There is no denying that there is a wide acknowledgement among Feng Shui enthusiasts that a south facing house in Feng Shui must be auspicious and the first choice to live in. However, from my years of consulting experience, I can surely tell that it all depends. So, is a south facing house auspicious or not? To really determine if it is, we have to clearly look deeper under the hood to determine the context of how favorable this house would be for a particular person or family.

You might be asking what kind of context there is, as I can see the flying star chart of south facing houses showing auspicious star energy. Let’s delve a little more into the entire subject; some information may be too technical a seasoned reader to understand easily, while other facts are rather simple to take in.

Environmental factors around the home

A south facing Feng Shui house must be supported by the surrounding energy. All the hype is meaningless if the surrounding environmental chi does not support the interior energy. According to the San He Form school’s guiding principles, a house shouldn’t be impacted by any type of sha energy in the form of unfavorable road or river formations or pointed edges of other nearby structures, to mention a few.

Environmental shi, a collaboration of heaven and earth qi, is generally responsible for the creation of a distinct electromagnetic field in a given area. When this qi enters the house through windows and doors, it affects the interior living space in either a positive, neutral, or negative way.

So is a south facing home really supportive for health, wealth, and happiness?

The most common pro-argument for the south direction is that it is always yang because it is linked to the fire element, abundant harvests (in ancient China), general prosperity, and is the direction that receives the greatest sunlight and heat. I wouldn’t disagree that getting natural sunlight, especially in colder climates, is very beneficial for letting good qi enter the home. However, if you live in a tropical region where the hot sun shines all day, your home will become overly warm, or too yang. This situation becomes exceedingly unproductive as it would bring the yin yang energies out of balance. As this cannot be the objective in Feng Shui, we always need to make sure that the interior living space should be supportive with the harmonious dance between yin and yang.

Of course, this problem might be readily fixed with a well-thought-out floor plan and home design.

South Facing House: Feng Shui floor layout (Flying Star)

Let’s look at two excellent instances of south facing Feng Shui homes to contrast a good layout with a poor one.

Before attempting to use this school’s teachings in your own home, I urge you to learn more about the fundamentals of flying star. The stars that you are seeing on the charts are divided into so-called construction period stars, mountain dragon stars, and water dragon stars.

The house in the illustration above faces 179 degrees south, as determined by a precise reading from a magnetic north compass. As a side note, in Feng Shui, we do not use true north in our readings. In the south sector, we can see the construction period star of 3, the mountain star of 8 (left side of the hyphen), and the water star of 8 (right side of the hyphen).

Let’s examine why the house is passable but not exceptional in periods 8 and 9:

1. Because the current prosperity star, which governs wealth and health, is located at the stairway, enhancing star 8 with the fire element is extremely difficult. As the staircase isn’t typically utilized that frequently on a daily basis, it’s favorable to have a bad flying star combination located here. I like to see good energies inside important rooms such as the living room, office, or bedroom, where we spend at least one or more hours a day.

One thumb down for this issue

2. The northwest is where the star configuration 5-2 is located. This is a crucial area for the family’s primary breadwinner, the husband or father of the household. As this combination is notorious for causing very bad luck for health and career, a permanent remedy involving the metal element needs to be implemented to minimize the effects of these two earth energies. Normally, I don’t want to see such a qi flow in the NW since it impacts the father-related Chien trigram. Additionally, it is undesirable to have these bad stars in a space like the living room.

One thumb down for this point

3. The house has a Southeast missing section:

The southeast section of the house is associated with the Xun trigram, or eldest daughter, a middle-aged female. If the occupant is a single, middle-aged female or has an eldest daughter in the family structure, it will have a negative impact on her overall career and health; the worse attributes of Star 4 (East, Xun) will manifest in low back, hips, legs, knees, thighs, or respiratory tract health issues, to mention a few. The only way to fix the missing sector is to add elemental enhancers or to close off the area so that it becomes part of the interior living space.

