Feng Shui careers

"Deal with things in their state of not-yet-being put them in order before they have got into confusion" The secret of Feng Shui Tao Te Ching, Ch 64

The craft of Feng Shui being multi-faceted affords great scope career-wise. But it also subjects one to the rigours associated with the Martial Arts, and the timeline of a medic. Ultimately, it should have 10 stages of progress, each increasingly more difficult, yet bestowing wider responsibility and wisdom with each accomplished step, paralleling the progress of the sorcerer's apprentice.

The Feng Shui training program: initially, some form of yoga, T'ai Chi and meditation to gain physical discipline, concentration, sensitization and insight. Next, a lifetime study of the I Ching, the quintessence of Chinese wisdom and Jin-Shu, the biographies of famous Feng Shui masters.

After which Kanya, the study of heaven and earth, the combined study of geography and astrology in relationship to man. Following which, mastering the Compass School -, the use of the Ba Gua diagram and the Lo P'an compass featuring the 'twenty-four directions' or 15 degree zones of the magnetic circle to help determine the Feng Shui of the situation, and the use of astrological charts and numerology to measure the auspiciousness of a dwelling.

Following this a study of the tenets of the Form school such as Dimai, the dynamics of mountain ridges, valleys, and rivers, and of the arteries of the earth - the 'Dragon Veins'. The examination of the Classics detailing the interrelationship between water, mountains, dwellings and agriculture such as the Water Dragon, which relates the optimum landscape-water interaction e.g. an ideal site, should nestle among watercourses, or the Shui Jing delineating the waterways of China, giving a wealth of information regarding harmony between buildings and landscapes. A general course in human and colour psychology, then perhaps specialization in the use of the I Ching for divination, or Chinese alchemy.

Thus equipped one should be able to offer one's services as follows.

Siting a home

Auspicious siting Banishing sha qi - negative energy Diverting water lines and neutralising other forms of geopathic energy Dowsing and harmonising the dragon veins Diverting 'spirits'

Harmonising the home

Apply the Ba Gua diagram for orientation purposes Interior d?cor and the optimum psychological colour combinations Choosing the best fabrics, and materials Advice on water devices, wind-chimes, crystals, aromatic oils and incenses Avoiding angles, enhancing the circular Placement of fish and plants etc.

Harmonising relationships

Individual and synastric (relational) astrological analysis Yin-yang profiling Taoist philosophy.

Individual destiny

Using western and Chinese astrology, its stems and branches, and numerology to delineate destiny and life paths. Finding the best burial place

General counselling

Using the I Ching and the Lo P'an compass for divination and advice.

One could pursue this occupation on a freelance basis, professionally or corporately. It would be advisable, at regular intervals, to take refresher courses, degree courses, or specialize in order to become a consultant, or councillor. Your level of remuneration would depend upon which one of the 3 employment tracks above you followed. Alternatively, if you were part of a Chinese medical consortia or astrological consultancy, your income would rise proportionally.

Improve Your Health, Happiness, and Prosperity by Making your House Feng Shui Compliant

It might sound crazy or foolish, but the Chinese have been successfully fixing their lives with the practice of feng shui for centuries. You see, there is a positive energy force in the world (which the Chinese refer to as Chi) that you tap into every time you feel good or have a happy moment. This energy force flows through your house and your life - or maybe it doesn?t and you need to attract it! It?s not hard to do. Heck, it wants to come in and help you, but you have to welcome it in and create an environment that it will want to stay in.

I am an account executive, and several years ago I found myself in a real sales slump. My wife had briefly read an article in the paper about feng shui and suggested that I put a mirror and a plant on the ledge behind my home-office desk. I had no objections. A plant sounded nice, and a mirror was a little odd but it did let me see when somebody was walking up behind me which I liked.

My sales numbers picked up immediately and so I asked my wife more about this feng shui stuff. She didn?t know any more so I went to the book store and picked up a paperback on the subject. I guess I was willing to try anything, and having seen good results from just a dabble in it probably opened my mind enough to be able to let it work for me.

The first thing the book had me do was clean up my house. Chi doesn?t like clutter, and the reason is, people don?t like clutter either. We tend to train ourselves to ignore it, but in the back of our mind we know about it and so does the Chi. In order for Chi to flow all clutter must be cleaned up and neatly organized. This necessitated an intense house-wide cleaning project, but I was very satisfied when it was done. That?s good, as the Chi is attracted to positive feelings.

Next came the strategic decorating, in accordance with the ?Bagua? map. This is a chart that tells you which areas of your home correspond to which areas of your life. Each of these areas attracts Chi better with the use of certain colors and certain elements (earth, wood, water, etc.). Also common sense creativity comes into effect; we hung a picture of France in the ?travel? area of our house.

Finally, we implemented the use of recommended feng shui tools that keep the Chi flowing into, and not our of, our home. These tools include things like water fountains, wind chimes, and crystals. For example, a toilet that is visible from a bathroom doorway drains the Chi right down the plumbing. But hanging a crystal between the door and the toilet at least partially remedies that problem.

My wife and I had a field day getting the home up to feng shui standards. Afterwards we really like what we had done and felt good about it, which of course is the magic that makes feng shui work. Within several months I was one of the top producing reps at my company, no kidding! Don?t knock it until you?ve tried it. The most you have to lose is your messy house!

Andrew Kasch is an account executive and feng shui convert. You can learn more about specific feng shui techniques at his web site: http://www.fengshuihouse.info