Welcome alex-

Just to warn you ahead of time, FS can be very confusing. There are many conflicting schools of thought out there. My suggestion is to check out books from your library and get on a couple of forums. Check out previous posts and read up before asking questions. There is much out there you can learn from. If you decide to make changes,ie. remedies/enhancements, you should feel the effect within a week or two. Like tootsie said you should be able to "feel" if things feel right. Good luck on your journey of learning and remember "Evryting will be Irie mon"
Looking forward to hearing more from you.

   I agree with silkconcepts about concentrating with the 5 elements first.  It is the foundation of all feng shui schools.   Now if the feng shui teachings is not based on the 5 elements then it is a fraud!    You might find that that 8 mansions and flying stars techniques of FS are now starting to be a thing of the past.   It is a powerful tool but place it on the wrong hand it will create frustrations, mostly confusion and havoc.   Books only gives us basic knowledge.  If we want to be good at it we need to learn it from the master. So, do not put too much effort on it.   In classical FS, landforms supersedes everything.   It is not an easy task to learn Luan Tou.  It takes time, patience, effort and practice to be good at it.   Great masters when they consult seldom use the techniques I mentioned but they concentrate more on landforms.   So, if you have a chance to study Luan tou, go for it.   I'm sure I will.

I am just learning about Feng Shui and I want to thank silkconcepts and pirbid for their incredibly helpful posts!

Hi mysticaldigital.    I was once like you looking for answers of which conventional science and religion could not explain.    A good way to start is to read books about FS.   The problem is which book?    A very good resource is provided by Master Joey (Joey Yap) through Master Academy Of Chinese Metaphysics.    You can browse through their website (www.masteryacademy.com) and pick the books you want to read.   You can start off by reading a book called "Stories on Feng Shui".    The book will guide and show you the basic concepts of FS (real or superstitious).
If you live in Brisbane, Australia, there is an upcoming conference on the 22nd of this month on Face Reading conducted by Master Joey.    Hope it helps.

Hello again digitalmystical.    You must be very confuse by this time re FS.   I do not blame you.   There are many schools of thought and it is hard to pick the credible ones at times.   So many concepts like 8 mansions, flying stars etc.   I would like to share something to you.   Feng Shui is about harnessing Qi from our environment.   Our external environment affects the house and in turn affects the occupants.    We should make sure by observation that were are surrounded by good natural landforms (mountains) and water formations and everything will fall in place.  Its that simple.   It has been proven.  No need for confusing and complicated calculations.   We only use either 8 mansion or flying stars to complement or to fine tune.    On the other hand if you unknowingly activate a negative star like the Grand Duke it will spell disaster.  If you disturb the south sector this year further trouble will be forthcoming.   I have seen these things happen couple of times just activating the wrong star.  That is why we have to be careful coz the effect is instant.  

I'll see you next time.  Ciao.