My Experience with Supernatural Feng Shui: What’s Legit and What’s Not

Here’s a story about a “Feng Shui Master” that I’ve encountered in my trip to Taiwan during the winter of 2018.

A close friend of mine asked me to go visit a “fortune teller” with him because he knows my site offers a similar line of business – Bazi astrology reading.

He wouldn’t have gone if it were not for his mom and his aunt. His aunt did a Zi Wei Dou Shu astrology reading for him and revealed a “barren land” in his love department. His aunt was seeking a second opinion from this fortune teller who she held in high regard.

We got to the fortune teller’s shop before my friend’s aunt and the fortune teller. The shop was nicely decorated. They sold a few books about Buddhism and Buddhist prayer beads (bracelets), which had a similar display like a jewelry store. It also had a big poster of a person with a crown. Only days later after the fortune telling session did I realize that the person in the poster was claiming to be the reincarnation of Mi Le Buddha (弥勒佛, the happy/laughing Buddha).

I’m a Buddhist myself, and I didn’t think much of what was going on at that time because the lady at the shop kept talking to us and warming us up. She told us that the fortune teller we’re about to meet is a medical doctor in both Eastern and Western medicine.

Then, the fortune teller and his aunt showed up. The fortune teller was a short skinny guy in his early thirties.

We then began our fortune telling sessions. He was using Tarot cards to do his fortune telling. Before he laid down the tarot cards, he would ask us to respectfully ask some deity to bless the cards. Days later, I realized that we were asking the “reincarnate” of Mi Le Buddha to bless the cards.

The tarot card had some elements of accuracy. (Yes, there’s some truth in tarot card this website.) After our individual tarot reading, both my friend and I each received an individual “spiritual cleaning”.

The “spiritual cleaning” involved him telling a story, using his “third eye” or eye that can see the spiritual world, to get rid of the evil inside of you. For instance, he asked the Great Compassion Buddha (Guan Yin) to use her godly powers to get rid of the spirits of the dead that was strangling me inside. To be honest, it felt like he was reciting from a fantasy novel.

In the final Q&A session, I asked him about the Guan Yin statue that I’ve possessed for about 3-4 years. I told him that I’ve burned incense and recited the Heart Sutra in front of it.

He asked me to show him a picture of it, and I did using the picture I took with my phone. He then told me that he could see “human heads” (in the form of spirits) hiding behind the statue. That conversation started 3-week long worry and stress inside me.

Although I didn’t quite believe what he said (and later I found out that his organization was a fraud, which can be explained in a whole other article), I was still bothered by what he said.

Why? Because of cultural beliefs. Here’s what I mean.

Cultural Beliefs Behind Statues

One of my history teachers back in school taught me that culture was originally passed down for survival. For instance, the ancients would pass down hunting practices or other practices just so we can live a better life. Some of these cultural practices and beliefs still exist today.

The cultural belief for statues, like the Guan Yin statue that I have, is that they can be a “house” for deities and spirits.

However, not all statues can be a “house”. That only happens when you worship it or pray to it.

Or, you can have a master do a ritual to invite a deity to the statue. If that is the case, you then have to constantly worship it by burning incense (or other practices that I’m not aware of). If you stop worshipping it, then the deity will leave, and other spirits can move into that “house”, which can cause REAL damage to the occupants sharing the house with that statue. It is also said that the damage can extend to the family members of those occupants, even if they don’t live in that house.

I’m aware of this belief, which is why I was bothered by the words of the “fortune teller”.

But what does this have to do with Feng Shui?

What is Supernatural Feng Shui (to me)?

The story continues here.

After the fortune teller said he saw “human heads” hiding behind the statue, he then consulted other “masters” in the shop. One of the masters, which he called “Bodhisattva” in Mandarin, was a nun who was just working and walking around the shop. (The short, easy definition of “Bodhisattva” is a Buddha in human form.)

The nun saw the picture, and said that I needed a “Feng Shui cleansing” of the house.

I asked them why that is needed. Their explanation was that the spirits living inside my Kuan Yin statue may have grown all over the house, just as how plants extend their roots on soil. And because my house is an ocean apart from them, they suggested that I use their “remote cleansing service”.

