Three Killings (San Sha): Navigating the Annual Affliction

What Are the Three Killings?

The Three Killings, or San Sha (三煞), is one of the most severe annual afflictions in Compass School feng shui. It represents a massive 90-degree swath of hostile spatial energy that shifts compass sectors every year. The term historically refers to three distinct types of friction it causes if disturbed: loss of wealth, loss of relationships, and loss of reputation.

How It Works

Because it covers an entire 90-degree quadrant of a property, it is much wider and harder to avoid than the localized Tai Sui. Think of the Three Killings sector as an area of the home where the magnetic field is stretched dangerously thin. As long as the sector remains calm, the energy stays dormant. However, if you trigger it by drilling into walls or performing noisy renovations, the spatial shockwave creates a cascade of sudden bad luck. The strict orientation rule of San Sha is: you must never sit with your back to the Three Killings, as it will symbolically “backstab” you.

In Practice

• If your front door is located in the Three Killings sector, then you must close the door gently, keep the entryway quiet, and delay replacing the door or drilling into the doorframe until the following year.
• If your office desk sits in the middle of the room, then ensure your chair is positioned so you are physically facing the Three Killings direction, because confronting this energy head-on asserts your dominance and prevents a blindside attack.

In 2026

In 2026, the Three Killings occupies the entire North sector of every property (spanning from Northwest to Northeast). Therefore, you must completely avoid digging in your North garden, knocking down walls in the North rooms, or sitting with your back facing North while working for the entirety of the year.

Common Misconceptions

❌ The Three Killings means three actual ghosts are haunting my house. ✅ It is an ancient metaphorical name for three types of energetic friction caused by planetary alignments and time cycles, not supernatural entities.

❌ I can cure the Three Killings by placing a Bagua mirror. ✅ The Three Killings is an intangible, time-based affliction. You cannot deflect it with a mirror. The only 100% effective cure is total physical inactivity and silence in that sector.

Related Concepts

→ Annual Flying Stars 2026 (/wiki/annual-flying-stars-2026): The wider yearly map where the Three Killings should be read alongside other annual afflictions. → Compass School Feng Shui (/wiki/compass-school-feng-shui): The branch that tracks annual directional afflictions like the Three Killings.