The Feng Shui guide for 2018, Chinese Year of the Dog.

In this article I give you all the good and bad sectors and directions for the Feng Shui of 2018, year of the Dog. I am going to explain which areas of your house or business should not be disturbed in 2018, year of the Earth Dog, and which can be used or enhanced. Those sectors are determined by the energy of each year and by a combination of Feng Shui and Chinese oracles: the Flying stars and the Qi Men Dun Jia.

2018 is the Yang Earth Dog year in Chinese astrology. The Dog is one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. Each sign is linked to specific years but also to specific locations and directions on the Chinese compass (the Luo Pan). This is how we can determine the good and challenging sectors of each year. There are then additional calculations to determine more sectors and I’ll walk you through them.

A challenging sector can affect you if you disturb it. This can be done in several ways:

if your main door or bedroom is located in it
if you play loud music or bang a door in these sectors (depends of the day)
If you renovate your home or business in these areas
If there is close construction work in your neighbourhood in these directions

Once disturbed, it can bring accidents, illness, money loss or robbery. It is therefore wise to respect them…

How are the good and bad Feng Shui sectors of 2018 determined?

Like every year, the Chi of the year brings different sectors and directions that are better left undisturbed, while some other can be very beneficial. How are those good and bad sectors determined? By something called the annual afflictions, as well as by the position of the Flying Stars.

The annual afflictions are in details:

the Tai Sui or Grand duke Jupiter ;
the Sui Po or year breaker ;
the San Sha or three killings
the Wu Wang or 5 yellow, an annual Flying Star.

To understand the principle, you have to see that Feng Shui and Chinese astrology are connected: one speaks about space, the other time. They constantly interact together. For example, our living spaces are influenced by time events. In macro Feng Shui, the shapes of mountains and the placement of rivers and oceans for a given city become auspicious or challenging depending of the time period we are in. We are currently in period 8 until the end of 2023. In period 9, different landforms will become auspicious. Besides the period, each year brings a specific Chi and determine good and bad sectors and direction for the Feng Shui of that year…You can see last year article about the 2017 Feng Shui sectors.

How were those locations determined? Originally, by studying the orbit of Jupiter that takes 12 years = 12 different positions in the sky on a circular axis. Jupiter is considered to be a divinity in Chinese cosmology, called the Great Duke Jupiter or Tai Sui. Where Jupiter “sits” in regard to the Earth axis for a given year is the location of the associated zodiac sign, and location of the energy of the year.

Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/scottcawley/

Tai Sui, Sui Po, San Sha, 5 yellow: the Feng Shui of 2018.

The Dog sign and its specific Chi will stay with us for 12 months. Chinese metaphysics use a calendar that accounts for both lunar and solar time. In the lunar calendar, this Chinese New Year starts on the Friday the 16th of February 2018. For the solar calculation, it will start on the 4th of February 2018. To be on the safe side, best is to already following the auspicious/challenging Feng Shui sectors from the date of the 4th of February.

Each sign of the year occupies a precise location in space. What matters is the animal of the Chinese zodiac for the year, and where it usually lives. On the Chinese compass, the Dog sign is located in the Northwest 1 (292.6°- 307.5° on the compass). What it means is that Northwest 1 is where the energy of this specific year “resides” in 2018. This sector receives the strongest Chi (energy) in 2018.

Tai Sui: the Grand Duke Jupiter location in 2018.

Northwest 1 is therefore the sector and direction under the Tai Sui, or Grand duke Jupiter affliction. It basically means that it should be left undisturbed the whole year, as its energy is too strong. Some Feng Shui practitioners will only account for the sector that is Northwest 1. Realistically, most of you don’t know where it starts and finishes inside your home. You can however figure out which rooms occupy the Northwest sector on your floor plan. So I always prefer to consider that the whole sector should be left undisturbed…

For Feng Shui, the Tai Sui or Grand Duke Jupiter annual affliction is in the Northwest in 2018. The first direction to not disturb in 2018, year of the Earth Dog, is Northwest.

The Tai Sui is in Northwest in 2018. Image copyright: Laurent Langlais 2018.

Sui Po: the year breaker location in 2018.

Then we move to the second location. This one occupies the sector that is directly opposite to the energy/location of the year’s sign. If the year’s Dog is in Northwest 1, then the opposite sector to no disturb is…wait for it…Southeast 1! Easy isn’t it?

The Dragon sign occupies this location and so it also explains why people born under this sign have to be “cautious” in 2018. You will soon read my 12 Chinese signs horoscope for 2018 on this blog.

