feng shui

FENG SHUI can be used to create Harmony, Health and Fortune in everyday life. It achieves this by manipulating the physical placement of objects (walls, furniture, equipment, buildings, roads, towns, etc.) as well as the invisible energies associated with those objects. Its goal is to make life easier and more conducive to the achievement of personal, communal, or institutional potential. Because it is holistic and holographic by its very nature, principles and strategies proper to Feng Shui can be applied at any scale in the physical world, from a single room to whole towns or even whole regions in the geographical sense.

Feng Shui is concerned with the forces in Nature which, through their interactions, affect and influence human destiny. These forces are considered to be either tangible or intangible. Tangible forces are those which can be seen with the naked eye and which are therefore categorized and referred to by their formal characteristics. Intangible forces are invisible forces which act on the physical forms and which are considered to be directional in nature and bound to certain rules in time. Many of these are correlated withe underground geological formations as well as aerial phenomena such as weather patterns, astrological influences, and the magnetic polarity of the planet. Hence, the study of feng shui is the study of form, space, and time, and of their interactions with the intangible forces behind matter which are constantly acting upon reality.

WHAT IS FENG SHUI ?

The term feng means wind or air, and shui, means water. In a broader sense, however, shui also embraces all physical circumstances such as rivers, lakes, mountains, and the landscape. In a modern environment it also refers to buildings, roads, and highways. The word shui therefore embraces the totality of the physical environment, whereas the word feng refers to the more abstract or intangible forces of the Cosmos, which, like the wind, are invisible to the human eye. These intangible forces are by nature mysterious and their understanding requires knowledge of the compass, the cosmology of the I Ching, the pattern of movement of the stars and planets, and the pattern of time and change in the Cosmos.

Feng Shui is concerned with the impact of the environment on human life. It is interesting to note that Feng Shui has reappeared in the west precisely at a time when the degradation of the environment requires that we play much closer attention to the impact of our behavior and our thinking on Nature. Feng Shui is first and foremost an ecological discipline whose roots in ancient China combined magical practices with a profound concern for and a deep understanding of Nature’s processes.

Feng Shui is considered to be one of the pillars of oriental philosophy. There is a saying in China which illustrates the importance of this discipline to the oriental mind:
“First: destiny; second: luck; third: feng shui; fourth: philanthropy; fifth: education…” In some interpretations, Feng Shui is considered to be a branch of oriental medicine. Whatever the fact, the philosophical and intellectual foundations of Feng Shui are the same as that of oriental medicine. Both are based on the cosmology of the I Ching and the dynamic interactions described by the theoretical system known as 5-Element Theory or The 5 Transformations. In this system, change in Nature is described as occurring either within a cycle of growth or a cycle of destruction. The forces of Nature are considered to be in balance by virtue of this interaction. Everything in nature therefore corresponds to a phase in this changing pattern, and all forms, events, or time spans can also be classified according to the 5 Transformations. In effect, the adjustments required to resolve an imbalance at any point in time are based in the cycle of these transformations.

Feng Shui knowledge is generally classified as belonging to one of two broad schools of thought: the “form” school, which is based upon the physical form, characteristics, and relationships of the tangible world, and the “compass” school, which is based upon the interactions of the invisible directional forces of the Cosmos as revealed by the geomancer’s compass, known in China as the Lo Pan. These two branches of knowledge originated in separate parts of China, with the form school predominating in the highly mountainous areas of Kiangsi and Anhui, and the compass school predominating in the vast flat expanses of Fukien and Chekiang provinces. Today no competent Feng Shui practitioner, or feng shui hsieng-sheng, is qualified to practice the discipline without knowledge and mastery of both.


APPLYING FENG SHUI

At a personal level, Feng Shui is useful for enhancing success in private and public life, as well as for improving relationships, health, joyfulness, creativity, career, reputation, prosperity, self-knowledge, and spirituality. At the institutional level, feng shui has wide application as a tool for the enhancement of productivity, efficiency, profitability, communication, satisfaction, and creativity.

Feng Shui achieves this by harmonizing and balancing the environment, which in turn supports the individual, community, or institution. A harmonious, well-balanced environment liberates creativity and vitality. It also opens up opportunities for new purposes, visions, and objectives. Feng Shui is a valuable tool in creating such environments, simultaneously working toward the realization of immediate goals as well as long term plans. The primary strategy toward this goal consists in maximizing positive energetic potential while simultaneously minimizing negative or destructive factors. The job of the feng shui consultant is therefore to identify positive and negative factors in the environment and to suggest strategies and cures toward the balancing of both.

