| What is Feng Shui?
For millennia, the Chinese have been observing the heavens and astral bodies, looking for a clue as to how Man interacts with, and is influenced by his Universe. Their observations culminated in the conclusion that an omnipresent yet invisible force - known as Qi - bears a distinct influence on mankind and his activities.
Qi is dynamic and as such, stays true to the concept of Yin and Yang by continuously interacting with the environment and cosmic forces. It binds us to the Universe, vice versa, and hence affects our surroundings and lives. By identifying the changes in Qi patterns, we are able to understand what Qi augurs well for us during certain times of the year, and what Qi and which directions to avoid, as well.
So Feng Shui is a study of the Physiognomy of the Land...a study of landforms, if you wish. Because natural environmental features such as mountains, lakes and rivers retain, conduct and circulate Qi within an area, we must first know the geography of our surrounding landforms, before we are able to identify the type of Qi present - and how we can harness positive Qi to aid us in our undertakings.
And just in case you are wondering how the term `Feng Shui' came into being, here's your answer. Guo Pu's classic `Burial Book' (Zang Shu 葬書) - penned circa 300 AD - firmly notes that `Qi rides and scatters with the Wind (Feng 風); (and) gathers at the boundaries of Water (Shui 水).'
Why should we practice it?
Contrary to popular belief nowadays, Feng Shui is not about getting rich. Feng Shui is not about your hairstyle, ornaments, home decorations or the number of fish you have swimming about in your aquarium. In this context, it's very important to distinguish between classical (i.e. authentic) Feng Shui, as opposed to its `New Age' counterpart!
Far from being an obscure, hocus-pocus sort of magical art, classical Feng Shui is an ancient, respectable science that studies how Qi can be harnessed to benefit our internal and external environments. Invariably, Feng Shui is a study of how we can improve our living conditions, our lives, the lives of our loved ones, and humankind in general. It is one of the Five Arts (Wu Shu 五術) of Chinese Metaphysics, and if applied correctly, a powerful improvement tool as well.
Feng Shui is all about self-empowerment. It's about knowing what's best for you and how you can realize your full potential in life. Feng Shui is often quoted as the prescription to the diagnosis made possible by BaZi (lit. Eight Characters), a branch of classical Chinese Astrology.
Put simply, classical Feng Shui is all about making life better! |
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