One thumb down for this point

4. East section affects eldest son

The east sector contains the star combination 2–5, which is related to the Zhen trigram, middle-aged males, or the eldest son. It is not ideal to sleep under such a negative energy influence in the first place. Even with proper remedies in place, it is just not a good space for a bedroom.

To make matters worse, if the eldest son or Zhen trigram person sleeps here, the energy effects can intensify and affect him more than other family members. Some characteristics that might manifest include being prone to arguments, having constant problems with miscommunication, dealing with legal issues, or having health problems involving the neurological system, foot, or throat.

It would be preferable if this space could be used as a guest bedroom rather than by a member of the regular household.

One thumb down for this point

5. Wealth Star 9 positions:
The prosperity star 9, in the water dragon position (right), is located inside the kitchen. As the kitchen is located on the back side and leans more toward a yin environment, the water dragon does not feel very comfortable here. I would rather observe star 9 (water position) inside the living room or on the facing (front) side of the house. The presence of a door in this section is beneficial, and with the right adjustments, the residents could be rewarded with wealth star 9 once period 9 arrives in 2024.

A neutral thumb for this point

6. Center star 3 could cause gossips and legal issues
The Heaven’s Heart, or Ta Ji, which cannot be defined psychically, is another name for the center stars. For all other flying star energies present inside the home or enclosed built structures, we can say that the center is the heart of creation. From here, all energies are distributed in a directional manner. As we cannot remedy the center stars, the energy of star 3 could cause some gossip and miscommunication. Although 90% of the center stars are negative, this would not be a reason to avoid this house.

A neutral thumb for this point

7. North, West and SW sections are positive

The entrance door, dining area, and partial living room are located inside the SW and W sections, which all have extremely good star combinations of 1-6 and 6-1 respectability. These two positive sections also remain very auspicious heading into period 9. To benefit from the good qi flow here, I would personally advise relocating the living room and TV area into these two areas.

The dining room could be in the 5-2 section with proper metal remedies. This energy setting would be more appropriate for the dining room because people don’t often spend a lot of time there. Additionally, as star 2, in the water dragon position, turns positive in Period 9, only some metal is needed to calm star 5. However, this needs to be considered on a case-by-case basis while taking the year’s annual energy influence into account.

The sitting sector of the house is very supportive with star 9 in the mountain position. This indicates that its energy supports the residents’ good health for a long period of time.

Positive thumbs for these points

Conclusion

In conclusion, some work needs to be done to adjust this south facing Feng Shui house with a good qi flow. When doing home hunting for a new Feng Shui home, consider whether it is worth spending additional money on remodeling or whether it is better to search for a better house that might not be facing south.

Remember that a well-planned room layout and arrangement of furniture are the key to maximizing the flow of good qi inside the most important parts of the house.

South facing house best exterior wall color

According to Feng Shui principles, the color of the external walls significantly affects how comfortable a south-facing home seems. It is best for us as humans to assist this energy flow as much as we can because every home has its own unique energy environment.

What does this imply? It indicates that choosing the incorrect exterior wall color could hamper a positive energy effect on the residents, which is of course not beneficial. Our top priority should be to live in harmony and balance with the natural surroundings. Consequently, it is essential to select the best exterior wall color for the house to strengthen the qi for its occupants.

Best exterior wall color:

A south facing home sits in the north; therefore, complementary water-element colors, like blue, or supporting metal-element colors, like white or gray, are advised. Learn more about sitting and facing in Feng Shui here.

Worst exterior wall color:

The worst color for the exterior wall would be any earth element tones, which undermine and block the water element.

You’re probably rolling your eyes as you read that adding blue exterior paint (water element) to a Feng Shui home that faces south would be contrary to the five-element theory: Water extinguishes fire!

The principle that the sitting site of the home is truly superior to the facing side may be unfamiliar to many beginners in classical Feng Shui. To avoid a lot of confusion, the majority of Feng Shui consultants and masters primarily refer to the facing side of the home, as it is easier to illustrate. Experts, on the other hand, are primarily concerned with the property’s sitting orientation.

