Feng Shui Master Andrew Chan — Home Feng Shui: Case 8 Main Door Facing Stairs

In modern urban residential buildings, it's common to open one's main door and immediately face a straight public or indoor staircase, either leading down or up. In traditional feng shui, especially when the main door directly faces downward stairs, this is considered a very typical and highly destructive omen of wealth leakage and declining fortune, known as "Qian Niu Sha" (Ox Leading Away Sha) or "Juan Lian Shui" (Rolling Curtain Water).

In architectural geometry, stairs are a special sloped structure with the natural physical property of "guiding airflow downwards." In geomancy, the main door represents the "face" and "qi intake" of a home. Hong Kong Feng Shui Master Andrew Chan points out that when the main door opens directly to downward stairs, the precious, concentrated, and prosperous qi and wealth qi within the house will, like a breached dam, flow unimpeded and rush downwards along the incline of the stairs. This creates a typical situation where "qi flows out, wealth leaks out," leading to financial loss.

• Wealth Drains, Huge Expenses

  Families living in such feng shui layouts often find it extremely difficult to accumulate wealth. Despite working hard every day, the money earned never seems to stay. Various unexpected financial losses occur one after another, leaving the household's treasury empty.

• Household Fortune Declines, Family Cohesion Weakens

  The outward dispersion of qi symbolizes a lack of cohesion within the home. Family members often have their minds elsewhere, reluctant to return home, and their relationships become distant. The overall qi of the household feels cold and desolate, with the family's fortune continuously declining.

Although the sha qi from a main door facing stairs is significant, it can be mitigated by making appropriate physical and qi adjustments. The specific remedies are as follows:

• Install a Screen/Entryway Inside the Main Door

  If the indoor space allows, a screen or entryway can be installed inside the main door to resolve the issue. Creating an enclosed or semi-enclosed entryway will block the direct outflow of qi from the house, allowing the qi to circulate perfectly within the entryway, thus locking in wealth qi.

• Physically Raise the Threshold or Threshold Stone

  If the apartment layout is too small to allow for a screen, the threshold stone at the main door can be raised (approximately 3 to 5 centimeters). Additionally, a string of Five Emperor Coins should be embedded beneath the threshold to "cut off" the outward-flowing wealth qi through both physical and symbolic means.