What is Feng Shui?
Feng Shui literally means wind and
water.
It is an ancient Chinese system about the relationship between humans and
their environment. It is about how everything is energy and is interconnected
and constantly changing. Based on the laws of nature, its theories, principles
and techniques offer us a way of understanding how we can create a comfortable
environment where we are in balance and harmony with nature, while at the
same time we can enhance specific areas of our lives.
The underlying principle of feng shui is
chi. Another word for chi is energy. It is an energetic, formative
principal that is spontaneously expressed throughout all life. It
is the underlying principle of energy linking all things. This principle
is common to other traditions as well. The Hindus call it prana,
the Japanese call it Qi, and the Catholics call it spiritus.
Chi can be cosmic, of the earth, or of people. The quality of chi is expressed
through form, shape, color, sound and cycles of nature. A lot of
feng shui is concerned with ensuring that chi does not get stuck, stagnate,
depleted or too concentrated.
The are two types of feng shui to consider
in the environments. One is physical, referring to actual visible surroundings,
such as landscape, mountains, buildings, waterways and roads, and the interior
design of the building. The second type is more abstract, and that is the
directional influences, which are invisible, but which have an influence
on us. When evaluating feng shui influences, it is necessary to take into
consideration both the visible and in invisible energetic qualities of
the environment.
What is the goal of Feng Shui?
Its purpose is to align the energies of place,
meaning our environments both at home and where we work, in order to enhance
our personal chi or energy. When properly aligned, our environments enable
and support each of us to live richer, fuller, happier lives as we more
enabled to actualize our fullest potentials in life.
When feng shui principles are correctly
implemented, we can increase the energy in those areas of our lives that
we wish to enhance, minimize non supportive energies, while at the same
time being able to experience a greater sense of overall balance, harmony
and contentment. It is, however, not a magic bullet. Feng Shui is only
one component in life. It can not overcome all challenges in life, but
can give us greater awareness to change the things in life over which we
do have control.
Are there different kinds of Feng Shui?
There are different schools of feng shui and
different levels of understanding of feng shui. Classical or traditional
feng shui has it roots in the understanding of Forms and Shapes of the
land, the I Ching, Yin/Yang Theory, and Five Element Theory. Some classical
feng shui methods rely heavily on mathematical formulae that have developed
over thousands of years based on understanding the cycles of time and how
they relate to people and their environments.
All schools of feng shui are based on similar
universal knowledge, but have developed different approaches and techniques
for identifying and balancing chi. The two oldest traditional schools are
the Form School and the Compass School.
Form School
This is the oldest form of feng shui. It
concerns understanding the energy of land forms and waterways, based
on their shape, size and relative positions, as to how they will affect
the people living on the land and in the buildings on the land. The orientation
of homes and burial sites is a part of form school. This is a more visual
approach, relying on analysis of the specific energies of the land, buildings,
waterways, and roadways and then recommending proper placement of buildings
and burial sites in relation to the physical surroundings.
Compass School - Eight Mansions or
East-West School
This school is based on the eight directions
of the compass. Every person has four good directions and four bad directions,
as does every building. People belong to either the West Group or the East
Group. This is determined by the year you are born. Buildings belong to
either the West Group or the East Group, depending on its sitting direction.
By knowing and using your best directions for sleeping, working, studying,
and negotiating, you will be more supported in your life. This school enables
you to understand your compatibility or lack of compatibility with other
individuals, as well as buildings. There is no time factor in this school
in the East-West School.
Compass School - Flying Stars
The the Flying Stars School uses the Eight
Trigrams of the I Ching, and the lo shu magic square (used to divide
a house, building or room into nine sectors. Each trigram is related to
a compass directions, an element, a season of the year, various parts of
the body, members in the family, a color and specific shapes.
This school encompasses a thorough understanding
of yin yang theory, five element theory. It is very computational, relying
on the use of formulae to understand the energetic qualities of an environment.
A special compass is commonly used, called
a lou pan, is used to take a directional reading of the home or
building. A person's date of birth and the construction date of the building
are also important factors in Flying Stars calculations, as these relate
to the unique time factor in this school's mathematical calculations. This
school recognizes that everything is energy and that all energy is in a
constant state of change and operates according to specific cycles of time.
It is based on scientific observations of energetic patterns that are consistently
repeatable over time.
The information that can be gathered and
calculated using Flying Stars Compass School can reveal some very personal
aspects to the house or building that can not be determined by any other
feng shui method. This method can't be learned from reading books or taught
to an individual in a short period of time. It takes a lot of serious study,
and experience.
Feng shui evaluations based on the East/West
School, along with the principles behind the Flying Stars calculations
and an understanding of Form School, produces a very comprehensive form
of feng shui analysis.
Life Aspiration School
This school is a very simplified form of
feng shui and easy to learn. The pa kua or bagua is used as an energy map
and is broken down into eight directions. Each direction is responsible
for a specific life aspiration and has an element and color associated
with it. The different directions can be activated by different types of
cures. When these cures are put into place, they increase the luck associated
with the aspiration of the direction. The aspirations are wealth, fame,
marriage children, benefactors, career, knowledge and family and health.
The pa kua is placed over the floor plan of the home or building based
on the direction the front door faces, therefore true directions are being
used. Another important aspect of this school is determining a persons
best and worst directions. Everyone has four favorable and for unfavorable
directions. By knowing and using your best directions for sleeping, studying,
working, etc., you will be more supported in your environment.
Black Sect Feng Shui
Black Sect Feng Shui derives, in part, from
Tibetan Tantric Buddhism, as taught by Professor Lin Yun of Berkeley, California.
He brought his teachings from Taiwan to the United States in 1986.
