Chiyang Daoren, Eastern Taoism
Sha qi (malign energy)—you can tell from the name alone that it is bad. A so-called sha clash is a clash between two feng shui energy fields of different natures. For example, if the kitchen and bathroom in a home stand opposite each other, with the doors of the two rooms facing each other, a sha clash is formed. Because the kitchen belongs to fire among the Five Elements and the bathroom belongs to water, the two energy fields differ in nature and overcome each other, and in this situation the feng shui of the home is greatly affected. Sha qi has a great impact on people's lives, so every kind of sha qi deserves attention. When sha qi is present in the home, it must be resolved promptly; otherwise, over time, the family will sooner or later suffer its adverse effects. So every kind of sha qi deserves attention and should be resolved promptly.
Let us now look at the common kinds of sha qi in home feng shui.
1. The Common Kinds of Sha Qi in Home Feng Shui
1. Open-Mouth Sha
“Open-Mouth Sha” is fairly common in home feng shui. If, for example, the front door of a home directly faces an elevator entrance or another front door, the home suffers from Open-Mouth Sha. The front door is the connection between inside and outside. When it faces an elevator entrance or another front door, the air flow easily becomes chaotic, and the stable energy field of the home easily collides with the air flow outside, leading to an unsettled household, poor family fortunes, money flowing away, a family that is weak and often ill, and fortunes that go up and down.
2. Heaven-Cleaving Sha
“Heaven-Cleaving Sha” (Tianzhan Sha) refers to a house directly facing the gap between two tall buildings, which from a distance looks as if the building had been split down the middle by a sharp axe. This kind of sha qi is very common in cities. Heaven-Cleaving Sha mainly harms the health of the occupants, portending bloodshed, lingering illness, and other health problems; it is a fairly serious kind of sha qi.
One exclusive school's method of yin and yang explains Heaven-Cleaving Sha, holding that its auspiciousness or inauspiciousness differs with its distance. So when you meet this situation, be sure to resolve it promptly.
3. Outdoor Form Sha
“Form sha” mainly refers to a front door or living-room window (one that is often opened) directly facing a sharp outdoor object such as a sharp wall corner, eave, or chimney. This kind of sha qi can cause sudden accidents for the household and makes people prone to certain chronic illnesses, especially conditions involving pain and bleeding, as well as sprains and knife wounds. If the sharp-corner sha happens to lie in the direction most taboo for the owner in his or her zodiac year (benming nian), it is greatly inauspicious and will surely bring even greater disaster.
4. Door-Clash Sha
This situation can be seen in many homes—for example, the front door directly facing the kitchen door, the toilet door, or a bedroom door. Any situation in which one door faces another can be regarded as a door clash. Doors should not stand directly opposite each other in a straight line, so as to avoid destabilizing their respective energy fields. Doors clashing with doors portend quarrels and gossip, so this needs attention.
5. Sickle Sha
Many people think this is formed by overpasses, because their shape is like a sickle. But Sickle Sha does not come only from overpasses. There is also Sickle Sha on level ground, formed by a small hill combined with a road—that is, by an arched road and flat ground.
6. Reflected-Light Sha
In the past, reflected light was mostly caused by ponds and rivers outside the building. When shimmering light and shadow are cast into the room, Reflected-Light Sha is formed. Why does Reflected-Light Sha bring disaster? If light reflected from a river enters the room, it produces unstable, shimmering wave patterns. When such shimmering light plays across the ceiling, it inevitably stimulates the mind and makes people unconsciously tense. Over time, people often experience dazed illusions, and this is the omen of disaster.
If you live near the sea, the sea water is Reflected-Light Sha: sunlight striking the water is refracted, the rise and fall of the sea glitters with golden light, and when it shines into the home it makes people dull-witted and unable to concentrate. Reflected-Light Sha can cause bloodshed or injuries from collisions.
Today many buildings in cities have glass curtain walls, which reflect light onto neighboring buildings. The reflection from such glass walls is very strong and the light shining into rooms is dazzling. This intense light most easily destroys the good energy field originally present in a room and makes people irritable, impulsive, and uneasy in mind.
Reflected-Light Sha is related to sunlight: when you open the front door or a living-room window and see a glass curtain wall or glass windows opposite, the strong light they reflect in the sunshine strikes your home.
2. How Can Sha Clashes Be Resolved?
For sha clashes formed in the situation described above, it is advisable to set up a screen between the doors of the two rooms and hang a door curtain on each door. This weakens contact between the energy fields of the two rooms as far as possible and keeps them from clashing. At the same time, try not to have the doors of both rooms open at once; open each only when using it and close it again right away, which reduces the leakage of the feng shui energy field.
If you feel the effect is still not very good, you can also use feng shui treasures with a sha-resolving effect and place them in suitable positions; this too can weaken, to some extent, the influence of sha qi on the home's feng shui.
We know that the feng shui of an office building depends mainly on conditions such as its geographical setting, daylight, and ventilation, so guarding against Reflected-Light Sha is very important for office buildings.
The various kinds of form sha outside the home—Heaven-Cleaving Sha, Sickle Sha, Reflected-Light Sha, and so on—must be resolved promptly. To keep them from striking the home directly, one can only block them with heavy curtains. You can also place green potted plants on the windowsill, which both beautifies the room and resolves Reflected-Light Sha—two birds with one stone. Or you can set up something like a row of fish tanks to block the clashing sha, letting your fortunes ride on the swimming of the fish in the tanks and stir up the auspicious sign of wind rising and water stirring—flourishing good luck.
For an ordinary office building, clear glass should not be used. It is best to apply the reflective film used on car windows, switch to tinted glass, or install blinds. In short, do not let people outside see what is going on inside.