The energy in every environment changes on a yearly basis. What was a great energy area this year could become a space of bad energy next year. The energy changes become apparent around the Chinese New Year, celebrated in late January or early February. The moon cycle determines the date of the the New Year. In Classical Feng Shui, the method for dealing with this change is called Flying Stars. In this blog we will focus on the yearly energies, although in reality, energy changes monthly, daily and hourly. The Theory of the Flying Stars is based on the movement of the numbers 1 through 9, called “stars“, on a grid called the Lo Shu square.

I’ll share a story of my fish as an example.  A few years ago, I placed a water feature in the rear left of my family room following one of my teachers’ advice. I placed a 50 gallon fish tank in the southwest corner of the family room along with 9 fish. After the water achieved the right pH level, fish started to multiply.  It was so much fun to see the baby fish appear in the water! It was challenging to count them and see them as they had to hide in order to survive. There were so many baby fish, I decided to have a second tank just for the baby fish. Soon, I had as much as 80 fish, all from the original 9. I was so happy, I thought this was an omen of good things to come, and it was, I was able to share my fish with many friends. By classical Feng Shui teachings, the fish where in the Relationship area of our house.

The Chinese New Year rolled over and the fish started dying. One, two, and sometimes three at a time. It was sad to see them go, I replaced filters, tried different water and new equipment, but they were still dying. My husband thought he would be the better fish tank cleaner and he gave it a try. The fish were still dying.

A few months into the year, I decided to change the location of the fish tank. Now only left with one small fish and one fish tank, the placement of this water feature went to my “Wealth” area, the southeast. After adding more fish, and moving to the southeast, the fish are thriving now. More importantly, there are no dead fish!

Why did this location work and not the other? Why was the fish tank thriving last year and not this year? The answer to why my fish did not survive that location is because the energies in the relationship area were bad the following year. This was the same location that was so full of life-giving energies the previous year, that the fish multiplied in droves. The Wealth area, on the other hand, was enjoying great energies that were good for life.

The energies also affect people in a very similar way, most of the time without us realizing the effects.  My blog on Feng Shui and Foreclosure illustrates this example. If an area that has bad energy is mistakenly enhanced, the people living in the space can suffer from the affliction that is inherent to that area. A client had a beautiful massage room and she worked surrounded with rocks and stones of all kinds, she loved to be surrounded by their energy. A month into the new year, she started having some serious relationship problems at work and at home. Her beautiful massage room happened to be in the Relationship Area, which was over-enhanced. By removing her rocks and bringing metal items, I was able to bring balance to herself and her surroundings so she could make the relationship adjustments. Her life became more centered and peaceful after she worked hard to get the issues resolved.

The best way to deal with the changing of the energies is to be prepared to make subtle changes before the Chinese New Year begins. Being prepared is the best way to avoid many kinds of conflicts, accidents, job loss and even legal problems. After neutralizing the bad energies, enhancing the areas of good energies in order to make them greater is how this great method of Flying Stars works.

Why did I get 9 fish? The number 9 is a number of completion.  Fish not only represent life but also represents movement in the water or Yang water. It means active energy enhancer at work.  One common Feng Shui practice is having 8 red or orange fish and one black fish.  The black fish is said to absorb the bad energy.  Having fish in the home is also a common practice in some parts of India. When a fish dies, it is said to take the bad energy with them.  I learned a big lesson because of the fish and I am grateful for that.