To benefit from the practice of Flying Star Feng Shui, we must activate positive Stars and deactivate negative Stars. By doing so, we can help enhance the Earth Luck component of our fates. If we also adjust our behavior (Human Luck), we can control up to 2/3 of the influences that determine the paths our lives will take!
There are two ways to activate or deactivate Stars. The more effective method is to use external forms. Forms always take precedence over formulae in Feng Shui, so they have a powerful influence upon the Stars. The secondary method is to use Five-Phase "remedies" and "enhancers" to weaken or strengthen the Stars.
In the Facing Stars and Sitting Stars lesson, we covered the fact that Facing Stars can be activated by water features, activity, doorways and other Yang features, and that Sitting Stars are activated by quiet and inactivity, along with mountain features. In this context, a Water feature is considered Yang by nature, more so than a representative of the Water Phase of Qi. Thus, even though the current Wang Qi Star, 8-White, is associated with the Earth Phase, and Earth Qi clashes with Water Qi, the presence of water feature can still activate the 8-White Facing Star. The same applies to mountain forms, which are considered more a representative of Yin than of the Earth Phase.
Here are examples of how to deal with specific Stars if using the Five Phase cycles to enhance or weaken them:
Although 8-White is associated with the Earth Phase, and Earth is produced by Fire, the use of Fire as an enhancer for the 8-White Star should be employed with care. This is because the Earth Qi of 8-White is "soft" by nature, and Earth produced from Fire is "harder". The use of Fire to enhance 8-White can cause stagnation, not progress. It's best to use forms and activity or inactivity to enhance the 8-White Facing and Sitting Stars.
Since 1-White is associated with Water, it can be enhanced by adding a Water feature to the sector (if possible), or adding Metal to the sector, since Metal produces Water.
As mentioned before, the best way to deal with a sector afflicted with the 5-Yellow or 2-Black Star is to avoid the sector, or locate a closet, bathroom, guest room or other less-used area of the house in the sector. If this is not feasible, you can use forms/activity levels to activate or deactivate the Star, or you can add Metal to weaken the Earth Qi of 5-Yellow or 2-Black. Another cure that is sometimes recommended for 2-Black is the use of a dried calabash gourd, called a Wu Luo in Chinese. This is a traditional remedy that is said to weaken 2-Black's influence. Wind chimes are also effective.
3-Jade is associated with the Wood Phase, so it is possible to use Fire to weaken its effects. A lamp with a red shade can be effectively used as a Fire remedy, as can an oil lamp or candle lit in the sector (where it is safe to do so). The use of the color red to represent the Fire Phase is sometimes recommended as well. To represent Fire Qi, an object should be red, and should ideally emit light and heat. The presence of actual fire, therefore, is best, followed by the use of a lamp. Adding a lot of red color to the walls or fabrics of the environment would be a distant third best solution.
4-Green is associated with the Wood Phase. Because it is currently untimely, 4-Green is weak and needs to be enhanced if its positive effects are to manifest. This can be done by adding a small amount of Water to the sector. This could even be something like a vase of water with a stalk of bamboo or something in it, or a tabletop water fountain, as opposed to an aquarium or large external water feature that would be used to activate a positive Facing Star like 8-White. Using too much Water with the 4-Green Star can stimulate its negative nature.
The 7-Red Star is associated with Metal, so it can be weakened with the use of Water.
It is very important to remember that properly applied Feng Shui does not mean putting a "cure" in every room of the house or making your area look like a Chinese restaurant. If a negative Star afflicts your bathroom, for example, there is no point in curing it, because it is unlikely that you will spend enough time in the area to be affected seriously. Also, when placing cures, there is no need to worry about considerations like "how many rods should a wind chime have?" or "how many fish should go in my aquarium?". The remedies and enhancers are based on the Five Phases, not symbolism or numerology. Finally, don't just enhance wealth by promoting positive Facing Stars without also considering health. Remember, Feng Shui is about BALANCE!
