While it might be said that marriages are made in heaven, it is always up to married couples to make it work here on earth. Feng Shui has powers that can work in miraculous ways to save a lot of marriages that otherwise result in separation. The law of compatibility should always come into play and it is wise to select your mate with the help of Feng Shui. Sometimes, two people are attracted to each other and their infatuation may lead to marriage. But for them to remain happy in the long run, a look at their compatibility charts derived from their dates of birth is necessary.

There are certain Feng Shui methods that can be effectively used to determine whether a marriage will be successful and the science also provides guidelines for improving an existing one. This is based on the productive cycle of the five elements of nature and the astrological branch of 12 animals, which determine the 12 zodiac signs. The simplest method to determine your birth element is to take the last digit of your year of birth and match it with the corresponding element in the chart given below.

0 & 1 — metal

2 & 3 — water

4 & 5 — wood

6 & 7 — fire

8 & 9 — earth

In the productive cycle, metal melts into water, water nourishes wood, wood fuels fire, fire creates earth and earth produces metal. In the destructive cycle, fire destroys metal, earth absorbs water, metal cuts wood, water extinguishes fire and wood or in other words, plants weaken the earth’s energy.

To determine the compatibility of two people, the birth elements and animal signs of both need to found out. If there is a clash between the elements of the two partners, then corrective measures should be taken to improve the relationship. For example, if one has water and the other has metal as their respective birth elements, and since metal melts into water, then both of them fall within the productive cycle. This makes them most compatible, extremely caring, nourishing and affectionate.

However, if one has metal and the other has fire, then according to the destructive cycle, the fire person always dominates and rules the metal person. In such a case, keeping a pair of decorative earthen pots in the south-west sector of the house and in the bedroom brings about an immediate improvement in the relationship. This is because fire creates earth and earth creates metal, thus making fire and metal more compatible.

Feng Shui offers certain guidelines to determine the compatibility of two people based on the productive cycle of the five elements and the astrological branch of the 12 animals. Thus, the birth elements and animal signs of both partners need to be found out in order to create harmony in the relationship .

If the partners possess fire and water elements, then a pair of wooden birds or ducks in the south-west marriage corner will help create harmony among the clashing elements. A metal curio of a couple when kept in the marriage sector helps to create a balance between partners possessing earth and water elements. When the partners have earth and wood as their birth elements, compatibility is enhanced by keeping two fresh, red roses or lighting two red candles in the marriage sector of the bedroom every evening. When one of the partners has metal and the other wood, then place a pair of deep-blue bowls on a blue tablemat in the south-west of the bedroom. Blue represents water, which starts nourishing the wood person.

A general guideline to looking for an extremely compatible partner according to the animal sign one belongs to, is as follows:

Rat, dragon and monkey

Ox, snake and rooster

Tiger, horse and dog

Rabbit, goat and pig

The above are known as the strings of pearls, which indicate that together these animals remain happy.

The following animal signs are also compatible, though, to a lesser extent:

Rat and ox

Pig and tiger

Dog and rabbit

Rooster and dragon

Monkey and snake

Goat and horse

People born in the years of animals that directly confront each other go through difficult times in their lives. They either drift apart or somehow condition themselves to live together.

Rat and horse

Ox and goat

Tiger and monkey

Rabbit and rooster

Dragon and dog

Snake and pig

One should avoid getting into a relationship where the animals directly oppose each other. If, however, you are already in such a relationship, it is best to seek the help of an animal that makes the opposing animal compatible. For instance, if you are born in the year of the rat, then the year of the horse will be very stressful and the relationship can go through a difficult phase. But things can be greatly improved if someone born in the year of the goat comes to the aid of the partner born in the year of the rat.

Similarly, ox people need protection from the horse in the year of the goat. Tiger people need protection from the snake in the year of the monkey. Rabbit people need protection from the dragon in the year of the rooster. Dragon people need protection from the rabbit in the year of the dog. Snake people need protection from the tiger in the year of the pig. Horse people need protection from the ox in the year of the rat. Goat people need protection from the rat in the year of the ox. Again, monkey people need protection from the pig in the year of the tiger. Rooster people need protection from the dog in the year of the rabbit. Dog people need protection from the rooster in the year of the dragon. Pig people need help from the monkey in the year of the snake.

Tip of the week:

Let your marriage be more fruitful by planting a flowering tree, preferably with red flowers in the south-west of the garden.