Feng shui master said dragon is ‘lucky’ for MacDonald Highlands

The MacDonald Highlands luxury neighborhood, located in the southwestern Las Vegas Valley, features a natural ridgeline that resembles a dragon.

Dimitrius Kastle, Ph.D., a noted expert on feng shui, the study of flow of design as it impacts life force, says that the vision of the dragon is so startlingly clear, so perfectly positioned, that its prosperous energy casts good luck and success over the entire neighborhood.

"There are four or five such dragons on earth that we know of," said Kastle, who has made a life study of feng shui in China, India and throughout Asia. "But the features of this dragon are so pronounced that this is jaw dropping to students of feng shui. It is what we term an "auspicious feature." It goes beyond the pale. I see it as the origin point of a powerful spiritual vortex. This is the ultimate symbol of prosperity."

Adherents of feng shui believe that there should be a relationship between ourselves and nature to live in harmony with our environment. The way we live our lives, design and decorate our homes can affect things such as our finances, health and over all well being.

Kastle said they believe the dragon's positioning is particularly important for "our most important industry."

"This dragon looks out over the Las Vegas Valley but the founders of this community just happened to put the Las Vegas Strip right in the dragon's line of sight," Kastle said.

"It's as if the Strip and McCarran Airport have prospered under this energy. The place that it is the strongest, however, is the MacDonald Highlands development. Those homes are immediately within the dragon's energy field."

Kastle has been published in magazines such as Vogue, Europe, Marie Claire, Italy, La Mia Casa, Rome, Italy and Trends. He has spent a lifetime as a design consultant.

Kastle received his bachelor's degree from the University of California at Berkeley and then completed nine years of post-graduate studies.

Four of those years were spent at the University of Madras in India.

He then moved on to study at Shefferton University in London where he received his Ph.D. in architecture and design and graduated summa cum laude.

He also spent 15 years working with regional and local feng shui masters. His studies have positioned him as one of the first scholars from the West to translate the Vastu Vidya Shastra of the ancient scriptures from the original Sanskrit to English.

Kastle said skeptics may choose to quickly write off the entire study of feng shui as mere superstition.

However, at least one Las Vegas casino disregarded feng shui teachings and appeared to regret the impression it made on Asian guests.

"When the MGM first opened, visitors had to enter the Strip casino by walking into the lion's mouth (which is perceived by some as a sign of bad luck)," Kastle said. "Let's just say earnings were a bit lackluster. But when the new CEO took over, it was among his first changes. Now it's among the hottest properties in the history of this amazing city. They are incredibly prosperous."

MacDonald Highlands' master-planned community features custom home sites and luxury residences on 1,200 acres. Home sites start at $950,000, residences start a $1.4 million.

The gated hillside neighborhood is located at the intersection of Valle Verde Drive and Horizon Ridge Parkway.

The information center is located at 1730 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway.

To visit, take Interstate 215, the Las Vegas Beltway, east to Valle Verde and travel south to the corner of Valle Verde and Horizon Ridge. The office is open daily.

For more information or to schedule a private tour of, call 614-9100.