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When we think of a “locked” house, the image of a literally safe house comes to mind; one you can only enter by breaking a padlock to enter. This term “locked” house or “phase locked” has a totally different meaning in feng shui theory.
The padlock refers to a phase in which the occupants are metaphorically under a kind of “house arrest”. Some translations called it the “imprisoned” phase. During “People Lockout” occupants will experience more health and relationship problems than at times when People Lockout is not in effect.
During a “Money Lock” occupants may experience financial difficulties that would not be a problem when that same house is not in the Money Lock phase.
Every house, every structure on the planet will go through the People Lock and Money Lock phases, no matter how good the house is considered by feng shui standards most of the time.
These locked phases can last for a day, a month, a year, or a twenty-year cycle, and these phases can be calculated in classical and traditional feng shui. It is sometimes known as Xuan Kong or Flying Star School. Factoring in time issues is what makes it non-obvious. In other words, the house does not change in appearance to reveal that it has entered a Blocked Phase.
As an example, all north-facing homes that were built between 1924 and 1943 are currently in a 20-year People Lock that began in 2004 and will continue through 2024. Another example is that all northwest-facing homes that were built between 1984 and 2003 are also currently on a 20-year lockdown (for money) that began in 2004. In any era, there will be various types of houses that are currently in a lockdown phase.
Whether a home is locked for a year or 20 years, the remedy is the same: the occupant needs to hear and see the flowing water. This is one of the reasons fountains, aquariums, and outdoor water fountains can be so helpful. In fact, there are bad places in and out when it comes to water (stay tuned for my article on water).
But for the purpose of releasing or lessening the effects of the Blocked Phase, any type of water source will help in that situation. And how do you know if your water source has worked? For example, if a couple has been living in a house that is on a People Lockdown long-term, they will usually have a hard time conceiving. When the water fountain is installed, pregnancy occurs soon after.
With finances, if the occupants have been enduring a long-term money lock on their home, installing a water feature may experience a tangible increase in income or other financial windfall.
Learning how to determine if your home or business is experiencing one of these blocked phases is fairly easy. Both Feng Shui for Skeptics and The Feng Shui Continuum show readers how to calculate this.