Face Reading for Everyday Life

I often get questions from students and clients about how Chinese Face Reading (Mian Xiang) can actually 'help' or be used in our day-to-day living. The quick answer is: in a variety of different ways. Face Reading is a fun and simple exercise, and the only 'material' you need is a face on which to practice! There's a reason why this practice has stood the test of time from the time of the Yellow Emperor in China around 2,500 B.C. - because it has proven results. In the more advanced levels of Face Reading, practitioners don't only read the face, they study the entire physiognomy of a person.

Face Reading, then, can be seen as the 'hidden' or subtle weapon that you can use for your own benefit - anywhere, anytime. For example, consider the modern professional rat race - resumes or curriculum vitae can be altered or 'padded' to greatly exaggerate or improve upon the actual truth. A more effective way of knowing whether you're hiring the right person for the job will be to study the facial characteristics. That way, you know if what they say really tallies with who they really are.

Interpersonal relations at the workplace can also benefit from Face Reading. Dealing with colleagues and playing the game of office politics can be absolutely exhausting and demotivating - making it hard for you to focus on your job and give it your all. But consider how much worthwhile it would be if you knew how to maneuver around your difficult, unpredictable boss - or how to deal with a pushy colleague who demands the world and gives nothing in return. Studying their faces and observing their facial features and traits will give you that edge. You'll feel in control of your relations with others, not be controlled by others!

Even in business dealings and sales and marketing, Face Reading can be invaluable. Does your client need to be persuaded with detailed facts and figures in a quiet coffee shop, or be wined and dined in a fancy restaurant, followed by a rousing karaoke session with 5 or 6 of your colleagues in attendance? Or, for example, if they have big eyes, they probably need to be 'touched' (figuratively speaking, that is!) before they buy. If they have small eyes, then maybe they want to hear about the numbers involved before they say a word. Do they look like they're prepared to buy, and therefore worth your time, or are merely casual observes who are not inclined to commit at this point in time? These are just some of the ways Face Reading comes in handy.

What Face Reading does is provide you with the information on a person's character, and give you pointers on how he or she would like to be approached. For those of us who already do Feng Shui and BaZi consulting, it helps us zoom into the issues our clients are currently facing. Most of the time, it's usually clearly written on the face! Depending on their needs, you will not even have to expend time and energy measuring every sector of their house, or analysing every aspect of their BaZi chart.

There is plenty to be learned from Face Reading. The best way to start is by studying the individual features in Fixed Position Face Reading - the eyes, mouth, nose, and ears, for example - and then 'graduating' to Combination Position Reading. The latter involves taking into account several features or factors of the face for a more in-depth reading. Of course, taking a class in the subject will provide you with invaluable lessons you can use for the rest of your life (quite literally, in fact).

All the best with your practice of Face Reading - but most importantly, have fun!

Building or moving into new house ?

Building or moving into new house ?

you are a Feng Shui practitioner, you are going to get this one question asked of you all the time, in the most inconvenient of places and quite frequently, by people whom you have never met till that very moment of their question: "Can you tell me if the house I am planning to buy has good Feng Shui or not?"

I am sure you will agree with me that being a psychic would usually help in these circumstances since you, the Feng Shui practitioner, will usually not be presented with any information at all with regards to the property.

Prevention is better than cure - so it is always better to undertake a Feng Shui consultation of your property prior to buying a house. So, what I will try and do today is give you one or two guidelines that will help when you are out hunting for your dream home.

One other thing before we proceed, certain houses need no cure (I will elaborate more on this later) and with other houses, there is simply no cost effective way to make them Feng Shui compliant; it would simply cost too much. A great deal (i.e. of running into either of such houses) depends on your luck.

Fortunately, finding a totally disastrous house is quite a rare possibility, so don't get ahead of yourself with worry just as yet

Feng Shui - The Real Thing

Your immediate environment exerts the largest influence in the overall Feng Shui of your home - where you are LOCATED is one of the key factors to consider when buying a new home. When engaging a Feng Shui consultant, assuming you have some leeway in this, ask him or her where in your town or city is a good spot to build or purchase a home.

Different areas of a city or town have Qi (energies) that are sourced from different mountains (we call these dragon veins in Feng Shui). The real study of Feng Shui revolves around how to locate the 'correct' spot where the Qi will support your endeavors. Keep in mind that one man's meat is still another's man poison - a spot may not be as suitable for you as it would be for your neighbour.

Obviously, the structure and formation of mountains and Qi flow in the environment (meaning Classical Luan Tou Feng Shui) is out of reach of the average Feng Shui enthusiast at this point in time. However when you engage your consultant, you need to check with him your area's Landform Feng Shui and which choice plots you are able to tap to these Qi.

Many people are under the mistaken assumption that landform Feng Shui is primarily about looking out for "poison" arrows and "Sha Qi" features from your neighbors. To some extent, these are the basics to look out for but keep in mind that we are taking into consideration the MACRO Feng Shui of your property - the WHOLE area. It only makes sense to pick an area that is good from the beginning to work with.

Land And House Selection Criteria

Let's take an example of an area, you arrive to find that the area is extremely windy - BAD Feng Shui. Why? Because wind disperses the Qi. In Kuo-Pu's Burial Book, known as the main source book of all Feng Shui studies today, it is clearly stated that the Wind disperse the Qi. So, if your area has very strong winds, you can be sure that the Qi in your area is not very positive, so give this area a miss.

-> Merciless Tiger and Dragon Embrace

"Merciless what?!", I can already hear the worried cries for help now. The Tiger and Dragon refer to the left and right surrounding hills or even houses. If they do not 'embrace' your land area and instead is outward moving as in the diagram below, this land is one that will not be very suitable. The Qi in this area cannot be contained and you are better off looking elsewhere.


-> Piercing Water

Water in the practice of Feng Shui can help enhance Qi and can just as well do the exact opposite and cause harmful Sha Qi. If the water path (usually in the from of drains or gutters) directly in front of your main door rushes in a straight line, it is known as "Wu Qing Shui" -Merciless Water. This type of water not only drains the Qi of your house, but ultimately emits Sha Qi. If you see such a structure, it would be futile to try and fix this property.


-> Bright Hall

The bright hall refers to the generous space in front of your property. Check that you do indeed have a bright hall and that it is not TOO tight or TOO spacious. If it is too tight, no Qi can accumulate, if it is too broad, then Qi disperses without having a chances to collect. When faced with such structures, move on and keep looking.


-> Hills at the Back and Water in Front

Contrary to popular belief, it is not always necessary to have mountains at the back and a water feature or a lake at the front. This really depends on the overall structure of your landform. Sometimes it can actually be better to face a good mountain to receive Qi directly from the dragon veins.