What is Feng Shui?

You may have heard of this ancient Chinese skill for creating a better living environment. Literally, Feng means wind and Shui means water. They are two of the basic elements of life and are continually in a state of flux. Once they stop flowing and become static, they can create a negative Chi (energy).

If you live in an environment that attracts negative energy, it will adversely affect your own energy resulting in what you feel is "bad luck" in which you will not enjoy good health and prosperity. (Your home is an extension of yourself . . . think about this.)

Feng Shui has a long history - well over 2000 years. It was used originally for finding burial plots for the dead, called Yin houses and was reserved exclusively for royalty and the very wealthy. Emperors of China used the skills of a Feng Shui master to find an auspicious burial site which would ensure their future generations would have good fortune. This task took many years for the master to do.

Today, Feng Shui is more commonly used by corporations and private individuals interested in improving their health, fortune, and quality of life.

How does it work?

Feng Shui deals with both the internal and external environment. If the external environment embraces negative energy, anything done internally will not have a lasting effect. However, there are remedies to alter or block negative Chi and enhance positive Chi.

The first thing a Feng Shui master will do is to make an external survey of the building or home, and note anything that is or will cause problems. This could be the surrounding buildings, homes, roadways, etc. He will then use the Lopan (Chinese compass) and sketch a Shui chart, which involves a great deal of calculation. From his analysis, he will ascertain which direction will bring positive or negative influences. Each direction is associated with a particular star and number that has its own particular energy; i.e., the number eight star corresponds with money. Other stars relate to illness, celebration, success, relationships, luck (good or bad), popularity, birth and death.

Interest in Feng Shui has become worldwide. It is being used by individuals and corporations alike. Those corporations in the West, especially those with an Asian background or Asian connections, utilize this ancient skill to give them an advantage over their competitors. Good Feng Shui is vital.

An integral part of Chinese Feng Shui is the Ba Zi (Chinese horoscope). This involves a detailed calculation using the birth date, place and time of the head of the house or business. Among other factors, this will determine what direction, colors, and numbers are most beneficial for the individual concerned. All of this is based on the five elements (the Chinese have an extra element - wood). Learning to understand and correctly calculate the chart with accuracy offers a time frame for a favorable marriage, having children, when to expect prosperity, good health, etc.

The BA GUA octagon is one of the tools used in Feng Shui to help determine preferred locations for certain functions in the home or office. The BA GUA is placed with the front door of the floor plan of your home or office placed at the bottom of the BA GUA octagon.

  Yin and Yang

All Chinese beliefs, traditions, cultural practices, and superstitions are base on the principle of dualism, or opposites. Yin and Yang are respectively, the negative and positive principles that govern all human existence.

These primordial forces are in opposition, and yet, when combined, they symbolize perfect harmony. Yin and Yang are represented pictorially by the universally known symbol of an egg. The yolk and the white are strongly differentiated with the black and white colors, which distinguish the dual forces. Everything in the universe contains varying degrees of Yin and Yang. Observe in the Yin/Yang symbol. There is a tiny bit of Yang in the Yin and a tiny bit of Yin in the Yang emphasizing that these two factors are always in a state of flux, thereby creating change, even as they interact.

Water for Wealth

Water represents money and signifies the flow of wealth. To activate this symbol of prosperity, focus on the flow of water as it passes near you home. If you live in an apartment, relate the flow of water to the whole building. There is a difference between "big water", which generally describes rivers, lakes, and seas, and "small water", or artificial ponds and household drains.

Make sure that the water (river, ponds, or drains) is in full view of the main front door; water flowing past the back of the property suggests missed opportunities.

Make sure that the water flows past the main door in an auspicious direction. (These guidelines are based on the Water Dragon formula.)

Swimming Pools

While gardens are excellent Feng Shui, most modern Feng Shui masters are ambivalent about their attitude toward swimming pools. One group vehemently opposes the idea of having swimming pools altogether, pointing to various examples of family fortunes lost by the second generation and attributing the cause to the presence of large swimming pools in the house. Ironically, these luxury items have often been built as a sign of wealth. Another group of masters maintains that pools can be auspicious if they are in proportion to the house, properly sited with respect to the land, and if they are curved or kidney-shaped and appear to embrace the house, rather than rectangular-shaped.

