The Building Whisperer

The Star Lifestyle, Malaysians Abroad

Feng Shui grandmaster and his daughter Hwee Boon, who is also well-versed in the ways of Feng Shui

Feng shui masters believe that we can alter one-third of our luck by applying the principles of feng shui to harness the life-giving forces of nature, writes MAJORIE CHIEW.

IS FENG shui a superstitious practice? Does it involve evil spirits? The answer to both questions is an emphatic “No”, says Yap Cheng Hai, grandmaster of feng shui.

Feng shui is a science based on the systematic and formulated knowledge of the philosophy of Tao and the impact of the complex forces of nature on our lives, says Yap. It is also the art of strategic alignment and positioning of our workspace and living space according to the influence of qi, the energy or life force of the universe.

Simply put, Yap will tell you that the ultimate practice of feng shui is “to harness beneficial forces (and avoid harmful ones) to promote personal health, harmony and prosperity.

“Feng shui actually works!” Yap enthuses.

Yap began studying feng shui seriously 50 years ago. His two young sons then were always falling ill with bouts of bronchitis or asthma attacks. After five years of visits to the doctor, the boys were still doing poorly.

“From my study of feng shui, I discovered what was wrong, especially the position of the bed,” said Yap.

He moved their beds around. After practising feng shui for two months, Yap said the boys’ condition improved.

Yap has provided feng shui advice to countless business tycoons, politicians, members of royalty, celebrities and spiritual leaders all over the world. He has travelled extensively to deliver powerful talks on the life-changing secrets of feng shui and helped countless individuals to improve their fortune and quality of life.

Yap was addressing participants at an inaugural two-day feng shui for beginners course conducted by his daughter, Hwee Boon. Fondly known as Boon, she is the principal of Feng Shui for Enriching Lives, a Melbourne-based company offering consultancy and classes in feng shui. Boon started her feng shui classes in April this year when her father’s clients approached her to teach the subject. She took up feng shui out of her deep love for the subject.

Boon, who resides in Australia, runs a successful business consultancy in strategic marketing and business development for the highly technical biomedical industry. She operates at an international level, introducing US biomedical technologies into the Asia-Pacific region.

“The skills in interpreting feng shui come from experience as well as the individual’s ability to assimilate knowledge,” says Boon, who advised the participants to abandon whatever preconceptions they had about feng shui and learn from the course.

The Beginners Intensive Course provides the groundwork for the study of feng shui. It covers the fundamentals of feng shui; principles of Forms, Eight Mansions and Flying Stars; and the vital secrets of effective application.

Under the fundamentals of feng shui, participants will learn about qi, the principles of yin and yang, the five elements and the two systems of classical feng shui, among other topics.

The principles of Forms focus on the four celestial animals - the white tiger, red phoenix, green dragon and black tortoise - which influence the feng shui of a place; how to select ideal sites; and recognising poison arrows. Participants will also learn about the concept of Eight Mansions, and how to use related formulae and reference charts.

Lessons on Flying Stars will teach students how to fly the stars, plot the charts and understand the principles. A good student is capable of knowing the feng shui of his house by simply flying the stars!

More importantly, Boon shows her students how to use these methodologies to remove contradictions and achieve results.

The three types of luck or cosmic trinity is a fundamental concept of the universe involving Heaven, Man and Earth. A person’s luck is said to be under the influence of these three entities in the cosmic trinity.

“Heaven luck (fate or destiny) is what we’re born with. It cannot be changed and affects one-third of our lives,” says Boon. “Man luck is what we achieve through hard work, education, perseverance, and what we do. It affects another third of our lives. Man luck is within our control to a large extent.

“Earth luck has to do with feng shui. It is the art of harnessing the energy or forces of nature. This aspect of luck affects one-third of our lives, and is left in our hands to do as we please. By applying the principles of feng shui in our homes, we can alter one-third of our luck.” Under the five elements of feng shui (fire, earth, metal, water and wood), one learns how to interpret the qualities of qi involving these five elements, according to their productive, weakening and destructive cycles.

The feng shui of a house, says Boon, is determined by three important factors: the position of the main door, stove/kitchen, and the master bedroom. One can learn to identify auspicious and inauspicious qi, and harness the life-giving forces for one’s well-being.

Sharp or jagged edges pointing at one’s house or property are deemed to be poison arrows which bring sar qi (inauspicious qi).

Boon relates how the owners of a building in Kuala Lumpur sought her father’s advice when a very tall structure was built in front of their building.

