Shapes

'Man builds the house and the house molds the man.' This Feng Shui aphorism explains the importance of the shape of a plot and a house.

Kirlian photography was able to validate that energy emitted by matter takes its form from the matter. This means that a triangular shaped object gives off an energy pattern in the form of a triangle; an irregular shaped object gives off an irregular shaped energy pattern. The energy form extends in all directions similar to a ripple effect. This concept was known by the ancient Chinese.

The Chinese believe that when you are outside a building you are affected by the ripple effect of the energy emitted by the shape of the building; but when you are inside a building you are being affected by the compressed energy emitted by its shape.

A house on a triangular plot, the border of which comes to a point at the rear is the most unfortunate for it connotes no future for the tenants of the plot. This was discussed in Essential: Backing where the front of the plot indicates the present stage and the rear of the plot the future.

A triangular shaped house also connotes that accidents and mishaps will befall the tenants of the house and some members of the household may encounter personality changes.

A plot that has its right (Tiger) side shorter than its left {Dragon) side is considered to have unfavorable Feng Shui feature.

The most favored shape of a house in Feng Shui is that of a rectangle, wherein the chi can flow smoothly throughout the house. Houses that have 'hollow' portions like an H-shaped house tends to have an adverse influence on events that will occur, and on certain members of the household depending on what section of the house is 'missing'.

A 'hollow' occurs when a portion of a house is 'missing' and a 'protrusion' is formed when a portion of a house becomes prominent. Fig. 80 illustrates a cross- shaped house with four sides protruded, while Fig. 81 depicts an irregular shaped unit in a modern high rise building.

Notwithstanding the 'protrusions' or 'hollows' in the above-mentioned houses, the center of the house is still located within the house. This indicates that the unity of the family is preserved, as the center of a house is considered as the 'heart' of the house.

A house with its center located outside, due to its irregular shape , does not augur well for family unity. In many cases of broken families, the center of the house or the cohesiveness of the family is usually not found within the house. Here is where you will find family members preferring to spend more time outside the house than enjoying the comfort and amenities of their own house.