They told me that this remote cleansing service is a “Feng Shui service”. It involves them doing rituals and praying. Because they mentioned this service is part of “Feng Shui”, they crushed every bit of credibility I had for them. They did NOT know that I’ve learned and practiced Classical Feng Shui.

Up until this point, how credible do you think they are? For those of you who practices Classical Feng Shui, I’m sure you’re in the same camp as me.

Anyhow, there are some Feng Shui practices that may seem supernatural. I will briefly discuss them here.

WESTERN Residential Feng Shui Practices that Seem Supernatural

I found a lot of western Feng Shui practices that involves “cleansing”. Here are a few examples that I’ve found:

• Leaving your Feng Shui item in moonlight or sunlight. Or, smudging it with sage or incense.
• Getting rid of negative energy by burning incense.
• Burning things other than incense to clear negative energy.
• Creating a makeshift shrine for house blessing and cleansing.

There are more, but you get my point. To me, these practices are more like rituals. Unlike Classical Feng Shui, you don’t need to look at floor plans or measure directions using the Luo Pan.

I’m not discounting this practice. I do think burning incense can help us bring more peace of mind for some people. However, combining these practices with Feng Shui makes the whole Feng Shui practice more confusing.

EASTERN Residential Feng Shui Practices Related to the Supernatural

For one, there’s worshipping the local spirits, especially when you move into a new place.

The idea is that there’s another spiritual world that lives on the same land as you. The ritual is to make food, wine, and tea offering at a certain time on a certain day. You can choose to consume the food after the offering is made. But from what I’ve heard, some people would have a bad stomach after consuming food that was made for spiritual offerings.

There are also Feng Shui statue placement rules, the same concept which I explained from earlier. Most of the Feng Shui placement rules for statues only applies to the statues that became a “house” for spirits. The rules are VERY important if you decide to bring a spiritual deity inside your home. If the statue is displayed for the purpose of art, then you can neglect most of the Feng Shui statue placement rules.

I won’t get deep into this because it’s a HUGE topic. In the meantime, you can read about some of the statue placement rules by Sally Painter.

Does Classical Feng Shui Completely Exclude the Supernatural?

No, not really.

For those of you who practice Classical Feng Shui, you’re probably thinking that I’m out of my mind now. But hear me out.

I am a BIG fan of Classical Feng Shui. I like what can be measured and calculated. I like to map out the flow of Qi to maximize the effect of Feng Shui.

What I really like is what’s documented from ancient literature, which includes Feng Shui rules that deal with the supernatural.

Also, you need to consider the context of when the ancient literature was written.

In ancient China, it’s common for people to worship their ancestors. Part of the spirit of the ancestors was said to be brought onto a wooden spirit tablet (shown below) and brought home to worship. (I think a ritual needed for that, but I’m not sure because my family doesn’t worship our ancestors.)

For houses that have this kind of altar, the Feng Shui effect is said to multiply.

I won’t get deep into this here. But the point is that many Forms (from the Form School of Feng Shui) that we see today don’t really manifest unless the worship altar is faced towards that Form. These Forms can include light posts, battle axe forms, T-junction forms, and all the sorts.

Thus, if you DON’T have an altar with a statue or ancestral spirit tablet, some Forms will not manifest its Feng Shui effect.

Conclusion

The supernatural elements of Feng Shui exist and I’m sharing with you my thoughts and experience so you know what’s out there. I’ve also shared with you what I think is legit and what’s not.

Here’s a Feng Shui tip: do NOT  discredit the supernatural element of Feng Shui. That’s because some Feng Shui rules are written on the assumption that the ancestral spirit tablet exists and is facing the right direction. The same goes with people who places Buddha or deity statues in their home for worship.

Over to you: have you heard of any other supernatural practices that the practitioner say is part of Feng Shui? If so, please share your experiences with us here!

Victor Cheung

Feng Shui practitioner and blogger of Feng Shui Nexus. I’ve witnessed the efficacy of Feng Shui, astrology and divination. Here, I share my knowledge and experiences with you to get you closer to your goals and dreams. Subscribe to get email updates or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.