Most foreigners living in China have heard of Feng Shui, yet the
mystery and magic associated with it has convinced the majority of us
that it 's primarily a dogma of ancient superstitions. Feng Shui is not
a religion, although it has roots in both Buddhism and Hinduism (as
well as in cosmology and other forms of metaphysics). It is said that
it takes a Feng Shui apprentice thirty years to master the art. This
being said, I'd like to say that the intention of this article is to
simply describe what Feng Shui is; it 's not a how-to on channeling its
power.
The
name Feng Shui originates from China and can be translated to 'Wind and
Water.' At its essence, Feng Shui is about living consciously in
harmony with Earth and enjoying the highest quality of life possible
while residing here. It 's the art of balancing and enhancing the flow
of natural energies, or Chi, that make up the essence of every person,
place and object. Feng Shui has evolved over thousands of years from a
folk art to a highly sophisticated system of philosophy and science,
often blending the old with the more new age trends and fads of the
west. But its ancient form is still practiced by professional
consultants throughout China, and is based on the principles of the
classic Chinese book, I Ching.
Feng Shui was first
used in
ancient China about 3000 years ago to determine the most auspicious
sites for the tombs of ancestors in order to give them the best vantage
to help their living descendants. Later, it started to be used in
selecting sites for palaces, important government buildings and
monuments, until finally whole cities were designated and built
according to Feng Shui principles.
Hong Kong is
one such
example, and its prosperity is often cited as a prime example of Feng
Shui effectiveness. About 90% of all the properties there are built
according to Feng Shui protocols. An example of trying to manipulate
chi energies, the Hong Kong Bank of China was sued by neighboring
businesses because of its construction of a seventy story building of
sharp angles. There 's no doubt that the architect of the building knew
exactly what he was doing and deliberately designed a structure that
sends arrow-like 'killing chi' energy at its competitors. The recourse
of the occupants surrounding the building was to erect Feng Shui
mirrors in an attempt to reflect the dangerous energy back to its
source, and then commence litigation.
Feng Shui is
based on the
prevailing view of Asians that everything in our environment, living or
inanimate, is imbued with energy. This is now no longer considered
simply a belief, it 's currently a scientific fact that objects and
elements are made up of tiny molecules and atoms that vibrate and are
constantly in motion. These objects and elements are imbued with an
energy that cannot be seen by the naked eye, but they are able to
influence our every day life.
The energy (or Chi) of
an object,
person, or place is very important in Feng Shui. This Chi relates to
whatever is in space, and the flow of Chi is unique to every home,
business and recreational space. Space is defined as the directional
orientation of a structure and is traditionally determined with a
Chinese Feng Shui compass. Tools used to evaluate space calculate the
Chi field, its Yin and Yang, and the Five Elements.
Chi
can be
broken into two components: (1) Yin and Yang, representing the opposite
forces that are constantly interacting with one another, such as:
feminine/masculine; passive/active; destructive/creative; soft/hard;
dark/bright. These forces are always moving and always seeking balance.
And: (2) The Five Elements, which are water, wood, fire, metal, and
earth. These elements are believed to affect everything we do,
determining our personalities, our professions, and our degree of
success in life.
Learning about Feng Shui isn't a
study in
"magic," but rather, it 's about developing an awareness of the living,
natural elements that we interact with daily in our lives.
Timothy
Green
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