XXVIII. The Esoteric Points to Examine for Shops of the Eight Main Orientations

1. Sitting North, Facing South: A Kan House Facing Li

North-sitting, south-facing is often loosely called "good sunlight," but tradition breaks it into three finer groups: Ren-Bing, Zi-Wu, and Gui-Ding. The facing direction belongs to Li Fire, and within the Ninth Period it is readily associated with currently governing brightness; but only when the Nine Purple facing star genuinely reaches the facing direction and finds its proper form can flourishing qi truly be said to align there. Fierce southern sun, a giant screen, or too many sharp peaks can also push things toward fiery dryness.

Surveying should first look at the bright hall and the approach to the south — is it open and yet gathered$1 — and then whether the sitting position at the rear, to the north, is stable. If a restaurant's stove fire is also concentrated in the southern palace, one must guard against Fire growing excessive. Whether water can be placed to the south is not settled by the single rule "Water controls Fire" — it depends on the mountain-and-facing chart and the exterior form. Near the exact Zi-Wu line, careful measurement is also needed to check for a slant facing.

2. Sitting South, Facing North: A Li House Facing Kan

North-facing means Kan Water, and the real situation of dimmer natural light is common; tradition here guards against cold, damp, and hidden qi — but an urban shop facing north that looks onto a bustling road and an open atrium can still receive moving water favorably. What lies behind the sitting position to the south should have solid support, and should not be left with a wide-open back door that empties the mountain qi.

The shopfront can moderately add brightness to draw on Fire, but one must check whether the star combination in the facing palace can even tolerate Fire. If One White is the usable facing star to the north, a well-flowing door and path can take up the Water qi; if Two Black or Five Yellow Earth arrives there and the entrance is damp, deal with the moisture and repair the drainage first, before considering Metal to drain the Earth. One should not mechanically pile on dark blue and black merely to reinforce the northern Water image.

3. Sitting West, Facing East: A Dui House Facing Zhen

East-facing means Zhen Wood, carrying the image of early morning, generative growth, and initiation. The three facings Jia, Mao, and Yi each produce a different chart. If the road in front approaches from the southeast or northeast, this must be marked on the Twenty-Four Mountains; if a long corridor due east rushes straight in, even generative growth can become too urgent. The west, behind the sitting position, takes Metal, so the Metal-Wood axis is pronounced, and one should check whether Fire or Water is present as a pass-through.

Education, floristry, and apparel — trades with a Wood image — often favor an east-facing shop, but a trade's affinity can never substitute for the star chart. If plants and wood cabinetry are piled up too heavily on the east side, and this also coincides with Three or Four Wood stars overlaying, the qi can easily tip out of balance; Fire can be used to manifest it, or Metal to shape it, depending on the specific combination. When an east-facing door sits in shadow during the afternoon, the lighting should be kept adequate to keep the door's qi clear.

4. Sitting East, Facing West: A Zhen House Facing Dui

West-facing means Dui Metal, carrying the image of transaction, pleasant conversation, and gathering in. Afternoon western sun brings Metal and Fire face to face, and a glass-fronted shop especially needs to check the heat and the glare. The three facings Geng, You, and Xin must be distinguished precisely — not every west-facing shop should be treated simply as "a Metal shop."

If there is a curving flow of people and open space to linger in front, this can take up Dui's pleasant, transactional qi; if the road drains quickly away to the west, an interior bright hall is needed to gather it in. In jewelry and hardware trades, where the Metal qi is already strong, and where the chart brings in receding Seven Red or rigid Six White Metal, one should not pile on more sharp, cold metal — whether to drain it with Water, generate it further with Earth, or refine it with Fire depends on the specific flourishing and decline.

5. Sitting Northwest, Facing Southeast: A Qian House Facing Xun

Southeast Xun Wood carries the image of wind, entry, dissemination, and channels, and suits observing how customer traffic seeps in. The three facings Chen, Xun, and Si span the meanings of Earth, Wood, and Fire together, and a slant facing here especially calls for careful measurement. If the southeast door faces a mall's escalator or an embracing flow of foot traffic, it can receive good qi; if the wind channel there is too strong, Xun's wind turns into scattering instead.