Are you Compatible with a South Facing House

Not everyone is compatible with living in a south-facing house, according to the 8 Mansions Theory and the Ba-zi school. Here are a few key highlights from both schools:

Ba-zi school:

There is no denying that the south radiates a lot of fire energy. For example, a person who has a strong yang-fire personality by birth (according to the individual Ba-zi Chinese birth chart) can find this to be too overpowering when exposed to additional fire energy. The same could be said of a weak wood person, where the fire element would further burn down the wood.

In Feng Shui, either a weak fire person or an earth person can benefit from a south-facing house.

Personal Kua Number School:

You can determine the favorable and inauspicious areas of the home by looking up your personal best direction based on your Kua number and superimposing it onto the floor-plan. Positive spaces ought to be present in the living room, bedroom, and perhaps the home office. The sections where you spend the least amount of time should be the stairwell, kitchen, bathroom, closet, or guest bedroom.

The 8 Mansion, or Kua Number, School is a very simplified version of classical Feng Shui that does not consider the time factor. If you are not comfortable with or are unfamiliar with flying stars, try the 8 Mansion School first and observe its effects.

Do NOT Follow These Black Hat Tips

The majority of the results on page one of a Google search for “South Facing House Feng Shui” illustrate black hat Feng Shui techniques. I must caution you against simply following the advice because your life could swiftly go southward. Here’s a list of things you SHOULDN’T DO:

Have a red front door:

If the front door is indeed facing south, under no circumstances should you get a red door without proper expert advice. In 95% of cases, a red front door, which represents the fire element in the 5-Element Theory, can have a significant negative impact on the health and wealth of the entire family. Taking the classical school into account, adding a fire element to certain flying star energy combinations is very inauspicious.

A red door, in general, could bring out the worst attributes of some stars, although there are a few exceptions. For instance, if at the front door the notorious Star 5 Earth, a symbol for disaster, is located, this could further irritate and be intensified by the fire element.

South Sector Stands for Fame and Reputation

This is another fairy tale circulating on the internet to keep people away from the authentic version of Feng Shui. It is suggested that the south sector be decorated in red colors or enhanced with the wood element to further boost the fire element. As a reward, great fame and reputation will follow.

It is correct that in classical flying star and Star 9 Ki divination, the south is linked with the fire element and star 9. Yes, some of its attributes contain fame, reputation, and stardom, but they can also refer to fire accidents or heart disease. An in-depth qi calculation based on time and space, however, can reveal that a metal or earth-based star can likewise reside in the south palace, having a different impact on the space. As you can see, it is not a one-size-fits-all solution.

BTB Claim to Avoid Earth, Metal, or Water Elements in the South Sector

Can we honestly say that the south sector should not have any earth, metal, or water elements? And what happens when you see the combination of star 6 (metal) and star 1 (water) fall in the south section on your flying star chart? As metal (6) produces water (1), you can safely add the metal element here to significantly enhance the future prosperity star 1 (water).

Additionally, sometimes a water remedy will boost the properties of a wood star when it is being dominated by a metal star. These two relatively simple examples show that any element can be added to the south as long as it harmonizes with the sector’s qi.

Control Fire with a Water Feature

Another interesting and amusing tale is being written on a blog page I came across, where the author writes that adding a water feature to the south to tame fire. Let’s look at the facts:

First, as we enter Period 9 in 2024, the south section is the worst location for a water feature. The prosperity and well-being of every member of the household would be gravely endangered by a water fountain. Second, if you need to calm down fire, we use the earth element instead, as earth and fire do not clash like fire and water.

To conclude this section, please exercise extreme caution when reading blog articles that attempt to commercialize and promote incorrect Feng Shui applications.

Summary

Is a south facing house in Feng Shui good or bad? It all depends on the context of who lives there (age, occupation, family structure), the floor plan, and if the surrounding energy is supportive of the home. I’m sorry to bust the misconception “that all residences facing south are good.” The fate of a house is determined by a variety of layers and circumstances, all of which must be taken into account before a structure can be categorized as being a good or bad Feng Shui house.