This opposite location is known as the Sui Po or “Year breaker”. The Dragon occupies Southeast 1 (112.6° – 127.5° on the compass). By extension, the whole Southeast sector is best left undisturbed to be on the safe side.

For Feng Shui, the Sui Po or year breaker annual affliction is in Southeast in 2018. The second sector to not disturb in 2018, year of the Earth Dog, is Southeast.

The Sui Po is in Southeast in 2018. Image copyright: Laurent Langlais 2018.

San Sha: the 3 Killings location in 2018.

Then we move to the next affliction known as the 3 Killings, or San Sha in Chinese. Don’t worry about the name: Chinese metaphysics like spectacular names, but it doesn’t means something as bad the “3 killings” would happen to you if you disturb it…This sector is determined by something a bit more technical, so follow me if you are not familiar with Chinese metaphysics.

In Chinese astrology, Feng Shui but also medicine, we work with the theory of the 5 Elements (or 5 phases). It is merely a name that states that the Chi takes five different primary energies…Each of the 12 astrological signs that can rule a year belong to one of those Elements, and to something called an “Elemental frame”. An Elemental frame is basically 3 connected signs, which form the cycle of one Element. There is an Elemental frame for Water, Wood, Fire and Metal; none for the Earth that is “special” (leave here alone, she’s special!). And so, 4 Elemental frames of 3 signs = 12 astrological signs of course…

Last year’s Rooster sign belonged to the Metal Frame. This year’s Dog belongs to the Fire frame. It is actually the end, or storage of the Fire Element (even if an Earth sign). The Fire is born in the Tiger sign, reaches its peak in the Horse and is stored in the Dog sign.

Ok! So, as those three signs all occupy a “sector” inside a direction, drawing the frame between the three gives us a triangle. The San Sha is basically the sector that is directly opposite the peak of this triangle. The peak of this Fire frame in 2018 is the Horse sign, which is South 2. Therefore the San Sha, in the opposite direction, is in North.

In Feng Shui, the San Sha or three killing annual afflictions is in the North in 2018. The third “bad” sector to not disturb in 2018, year of the Earth Dog, is North.

The San Sha is in North in 2018. Image copyright: Laurent Langlais 2018.

Wu Wang: the 5 yellow flying star in 2018

And finally, we have the location of the Flying stars. If you are not familiar with the term, think of the flying stars as some form of “Chinese numerology” that determines good and back sector depending of where the numbers fall each year. The numbers represent a specific Qi at work and not just numbers…

While technically all 9 Flying stars have their influence, we look at the 8 and the 5 first and foremost. The 5 yellow annual Flying Star, that is considered most negative, flies into the North sector in 2018. With this one, it is also recommended to not travel along the South-North axis, in 2018 if possible: especially during months when North and South are more affected.

In Feng Shui, the 5 Yellow sickness star is in North in 2018. This sector is affected twice this year, and is therefore very sensitive…

The Wu Wang or 5 Flying star is in the North in 2018. Image copyright: Laurent Langlais 2018.

Good Feng Shui: the auspicious sectors & directions for 2018.

Now, what about the auspicious sectors for 2018? Well yes there are some! There is a Yin to every Yang, and vice-versa. Time to see how the other directions and sectors, or “palaces” in Feng Shui, fare in 2018.

To determine the auspicious directions and sectors, we are interested into the combination of the annual Flying Stars and the Men Dun Jia plate/chart for this year. Don’t be impressed by the name here. The Qi Men Dun Jia is another form of Chinese metaphysics. It used to be a war oracle but can now be used to predict where the good Qi is for a specific place and time. It is therefore useful to combine it with the other predictive oracle that is the Flying Stars.

If you are part of my membership, this is the oracle that I use to determine the 4 lucky feng shui boosts of each month. You can join in here.

The 8 Flying Star that boosts wealth and money flies in the Southeast sector this year. As Southeast is however affected by the Sui Po affliction (the year breaker), it is tricky to use it and activate for wealth. So this opportunity is lost somehow…The silver lining is if your bedroom or main door is in Southeast, as it balances out part of the negative effects of this sector.

Luckily, we still have the Qi Men Dun Jia for yearly and monthly activations.

Qi Men Dun Jia for 2018, year of the Earth Dog.

For the Qimen, the good and bad sectors in 2018, year of the Earth Dog, are as follow:

Southwest and West are neutral.
Northeast is good for marriage and travel.
The other sectors are negative, and North is also badly affected.

