Chapter 16
The Flying Stars, Part 6
In This Chapter
More about the mountain, water, and time stars
The stars in the central palace
A Flying Star chart analysis
Star combinations and their meanings
Congratulations for assembling a Flying Star chart appropriate to your home! Give yourself a round of applause, a pat on the back for a job well done.
In this chapter, you’ll learn how to interpret your star chart. Don’t be intimidated by the 27 stars (9 cells x 3 stars each) composing a chart. Understanding their meanings, enhancing their positive aspects, and discouraging the negative ones will lead to a productive environment fostering better wealth, good health, and beneficial relationships.
Understanding the Water, Mountain, and Time Stars
Before you proceed with understanding and remedying the number combinations, let’s take a moment to fully comprehend the three stars comprising each cell—the water, mountain, and time stars.
The Water Star
Governing wealth, the water star is located on the top, right side of each cell. If your home conforms to one of the four special cases discussed in the previous chapter, follow the advice to activate the ruling star for the chart in question. If your home does not belong to one of the four special cases, locate the ruling water number in your chart (the number 8 for Period 8). Support the star environmentally, allowing the yang qi essence of the nearby water/roadway to flow into the house through an open window or door. Use the space containing the ruling money star for a home office—any area where you conduct money-related business.
Regarding the remaining nonruling money stars, timely stars (the numbers 1, 9, and 8 for Period 8) located only in active areas can bolster financial gain. Because of their negative characteristics, untimely (retired/dead) stars (the numbers 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2 for Period 8) cannot foster wealth. Diminish an untimely water star’s negative aspects by keeping the windows and doors closed in the area in question, at least during the night. Also, as you’ll soon learn, employ a five-phase remedy to ward off an unfavorable projection.
In an active (yang) area within a home (family room, home office, kitchen), focus on the water star and how it reacts with the mountain star. If the time star is productive to or belongs to the same phase as the water star, the possibility of financial gain is even greater. In an inactive (yin) area (bedroom, guest bedroom, living room), focus on the mountain star and how it reacts with the water star. If the time star is productive to or belongs to the same phase as the mountain star, the probability of good health increases. Why not remedy the entire dwelling for wealth? Because poor health leads to a poor financial outlook! Remember, feng shui is about balancing the yin and yang qi forces.
The Mountain Star
Governing health and relationships, the mountain star is located on the top, left side of each cell. If your home conforms to one of the four special cases discussed in the previous chapter, follow the advice to activate the mountain star for the chart in question. If your home does not belong to one of the four special cases, locate the ruling mountain number in your chart (the number 8 for Period 8). Support the star, allowing the yin qi essence of the nearby mountain/building to enter the house by infusing and charging the walls. Windows should be kept closed, particularly if the water (yang) star is not favorable. If the water star is favorable, make sure that the wind does not disperse yin’s (health and relationship) qi. Use the space containing the ruling health and relationship star for your bedroom and other areas promoting rest and relaxation.
Regarding the remaining nonruling mountain stars, timely stars (the numbers 1, 9, and 8 for Period 8) located only in inactive areas can foster good health and beneficial relationships. Because of their negative characteristics, untimely (retired/dead) stars (the numbers 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2 for Period 8) cannot bolster your health and relations. In this case, diminish an untimely mountain star’s inauspicious aspects by employing a five-phase remedy.
The Time Star
The time star provides a base for the mountain and water stars. Using an analogy, the water star is like steak, the protein fortifying your strength and determination to succeed. The mountain star is like a vegetable, the vitamins nourishing your health. The time star is the plate on which your dinner is served. You do not eat the plate, do you? Yet, the plate must be clean and beautiful; otherwise, you cannot enjoy the meal. Although the time star itself does not foster fortune or misfortune, it either supports or does not support the water and mountain star. It depends on the phase (fire, earth, metal, water, and wood) relationship between the time star and the mountain star and the time star and the water star. If the relationship is productive, the water or mountain star in question is enhanced. If the time star controls or reduces the water or mountain star’s power, the star in question loses its zeal.
Before you proceed, it’s a good idea to have the Flying Star chart corresponding to your home, which you worked on in Chapter 14, in front of you.
Master Class
Flying Star is about balancing the mountain (yin) and water (yang) forces. External to a house, there are mountains, buildings, rivers, lakes, and streets. Inside a house, there are also mountains and waterways. Walls and large furniture are interior mountains. Doors, windows, and hallways are interior watercourses. When activating a yang area for wealth, keep windows open and make sure that the hallways are unobstructed. When activating a yin area for health and relationships, make sure that the qi is not dispersed by wind. High-back chairs and a bed with its headboard against a solid wall are ways to make good use of a timely mountain star.
The Central Palace
Now that you understand more thoroughly what the water and mountain stars represent and how you can use them to your advantage, let’s take a look at the central palace. A feng shui assessment begins here. Heaven’s qi (associated with the time the dwelling was “born” into) and earth’s qi (associated with the magnetic orientation of the building) merge to produce a house with a specific type of personality made manifest by the numbers in the central palace. When the sitting (mountain) and facing (water) stars are compatible, chances are the innate essence fosters harmony. However, when the sitting and facing stars conflict, chances are the innate essence fosters discord. Because the central palace does not represent an area, the stars here cannot be balanced with one of the five phases of qi. Great care must be taken, then, to balance the stars comprising the surrounding eight cells.
Feng Alert
Don’t forget to consider the exterior and interior environment. What can be done to allow qi to flow productively, easily, and uninhibited? Consult Chapters 9 and 10 about assessing the surrounding terrain, the lot on which your house sits, the alignment of roads and watercourses, and the orientation of furniture.
