The southwest is often associated with love and relationships in feng shui. While it may not receive much attention in homes occupied by married couples, it becomes a crucial direction to focus on for single females or households where the matriarch is the main breadwinner. In fact, the southwest holds the same importance for wives as the northwest does for husbands.
A homeowner from Utah shared her belief that a southwest facing house would favor the women in the household because the main entrance is often located at the face of the home. This placement allows the house to attract beneficial chi that is advantageous to females. However, it's important to note that these are generalizations and cannot be applied to all southwest-facing houses. There are numerous factors to consider when assessing the feng shui of a property.
The Feng Shui Bagua Map
The Kun trigram, representing the southwest, is just one of the eight trigrams present in the bagua. Each of these trigrams symbolizes different members of the family unit. For example, the east is associated with the Chen trigram, which represents the eldest son. If the east area of the house is afflicted by hostile interior sha chi, it can result in career setbacks and even ill-health for the eldest son. Similar effects can be seen for other family members in their respective areas.
While it would be ideal for every area of the house to be perfect, it is not always possible. We need spaces for practical purposes such as toilets, storerooms, and pet areas. Fortunately, modern households rarely consist of eight family members, making it possible to utilize sectors of the house that do not represent any specific family member for these purposes.
To delve deeper into feng shui principles, we can apply the Eight Mansions Feng Shui to the home.
Eight Mansions Feng Shui
Eight Mansions Feng Shui divides the layout of the house into eight separate segments, consisting of four lucky and four unlucky areas. The auspicious sectors are Sheng Chi, Fu Wei, Tian Yi, and Yen Nian. The inauspicious sectors are Jue Ming, Hou Hai, 6 Sha, and 5 Ghost.
For a southwest-facing house, the front central area of the southwest represents the Sheng Chi area. This makes it ideal to locate the main door into the premises in this area. It is also beneficial for the living room to be located in the southwest, allowing the main door to open right into it and enabling auspicious energy to spread throughout the interiors. The west area is also a favorable location for the living room.
Bedrooms can be located in the northwest and northeast areas, representing Tian Yi and Fu Wei respectively. The kitchen, according to Eight Mansions theory, should be placed in an area recognized as inauspicious. Therefore, it can be located in any of the three unfavorable sectors.
If the main door of an apartment is at the back of the unit rather than the front, it is also acceptable for the main door to be situated in the northeast or from the side in the northwest. To refine the feng shui further, we can incorporate Flying Star Feng Shui into the equation.
Flying Star Feng Shui
Flying Star Feng Shui helps identify the good and bad areas of a house based on the nature of stars and their combinations. It is more complex than Eight Mansions Feng Shui, as its auspicious and inauspicious areas are determined by the star configurations.
Considering the example of a southwest-facing house built during the period of 8, Flying Star Feng Shui might contradict the suggestions of Eight Mansions Feng Shui. According to Flying Stars, the southwest and west areas are not ideal for the main door due to the presence of unfavorable water stars.
However, Flying Stars align with Eight Mansions in considering the northeast and northwest areas as good locations for the main door. This is evident from the lucky stars in the top right of these respective grids. Therefore, to find harmony between the two schools of feng shui, a landed house may need to locate the main door at the northwest, while an apartment with the main door at the back would be fine if it is at the northeast.
It is crucial to note that the natal chart for a southwest-facing house represents a special category of auspicious energy maps according to Flying Star Feng Shui. Therefore, it is possible to follow the suggestions of Eight Mansions Feng Shui to tap into the full feng shui potential of such a house.
Additionally, there is a rule in feng shui called the direct and indirect spirit. During the period of 8 until 2024, houses with mountains in the southwest and water at the northeast are believed to enjoy exceptional good luck. For a southwest-facing house, this means that if the house has a mountain view in the facing direction and a water view in the sitting direction, the direct and indirect spirit will bestow the residents with good luck and blessings.
While a period of 8 house with a southwest facing may seem promising, it is essential to implement remedies to neutralize any negative stars present, such as the 2, 3, 5, and 7 stars. Additionally, it is crucial to consider the position of the west sun, as it can introduce sha chi to the house.
By understanding the principles of feng shui, you can apply them to a southwest-facing house and create a harmonious and auspicious living environment. Combine the wisdom of Eight Mansions Feng Shui and Flying Star Feng Shui to maximize the positive energy and benefit from the blessings feng shui can bring.