Pools in apartments should not be located within the apartment block, whether on the ground floor or on the top floor. Water above or below spells danger and is never encouraged by Feng Shui masters. Pools should be balanced in size, and should reflect the harmony of the elements. If your horoscope warns against the presence of the water element in your home, i.e. if you are a fire person (indicated by Chinese astrology) - it is advisable that you not live with a pool on the property.

Ponds

Ponds in gardens are excellent Feng Shui. If you have one, try keeping fish in it to energize the flow of Chi that it creates.

If you are not able to care for you pond properly, it is better to remove it altogether than to let it become murky or muddy through lack of care. Chinese goldfish (nine in number) are recommended. Eight should be red and gold in color, while the ninth should be black.

Waterfalls and Rock Gardens

Rock gardens and waterfalls enhance your garden. They are not only beautiful but offer tranquility in the area.

Symbols

Great emphasis is placed on the shape of hills and mountains, on the direction of watercourses and, above all, on the careful location and understanding of the lair of the dragon, China's most revered celestial creature. The mighty dragon symbolizes great power to the Chinese and many natural phenomena were explained in the old days as manifestations of the dragon's moods.

The green dragon hills should always be on the left, or the east of your home or site.

The red phoenix hill should be found in low-lying land in front of the site and this represents the footstool, signifying a life of ease and luxury.

The black turtle hills should lie behind to act as back support and protection.

The white tiger hills should be on the right, or the west, and merge with the green dragon to create auspicious Chi.

Good Feng Shui is associated with certain objects because of their colors or the material from which they are made, or because their name in Chinese is similar to desirable conditions, such as tranquility or longevity. Having these objects in your home, or hanging a painting on the wall depicting these objects, will help to bring good fortune. Some of the most important objects and their symbolism include:

Wealth, which is symbolized by gold, antique coins, and the presence of clean, clear, rippling water.

Wisdom is represented by the elephant, which is regarded with great respect in many Asian countries.

Longevity and good health, which is represented by bamboo, pine trees, and cranes, which are often depicted in Chinese art. Peaches also symbolize longevity.

Crystals represent the earth element, which is the ruling symbol of the southwest marriage corner. Activating this corner with a crystal will enhance one's social life and marriage prospects. Although natural crystals are beneficial in many aspects of daily living, they should never be used in the northern sector because they are detrimental to the career corner since they symbolize earth, which is believed to destroy the water element of this sector.

If you seek prosperity in any form, place your front door in your Sheng Chi location. To identify the four auspicious locations that will bring you different kinds of good fortune and the four inauspicious locations that must be strenuously be avoided, you first need to calculate your Kau number.

(There are various formulas you must familiarize yourself with - too lengthy for this web page.)

Flowers may be used for many Feng Shui purposes. A wedding bouquet, even in silk, can be placed in the southeast or marriage corner to enhance romantic prospects.

Wind chimes hung above or near a door frighten away unlucky Chi. They should be used in houses with too many windows; otherwise, there will be dissent between parents and children.

Although there is much to learn, Feng Shui is neither difficult to understand nor hard to practice. Once you appreciate its underlying and basic tenets, you will begin to see that Feng Shui adopts a sensible approach toward your relationship with your environment and your personal living space.

To all Astrologers and those interested in Astrology:

Feng Shui and Chinese Astrology are both based, to a large extent, upon the I Ching and on the interactions of the five elements. Chinese astrology reveals the destiny bestowed by heaven or heaven luck, while Feng Shui is linked to the harnessing of the earth's Chi, or earth luck.

Chinese Astrology is based on the lunar calendar, which dates back to the time of the Emperor Huang Ti (about 2600 B.C.). It divides time into 60-year cycles, made up of twelve years and five elements. Each year is, therefore, linked to an element. It is important to note that whereas the Western calendar is based on the cycle of the sun, and, thefore, New Year in the West always falls on the 1st day of January, but the Chinese calculate New Year according to the lunar cycle and, therefore, New Year falls on the 2nd New Moon following the winter solstice. This means that the lunar New Year can occur at any time between mid-January and mid-February, and the Chinese calculate birth years accordingly. (I hope this clears up the confusion - I know it did for me.)

It is my endeavor to only acquaint you with this discipline. I am not a consultant and if you are interested in contacting a master, you may search the web for contacts.