Feng Shui Is Not Interior Decorating

Many thousands of years ago, in little villages in the Orient, Feng Shui was developed.

Each little village had their own ways and own methods on how to perform Feng Shui. In fact their way of life, was often dependent upon it. These people studied the land, wind and water, including the formations of the land and the ways of the wind and water. Feng Shui, means the way of the wind and water. Over aeons of time Feng Shui was improved upon and even the great Chinese emperors used it to insure their power.

The expert practitioners of Feng Shui were known as Feng Shui Masters and emperors hired them to wage war upon their enemies. It has been passed down, through history, that the Feng Shui masters had power to use water, wind and fog, to win battles. Eventually the emperors became afraid. They felt the Feng Shui Masters might betray them and use their powers to bring them down. Therefore, many Feng Shui masters were put to death.

Those who survived hid away in the many Buddhist monasteries, to continue their practice of Feng Shui. They taught monks their secret methods. Even today there is, what is known as "Black Sect Feng Shui". As you will later read, this method is often preferred by Westerners.

Feng Shui is based upon Mother Nature and the use of her forces. This is the ritual origin of Feng Shui and was originally called, "Form School Feng Shui. Another method is called the Compass School. And this, together with Black Sect Feng Shui, makes up the basis of most Feng Shui theory and practice.

The Compass School basically originated in Chinese astrology and this ties in the magnetic influence of the planets and the earth, to the energy patterns of an area. The position of Jupiter, as the bringer of fortune and lurk, and other numerological information, is what the Compass School way, heavily relies upon, for its function. It uses a 12 part map system and this allows for more detail than the widely spread used 8 part system, which has become popular today.

It is also known as ,"Local Space Chart" and this was produced as a generic form, by using the luopan, or geomantic compass. This compass is very important when determining the directional alignment of buildings, etc. The traditional compass school has changed greatly by the use of new systems which expand the illusions popularised by the Feng Shui master. Unfortunately many are based on ancient texts and concepts and of course mis-translations, are rife. As an example, one refers to the five Chinese elements which are: wood, fire, earth , metal and water. These are not really elements at all, but stages of matter. However, that is what they were called in ancient times and two more qualities; energy and heat were added.

The luopan utilises two primary forms of Feng Shui. The 8 house, or 8 mansion, method, which is also known as the East and West Group. This discusses the directional influence on the people and the buildings, to find out how to place oneself, to one's best advantage, within any building.

A second application, which is interesting to me as an acupuncturist, is the use of the Feng Shui to find orientation. This, combined with the aspect of time, brings forth a detailed chart of the key (qi or ki) inside the building. This is sometimes known as, Xuan, Kong Feng Shui. A method called Time and Space. We look at Qi within the building and then design a floor plan to determine which are the auspicious, or inauspicious areas of the building. After which, we bring into play the five Chinese elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water.

A good Feng Shui practitioner can bring about a balance of Qi, which is similar to the use of acupuncture needles, correcting any abnormalities, or imbalance, in Qi.

We then come to the Black Sect Feng Shui school, which is often preferred in Western civilisation because it tends to down play the astrological benefits of Feng Shui and emphasise the psychological aspect.

This has of necessity, been a very short and incomplete article on Feng Shui. There are many aspects of Feng Shui that have been pilloried in the West. Many Westerners believe only in their five senses and cannot comprehend any efficacious method outside these very limited parameters. However, the use of Eastern modalities is growing in the West.

Indeed, Proctor and Gamble, Ford Motors Hewlett-Packard's and even the mighty Coca-Cola Company are now using Feng Shui in their plants to benefit their employees, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The author of this article, Ray Cunningham, possesses two diplomas of acupuncture. One from Hong Kong; the other from Sydney Australia. At present, he resides in central Florida. Learn much more about Feng Shui, go here shmyl.com/hgnnson , or at his web site at: raygc1.com/fengshui This article may be used, free of charge, so long as it remains intact and this resource box is always included.

Feng Shui A Superstition?

What is Feng Shui? Is it a myth or superstition?

Feng Shui definitely exists. But it is not as what you seen on TV and movies, possessing great powers to twist one's fate, to gaining power and becoming rich over night.

In actual fact, it is a knowledge, the study and understanding of the environmental influences. How the "Qi" (metaphysical forces of nature) in your residing environment actually affect you. A formula used to enhance one's luck during timely good luck, to achieve the best possible benefits and to prevent and minimize losses and misfortune during untimely ill luck.

It is just as simple as that. Feng Shui is a very practical application to allow one to live in harmony with the environment, to achieve the best possible benefits.

