Chiyang Daoren, Eastern Taoism
The surroundings of a home (called the “outer landforms,” or wai luantou, in feng shui) include all kinds of tangible things around it, such as roads, buildings, bridges, trees, streams, hills, and rocks. These things also affect the good or ill fortune, blessings or calamities, of those who live in a dwelling of the living (yangzhai).
1. Spear Sha
The classic says: “A straight road is a spear.” If a straight road in front of a home points directly at its front door, the road clashes with the home and it suffers from Spear Sha, which portends the gradual decline of the family's health and incidents of bloodshed.
Remedy: First, hang a bead curtain or set up a screen; second, place a gold ingot or a pair of qilin wind chimes at the window.
2. Back-Striking Sha
In Back-Striking Sha, a straight road points not at the front of the house but at its back. It portends being beset by petty people: no matter how hard one tries, things never go smoothly.
Remedy: Hang a gourd at the back of the home.
3. Slanting Spear Sha
A road beside the home strikes it at a slant. Suffering from it portends accidents and financial loss. A slanting spear on the left harms the Azure Dragon and portends harm to the men of the family; a slanting spear on the right harms the White Tiger and portends harm to the women.
Remedy: Hang a bead curtain or set up a screen.
4. Pointed-Arrow Sha
Two roads from the left and right meet in front of the home, forming a triangle that shoots straight at it. Suffering from it portends losing money and frequent illness.
Remedy: Placing a lotus cup and ancient “Five Emperors” coins at the position in the home where the sha is seen can reduce its baleful nature.
5. Scissors Sha
Formed where three or four roads intersect, like a pair of scissors about to cut the home away. It portends financial loss, loss of family members, and accidental injury.
Remedy: Placing a lotus cup and ancient “Five Emperors” coins at the position in the home where the sha is seen can reduce its baleful nature.
6. Foot-Cutting Sha
The home is very close to a highway or bridge. It portends that the family's fortunes will go up and down and that money will be hard to accumulate.
Remedy: There is no fixed method, because its hallmark is fluctuating fortune: in good times one becomes greatly rich and noble, and when one's luck runs out one falls a thousand zhang. One remedy is to place an Eight White jade at the prosperous-qi position, but the prosperous-qi position changes every year, so take note.
7. Sickle Sha
It is generally held that an overpass curving outward and slicing toward the home is a Great Sickle, which portends bloodshed or fluctuating fortune. A road curving outward in front of the home is a Lesser Sickle, also called a Blunt Sickle.
Remedy: Placing a pair of bronze horses and Five Emperors white jade at an auspicious position can resolve this sha.
8. Knife-Chop Sha
A road chops at the home like a knife. Its sha qi is lighter than that of Sickle Sha, but suffering from it still portends injuries and frequent accidents.
Remedy: Placing a “Dragon God Throne” in the home can resolve the bloodshed brought by Knife Sha.
9. Heaven-Cleaving Sha
The front of the home directly faces a narrow gap between two tall buildings. It portends frequent illness and a weak constitution, and in serious cases bloodshed.
Remedy: A simple method is to place bronze horses, while the fundamental cure is to set out large bronze coins and ancient Five Emperors coins. If the situation is serious, the remedy is to set a pair of qilin facing directly toward where the sha qi comes from, which can block the sha.
10. Flying-Blade Sha
The front of the home directly faces the corner of a tall building. It portends health problems and a proneness to accidents.
Remedy: Place two strings of Five Emperors white jade against the wall at the position struck by the Flying-Blade Sha. If that position also suffers from an inauspicious star of the year (annual luck), place two qilin and a mantra gourd there as well.
11. Pointed-Arrow Sha
Two roads from the left and right meet in front of the home, forming a triangle that shoots straight at it. Suffering from it portends losing money and frequent illness.
Remedy: Placing a lotus cup and ancient Five Emperors coins at the position in the home where the sha is seen can reduce its baleful nature.
12. Reflected-Light Sha
The front of the home faces a tall building whose outer walls are made entirely of glass; when the sun shines on the glass, it reflects into the home. It portends unstable emotions, a violent temper, and an uneasy mind, and in serious cases bloodshed.
Remedy: The usual remedy for Reflected-Light Sha is to hang light-diffusing curtains. You can also apply translucent frosted film to the windows, then place two strings of mantra gourds at the left and right corners of the window and add one wooden gourd to resolve it. Where the reflection is weak, the wooden gourd is unnecessary; where it is strong, placing two more strings of ancient Five Emperors coins with white jade mantra charms will resolve it.
13. Solitary Yang Sha
The home is too close to a place of solitary sha, such as a temple or church. It portends that the occupants will be solitary in character and quick-tempered, have poor luck, and experience inexplicable strange happenings.
Remedy: Hang a wooden gourd that has undergone consecration (kaiguang) and an Eight Trigrams (bagua) luopan clock on the wall facing the sha. If the owner is weak and often ill, add two strings of mantra gourds at the same position.
14. Solitary Yin Sha
The home is near a place of yin sha, such as a cemetery, funeral home, or hospital. It portends hidden illnesses, poor luck, and frequent nightmares for the occupants.
Remedy: If the Solitary Yin Sha comes from outside, placing a wooden gourd and ancient Five Emperors coins in the home can transform its baleful qi. If the Solitary Yin Sha is inside the home, hang four strings of mantra gourds on the wall of the room next to the toilet.
15. Towering Sha
The home is very close to a building much taller and larger than itself. It portends being easily deceived, feeling oppressed, having a fault-finding boss, and failing in one's career. But if that building is behind the home, it becomes instead a backing mountain and is regarded as auspicious.
Remedy: At the end closer to the taller building, place a bronze elephant, which can gather in the qi that would leak away.
16. Spear Sha
The front of the home faces a dead-end alley. Suffering from it portends poor health and career setbacks.
Remedy: First, hang a bead curtain or set up a screen; second, place a gold ingot or a pair of qilin wind chimes at the window, since a gold ingot helps one's career go smoothly.
17. Heart-Piercing Sha
The front door of the home directly faces a lamppost, traffic sign, large tree, or the like. Suffering from it portends bloodshed, illness and pain, trouble with the authorities, and disputes.
Remedy: Placing a bronze gourd and a Five Emperors mantra charm at a prosperous or auspicious spot can prevent the fluctuating fortune caused by Heart-Pressing Sha.
18. Fire-Shape Sha
Power pylons, transmission towers, or other sharp objects are seen near the home. Suffering from it portends bloodshed, fire, and poor health.
Remedy: You can block the sha with a bronze pixiu, or hang bronze coins below the door to strengthen it, dispersing the sha qi in all directions to resolve it.
19. Sky-Piercing Sha
The home is near factory buildings, and the factory has many chimneys. Suffering from it portends poor health and frequent accidental injuries.
Remedy: Use a consecrated Wenchang pagoda and ancient Five Emperors coins to resolve it. If an inauspicious star of the year (annual luck) happens to arrive at the position affected by the sha, other sha-resolving items such as bead curtains and screens should be used in combination, according to the character of that star.
20. Sound Sha
There is a processing plant near the home, or long-term construction, producing constant noise. It portends a violent temper, unstable emotions, and very poor luck.
Remedy: Sound Sha is a sha that is not easy to resolve, and if it appears in the Kun direction (southwest), it is especially baleful. You can place a bronze gourd or two strings of qilin wind chimes in the Kun direction to absorb the baleful qi and subdue the sha, but this still cannot eliminate all the noise of the sha. Finally, add to this by keeping all the windows closed as far as possible, or choosing thicker glass with better soundproofing.