Behind the sitting position, the northwest's Qian Metal should be stable — if the office and the main support can be placed well there, this can form an image of Metal shaping Wood, of order governing dissemination. If the facing direction's Wood star is flourishing and meets Nine Fire, Wood generating Fire can bring out the brand well, but one must also guard against the screens and lighting growing too intense. A large, unstable plant or a hanging object should not be placed where the wind channel is strong.

6. Sitting Southeast, Facing Northwest: A Xun House Facing Qian

Northwest Qian Metal carries the image of governance, resources, and firm strength. The three facings Xu, Qian, and Hai each have a different nature; if the approach from the northwest is upright and open, it can form an answering facing; if an elevated road, a sharp corner, or a strong wind press in close, the Metal's rigidity grows too heavy. Behind the sitting position, to the southeast, is Wood, so the pairing of Metal and Wood likewise needs a pass-through.

High-end services and professional institutions can draw on the image of Qian to express order, but the entrance hall should not feel cold and hard, pressing down on customers. When Six White or Seven Red arrives at the facing, one must distinguish whether it is currently governing or receding — one should not add more Metal simply because both stars happen to be Metal. If the register is placed to the northwest, it should both find a usable facing star there and avoid a direct rush from the main door, while staff still have something to lean on.

7. Sitting Northeast, Facing Southwest: A Gen House Facing Kun

Southwest Kun Earth carries the image of bearing, inclusiveness, and vastness, and the three facings Wei, Kun, and Shen span Earth and Metal together. An even, open plaza in front can carry a sense of receiving and bearing; if it is instead a low spot where water pools, the wet Earth turns stagnant. Behind the sitting position, to the northeast, Gen Earth favors halting, and can suit storage and rear support — but if Earth is heavy across the whole shop, the pace can grow sluggish.

In the Ninth Period, Fire generates Earth, so if Two Black, Five Yellow, and Eight White are all concentrated to the southwest, one must be especially careful not to keep piling on Earth with red lighting and stone or pottery. Metal can be used to drain it, but if a Metal star sharing that palace is already sharp, a further balance must be struck. A high-activity trade such as food delivery, placed in a Kun-facing lobby, should use a clear main route to keep the flow of people from spreading out shapelessly.

8. Sitting Southwest, Facing Northeast: A Kun House Facing Gen

Northeast Gen Earth stands for halting and transition, and the three facings Chou, Gen, and Yin, sitting at the turn of winter into spring, carry a distinct imagery. If a plaza faces it with a turn in the road beyond, it can become a halt that still contains movement; if it faces straight into a dead-end lane or a sealed wall, Gen's halting can turn into stagnation instead. Behind the sitting position, to the southwest, is likewise Kun Earth, so the whole configuration needs even more care against becoming heavy and sunken.

The interior should set a clear point for greeting customers just inside the door, so that incoming qi pauses without becoming blocked. If the northeast holds a stairwell landing, one should observe the up and down movement there. An Earth-image trade need not use still more stone and yellow tones — whether the chart calls for Wood to thin it out, Metal to drain it, or Water to moisten it depends on the specific star combination. The Gen palace is also often used as the boundary for inventory, but if the main door sits here, the facing star's wealth-use should take priority instead.

9. How to Use This Survey of the Eight Orientations

The eight orientations above offer only trigram-level pointers; a genuine chart must still return to the Twenty-Four Mountains and the specific period. A reader should not stop measuring the moment they see "south-facing, Ninth Period." Every orientation still needs at minimum: the precise degree reading, the name of the sitting and facing mountains, the exterior incoming and outgoing water, the determined period, which palace the main door falls in, whether the facing star finds its proper use, and whether the sitting position at the rear has support.

Comparing the eight orientations is best suited to an initial screen at the site-selection stage. If two candidate units are similar in rent, regulation, and business conditions, one can first compare their bright halls and approach routes, and then measure and plot the Twenty-Four Mountains chart. Where the real-world conditions differ greatly, a more suitable unit should never be given up solely because of an orientation's name.