We can improve feng shui potential within our homes. To tap into the power of qi, all that is needed is a clear understanding of how things work.

Understanding environmental influences of location versus that of direction is one question that often plagues beginners and enthusiasts.

All that is required is a clear understanding of how it works.

Master Lee, a famous master in Hong Kong, once made an interesting comment to me.

"Never underestimate the power of location," he said.

If you take a closer look at the events that have come to pass in your life, the events you have come across and the opportunities life has presented you, these next few items will definitely have played a crucial role in all of them:

Indeed, the influence of "location" - be it in a city, a suburb, a township, within your house, the rooms - is a powerful factor that shapes our lives.

Students just beginning to see how potent feng shui can be will immediately look to changing the internal feng shui of their homes.

The way they shit, the direction of their bed and the decor of the house in general, are scrutinized from top to bottom to ensure "perfection".

Aren't we missing something here, you ask? Something we have overlooked, the big picture? Have we taken a bird's eye view of the external picture?

First check and fix the main flaws in the external picture. Where is the building located? What are the mountain ranges and main roads that govern the main qi of the area?

Our property should ideally be tapping into the beneficial resources of the surrounding land. At the same time, we can tailor the internal qi to fit our lives.

Similarly, in your house or office, facing a good direction may be helpful but bring in the right location and facing a good direction spurs on the positive effects.

Of course, being in a disadvantaged location in the house may very well negate the good effects of facing your good direction. Which is why I constantly stress the importance of positioning your main door - the mouth of qi - in the right location in addition to it facing the correct direction.

You want it to receive the best possible quality of qi in your house and facing a favorable direction amplifies this effect.

You may often hear that decor or color is the thing to look out for if you want to enhance your feng shui. Not true.

Keep in mind the most crucial factors will always be location and direction. The color of walls and curtains will not influence the qi within your home.

If you have studied feng shui, you may have heard the term luan tou also known as 'landscape' feng shui. This is the area in which you live, the rivers and the surroundings.

Environmental factors are powerful. They can nudge us just a little bit and then a little bit more until we take a good look around and realize that we have gone completely off course. And often, this can be detrimental of the feng shui goals that we have set out for ourselves.

Here are three questions you want to ask yourself to assess your current feng shui conditions.

1. Where is my house located? Within the housing estate or suburb, am I in the northern sector or eastern sector?

Also make a mental note of the various mountain and water locations within your vicinity that you most often see.

2. Are these environmental features good or are they having a negative impact on my home?
3. What are their influences? Is the mountain in the right location in relation to my property? Is the water position correct? Is the road in and out of my property correct?

All I'm suggesting here in that you take a close and objective look. Everything is worth a second look, especially location features within the living environment surrounding your home or office.

Some might even dismiss this notion, especially if you have lives all your life in the same place. But these environmental features do matter and they do have a pronounced effect on your life. Ignorance in this case may become a setback in your endeavors to seek the beneficial effects of good feng shui.

Assess the environment and see if the scales may be tipped towards the positive or negative and then manage it from there.

It may often be natural and easier to get carried away with interior feng shui concerns when, if you just stopped and looked at things, the problem may very well be on the outside of your immediate living environment.

Take a moment and observe your environment and take note of incoming roads, mountains, mountain ranges, and tall buildings, negative and environmental features. These lay the foundation for good feng shui in your property.

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