The Four Compass Directions : East, South, East, North The four compass directions are very important in feng shui. Each has its own characteristics and it is important to know them – and in which direction your house faces – to understand what is happening to the energy reaching you. West West is an area of unpredictability, even danger. It contains warfare and potential violence. West’s color white, its element is metal, and its animals are dog, rooster, and monkey. Its season is the fall, and the ch’i from the west is unpredictable.