FENG SHUI EXPERTS SEE POSITIVE SIDE OF O.J.'S ESTATE.

Byline: Heesun Wee Daily News Staff Writer

Buying and moving into a house is a precarious adventure. You want to leave little to chance - especially if your new home is a particular Rockingham Avenue mansion in Brentwood.

After plunking down an estimated $3.95 million for O.J. Simpson's former house, the buyers hired a practitioner of feng shui, a centuries-old Chinese craft of placement and fortune-telling, to assess whether their new home would usher in health, wealth and happiness.

The couple isn't unique. Feng shui, like numerology, is an ancient belief system that is gaining increasing acceptance in the American mainstream.

``People want to improve their lives,'' said Sophia Shaul, a feng shui practitioner based in Burbank. ``They want prosperity. They want success in their careers, to have wonderful relationships and have good health.

``These are basic human needs, and we all want those things.''

Last month, feng shui practitioner Kartar Diamond was working in her West Los Angeles office when her telephone rang. The new owners of the Simpson house were on the line, and they wanted a feng shui diagnosis. The couple's physician, a former client of Kartar's, had recommended her.

In fact, a lot of Diamond's business comes through word-of-mouth recommendations. Her clientele includes executives in the film and music industries, interior designers, architects and actor Johnny Depp. She also teaches feng shui at Los Angeles Valley College and Pasadena City College.

The opportunity to analyze the fortune of such a famous house was a welcome and exciting assignment. ``I wasn't hesitant at all,'' Diamond said.

The investment banker and his wife wanted an overall feng shui report of their home and ways to improve their luck through possible structural changes. For about two hours, at a fee of more than $900, Diamond roamed the empty mansion, observing and assessing. The couple even offered her the house's floor plan.

Diamond compiled her findings into an eight-page feng shui report for the new owners. Although the document is kept in strict confidence, Diamond did reveal a few discoveries about the mansion at 360 N. Rockingham Ave. and its effect on its dwellers - past and present.

``It's a good house in many respects. We assume it has to be this awesome dungeon of horrors, but it was an extremely lucky house for (Simpson),'' said Diamond, 36, who has been studying and practicing feng shui for eight years. ``It was for him (rather) than against him.''

Diamond's final analysis on the bond between the charmed abode and the man who stood trial for the slaying of his ex-wife, Nicole, and Ronald Goldman: ``This house was a good friend to him, and he got away with murder.''

Living in harmony 

The words feng shui, pronounced ``fung shway,'' mean wind and water. The philosophy behind the craft that practitioners call a science is actually quite simple. To ensure good fortune, buildings, roads and other man-made objects should be placed in harmony with nature. Otherwise, disaster - including poor health, botched relationships, nose-diving careers and unsuccessful business - ensues.

The nuts and bolts of how a particular structure can best channel cosmic forces leading to good luck depends on many factors. Like a painstaking math problem, a structure's age, what direction it faces and its surroundings all are calculated toward a final prognosis.

Simpson's former estate, featuring seven bedrooms and 7-1/2 bathrooms, was built in 1941 and faces southwest. Feng shui generally labels this kind of home ``wang shui,'' which means it's inherently good for money and for people, Diamond said.

The home also includes a large swimming pool lined up along the east section. ``Generally a good location for water,'' said Diamond, adding it indicates further financial success.

But the 6,400-square-foot house is not without its faults, Diamond said.

The structure features many exposed beams, slanted ceilings and unbalanced entrances into bedrooms, all signs pointing toward irritation and health problems.

After the feng shui diagnosis, Diamond said, the couple is considering structural changes they hope will improve their luck.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1) Despite its former owner's legal troubles, the most famous house on Rockingham Avenue passes muster with a feng shui expert.

Associated Press

(2) A Chinese compass aids in judging a house's character.

Myung J. Chun/Daily News