated with that direction.
Keeping each sector clean, uncluttered and well-maintained also helps support a smoother and more harmonious flow of Qi throughout the home.
Align Your Space with Feng Shui
Every property is unique. The principles shared above represent some of the key Feng Shui considerations used in a property assessment. A complete Feng Shui consultation may incorporate additional formulas and methods, bringing together the external environment, internal layout, orientation, time cycles and the people using the space to understand how the property can better support its occupants.
By aligning your environment with the right energies, Feng Shui can help create a more supportive foundation for well-being, relationships, career, business and overall life direction.
Align your space. Create an environment that supports the way you live, work and grow.