It’s All in the Stars: The Star Combination Chart
The following number combinations reflect the possibility that the favorable or unfavorable event in question may occur if proper remedies/enhancements are not installed. As you become more familiar with each number combination, you’ll notice that some combinations contain both good and bad aspects. You may be wondering, then, how to promote the good and dissuade the bad? Although space doesn’t permit us to get into a detailed analysis of the number combinations, remember that timely stars bring out the good characteristics and untimely stars bring out the bad ones. A general rule of thumb is to enhance timely stars and weaken untimely stars. You might want to review Chapter 13 about the characteristics of untimely and timely stars. The following effects are valid for the Lower Cycle (1984–2044).
In order to begin analyzing and remedying/enhancing the number combinations, make sure that you fully understand the relationships between the five phases. If the productive, controlling, and weakening cycles aren’t firmly embedded into your mind, review Chapter 6.
A Simple Analysis
Considering only the stars, let’s examine a Flying Star chart for a Dui house built in Period 7, sitting W2 and facing E2. We’ll begin with the central palace, then move up to the facing cell, and travel clockwise around the chart. Note: M stands for mountain star; W for water star; and T for time star.
Center: 9M (fire) 5W (earth) 7T (metal)
Fire produces earth. Although a productive relationship, it is not a healthy one. The number 9 is encouraging the inauspicious number 5’s proclivity for misfortune. (Re-member, the number 9 enhances any number with which it’s paired.) On the up side, the number 9 is also melting the potential harmful affects of the retired star 7. Although the numbers comprising the central palace cannot cause fortune or misfortune, they represent the innate nature of the dwelling. In this case, it is inharmonious, causing the possibility of financial and health hazards.
East: 2M (earth) 7W (metal) 5T (earth)
Earth produces metal. Metal is needed to lessen the negative affects brought on by the innately evil numbers 2 and 5. Be mindful of abdominal and mouth-related disorders.
Southeast: 1M (water) 6W (metal) 6T (metal)
Metal produces water. This is a productive combination heralding prospects for promotion and career success. Thus, no remedy is needed. However, the stress associated with more responsibility might cause an abundance of nervousness. This is because the number 1’s water is draining the 6’s energy, a number associated with the head.
South: 5M (earth) 1W (water) 2T (earth)
Earth blocks water. This is a controlling relationship, with the combination bringing the possibility of ear-, kidney-, and genital-related disorders. Moving metal (a chiming clock with a metal pendulum or playing the piano) is needed here to thwart the occurrence of an ailment. Metal will reduce the effects of the untimely and inherently inauspicious numbers 2 and 5. Metal will bridge earth and water, reverting the cycle to a productive one. Because the water (wealth) star is also untimely, this area should be avoided.
Feng Facts
Remember how each number affects parts of the body. Here are the number/body correlations: 1) ears, blood, kidneys; 2) abdomen, stomach; 3) feet, lower leg, liver; 4) thighs, buttocks, lower back; 5) N/A; 6) head, lungs; 7) mouth, teeth, tongue, chest; 8) hands, fingers; 9) eyes, heart. A disorder arises only if the number in question is untimely or if it is being attacked by another phase.
Southwest: 3M (wood) 8W (earth) 4T (wood)
Wood burdens earth. The highly favorable number 8 is located on the water or wealth side, making this area terrific for a home office. To increase the chance for financial success, activate the money star by opening a window in this area. Install a water feature so that the water/wealth qi has somewhere to accumulate. The possibility of limb injuries for a child makes this area unsuitable for a playroom or child’s bedroom.
West: 7M (metal) 3W (wood) 9T (fire)
Metal pierces wood. To remedy the possibility of robbery and legal entanglements, earth is needed to restore the cycle to a productive one: Wood produces fire; fire produces earth; earth produces metal.
Northwest: 8M (earth) 4W (wood) 8T (earth)
Wood burdens earth. The advantageous number 8 is situated on the mountain (health and relationships) side, making the area favorable for a bedroom. Support the health and relationship star by keeping the windows closed, particularly at night. To thwart possible spousal affairs (brought on by the untimely number 4), install the fire phase to revert the cycle to a productive one. The combination is unfavorable for young children.
North: 4M (wood) 9W (fire) 3T (wood)
Wood produces fire. The auspicious combination 4-9 is known as “fire makes wood glowing and glamorous.” In other words, fire brightens 4’s romantic nature, making the area good for a bedroom (particularly for a couple seeking a pregnancy). Because 9 is a timely money star, the area also makes a favorable home office. No remedy is needed.
Northeast: 6M (metal) 2W (earth) 1T (water)
Earth produces metal. Although this is a productive relationship, metal is needed to suppress the unfavorable and untimely number 2’s promotion of illness and money loss. Metal will also strengthen 6’s inherently auspicious quality of bringing authority and fame, which is being corroded by the time (water) star.
What’s the bottom line? Although the dwelling’s innate personality is inharmonious, several favorable star combinations, if properly remedied, can offset the inauspicious combination in the central palace. The areas that should be actively used and that inspire financial gain are the east, southeast, southwest, and north. The areas promoting good health and good relations are located in the west, north, northwest, and northeast. In this case, the south is an inauspicious area.
Take this time now to evaluate and remedy the eight cells comprising your living and/or working space. However, things might change when we add the annual star. This is the subject of the next chapter.
The Least You Need to Know
Begin a feng shui assessment by studying the numbers comprising the central palace. They represent the dwelling’s inherent essence.
Locate the areas containing the ruling and timely water (wealth) stars. If needed, remedy or enhance the area in question with one of the five phases to increase the possibility of financial success.
Locate the areas containing the ruling and timely mountain (health and relationship) stars. If needed, remedy or enhance the area in question with one of the five phases to ensure good health and beneficial relations with other people.
A Flying Star chart must be supported by the proper forms (mountains, buildings, water, and the like) outside.