History of Feng Shui

The philosophy of the West, at least in the past, has been to conquer nature, using science, while the philosophy of the east has been to live in harmony with nature and consider oneself part of the Universe. Ancient Chinese were extremely careful in choosing a site, to establish/build a village, a town or a city. A well-chosen site would bring prosperity and good health, while a poorly chosen site would bring famine and war. The duty of choosing the site would rest on the shoulders of learned men, who were initiated in 'Kan Yu' or simply put, the way of Heaven and the way of Earth. They were also taught the secrets of Heaven. These closely guarded secrets, along with experiences of the past, were handed down from generation to generation, which is why they had been unheard of for so many years. Sometimes a young man would apprentice for as long as forty years, because the art of Feng shui was taught with a lot of practical training, which also meant traveling far and wide. Feng Shui Masters' were very protective about their knowledge and would not part with it very easily, even for their own kin. A person had to be ethical and then he would receive all that his Master had to give. It was only when the Master felt, his pupil was ready that he was given a nod to practice these secrets.

This art was practiced mostly to enhance the Emperor and his kin, anyone else practicing it, would be severely punished or put to death. This art then was used to enhance the Emperor wealth and status in the neighboring kingdom's also to make sure his kith and kin were healthy, when to wage wars, to further add more kingdoms to one's own and so on. Working for the Emperor or in the place was considered a privilege and working as a Feng Shui Master was indeed the best job of all, as he was a highly respected individual, along with being well looked after and paid to boot.

The Book of Burials, one of the earliest Feng Shui books, written by Guo Po, emphasized greatly on preserving the environment. Failure to do so would result in disasters, he wrote. Feng Shui Masters' taught the principle that a structure built in harmony with the energy fields of the Universe, would enjoy good Feng Shui. It is then the study of how to create a beautifully balanced environment. Feng Shui was initially used for Yin houses (graves). The theory behind it being that if one's ancestors are buried according to the proper forms then the descendants would benefit by being healthy, wealthy and wise. It is still used in countries where Chinese population flourishes. Feng Shui for the Yang houses (the modern day houses) flourished in the Tang dynasty and it reached new heights of development, as an art and science, bringing with it, a sophistication never before seen. Master Yan Yun Song (also called the 'savior of the poor' because he helped make life easier for the poor) is a name that is synonymous with greatness, because of his disgust, for the rich people or elite who would not let the poor grow. He saw the divinational arts as a way of helping people by delivering them from disasters that they might otherwise unknowingly walk into. He is considered the forefather of Chinese geomancy. Another great Master is Jiang Da Hong whose teachings are followed closely by my master, Master Joseph Yu. His teachings are that one should look after one's parents in a good manner when they are alive and not give them rich burials, just for selfish gains. He believed that Yang houses were more important than yin houses, because a house full of good energy, would make its inhabitants healthy and wise and a strong and intelligent man would definitely have great achievement giving him wealth.

What is Fengshui

Pronounced 'Foong Shoi', its literal meaning is wind and water. Gentle winds, which help carry energy that is prevalent around us in abundance and allowing it to stop, at the area where water is placed, because water is a barrier where energy stops. How to tap this energy and maneuver it towards our abodes and us is what the Study and practice of Feng Shui is all about. Good energy when transformed into tangible forms become, meandering rivers, lustrous mountains on earth, the radiant sun and glittering stars in the sky. In the same way, evil energy will take the shape of rugged rocks, torrential rivers and erupting volcanoes. Good-looking objects have the power of absorbing good energy from the Universe, and transmitting it into our homes or business premises and evil looking objects transmit harmful energy, which create chaos and turmoil. There is also a wise saying in Feng Shui 'You imbibe what you see', which is very true. The more positive things you have around you, the more positive your state of mind is. This in turn influences actions, which produces results. So Feng Shui principles do have a sound scientific foundation and is not superstition, as one is wont to believe.

Feng Shui is broadly based on these principles:

1. Energy - Sheng and Sha.
2. External Environment.
3. Balance - Tai-Ji.
4. 5 Elements.
5. Ba-Gua - Eight directions.
6. Xuan Kong - Flying Stars. (The most powerful form of Feng Shui.

Examples of good and bad energy and how it influences our Homes/Offices.