Feng Shui techniques are subtle by nature, although in some cases a client may be asked to reposition a wall, a staircase, or move a door in order to take better advantage of the tangible and intangible forces acting upon the structure or structures in question. Because forces also change in time, clients are often asked to make yearly, monthly or even daily adjustments in their space. In some cases, a client may even be asked to relocate if the forces are deemed to be of an injurious nature. Because Feng Shui is concerned with the totality of reality, it has applications in settings where ordinary building practices may not have tools. These applications include cases of serious illness, mental disease, sheer bad luck, and such paranormal situations as ghost hauntings or spirit possessions.


FENG SHUI TECHNIQUES

Feng Shui has a very extensive range of techniques at its disposal. In many cases, each technique represents a complete branch of knowledge, requiring extensive knowledge, training and experience. It is often said that one lifetime is not enough to master all of the techniques used in this practice. Broadly speaking, these techniques fall under categories such as form analysis, earth energy analysis, compass studies, horoscopes (both of the client and the structure), energy flow analysis, as well as more conventional building practices such as materials, construction, layout, decoration, and color and light studies. In effect, Feng Shui combines traditional building practices with metaphysical studies, spiritual knowledge, history, medicine, and psychology.

Some of the more important techniques include:

Form analysis
This is the study of form and its impact upon human life. It includes knowledge on the location, direction and scale of objects in relation to the site in question.

Yin/Yang analysis
This study helps to determine the overall influences active in the space in a more abstract way. The terms refer to the basic duality of the Cosmos into male/female, bright/dark, or open/closed.

The 5 Transformations
This study determines the relative proportion of energies present on the site. This technique is also used to create cures or adjustments to negative influences.

The Compass
This is the study of the intangible influences which can affect a site and which are considered to be active from the directions of the compass.

Ming Qwa
This technique assesses the compatibility between the client and the structure in question.

Lo Shu Portents
In this technique a client is advised as to the auspiciousness or negativity of any sector of the structure, with emphasis on prosperity, healing, longevity, harmony, or management.

9 Star Ki
This is one of several horoscope systems used to evaluate the client. In this case the emphasis is on the client’s potential and psychology.

Flying Star
This technique is a horoscope of the building, with special emphasis on the relative qualities of each of its sectors. This includes studies of the intangible influences in time. This technique makes possible predictions of events such as fire, robbery, accidents, illness, and many others into the future.

Four Pillars of Destiny
This is another horoscope of the client. An extremely sophisticated technique requiring many years to master, this horoscope is used to balance the client’s space, determine future destiny, and evaluate family interactions.

Building Rituals
Building rituals can be used to prepare the land for use, to clear out unwanted energies in existing buildings, to bless or consecrate buildings for a particular purpose, and even to help with serious problems such as illness or misfortune. Rituals can also be used to correct Geopathic Stresses (negative energies in the land), unwanted legacies in existing buildings, financial misfortune, poor health, and even ghosts and hauntings.


FENG SHUI PROCESS

A basic consultation uses all of the techniques outlined above. The end result is a strategy which is designed to alleviate the problems uncovered by the analysis and to help maximize the potential inherent in the site. A good Feng Shui consultant is subtle in his or her approach, and the cures recommended should be simple, direct, and within the client’s budget. Only in cases where it is absolutely needed should extensive remodeling or reconstruction be recommended. Of course, Feng Shui works best if it is used from the onset of a construction or planning project.

In a typical consultation, the client will be given an assessment of the site and its potential for wealth, power, relationships, health, and success. The site will also be rated for its compatibility with the client. Any negative factors will be adjusted for and strategies will be outlined to this effect. The site will also be broken down into sectors and each will be evaluated for its relative potential for creating or destroying wealth, health, or satisfaction. In addition, the client will be informed as to the likelihood of events both positive and negative into the future. The consultant will also make general recommendations as to the preferred colors, shapes, and objects in the space, with specific recommendations as to their location.

Results can be expected within several days to several weeks, although deeper problems can obviously take longer. It is important to keep in touch with the consultant, particularly if changes are slow in coming or if change becomes too swift. It is recommended that a space be evaluated at least once a year, to take account of the changes in energy proper to the times.