Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

SHELLY was referred by an old client of mine. Ever since moving in to her house, her family just had one problem after another.

Shelly has read about feng shui and was curious to know how to make positive changes in their lives. Shelly, her husband Mac and their two daughters all belong to the Western Direction Pattern. This means they all do best when there front entry, bedroom and office are located in the northwest, southwest, west and northeast sectors. However, their home was almost completely an Eastern Direction Pattern house. All the bedrooms and the family room where they spend the most time were located in the south, southeast, east and north sectors oftheir house.

As Shelly gives me a tour of her house and tells me her story, she says, everybody has problems, right? They took it all in stride and just kept on going. They had lived here for fifteen years because they love their house even though it has been a very challenging fifteen years.

This year,too many visits to the hospital and issues with infidelity led her to take action. It turns out that Shelly and her husband are born respectively in the year of the Sheep and Ox. They are both going through their "tai shui" or year of challenges this year. I explained to them that when you encounter your year of challenge, the six months prior as well as the year during, there tends to be acute health problems, accidents, injuries, family issues or grief.

Shelly raised her eyebrows. Mac’s mother passed the latter half of last year and this year, both of them have had surgery.

Shelly and Mac lived in a classic case of living in an "opposite" house. Essentially, an opposite house brings the negative attributes of each room’s directional element. Mac and Shelly didn’t quite understand what this meant. I explained that every direction has an energy based on the element it is associated to. For instance, their master bedroom in the east sector which is associated to the wood element.

If Shelly or Mac’s energy belonged to the either the wood, fire or water element, they would promote or be compatible to east room’s wood energy. Their energy were interact in a positive way and benefit from the east wood energy. When positive, this brings about courage, respect, promotion, and growth.

However, Shelly and Mac both belong to the metal element which defeats the east wood energies. This triggers the negative aspects of the wood element attributes, bringing the opposite. Instead of courage, it brings lack of self esteem; instead of respect, it can bring jealousy; instead of promotion, it brings degradation; instead of growth, it brings destruction.

On the health level, the wood element is related to the liver and this can bring toxins, drinking problems and drug abuse as well. Weak liver energy symptoms include exhaustion, moodiness and sudden bursts of anger. Shelly and Mac are beside themselves with the truths their home revealed. They both disclose that they are recovering alcoholics. But, this is not all, there were still more in the room that told the story of their lives here.