• When a house is full of good energy or 'Sheng Qi', the people living in it are full of joy and laughter, respecting their elders and loving one and all.
• When an Office is full of Sheng Qi, workers/staff are loyal and committed to their jobs, giving it their best. There is no bickering amongst them and co-operation is the norm of the day. Such a premise will do very well, in terms of growth and expansion.
• When a person is filled with Sheng Qi, he/she will appear more confident and energetic.
• When a restaurant is full of Sheng Qi, the food is delicious, the staff is courteous and people leave the place with utmost satisfaction.
• n a store, where Sheng Qi exists, people will be attracted to spend more and enjoy themselves at the same time. Staff will be helpful, whether customers buy or not, creating good will for the store.
• The opposite is true of Sha Qi or bad/evil energy. In an area of Sha Qi, no good can prevails. A house will have quarrels and discontent among its members, an office will have too much politics and there will be discord between partners, staff and management will have problems. A restaurant will have surly staff and there probably would be arguments between customers and staff, with the customers, going away dissatisfied.
  A store will not attract crowds nor will people want to spend.
• Some examples of Sha Qi are: a direct road hitting your premise, if the premise is on the ground floor. If the premise is in a building, then make sure that there is no long corridor hitting directly at the main entrance of the office or home. There is no clutter or dump in front of your premise. There are no sharp corners or protruding corners, directly your main door. There is no stairway going down, immediately as you step out of your premise. There are no cacti at the entrance or within your premise. These are just some examples of Sha Qi.

External Environment includes having a back or a protection behind oneself and one's premise. In modern times, having a building behind your own premise, gives protection or help from elders, in a house and from bosses and superiors, even government agencies in an office. Sitting and sleeping with back or head against a solid wall is considered very beneficial. If one's back is towards open space rather than a wall, one is prone to being back stabbed and not having support from superiors. Having one's back to the door, also accounts for missed opportunities. If any reader is facing this problem, just have your back to a solid wall, with the door of your room visible from where you are sitting and see the difference.

In the same way, one should always have open spaces in front of oneself, to get support from clients, which translates to getting wealth. If one is in a creative field, one must not face a solid wall. Lots of offices place desks in such a way, so that the back is left unprotected and the face is towards the wall. If the scene cannot be changed, have pictures of depth. Depth could be different to different people. It could be pictures of a garden path leading someplace, or a photograph of a loved one, or an actress/actor. Pictures of what one's hobbies are, a longed for car or even beautiful flowers. The choice should be left to the individual. In homes the coffee table or the center table should be attractive. There should be good looking artifacts, not entirely related to Feng Shui; there should be no clutter. In offices, the desk should be decluttered and an attractive placement should be made giving maximum benefit, to the person, sitting there. Placements will be discussed in the Tips section.

It is always a good idea to be protected from either side with structures on each side for the exterior and clever placement of furniture, for the interior. This gives support from peers and colleagues. If the placement is attractive on the left side, one gets maximum support from males and if it is attractive on the right side, from females. So one can try and use this to advantage.

After dealing with energies, and the Environment, one looks for balance and this is beautifully portrayed in the symbol of the Tai-Ji or the Yin and Yang symbol. In every yin, there is a bit of yang and vice versa. Yin symbolizes inactivity, female, darkness and yang symbolizes activity, male, light etc. Creating a balance where imbalance prevails is the trick to bring harmony according to the Tai-Ji.

Give symbol of Tai-Ji.

One then checks the 5 elements and their interactions to bring harmony into our abodes. It is always a good idea to blend the elements, to bring harmony. Veering towards just one element can bring imbalance, creating disharmony. The 5 elements are Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal.

Water can be added, in an area by placing a water fountain or an aquarium. If this is not possible, then using the colours black and blue tastefully or using curvaceous furniture can enhance the water element. Placing water in a punch bowl with petals can also be used. Make very sure that you do not use a water fountain or an aquarium in the bedroom, as this will bring ill health.

Wood can be introduced by clever placement of plants. The colour green can also be used.

Fire can be introduced by the colour red, which is the only colour that is extremely powerful, as the element fire. One can also use candles. Triangular shapes represent fire too. Placing a lit candle in an attractive bowl of water can enhance both the elements of fire and water. Contrary to what a lot of charlatans may proclaim, this combination is not negative, but rather positive, as fire and water produce steam, which can be useful to us. A word of warning however, This is one colour one must not play around with too much as it could create hyperactivity and enhance illness, especially if there is a sickness star. How one finds a sickness star is through the Flying Star system.