This approach is multi-disciplined, incorporating
Form School, psychology, interior design, color therapy, yin/yang theory,
five element theory, the I Ching, common sense and intuition. It is sometimes
referred to as Western Feng Shui. In its purest form, it is taught
as a spiritual practice. However, one does not need to be a Buddhist, or
for that matter of any particular faith to apply the principles of this
school of feng shui. It has more to do with working with Spirit or God
as co-creators, using the mind in a positive and constructive way to create
our reality by working with both visible and invisible chi.
With this school, rather than using a magnetic
compass to determine the directions, each house or room is evaluated from
the position of the main door and the interior doors, by using a bagua.
The bagua is sometimes called an energy map for a house or building. It
is placed over a floor plan of a home or building, always starting in a
specific location. There is no direct relationship to the cardinal directions.
Therefore, it is a static energy map. There is no time factor in this school.
Why All The Feng Shui Methods Work
Over time people have come to believe that
having good feng shui in their home or business is a way to attract and
have prosperity, good relationships, health, etc. This is true.
However, as I have explained, there are
several different methods or schools of feng shui. Energy or chi is evaluated
and interpreted differently by a feng shui practitioner, depending on the
method or methods that they have learned and what they believe according
to what they have been taught. Aside from Form School or Landscape Feng
Shui, which is the basis of all feng shui methods, there is generally not
a lot of consensus as to what is agreed upon in terms of how to analyze
and interpret the energy of a place and the ways to adjust the energy of
a place. If you have read more than one book on feng shui you have probably
noticed some inconsistencies or conflicting information.
With so many different methods being used
by practitioners with their clients, why do they all seem to get positive
results for their clients when many of the methods seem to conflict with
each other? The simple answer is Belief, Intention and Resonance.
Everyone creates their reality based on
both their conscious and unconscious beliefs. This statement is both a
scientific and metaphysical fact. If you, as a client are drawn to and
resonate with a particular practitioner who practices a particular method
of feng shui, then there is an implicit agreement between the two of you,
based on belief, that the recommendations for adjusting the feng
shui of a place will balance the energy and generate harmony and attract
the things you are desiring. It is even more powerful if there is agreed
upon intention behind the feng shui remedies. It is as simple as that.
Another way of loooking at this is, the
chi in your body acts very similarly to the way the energy in a magnet
works, it draws to it the same type of energy it magnetizes out.
This is another way of saying that your
consciousness is represented in your environment. For instance, if
your chi is sending out signals that resonate to a sense of harmony and
balance, then it will draw to it things, events, and opportunities that
will harmonious and balanced. That’s why is so important to work
with and balance the chi in your environment because it directly affects
what type of relationships, finances, career opportunities, etc., that
you will attract. This is why you must make sure that your environment
reflects what you want to pull in. If you don’t like what you have
or see, then change it. But change it with conscious intention, positive
beliefs and attitudes and with an understanding of feng shui principles.
You cannot make changes to the external
environment without having corresponding changes take place on the inside.
These changes can be perceptual, emotional or spiritual. In many
case these changes confer growth and self-transformation. Conversely,
you can’t make internal changes without corresponding external changes
needing to be made to your environment. If you don’t make changes to your
external environment to match your inner energetic state, then your environment
can pull you back into old habits and old patterns. It is a matter of resonance.
You want the inside and the outside to have similar resonance. It
is similar to two tuning forks that are vibrating at the same frequency.
Simply stated, the majority of people are
attracted to where they live and work as a result of their karma and their
consciously and subconsciously held beliefs. It is this combined energy
that they project out into the world. It is this combined energy that attracts
all of their experiences in life. Fortunately, if we don’t like what we
are experiencing, we have the ability to change this through conscious
choice and focused intention and by creating a home or workplace with good
feng shui.
On another level, if you have cultivated
yourself through a spiritual practice and raised your consciousness and
personal energy vibration, over an extended period of time, it is possible
to get to the point where your environment does not negatively impact you.
This is in the realm of saints, sages, and advanced spiritual seekers.
In these situations, the person can positively affect the energy of the
environment and those around them.
Know that feng shui works. When looking
for a feng shui practitioner, ask questions about what method or school
of feng shui they practice. If you resonate with them and believe they
can help you, then consider using their services. If not, don’t. It is
as simple as that.
Space and Personal Energy Clearing
Sheila provides environmental clearing,
sometimes called space clearing, with her feng shui. She has studied with
Eric Dowsett, master dowser from Australia and author of The Moment that
Matters. Eric's techniques for environmental clearing, using the ancient
practice of dowsing, are simple yet powerful ways of bringing spaces into
a clear and balanced state. This form of clearing is not part of traditional
feng shui. However, I believe that it will support any and all feng shui
recommendations that are given. To learn more about environmental clearing,
click
here.
Traditional feng shui does not address
the negative energetic residue that is in your surroundings that is caused
from previous occupants, some times referred to as predecessor energies.
Nor does it address the less supportive emotional energies that have built
up over time since you have been in the space, such as is caused by anger,
conflicts, illness, etc.
Traditional feng shui also does not address
disturbing earth energies, such as geopathic stress and electromagnetic
fields, which can adversely affect you. The technique Sheila uses identifies
these types of energies, and where appropriate, clears or shields the client
from the negative effects of these types of energies.
Combining feng shui with environmental
clearing are effective ways to transform and release what does not support
your present intentions and to activate creative flow in your life. Sheila
brings a loving heart, with refined intuitive and sensing skills to help
clients live fully intentioned lives.
She also does personal clearing work for
individuals. This can be done as part of the overall consultation or done
apart from the feng shui and environmental balancing consultation. To learn
more about personal clearing, click
here,
PSYCH-K™
