Wait, Singapore has Heavenly Lakes?

reservoir fengshui

Indeed! Let us tell you where it is…

We’ve often heard of “heavenly lakes”, but are quite unfamiliar with them. Hence, this article is about “heavenly lakes” – not the Tian Chi acupoint in Traditional Chinese Medicine nor the central part of the feng shui compass, but actual lakes in the mountains! This term came from lakes that were located in high-altitude areas that seemed to reach the heavens. It’s said that “heavenly lakes” are where the gods and deities live, giving such places an air of awe and mystery.

You probably know of China’s “Four Great Heavenly Lakes”: Tianshan Heavenly Lake in Xinjiang, Heaven Lake on Mount Changbai (Mount Baekdu) in Jilin, Qinghai’s Mengda Heavenly Lake and Sichuan Huaying Tianchi Lake. However, did you know that Singapore also has “heavenly lakes”? During one feng shui lesson, Grand Master Tan Khoon Yong openly shared on Singapore’s water sources and outlets, revealing that Singapore not only has heavenly lakes, but has three of them! Before reading on, guess where they are!

Yes, these “heavenly lakes” are actually the three reservoirs at the Singapore Central Catchment Nature Reserve: Upper Seletar Reservoir, Upper and Lower Peirce Reservoir, and MacRitchie Reservoir.

China’ s heavenly lakes are usually found in the mountains, but Singapore’s heavenly lakes are on flat land. In fact, all three are located in Singapore’s central area, forming the “heart” of Singapore. Do you know the importance of these “three great heavenly lakes”? Before we explain, let’s look at the geography of Singapore and her surroundings, circumstances, and feng shui layout. From a feng shui perspective, Singapore and her neighbouring countries form a “Treasure in the Golden Basin” feng shui formation.

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What do we mean? Compared to neighbouring countries, Singapore’s terrain is minuscule, which corresponds to what is termed a “bowl” in feng shui studies. In addition, Singapore is surrounded on all sides by other countries’ hills (such as Malaysia’s Kota Tinggi and Gelang Patah in the north, Indonesia’s Sumatra in the south and west, and Borneo in the east), forming natural barriers. A bird’s-eye view of Singapore and its geographical surroundings would show that Singapore looks like an ingot at the bottom of a basin, forming the “Treasure in the Golden Basin” formation. Whether from a geographical or feng shui point of view, this has given Singapore a huge advantage.

Here’s the clincher: Singapore’s geography and feng shui layout resembles an ingot, while the “three heavenly lakes” at Singapore’s central region are like water collected by the ingot. This has great significance in feng shui since water represents wealth. These three reservoirs provide an abundant supply of “water” (in other words, wealth) to Singapore’s economy.

As the name suggests, feng shui is about the flow of wind and water, so “water” is a crucial element. However, how can we best use the water stored in the “heavenly lakes”? The traditional feng shui classic, Book of Burial, gives a clear hint: “Qi is dispersed by wind and bound by water. The ancients gathered it to prevent dispersal and allowed it to flow within set boundaries – that is feng shui.” In simple terms, one must appropriately “collect” qi. Apart from keeping the water clean, a good drainage system and minimal disturbance of the water is crucial. Hence, the authorities should avoid excessive construction or development works on the three “heavenly lakes” and avoid holding large-scale events here as this would disrupt their tranquility and affect Singapore’s spiritual energy.

Go for a stroll around the “heavenly lakes” and experience the aura there for yourself!