Think of it this way. Life is always full of up and downs. Just recall. Haven't you been in the situation where you were so close to achieving things, to achieving success but somehow with a twist of luck, lose it? And nevertheless, experienced times of extreme ill luck, failing in whatever you do? To explain, everyone will goes through a period of good luck and ill luck in his or her life. This is the law of life. Whether you are rich or poor, a Chinese or European, you can never run away from this change of luck. Haven't you seen many rich who bankrupt over night while some poor unnoticeably become rich and wealthy?

It is always one's action that is behind his or her success. Are you one who always complains about your ill luck but done nothing to help yourself? Opportunities are always there. It is just a matter of whether you know how to grab it.

Many people have this misconception that Feng Shui brings wealth and windfall. This is very wrong. It is rather about opportunities; making use of the understanding of the law or nature and life to effectively help you make the most of chances to achieve success and wealth.

Now, life is fair to everyone. In the path of life, everyone will have his time of good luck. Feng Shui is there to help enhance on it, bringing about positive influences to better your success. And during time of ill luck, to help minimize losses and misfortune to allow you the opportunities to turn things over when yours good luck eventually arrives. With a comfortable and calm environment, surely you will have the best of health, wisdom and strength to meet the challenges in life, to advance towards success? This is what Feng Shui is about.

And to be talking about Feng Shui, we all know that it is a traditional skill, which originates from the olden China. And to be talking about the olden China, it just can't be helped by many to also think of traditional Chinese Cultures. Hence when Feng Shui is the topic, many would naturally relate it with Chinese Cultures or worse, myths that are passed down from the olden days.

This is a very wrong concept of thinking. Feng Shui is never related with Chinese cultures and definitely any myths. It is never about religion, cultures and needless to be saying curses, ghost or deities. Feng Shui is never a superstitious belief.

In the practice of true classical Feng Shui, there is never the presence of any legendary belief and practices. To better correct your thinking, it is a scientific belief; the wise knowledge of the law of nature. This profound knowledge has for this reason got more and more recognized and today, we can actually see the growth of different schools of Feng Shui practices. But whatever differences in Feng Shui practices there may be, the correct Feng Shui application revolve around the basic principle of life - The relationship of the 5 Elements, which bring about the formation of this Universe. They are the Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. All forms in this Universe belong to either one of the five elements and are in one way or another, mutually affecting one another, which in turn affect our life. This is an ever-going cycle in the law of Nature.

Feng Shui is a formula, which cleverly work around the law of Nature.

Based on the philosophy of the productive and destructive cycle of the five elements, the application of Feng Shui help to incorporate one's astrological element accordingly; to be in harmony with the surrounding, bringing about beneficial gains.

Now if you truly understand Feng Shui. Feng Shui is never about placing of objects and items. It is never an interior decoration. Remember, in the law of nature, a stone is just a stone and be it a gold or silver, they are just metal etc and that is it. Think about it. Do you think a fake plant and a real plant can bring about the same influence? If you are destined to meet a mishap in this life, do you think by simply placing an object in your house, you can just avoid things?

It is rather about location, direction and time, knowing how the "Qi" (the metaphysical forces of nature) in our residing environment affect us. Knowing how to harness the correct "Qi" into your residing environment to aid you. Now, if you are destined to meet with some calamity in your life, you just have to face it. But with the correct application of Feng Shui, you can minimize these misfortunes. Making use of the positive "Qi" in your residing environment, you can improve and enhance your life destiny and luck. Instead of meeting with a grave accident, getting away with some minor ones.

And note. Different people react differently to the "Qi" surrounding them. What may be positive for some may just be negative for you. There can never be a standardized one for all Feng Shui formation. And why is this so? Because everyone is born at a different time which mean having a different personal astrological element. For example, if your personal element is Fire, do you think an influence of Water element will benefit or harm you?

Understand also this. The world is always moving and changing with time. In life, you can never have the best of luck all the time. Just like when there is day there is night, when there are times of good luck, they are times of ill luck. This is the basic principle of Yin & Yang.

Over different period of time, your residing environment though remain unchanged will undergo influences of both good and ill luck too.

Correct and true Feng Shui helps to manipulate these influences for you to be able to meet and handle these ever going changes; to allow you to wisely and efficiently face the challenges in life to achieve wealth and success. And this is just how helpful and practical Feng Shui, a tool is.

Feng Shui is never a superstitious belief. It is a profound skill used to manipulate the metaphysical forces of nature to help enhance one's well-being, the art of living in harmony with the nature environment.

Jon Sim Master Geomancer http://www.art-of-fengshui.com, http://www.redappletree.com