Dad said he bought this house, our childhood home, because he could tell that the builder has immaculately abided to the laws of Feng Shui (or Phong Thủy in Vietnamese), down to every centimeter placement of the windows and door.

And no, I’m not talking about the diluted version in Better Homes & Garden magazine, teaching you how to coordinate the colors and items in your home for a more “harmonious energy flow”....although that is certainly a small part of it.

I’m referring to the acient art that is recorded in archaic scrolls, whose esoteric knowledge can only be interpreted by a few in the modern age - those who we call “Feng Shui masters” for their expertise (my Dad being one of them). I’m referring to the wisdom that is interwoven in every facet of our daily life, from the time/date that we can get married to the home that we purchase, because ignoring the laws of Feng Shui, as believed in our culture, can mean certain doom and absolutely disastrous outcomes.

If you’re in the real estate industry, you may have noticed that Asian homebuyers tend to stick with Asian real estate agents, and that’s because we know that particular group of realtors will at least have some basic knowledge of Feng Shui and would by default help us filter out any undesirable homes by Eastern standards.

For example, houses where the front door opens directly into a visible stair case are ruled out by default, as that design is predictive of financial and marital ruins. My Dad once cautioned a homeowner against a house where the street connects directly into the driveway. And let’s just say that after a series of very unfortunate health and financial events, and upon learning that the previous owners also suffered similar unfortunate fates, the homeowner decided to sell the house and get out of dodge.

My knowledge of Feng Shui is only surface level, basic enough to navigate myself away from certain pitfalls, so I can’t speak intelligently about the mysterious subject. But I do know that during the 90s, my Dad was hired to be a Feng Shui consultant for several businesses in Vietnam, one of which is a bank whose the owner years later would personally bypass his security guards to escort Dad into the now incredibly successful establishment, which he attributed to Dad’s expertise during the construction phase of that building.

And I do know that from this tiny 360-square-foot home that was meticulously designed according to ancient wisdom, Dad rebuilt his teaching career like a Phoenix rising from the ashes of a destitute Communist-ruled, post-war Vietnam…a decade that he would look back and proudly call “the most successful years of his life.”

So do you adhere to the art of Feng Shui? What are your thoughts on this mystical esoteric teaching?