Water is such a resident feature in the practice of feng shui that many practitioners see it as one of the chief commandments of geomancy.
This is because water is widely associated with various aspects of wealth.
We can get more specific by going into how water holds chi that originate from the mountains so that we can draw energy from them. But we can really just acknowledge the gist of it all… which is that water is directly related to wealth luck in feng shui.
Granted. There are other methods to enhance wealth luck in feng shui. But like how we’d prefer to drive on an open road rather than a congested one, water is the most obvious call to wealth luck.
While most feng shui hobbyists and practitioners understand the importance the role of water plays in harnessing good luck, a lot of them often take it too literally in that any form of water can accumulate auspicious chi for good feng shui.
This is not the case.
Here are the 5 key factors of determining whether a body of water can bring good luck, and how potent it can be.
1) Surface area
The larger the surface area of the body of water, the more energy it can hold.
This is a big factor as the surface of a body of water is where it links up with the external environment.
Therefore the wider the surface of water it, the more energy it can dissipate to the environment for us to tap on.
If there are two houses with everything being equal, one facing a larger water surface would be able to draw on more chi both in quantity and quality.
And if there is a huge reservoir of water underground and the only surface exposure to the external environment is via a well with 2-meter diameter, the water is not going to play any significant role in bring auspicious energy to properties in the area.
This is why waterfront homes are highly desired in terms of feng shui.
Whether it’s natural water in the form of rivers or man-made water in the form of swimming pools, they can serve as very useful bright halls for residents to tap on positive energy to benefit the household.
2) Depth
A water feature with a big surface area but with little depth can be metaphorically described as someone who looks accomplished on the outside but has little substance within.
It is generally agreed that the deeper the water, the more substance it has in terms of auspiciousness.
While there is no standard guideline how deep water should be in proportion to the surface area, it really don’t require water scientist to tell us whether a lake or river is deep enough.
Common sense should prevail in this respect.
As long as water is not too shallow enough to be noticeable, it is usually deep enough to hold auspicious chi for feng shui to draw on.
For example, an outdoor fish pond would usually go no deeper than knee-height. And a residential swimming pool usually won’t be constructed above 5 feet. It would be of much lesser depth when there are children in the residence.
3) Moving or stagnant
When the water has natural movement such as that of a stream, it is categorized as yang water. And when water is stagnant such as that of a pond, it is classified as yin water.
In feng shui, flowing water is usually preferred when the objective is to draw on wealth luck, especially when water theory is applied. Still water is mostly used as remedies to elemental afflictions.
It’s no coincidence that the most vibrant cities in the world thriving with economic activity are always built near coastlines with river mouths providing an entry point for water to flow into the city.
However, homeowners or prospective home buyers should not take this too literally.
Because by definition, a lake would be a reservoir of still water.
But it is created by nature and is replenished regularly by nature with rainwater and water that seeps through the soil.
So they are still great natural water features that can bring good luck in feng shui.
It’s just that when compared to moving water, it might not be as ideal.
At this point, it should also be noted that moving water that is too fat or aggressive is bad feng shui as the force of movement don’t allow chi to meander and accumulate.
Waterfalls for example, can be great feng shui water features. They can activate favorable mountain and water stars in flying stars feng shui.
But when the water movement is too aggressive, then it creates hostile energy that is not ideal for residential homes.
This is associated with the sound that water features make.
4) sound
The sound of gushing and crashing water is not good for feng shui no matter how much it remind you of nature.
The best sounds of water is the sound gentle moving water makes.
It’s difficult to describe the different sounds of water in words.
But subtle flowing and even gurgling is what should be sought rather than crashing waves and roaring sounds of waterfall drop-off points.
Water dripping sounds are also not desired as it is a sign of wealth leaks.
5) Clean or dirty
The cleanliness of the water in question should be something intuitive to most people.
Who would love to live in the vicinity of a dirty water pool or river that is filled with rubbish and smells like foot rot?
If a waterfront for example, has a huge surface area and considerable depth, it means little in terms of good feng shui when the water is badly polluted and the only sign of life are fishes floating belly-up on the shores.
While clear water is a distinct sign of clean water, water clarity is not necessarily a factor of clean water.
The yellow river of China and the Mekong river of Vietnam for example, are infamous for being murky. Yet it is the lifeblood of households that are located close to them.
However, when you are in doubt and cannot judge whether a source of water is clean or dirty, it is best to err on the side of caution and go with clarity.