Earth remedies include, terracotta accessories, Quartz crystal, the colours yellow, tan, beige, brown and peach. Cement, bricks, stones sand etc. also constitute earth and these can be incorporated beautifully, into a Home or Office, not necessarily having a 'Feng Shui' look. The shapes square or rectangular or cuboids can also represent. Earth.

Finally, Metal. It is the sound of metal that is the strongest metal cure for this element. That is why wind chimes and the chiming clocks. The stronger the sound of metal, the less illness there is in any house. Round, semi circular or domes are metal shapes and colours are White, Grey, Silver, Gold or any metallic colours.

The Eight different directions are called the Ba-Gua. Energies coming from all the 8 directions, with a stable center, bring overall prosperity. It is called the eight-house school. But a new system (BTB) was introduced by Thomas Lin Yun (in 1986), who claimed that only the 8 directions could get results. This however is not entirely true, because there is a stimulation of energy, which brings change, but there is always a plateau. Nothing compensates for the actual visit of a Feng Shui Consultant/Master, who will apply all the principles, most especially the Flying stars, before giving advice. The Ba-Gua is beautifully illustrated in the following diagram.

Give Ba-Gua diagram.

The Career corner is enhanced by water and cures can be placed according to the information supplied above. It is represented by the direction North. Another way to enhance this area is to place artifacts, which will enhance one's career, like the Dragon boat, dragon horse, turtles and 3-legged toads.

The Relationship corner is in the Southwest and is enhanced by mature earth. Placing a pair of doves or a picture of a handshake or even a frame of double happiness will bring harmony in relationships. A pair of red hearts or ones in rose quartz crystals are said to bring life into a relationship. A pair of mandarin ducks ensures fidelity in the marriage and a pair of peonies are said to be good for attracting a relationship.

The elder's area is to be stimulated when there is disharmony between elders and the younger generation. It is represented by the direction East and is enhanced by wood. Placing wind chimes in this area can be harmful.

The wealth area according to this school is a static Southeast. Placing wealth-enhancing products like a bunch of grapes (in quartz crystals), wealth ingots, and bowl with coins or ships bringing in wealth are said to be good. The 3 gods Luk, Fuk and Sao bringing health, wealth and prosperity are said to be good when placed in the SE.

The center of any premise is always kept stable and things like a spiral staircase can cause real havoc in a house/office. Keeping solid objects in the center can sometimes bring solidity and harmony between family members/staff in the office. The only thing the center detests is movement. This is one common factor in all schools of Feng Shui.

The Helpful friends and the head of the Family or business premise is represented by Northwest and metal is good for this area. This is also the energy of Heaven, so if one needs help from anyone, this is the area to be stimulated. Placing a picture of a handshake is good for this area.

West is the creativity or the children area. This area should be clutter free, when trying to conceive a child. Placing a spiral in this corner would also bring in good results. When trying to be creative, one should face this area. This area can be stimulated by metal.

Northeast is the knowledge area and placing an education tower in this area, can bring good results after examinations. Having a picture of a mountain (not snow capped ones) enhances the knowledge corner. It is represented by earth.

Fame, is represented by the direction South and its element is fire. Placing your certificates or anything that needs to be highlighted in your life can be placed in the South. If there is something you wish to keep secret, make sure that it is not in the south.
Red is a colour mostly used in this area.

There is a theory called the Ba-chop theory, which highlights what directions are good for any individual, as far as health, wealth, careers, relationships, spirituality etc. This is done by mathematical calculations taking the birth year into consideration.

Finally the Flying stars, are a set of figures, which give a blue print of a house, which enables, an advanced Feng Shui practitioner, to find out exactly what is happening in a premise. Using a Luo pan (a compass especially used by geomancers/Feng Shui experts/Masters) one determines the orientation of the house. Calculations are made according to the orientation and 'forms' are read, to ascertain the characteristics of the energy invading your premise. This along with the time the building was constructed and the energy of the people living in the home/office (worked out by the date of birth, along with the time), gives an advanced practitioner, the details of what is happening in a particular place. If a practitioner is not able to work out the orientation, forms, Time and energy of the people living in a particular place, chances are his knowledge comes from reading books, and not by studying with a Master.