Sitting vs FacingGet the frontage right. Get the chart right.
The Facing is the building’s active, open, receiving side. The Sitting is its quieter supporting side, exactly opposite. Identify this axis correctly before assigning a 24 Mountain or generating a Flying Star chart.
The core distinction
Ask where life flows in—not where the door is.
Qi follows openness, light, view, movement, access, and the way occupants engage the larger environment.
The active frontage
The side with stronger exposure, daylight, view, traffic, open space, and outward-facing daily life.
The supporting back
The quieter, more enclosed side that provides backing. It lies exactly 180 degrees opposite the Facing.
Evidence—not automatic proof
The door can sit on the Facing side, but its location alone does not define the building’s orientation.
Five-step method
Determine Facing first. Sitting follows.
Walk the perimeter
Compare openness, daylight, view, streets, parks, water, movement, and building presentation.
Check interior use
Notice where the living room, balcony, main windows, and daily attention face.
Verify activity
Compare traffic, approach, pedestrian flow, external qi, and the quieter backing side.
Measure azimuth
At the façade center, take at least three level readings away from metal and average them.
Assign the Mountains
Map the Facing degree to one of 24 Mountains; the Sitting Mountain is 180° opposite.
Orientation diagram
The door may not be on the Facing.
In this example, the entrance sits along the lower wall while the strongest external exposure comes through the open right-hand façade. The right side can be the Facing if form and daily use confirm it.
- Open panorama and large windows can outweigh door position.
- The opposite side becomes Sitting automatically.
- The building’s facing axis—not a person’s Kua direction—constructs the natal chart.
Degree-to-axis checker
Turn one bearing into a facing–sitting pair.
Use this only after the true active frontage has been identified. Near-boundary measurements require repeated onsite verification.
Special cases
When the frontage is not obvious.
Compare both street exposures
Favor the side with greater openness, longer street span, wider vista, and stronger movement. If tied, use interior life as the tiebreaker.
Prioritize external exposure
A balcony or window wall with a broad open panorama often defines Facing; an internal corridor or atrium usually does not.
Look beyond enclosing walls
Choose the side that still engages the larger street, park, view, or open environment. Compare window walls when both sides are enclosed.
Cross-check: The selected Facing should become convincing after comparing external form, movement, light, view, interior use, and repeated compass readings. If the evidence remains evenly split, obtain an onsite assessment before constructing the chart.
Common mistakes
Four shortcuts that break the chart.
Never assume this without checking openness, exposure, activity, view, and interior usage.
Cars, gates, reinforcement, wiring, phones, and electronics can distort a compass bearing.
Flying Star construction needs a specific 15-degree Mountain, not only a broad direction.
A degree near a Mountain boundary can produce a different chart. Repeat and reconcile measurements.
Next steps
Use the axis to build the natal chart.
The essential rule
Facing receives. Sitting supports.
Find the active frontage through form and real use, measure it carefully, map it to one of the 24 Mountains, and place the Sitting exactly opposite. Everything in the natal chart follows from that axis.