Vastu Shastra vs. Feng Shui

Published January 31, 2018
Yin Yang Symbol In Crystal Pyramid

Vastu shastra shares a few feng shui principles, but the two practices have some dramatic differences. You can incorporate whatever vastu shastra principles you wish with your feng shui applications to boost the energy benefits.

Similarities of Vastu Shastra and Feng Shui

Vastu shastra and feng shui practices embrace a five elements principle, recognizing the important role these elements play in an individual's life. These elements must be in harmony, especially within the home and office. In addition, both theories of energies and placement take advantage of the magnetic/compass directions, and heaven and earth energies.

  • Vastu shastra and feng shui practices utilize the powerful cosmic energies.
  • Both philosophies were created around the natural flow of energy known as chi in feng shui and prana in vastu shastra.
  • The two practices recognize that the center of the home is all important for the overall abundance in the family's life.
  • Mathematical calculations are widely employed with both practices.
  • Vatsu shastra and feng shui use the eight compass directions along with the five elements to activate beneficial energies.
  • Both practices believe humans greatly benefit by attracting and amplifying these unseen universal energies.
  • Vatsu shastra and feng shui offer effective ways to remedy afflicted areas in homes, businesses, and offices through the use of objects and specific tools.
  • Both principles recognize and work with positive (auspicious) and negative (inauspicious) energies.

How Vastu Shastra Differs From Feng Shui

Vastu shastra views the house, a lot, or plot of land as a living body. It follows that all buildings, such as an office, hospital, or factory are all human bodies. This is very different from feng shui theory that chi energy enters your home and moves about it, energizing it.

  • Vastu uses specifically designed devices, such as magnetic plates and pyramids made of various materials, to amplify and draw in these powerful energies.
  • Vastu is part of the Vedas, the 5,000-year-old texts of sacred knowledge that includes yoga, spirituality, astrology, and every aspect of life.
  • Vastu's recognition of the power generated in the center of a home dictates this area be open to reveal the sky. Traditionally, courtyards are created in the center of homes to facilitate harmony between space and the other four elements.
    Vastu compass
    Vastu Compass App
  • In vastu, the east compass direction is auspicious since it's the direction where the sun rises (solar energy). The north is auspicious since it is the source of magnetic energy.
  • In feng shui, the south is regarded as auspicious since it takes advantage of the sun moving from east to west. The southeast is considered auspicious since it maintains the sun's warmth for two-thirds of the sun's tracking from east to west when the sun energy is most powerful.
  • Vastu believes that all energy is created by the five elements and that the Earth generates electromagnetic energy created by the rotating action of the planet.

Compass Direction Meanings in Each Discipline

While both vastu and feng shui use magnetic compass readings to guide home design, these sectors often have different meanings. In vastu, siting your home correctly by using the compass directions of north, east, and northeast creates an auspicious living space.

Compass Direction Meanings
Direction Feng Shui Vastu Shastra
North Career Money/opportunities
Northwest Mentor Helpful people
Northeast Education Mental/spiritual clarity
South Fame/recognition Fame/recognition/re-energizing
Southwest Marriage/love Family
Southeast Wealth Money
West Descendents Profit/material gains
East Health Social/personal/professional growth

Five Element Differences in Feng Shui and Vastu Shastra

Each practice utilizes five elements; however, some of these elements are different.

Five Elements
Feng Shui Vastu Shastra
Water Water
Earth Earth
Fire Fire
Wood Air
Metal Space (cosmic, sky)

Compass Sector Colors in Feng Shui and Vastu Shastra

Most of the colors assigned to compass sectors for a home or business in vastu shastra are different from those assigned in feng shui.

  • Vastu principles view the color black as inauspicious and to be avoided while feng shui recommends black in the north sector as auspicious.
  • Orange is a universal color for a vastu home, meaning it can be used in any sector.
  • Vastu offers an exception to using compass sector colors if the home/business owner's birthday isn't compatible with the color directive. This can be determined by numerology or using your kua number.
Comparison Vastu Shastra and Feng Shui Colors
Compass Direction Feng Shui Vastu Shastra
North Black, blue Light green
Northeast Blue, green, teal, black Green
Northwest Gray, white, black White
East Green, brown White
Southeast Blue, red, purple Silver white
South Pink, reds, orange Pink, coral red
Southwest White, red, pink Brown
West Silver, gold, white Blue

Vastu Uses Pyramids

Perhaps the most outstanding difference between vastu shastra and feng shui is the vastu's use of devices to achieve harmonic energy alignment. Multiple types of pyramids are used to infuse powerful auspicious energies in homes, businesses and especially construction projects.

Vastu Pyramid
Vastu Pyramid

Some of these include:

  • Promax pyramid: This pyramid is used for real estate projects, residential/industrial construction, investment property construction, land/building construction, finance activation, and commensurate property.
  • Flat max pyramid: While initially designed for apartments and lofts, this pyramid raises positive energies and neutralizes negative prana. It's also used in stores, factories and homes.
  • Multier 9×9 pyramid: This very powerful pyramid is sometimes incorporated in feng shui applications. It's used for land charging, energy correction, and shifting, as well as other issues.
  • Bemor 9×9 pyramid: An effective tool for increasing luck energy, use this pyramid in the home or office.
  • Super max pyramid: Use this pyramid in any building for wealth, health, and prosperity. You can use in multiples of nines, such as 9, 18, 27, etc for great boosting/uplifting of positive energies.
  • Agro pyramid: Designed specifically for agriculture, this pyramid attracts mystical power to increase production and quality of crops.
  • Education pyramid: This pyramid is used to increase student luck by placing on the student's study desk.
  • Vastu sleep pyramid: Insomnia sufferers enjoy a restive sleep when this device is placed under the mattress.
  • Pyra cap: This pyramid-shaped cap is worn to boost mental abilities. It's worn during meditation.

Plate Applications in Vastu

The vastu energy plates come in different sizes, colors, and materials. They can range from metals, such as copper to precious gemstones. Some plates are embossed or engraved with various auspicious symbols. For example, copper energy plates can be purchased that feature 81 pyramid shapes know as the vastu grid of 81 pada. These are designed to establish harmony in a space, such as a home, office, etc. The plates are strategically placed and installed inside a home or building, underneath floors, and inside walls. These placements are believed to eradicate negative energies.

Energy Generator Crystal Gemstones
Energy Generator Crystal Gemstones
  • The plates are strategically placed and installed inside a home or building during construction or renovation.
  • Copper plates are often installed in eight compass directions and center of home.
  • Three copper plates are usually set within the home's flooring at the main entrance.

Three Vastu Shastra Design Principles

The three energy sources recognized by vastu include the compass directions, solar energy, and cosmic energy. Within these energy sources, the following principles should be met:

  • Bhogadyam: Designed premises should always be functional and easy to apply vastu principles.
  • Ramya: The home or business needs to stimulate feelings of well-being by its inhabitants.
  • Sukha Darsham: The design of a home, office, or business must be aesthetically pleasing.

Feng Shui, Vastu Shastra, and the Art of Energy Science

These are some of the similarities and differences between feng shui and vastu shastra. If you practice feng shui, you may discover some vastu devices and principles are great additions to your energy remedies and cures.

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Vastu Shastra vs. Feng Shui