“The new construction looked really threatening and my father advised the owners to build a beautiful rock garden in front of their building to draw auspicious qi in.”

Houses sitting on the curve of a road are also said to be in the path of the sar qi. Houses facing T-junctions are also in the direct path of bad qi.

Interior designer Shobana Sivalingam, who attended Boon’s basic feng shui course, believes that her newly-acquired knowledge will enable her to be a better designer and give her clients more value for their money.

Another happy participant was contractor C. Kam. Kam proved to be a good student who could “fly the stars” (that is, work out the feng shui of a house).
“I hope to study the feng shui of my house and improve on it,” said Kam.

Home Concepts magazine

The Importance of Our Home

For most of us, our home represents the most expensive single purchase we will ever make in our lives. Most of us go to some lengths to inspect its structural integrity. We may then spend a good deal more redecorating, to suit our individual tastes. Why?

Because for those with sufficient means it is a showpiece. For the great majority (workaholics excepted), it is the one place where we spend most of our waking and sleeping hours. Most importantly, it embodies our inner sanctity. So it is not surprising to find that homeowners and even those renting, are turning to the traditional Chinese science and art of Feng Shui.

Does Feng Shui truly work?
Yes - but only if done properly. Feng Shui has the ability to not only safeguard the well-being of your family, but the power to truly enrich your life, bringing good health, harmony and prosperity.

Authentic classical Feng Shui is about:

• Compass direction and location of ‘forms’ i.e. mountains, buildings, rivers, roadways, the shape, size, appearance and lay of the land.
• Determining energy flows in and around the property.
• How the Five Elements are carried in these energies and interact with the surroundings.
• Time influence on the above.

So would you leave your chances to mere colours, wind-chimes, mandarin ducks or money frogs?

How to identify a good practitioner
The ability to harness your Feng Shui luck, depends on the practitioner. If family welfare and optimising your good fortune is important to you, then ensure your Feng Shui is performed by a qualified consultant who has in-depth knowledge of the classical systems, has some years of experience and brings a handy dose of insight.

There are currently many self-proclaimed masters. It is important to differentiate the authentic from the ‘pop’, and the true masters from the commercial.

But, what if we want to do it ourselves?

Can we achieve a good understanding of Feng Shui from books?

Are you confused by the contradictions in Feng Shui books?

Authentic, classical Feng Shui is very complex to communicate in print. To begin, there are several systems and numerous formulae, which contradict each other. To add to the confusion, there are many lineages that differ within their individual methodologies, but are effective in their own way. Assuming of course the author is privy to these secrets in the first place.

Unavoidably, many authors are only able to document a small part of the discipline, which really only provides a piece of the jigsaw puzzle. Of this, they may focus only on the tangible - like the use of symbols and recognising ‘forms’.

For these reasons, Feng Shui continues to be a mystery to many and eludes those interested in reaping the full benefits.

A word of caution. As Feng Shui is about harnessing the beneficial energy of the environment, inappropriate practices can inadvertently tap the negative forces and cause harm. Books can provide a starting point on your journey to understanding this ancient wisdom. But to gain sufficient knowledge to practice on oneself and others, it is best to learn from a recognised and credible source.

Learn authentic classical Feng Shui from the Yap Cheng Hai Lineage
Now you can acquire the knowledge and skills of authentic classical Feng Shui from Yap Hwee Boon, a direct lineage of the famous, Grandmaster Yap Cheng Hai. Grandmaster Yap is a well-respected scholar, teacher and practitioner of Feng Shui, who in recent years has been responsible for introducing the most comprehensive aspect of this classical Eastern wisdom to the West.

About Boon, Principal Consultant and Instructor
Boon is the only daughter of Grandmaster Yap Cheng Hai, and resides in Australia. She is a scientist with a BSc Hons in biochemistry and MSc in medical research, plus an MBA. Boon has been in executive management for bio-medicine and now runs a successful business consultancy in strategic marketing and international business development.

Her lifelong association and deep interest in Feng Shui, has led to requests for her Feng Shui expertise on commercial and residential properties in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, USA, UK, Taiwan and Thailand. She shares her father’s vision in making authentic Feng Shui accessible to all, through his worldwide YCH Professional Feng Shui SeriesTM classes. Boon will be lecturing at a series of classes in Kuala Lumpur in September.

Boon promotes a deep understanding of this ancient wisdom and provides her expert Feng Shui
know-how, to those who wish to enrich their lives by living in harmony with the forces of nature. Her vision is for this ancient wisdom to achieve modern context in our daily lives.