Outdoors & Approach

Classical feng shui treats a corner plot with caution, not because a corner is inherently bad, but because a plot facing two streets usually takes in faster, more direct traffic — cars, wind, noise — from two directions instead of one. Form School calls this exposure a “secret arrow.” Compass School and the BTB (Black … Read more

Feng shui traditions generally treat a basement flat as compromised chi (qi) — the term for the quality of light, air and movement in a space — because it sits below ground level, gets less natural light, and has a weaker connection to what Form School calls the “mouth of chi” at street level. None … Read more

Feng shui treats a balcony or terrace as an extension of the home’s chi (qi) — the flow of air and energy the tradition associates with a space — not as an outdoor afterthought. Classical Form School reasoning focuses on what the balcony overlooks and whether it stays open and clear; the BTB adaptation additionally … Read more

Feng shui traditions generally treat a garage facing the street as a secondary entrance that competes with the front door for the house’s chi (qi), the flow of energy the tradition treats as entering a home through its openings. The concern is usually about which door dominates, not the garage itself. This is not one … Read more

Feng shui treats water outside the home as a carrier of chi (qi) — the tradition’s term for circulating energy — and judges it mainly by movement, shape and position relative to the front door. Slow, clean, curving water is generally read as favourable; fast, straight or stagnant water is not. No school treats water … Read more

In Form School (Xingshi) feng shui, a house on a slope is judged by what is behind it and what is in front of it, not by the slope itself. Land rising behind the house is traditionally read as support; land falling away steeply in front, or a house perched with nothing behind it, is … Read more

Feng shui treats a garden gate as the first threshold chi (qi, the tradition’s term for circulating energy or breath) crosses before it reaches a house. Form School reads the gate mainly through sightlines, alignment and what it faces; Compass School and the BTB adaptation add directional readings. No school claims a gate causes wealth … Read more

Feng shui traditions generally treat a large tree very close to a house as a problem, though the reasoning differs by school. Form School focuses on whether the tree blocks the view, light or approach to the door. Compass School considers its direction from the house. Neither school treats all trees as bad — a … Read more

Feng shui traditions generally hold that the path to the front door should be visible, unobstructed, and not aimed at the door in a straight, fast line. Practitioners describe a path that curves gently, is kept clear of clutter, and is lit well enough to find at night as one that lets chi move into … Read more

Feng shui, in its Form School tradition, treats a house sitting at the closed end of a T-junction — facing straight down the incoming road — as a poor position. The road is read as a channel that sends fast-moving chi directly at the building’s front door, an arrangement classical texts describe as a “secret … Read more