Head in the right direction

Ever wonder about which direction you want to take in life? It can be a tough question, but the answer may lie in the Eight Mansions fung shui formula. It is based on the year of birth calculated after the solar new year each year, i.e. February 4. Step one is to add up the four digits that constitute your year of birth. For instance, those born in 1975 will have a number of 1 + 9 +7 + 5 which equates to 22. It is then reduced to a single digit i.e. 2 + 2 = 4, which will enable you to work out your kua or trigram number.

For men, subtract the number from 11. Those born in 1975 will have a kua number of 11 - 4 = 7. For women, add 5 to the number. The kua number for women born in 1975 will be 5 + 4 = 9. If the total is more than 10, you will need to add the two digits to give a single digit kua number. After ascertaining the kua number, you need to find out the group you belong to - the east group or the west group. Those with 1, 3, 4 and 9 belong to the east group while those with 2, 6, 7 and 8 belong to the west. If your kua number is 5, men will need to use the number 2 and women, 8.

The best directions for people in the east group are south, north, east and southeast. Others in the west group should use the west, northwest, northeast and southwest. You should sit with your back to your preferred directions. When sleeping, your head should point to your best direction. Some masters argue the Eight Mansions method is too simplistic and other more complex formulas, that take into account time of birth, should be used to determine the most auspicious directions.