Strategic Fengshui 101

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Fengshui – is it science or a form of art? Commonly known as Chinese geomancy, this ancient practice of creating harmony and balance in living spaces has been in place for thousands of years, from tiny homes to offices, buildings and cityscapes.
Today, fengshui continues to gain popularity with people around the world and we are here to share some insightful fengshui principles that go beyond Yin and Yang, and the Five Elements.
Learn and grow with fengshui as a better part of your life! Way Academy’s upcoming Fengshui Course 2023 is now open for registration. Enquire now!
What is fengshui?
Literally translated as “wind” and “water”, fengshui is a practice of creating living spaces that are in balance with one’s surroundings. This was based on the fundamental belief that the earth’s energies influence people, which was an ideology recognised by many ancient cultures.
The relationships of people with natural and built environments are influenced by many elements such as electromagnetics and radio waves, natural earth energies, way of building, building materials, systems and design, etc.
The ancient Chinese recognised this, and the concept of fengshui took root under the practice of Taoism – a Chinese philosophy that advocates the way of nature. Everything encompasses qi, or life force, which is made up of Yin and Yang elements.
Just like the sun and moon, Yin and Yang refers to opposing but complementary forces that cannot be separated. The core of fengshui lies in balancing Yin and Yang, garnering positive qi while minimising negative energies in one’s environment.
At Way Fengshui, we define fengshui as the study of an individual and his relationship to his environment. By observing the flow of qi or energy in our surroundings and the effects it has on people, we can design spaces, plan environments, and select the best dates that work for them.
Different schools of fengshui [门派]
So, how does one go about understanding fengshui or determining fengshui conditions? There are actually several schools of fengshui, each with its own principles and methods. Some of the main schools are:
- Form School Fengshui [形势派]: Relying mainly on landforms and shapes of the environment to analyse fengshui conditions. Also known as Classical fengshui, this school uses the four cardinal directions and the Four Celestial Animals (Green Dragon, White Tiger, Red Phoenix, Black Turtle) to guide the placement of buildings and objects.
- Compass School Fengshui [理气派]: This fengshui school uses a special compass called a Luo Pan to measure the magnetic directions and the energy patterns of a space. It divides the space into eight sectors, each associated with a trigram, an element, a number, and a life aspect.
- Eight Mansions Fengshui [八宅派]: The auspiciousness of fengshui is determined by the orientation and layout of the residence. In Eight Mansions, the home orientation should match the Bazi of the occupants, and the home layout should have a balance of the Five Elements [五行] and Yin & Yang [阴阳].
- Black Hat Sect [黑帽教派]: A modern adaptation of fengshui, this school of fengshui, sometimes known as Western Fengshui, simplifies the traditional methods and uses a fixed grid called a Bagua map to divide the space into nine areas, each corresponding to a life aspect. It also incorporates elements from Buddhism, Taoism, and ecology and psychology.
- Flying Stars Fengshui [飞星派]: This school believes that fengshui changes with time and space. Hence, it combines the compass directions with the time factor to analyse the changing energy patterns of a space. Through a complex system of numbers and stars, it can determine the auspiciousness of a space at different periods of time.
If you are a Way Fengshui client, you may have seen this Flying Stars Chart before:

