FromChapter 1: Evaluating the External Environment

The external environment is an important factor in determining the feng-shui of a building. If the surrounding environment is untenable, we need not go further to examine the floor plan and the architectural details. For example, a house situated at the edge of a cliff with waves crashing in from the sea will be buffeted by destructive energy despite excellent floor plans and a good geomantic chart.

The characteristics of the environment are the strongest determinants of the feng-shui of a place, because they carry the energy of nature. Moreover, they are the most difficult to change. Removing natural features is not integral to the ethics of feng-shui. If the natural features carry too much destructive energy, we should respect that and leave it alone rather than try to compete with it. There are three important factors in evaluating the external environment: finding protection, avoiding destructive energy, and receiving benevolent energy.

The building should be located in a protected space. Protection means safety, and people living in a safe place are protected from such calamities as health problems, sudden death, bankruptcy, and disharmonious relationships. There are four desirable protectors in the surrounding environment: the Green Dragon, White Tiger, Red Raven, and Black Tortoise. In rural areas they are the landforms in the vicinity of a house, and in the urban environment they are the neighboring building structures.

Identifying the Four Protectors
The four protective features are identified with reference to the position of the observer and are named after four guardian animals from Chinese mythology. The Black Tortoise is the feature at the back of the house, and the Red Raven is the feature in front. Ideally, the Black Tortoise should be higher and the Red Raven should be lower than the house. To put it simply, the Black Tortoise should be the only feature you can see from the back of the house, and the Red Raven should not block the view from the front. Identifying the Green Dragon and White Tiger is a bit more complicated, because their positions are different in yang-domain (residential and commercial) feng-shui and in yin-domain (burial site) feng-shui.

In yang-domain feng-shui, we identify the Green Dragon and White Tiger by facing the front of the house. To our left is the Green Dragon, and to our right is the White Tiger. In the yin domain, we stand with our backs to the headstone of the grave. To our left is the Green Dragon, and to our right is the White Tiger. Notice that in both cases, the rule is still "left Green Dragon and right White Tiger," but the positions of the two protectors are reversed because the observer's position of reference is different for the two forms of feng-shui (figure 1.1). Many people know the rule "left Green Dragon / right White Tiger" but are unaware that the reference points for recognizing them are different for yin- and yang-domain feng-shui. I have even seen feng-shui texts that identify the Green Dragon and White Tiger of a residence as if it were a burial site. This mistake in designating the Green Dragon and White Tiger can have disastrous consequences in analyzing the feng-shui of a place. Study figure 1.1 carefully, and make sure that you know how to distinguish the Green Dragon and White Tiger. (For a more detailed discussion of the four protection landforms, see box 1.1. See also figure 1.2 for examples of the Green Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Red Raven formations.)

In a rural environment, it is ideal for the Green Dragon formation to be covered with vegetation and the White Tiger formation to be an outcrop of whitish-colored rock. The Black Tortoise and Red Raven should have smooth slopes and ridges.

In an urban environment, the ideal Green Dragon formation is a building with a greenish or bluish tint. A building with a green stone facade or windows tinted with the appropriate color will serve the purpose. Buildings with trees or hedges on their sides or with ivy clinging to the walls are also viable Green Dragons. An effective White Tiger is a building that has a white stone facade. The next in order of preference is a building simply painted white.

The Black Tortoise should be a building taller than yours, but not too close. In a suburb, your backyard should provide enough distance between your house and the Black Tortoise. In the city, you would want to have a parking lot or even an alley between your building and the one behind you. The Red Raven in front should be lower than your house.

If the surrounding buildings are not effective protectors, you can build a fence or plant hedges and trees around your house. You can use trees for the Black Tortoise, hedges and bushes for the Green Dragon, a white stone or granite wall as the White Tiger, and a low brick wall or redwood fence as the Red Raven.

Here are key points to consider when you look for protection: