Compass

A difference of just a few degrees can mean a different mountain and therefore a different star chart. These steps make your measurement reliable.

1. 1

   Prepare

   Calibrate your phone's compass by moving it a few times in a figure-of-eight. Remove cases with magnetic clasps and keep 1–2 metres away from cars, metal fences, radiators, speakers and power boxes. Feng shui traditionally works with magnetic north – which is exactly what the compass shows.

2. 2

   Find the front

   The front (facade) is the side of the house with the most activity and openness: towards the street, the largest windows or the best view. It is often the entrance side, but not always – what matters is where the house “looks”.

3. 3

   Measure the house orientation

   Stand outside in front of the facade with your back to the wall and look away from the house. Hold the phone flat at chest height, its top edge pointing straight away from the house and its long side exactly perpendicular to the wall. The value shown is the facing direction; the sitting (the back) follows automatically as the opposite direction.

4. 4

   Measure several times

   Measure at three points along the facade – left, centre and right – and take the average. If one value differs a lot, metal is usually interfering there: discard it and measure again a few steps further on.

5. 5

   Flat in an apartment building

   What counts is the front of the whole building, so measure outside in front of the building if you can. Indoors, reinforced concrete often distorts the value – then check it with the “Facade” map tool on the satellite image. If the flat has a clearly different main side (e.g. a large balcony on the other side), also measure there at the open window looking out.

6. 6

   Measure the front door

   Stand in the door frame with your back to the inside, looking out, the phone parallel to the door leaf. The value is the direction of the door – important for Ba Zhai and for which qi enters the house.

7. 7

   Assign rooms and areas

   Find the centre of the flat (for rectangles, where the diagonals cross). From there, the rooms lie in the eight directions. The easiest way is the floor plan tool: upload the plan, enter the measured facing direction and overlay the 3×3 grid.

8. 8

   Bed and desk

   Bed: stand at the foot end and look towards the headboard – this is the direction your head points while sleeping. Desk: sit at your place; measure the direction you look in while working. Compare both values with your personal Kua directions.

9. 9

   Measuring without a sensor

   Computers have no compass sensor. In that case measure with a classic compass following the same rules and enter the degree in manual mode – or determine the front with the “Facade” map tool.