Talks on Feng Shui with Dr. Hsu
18: Ideal Four Features Model
The ideal Feng Shui setting requires that the Four Features – Mountain, Guardian Hills, Energy Spot, and Water – have balanced quantity, good quality, and ideal coordination.
In the previous post, we discussed the quantity and quality of the Four Features.
The presence and the coordination of the Four Features directly relates to the Feng Shui of the site. However, not every place has the presence of all Four Features. Some places are so mountainous that there is no flat land. Other places, like deserts, have no water features. And prairies do not have mountains.
In addition, the composition of the Four Features also varies a lot. Sometimes you have narrow flat land between two mountain ranges.
What is the ideal setting?
- You should have all Four Features present.
- You should have good coordination between the Features.
In old times, when choosing a place to settle, people followed their survival instincts and generally settled on a piece of flat land in between a body of water and a mountain. This is simply because those features provided a convenient source of food and water as well as protection from the natural elements.
Interestingly, even today in all parts of the world, people most often position their homes with the Mountain or protection feature behind the house and the front door facing Water or an open field. This follows common sense. A mountain behind provides protection and makes people feel less vulnerable.
Water, or open space in front, commands what is coming to the house; it allows expanding vision and thoughts. In this sense, what is behind protects, and what is in front, expands.
This seemingly commonsense approach may not be derived from a conscious effort alone, but rather from the subconscious inner thoughts wishing to resonate with the outer physical world.
As with all living things, humans have a built-in natural energy pattern. When we resonate with the outside natural setting, we feel harmonious and balanced.
If we look at the human body, we can easily see how it relates to the Four Features Model. In the human body, support comes from the spine at the back of the body like the Mountain. Arms, legs, and ribs, providing support and protection, are on the sides like Guardian Hills. The important organs are located in the center, the Energy Spot. And the openings for interaction with the outside world – eyes, nose, mouth, and ears – are in front as the Water feature.
It is no surprise that people choose to live with an external pattern that is in alignment with the way their own body is structured – as shown in the diagram below.
In the animal kingdom, we also see how instinctively animals follow this pattern. For example, species that inhabit in caves tend to position themselves facing the cave entrance when resting. This way they have a Mountain feature at back, and the Water feature – or opening, in the front.
In resonance with the human body structure, the ideal composition of the Four Features Model is: Energy Spot in the center, Mountain at back, Water or open space in front, and Guardian Hills on both sides of the Energy Spot.