Now as a bonus, if we look at the other flying stars of the year 2018, we see that:

North, West, East and Northeast have challenging stars;
Southeast, Southwest, Northwest, South and the centre have good flying stars.

As often, the Qimen and flying stars don’t match. I follow and use the Qimen much more, and therefore it is the determining factor for me. We can now summarize all those findings.

All the good and bad directions and sectors for 2018, the Dog year.

When combining all aspects: annual Feng Shui afflictions, the flying stars and the Qi Men Dun Jia, we end up with this ranking from best to worse:

These directions and sectors receive mixed influences and are “average”:

South
Southwest
Northeast
East
Centre (but cannot be used for activations)

This direction and sector is below average:

West

These directions and sectors are the most severely affected:

Southeast
Northwest
North (the worse sector this year)

There is no real direction that is absolutely auspicious in 2018: however in Feng Shui for the Dog year, southwest and northeast are the two directions that receive the best mixed influences. North is the absolute worth in 2018.

In blue, the best sectors. In grey, the average. In pink, below average. In red: bad. Copyright: Laurent Langlais 2018.

You can read what the good and challenging Feng Shui sectors and direction were in 2017.

Annual Feng Shui afflictions: what not to do at home?

What should we do to respect the annual afflictions? Well, mostly left them undisturbed: it is as simple as that…so ideally, do NOT renovate in those areas in 2018. If you have to, avoid disturbing North the most, and be also very careful with Northwest and Southeast. If you absolutely need to do renovations, contact me so I can calculate a good day and month for it, and to avoid triggering problem with your Bazi (Four Pillars = Chinese astrology chart) and in your life.

If a building is in construction or renovated next to your home in the North, Southeast or Northwest direction, it is not ideal either and can trigger some challenges, such as money loss or accidents. A Feng Shui consultation for the year 2018 can also provide you with solutions to buffer those energies and stimulate the good areas.

If you disturb one of those sector by mistake, best is to leave your place for a couple of hours just after you did, or even better go away for a few days until the effect dissipate…As once activated, it is random luck to know if it going to hit you or not. Best is then to focus on good deeds and paying your homage to the divinities you believe in: it can help. So try to respect them, but don’t stop living either…Outside of this, avoid making loud noises in those sectors: loud music, slamming doors, banging on the walls with a hammer etc. As for not facing them, in all honesty, it is not a big deal and at some point you will face them in your home anyway. If you can, make sure your desk or bed is not directly facing them, but this is not the most important.

What if you sleep or work in those sectors? While it is not ideal, you can still get away with it if you respect the same rules. If the room you sleep in receives the right Chi for you and has the right colours, you can buffer some of the negative influences.

Buying properties with the right Feng Shui in 2018

How do these annual afflictions: Tai Sui, Sui Po, San Sha and Flying stars affect a property that you could buy during the Dog year? If you buy the wrong property, it can trigger years of bad luck. Ideally, you would avoid in this order:

A property with the main door located in North, or Northwest. Southeast is not ideal, but you can get away with it due to the annual 8 flying star that helps.
A property with the main façade toward North, Northwest or Southeast.

Those are the main two ones to avoid, if possible. Additionally you might want to avoid the following IF you move in and sleep in this house in 2018.

A property with the main bedroom in one of these three sectors of Northwest, Southeast or North: unless it is excellent for your Bazi and your partner’s Bazi.
A property that will need renovation in those sectors, if you live in it at the same time

It is of course advanced knowledge to assess the quality of a new property and the pros and cons that it will bring for you, besides the façade, main door and master bedroom placement. Investing into the proper Feng Shui setup can manifest a better luck and real opportunities for decades to come…Don’t bargain with such investment and always have a genuine Feng Shui master help to select the best property for you. I consult worldwide…

Keep in mind that if you buy such a property this year – let’s say with the façade in North and main door in Northwest – you can still avoid some of the potential negative effects if you do not move in during this Dog year. 2019 will be another story altogether…

In the following articles we will look at:

The methods to boost your luck for the Dog year;
Your 12 signs Chinese horoscope for 2018
My Chinese astrology world predictions for 2018
The lucky tips for the Chinese New year.

I also have a few bags left of Taoist incense to burn in order to refresh the Qi in your house (or business). It is traditional to do such cleansing during the first month of the Chinese year; you can read the full manual in my articles 13 Feng Shui tips for a lucky year of the Earth Dog 2018.

So come back to visit this blog and follow me on Facebook and Twitter to be sure you get all the updates in time:

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The Feng Shui guide for 2018, Chinese Year of the Dog. 16