In Flying Stars fengshui, each flying star is unique and holds important influences on the luck cycles that houses and individual rooms face on a yearly basis. As stars rotate among themselves, understanding their innate characteristics will enable fengshui practitioners to tap into the stars’ benefits.
At Way Fengshui, we practise fengshui with a unique approach, Strategic Fengshui [军师派], formulated by our founder, Grand Master Tan Khoon Yong, since the inception of Way Fengshui in 1984. Interested to learn more about strategic fengshui uses or to become a professional fengshui practitioner? Don’t miss our upcoming Fengshui Course 2023. Enquire now!
Why do people get their home/office fengshui checked?
In short, everyone wants to lead a better life. Fengshui, when applied properly, can have a positive impact on one’s health, wealth, career, relationships, growth etc.
Good health is of top priority
In fengshui, the main entrance is one of the most important areas within the premises, as it is the gateway to attract energies, which can be both good or bad. Extended from flying stars fengshui, the Castle Gate Theory [城门诀] enables fengshui practitioners to find the best solution or layout for a specific property.
For example, unfavourable facing or unsuitable door position of a property can lead to negative influences on the occupants, which may affect health and well-being. To improve the fengshui, one can adjust or change the angle of the door to align with a more favourable direction.
Natural energies (electromagnetism, radio waves, etc.) can be a trigger for many diseases, producing an effect in reducing the immune system’s ability to fight disease. Also, building materials and styles have evolved greatly over the last century. Are the buildings that you work in or the home you live in created using natural materials?
Increasingly, there is news of artificially created mediums such as asbestos, oil-based paints or plastics that can emit harmful gases. If you live or work in a negative environment for a prolonged period, you are more likely to be tired, listless or unwell. Once your health is compromised, other aspects of life will deteriorate as well.
Improve wealth and quality of life
Money may not be everything, but it can affect one’s quality of life, especially if you live in expensive cities such as Singapore. If your health is compromised, your wealth will suffer too. Fengshui, when applied effectively, can help one to avert misfortunes, and attract luck and wealth.
For example, there are strategic fengshui formations such as the “Five Ghosts Transporting Wealth” [五鬼运财] that looks into directions, energies and the Five Elements to activate the Wealth Position.
While this may sound simple, there’s actually more to this fengshui strategy. It is best to seek advice from a professional fengshui practitioner. Alternatively, you can also be your own fengshui Master with professional learning.
Manage invisible energies that cause visible effects
People tend to fall sick easily during the colder months of Singapore’s monsoon season. This is another example of how we are affected by invisible earth energies such as weather changes. Fengshui takes into account these energies and offers solutions to create a conducive environment for people – be it at home or at work.
Time matters: Things to know about Period Fengshui and Yearly Fengshui
At Way Fengshui, we are guided by the philosophy of Tian (天) Di (地) Ren (人) towards balance, that is to choose the right place, be with the right person, at the right time. Time plays an important role, and this is reflected in the basic concepts of fengshui that are often overlooked by fengshui beginners.
Fengshui period and astrology
If you have watched the Romance of the Three Kingdoms tv series, you may have come across the military strategist Zhuge Liang calculating time and events by observing the sky.
Well, Chinese sages spent hundreds of years studying the movement of planetary stars, and how the changing positions affect the energies of our space, i.e. homes, offices, buildings, etc. This led to a multi-planetary calendar system that is known as the Chinese lunisolar calendar, sometimes called the Farmer’s Calendar – and an important point of reference for fengshui.
In classical fengshui, the “Three Cycles and Nine Periods” [三元九运 ] spans over 180 years. The Three Cycles refer to the Upper, Middle and Lower Cycle, where each cycle consists of three fengshui periods. Each fengshui period lasts 20 years, and is under the influence of a Star.
Period Fengshui vs Yearly Fengshui
Be it purchasing a new home or renovating your office, you are likely to consider factors for both the short term and long term. Similarly in fengshui, environmental and human factors take place over time and that’s where Period Fengshui and Yearly Fengshui come into place.

Period Fengshui can provide the foundation for good energy, which explains the importance of selecting an ideal residence or office space right from the beginning. With a good foundation, you can then look into maintenance with yearly fengshui.
Apply strategic fengshui for optimal benefits

Effective fengshui requires a comprehensive understanding of different schools of fengshui so that one can apply strategic fengshui remedies with relevance.
Our fengshui approach centred around the study of an individual and his relationship to his environment. By observing the flow of qi or energy in our surroundings and the effects it has on people, we can design spaces, plan environments, and select auspicious dates that work best.
Contrary to thinking, fengshui is not that complicated. If you are keen to learn and apply fengshui effectively in life, consider upskilling at Way Academy’s upcoming Fengshui Course 2023. Conducted by Master Goh Guan Leong, the upcoming fengshui course consists of easy-to-understand content and relatable life examples across two modules, and a special Strategic Fengshui “feel” trip around Singapore to open up your senses and feel the energy of Singapore’s iconic fengshui landmarks!
In Fengshui Course 2023, you will learn Way Fengshui’s approach [军师派] which begins with observing and feeling the environment prior to technical work such as taking Luopan measurements. Note: This is not the typical fengshui workshops that are filled with boring and incomprehensible fengshui theories. 😄
This experiential course is knowledge-based and skills-based, and participants will get to go on “feel” trips for hands-on practice, achieving the perfect balance between theory and practical experience. Ready to kickstart your fengshui learning journey with Way Academy? Enquire now!