The Red Lotus Letter Free Weekly Feng Shui Newsletter

ANNUAL AFFLICTIONS

by Kathryn Weber

Publisher, The Red Lotus Letter

www.redlotusletter.com

Feng shui proposes that energy moves and changes within an environment and that the environment affects each individual’s success, career, health, relationships, and so forth. Because the world is not stagnant and, in fact, the entire universe is expanding, contracting, much like a living being, energy within a space is not dead. It's living, changing, evolving...just like us.

So, even though your front door might be facing north, the energy from this direction is different year to year or month to month. That’s why placing objects and planning by the directions only will fall short and why problems or great luck can seemingly change.

This is because each year the energy that is associated with each individual direction (north, south, east, west) and subdirection (southwest, southeast, northwest, northeast) may change drastically after the New Year.

Each year, feng shui energy changes and one year may find that the north direction is imbued with wonderful prosperity or romance energy and the next year it is associated with illness. That’s because the north might be suffering from an affliction.

Each year, there are four positive sectors and four negative sectors. What is most important to know is the four negative sectors because it’s these four sectors that have the greatest opportunity for harming you. These four sectors are called the Annual Afflictions.

Three Main Annual Afflictions

These four afflictions should be addressed each year. To ignore them is to put yourself at financial, health, or relationship peril. These are some of the strongest energies in feng shui, therefore, they should be dealt with strongly.

Always Use the Exhaustive Cycle and Not the Destructive Cycle

A word of caution about the annual afflictions. Many times the tendency is to try to “destroy” the negative energy. You should avoid this overt confrontation with the affliction as this can create more problems for yourself. Instead, work at “exhausting” the affliction. There is more information about this to follow, but it is important for you to note this fine point.

When do these occur?

Each year at about the start of the Chinese solar calender which is usually sometime around February 4th or 5th. However, I have noticed the changing influence to occur as early as January 4th or 5th.

FIVE YELLOW

The Five Yellow affliction occupies 45 degrees of the compass. Therefore, its influence covers a large area of space in your home or office. The five yellow is related to five earth energy. This is because five is associated with the color yellow and with earth. (See Five Element Theory for more information).

The Five Yellow is worst when it is located at important areas, particularly the front door, an office (if you have a home office in an afflicted sector), and your bedroom. It is worse still if your front door, office, or bedroom is located in an earth location, such as northeast, southwest, or center.

The Five Yellow: Serious problems

The Five Yellow can bring disastrous financial and health problems, such as bankruptcy or cancer. Severe problems result when this is not addressed. Simply working in a sector where the Five Yellow is located, opening and closing your front door, being active in a room where the five yellow is located is enough to “activate” it.

Remedy the Five Yellow

The remedy for the Five Yellow is based on the Five Element Theory. To exhaust earth energy, you add metal, making an all-metal, six-rod windchime a perfect way to exhaust the five yellow. Another remedy is to put some earth from the sector where the five yellow is located into a metal jar with a tight-fitting lid. Metal accents and colors of any kind are also beneficial.

If the Five Yellow is at your front door, it would be wise to add a six-rod metal windchime on either side of the door or place six Chinese coins above the doorway. Yet another remedy is the pendulum or chiming clock. If you have a toilet located here, this will help press down the negative energy. Likewise, if there is a large cabinet, closet, or storeroom, this will also help to “lock up” the affliction.

Avoid turning on lights in this sector as lights represent fire and this activates the Five Yellow. Likewise, keep the area quiet and DO NOT DIG here as this will stimulate the five yellow. If possible, avoid the room in this sector. If you have a closet here, keep it closed. If you have the ability to move out of a room that is in the five yellow sector, then do so. If not, make sure that you do apply some kind of remedy. If the five yellow is in the bedroom, a brass wu luo is the best.

NEVER PEFORM RENOVATION OR DIGGING IN THE LOCATION OF THE FIVE YELLOW.

Five Yellow Locations

2006

West

2007

Northeast

2008

South

2009

North

THREE KILLINGS

This affliction is called Sarm Saat IN Chinese. It brings three kinds of problems to the person who suffers from the affliction – all of it related to subterfuge and deception. The three killings is also known as the three curses because of the three kinds of problems it brings (curse for the year, theft or robbery, natural disaster such as fire or flood).

It can also affect the ability to concentrate, communicate, and create harsh words between people. Lawsuits, slander, and libel are also a potential under the three killings influence.

The three killings takes up 45 degrees on the compass. If you sit within those 45 degrees with your back to the direction of the three killings, you are exposing yourself to the harmful influence. As a result, you should NEVER HAVE YOUR BACK TO THE THREE KILLINGS.

Having your back to the Three Killings can occur when you enter a door, sit and watch TV, eat dinner, sit at your desk, etc. So, do make sure that you are not sitting with your back to this direction. It is also important to avoid digging, construction, renovation, or noise in this area.

NEVER PEFORM RENOVATION OR DIGGING IN THE LOCATION OF THE THREE KILLING.

To Remedy the Three Killings

The Three Killings is remedied according to the Chinese astrological year that it is in. For instance, in the Rat or Dragon years, the location is the South. Like the Five Yellow, applying remedies for the Three Killings is also based on the Five Element Theory. You will want to use the element that is exhaustive for the direction that the Three Killings is coming from. However, a good cureall is always metal.

East: Add bright lights and red colors or objects, candles

West: Add water, blue or black colors and objects

South: Crystals, stones, earth objects, yellow and beige colors

North: Plants

Where the Three Killings is Located

2006North

2007West

2008South

2009East

GRAND DUKE JUPITER

The Grand Duke Jupiter is an energy that is associated with authority. For that reason, you do not want to “offend” him or “confront” him in any way. For each year, there is an association, such as “year of the monkey” or “year of the rooster.” Therefore, the Grand Duke is sometimes call the god of the year and he is located in the direction of the particular energy for the year, whether that is dog, monkey, or tiger.

The Grand Duke takes up 15 degrees of the compass. Having his support will give you help throughout the year. That’s why you should not sit facing the direction of the annual energy. As with the other afflictions, you should keep this area quiet and undisturbed. Avoid loud noises and digging or renovating this area of the house. If you are doing a complete renovation, then you can renovate this area. But, do not START or END your renovations in this sector.

Like the Five Yellow and the Three Killing, disturbing this area or confronting the Duke will cause illness, run-ins with police or authority figures, and loss -- such as a job, relationships, etc.

How to Remedy the Grand Duke Jupiter

The only real “remedy” for the Grand Duke is to avoid facing him and keeping the area where he is located quiet and undisturbed.

Where the Grand Duke is Located

2006

W (292.5-307.5)

2007

N-NW ((307.5-322.5)

2008

N (352.7-7.5)

2009

NE (22.5-37.5)

Final Notes About Afflictions

Be aware that if you are digging a swimming pool or undertaking any kind of major renovation, you should never attempt this in an afflicted sector or you should assume you will undergo some kind of severe misfortune or loss.

If you are doing a complete landscape make-over or home renovation, avoid starting or ending the renovation in an afflicted sector.

Large cabinets, closets, storerooms, or closed up rooms will help to “lock up” the afflictions. If you can move out of the afflicted area, do try to do so.

How do you determine where the afflicted sectors are with certainty?

Step 1: Know where everything is

It’s always important to make sure you KNOW for certain where each sector of your home is located. For complete instructions on how to diagram and determine where each sector of your home is, please consult my book Applied Feng Shui. It shows you step by step how to determine where everything is and even includes directions on how to read a compass and apply directions to your space.

Step 2: You must use a compass

It bears repeating that you should never judge the locations and sectors of your home merely by where the sun sets and rises. This gives you approximate locations of directions. For complete directions, you will need to use a compass. A simple compass will do the job, so don't make a big investment. It's just important that all the degrees are marked.

Step 3: Mark the degrees on your diagram

Once you know where the degrees to each affliction are, then you need to mark them on your diagram so you can tell exactly where each affliction falls.

So there you have it! All the afflictions you need to be aware of each and every year. Take the time to note where they are each year and you will be able to offset a number of difficulties!

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Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Red Lotus Letter Feng Shui E-zine and certified feng shui consultant in authentic Chinese feng shui. Kathryn helps her readers improve their lives and generate more wealth with feng shui. For more information and to receive her FREE E-book "Easy Money - 3 Steps to Building Massive Wealth with Feng Shui" visit www.redlotusletter.com and learn the fast and fun way how feng shui can make your life more prosperous and abundant!