Feng Shui is an ancient art and science developed over 3,000 years ago in China. It is a complex body of knowledge that reveals how to balance the energies of any given space to assure the health and good fortune for people inhabiting it.

"Feng" means "wind" and "shui" means "water" (pronounced fung-shway). In Chinese culture gentle wind and clear water have always been associated with good harvest and good health, thus "good feng shui" came to mean good livelihood and fortune, while "bad feng shui" came to mean hardship and misfortune.

Feng Shui is based on the Taoist vision and understanding of nature, particularly on the idea that the land is alive and filled with Chi, or energy. The ancient Chinese believed that the land's energy could either make or break the kingdom, so to speak. The theories of yin and yang, as well as the five feng shui elements, are some of the basic aspects of a feng shui analysis that come from Taoism.

The main tools used in a feng shui analysis are the Compass and the Ba-Gua. The Ba-Gua is an octagonal grid containing the symbols of the I Ching, the ancient oracle on which Feng Shui is based. Knowing the Bagua of your home will help you understand the connection of specific feng shui areas of your home to specific areas of your life.

The feng shui compass, also called lo-pan, is used to access deeper information about a site or a building. It consists of bands of concentric rings arranged around the magnetic needle. "Lo" means "everything" and "pan" means "bowl", which can be interpreted as the key to the mysteries of the universe.

It is important to understand that there are several different schools of feng shui, as well as a strong culturally specific symbolic aspect of feng shui that you have to use intelligently. Once you master the basic level of feng shui, you will start seeing powerful results, and will understand why feng shui is extensively used in both home and business environments all over the world.

Feng Shui offers a variety of feng shui cures to improve your life. From the feng shui use of aquariums to attract prosperity to the feng shui use of crystals and fountains, from the right feng shui use of colors to the feng shui use of clocks, there are many ways you can improve the energy in your home with feng shui.

How did Feng Shui originate?

Feng Shui can be stated as a form of “Geo-mancy” or “Earth Wisdom.” Many cultures in the world have a form of Geomancy in their history. The Chinese form of Geomancy, or Feng Shui, has evolved to be both an Science and an Art. The science comes from the calculations and methodology used in analyzing a property. The Art of Feng Shui is the wisdom acquired from performing a multitude of analysis and knowing the exact degree to which the remedies (which are the results of the scientific analysis) are prescribed. Feng Shui is both a science and an art form. Feng Shui consultants observe the patterns that are set up in your physical environment and then interpret their meaning. It combines perspectives from psychology, physiology, ecology and geomancy, philosophy, astrology, interior design, architecture, science, aesthetics, artistry and folklore from India, Tibet and China and plain common sense.

Throughout ancient China, classical Feng Shui was a closely guarded discipline used as a tool to ensure the good health, wealth, and power of the Imperial Dynasties. The keepers of this secret body of knowledge - Feng Shui Masters, were highly respected meteorologists, astronomers, and other scientists and who were charged with sustaining the good fortune and prosperity of the royal court. It has been guardedly passed down the generations through very specific lineages.

These masters were very selective of their proteges. Extreme care was exercised in the selection of candidates who would become their successors.

Different Schools of Feng Shui
-- Compass
-- Land Form or Form School
-- Black Sect
-- Practical Feng Shui

The Five Elements

1. Fire
2. Earth
3. Metal
4. Water
5. Wood

Fire is red, Earth is yellow or earth tones, Metal is white or silver, Water is black or dark blue and Wood is green.

The 5 elements are another way to evaluate your physical environment. The item or objects shape, color and material it’s made of are evaluated. When all 5 elements are represented in a space it is in balance and has harmony.

What is Ch’i?

Feng Shui is based on ch’i (pronounced chee) or life force energy. Ch’i is in constant movement. It pulsates through all living things giving them life and vitality. The flow of ch’i throughout your environment and physical body impacts every area of your life. It can influence your health, relationships, decision-making abilities, opportunities and outlook in life.

Basic Principles of Feng Shui

The balance of Yin and Yang : Feng Shui is based on the principle of Yin and Yang. Balance, harmony, consistent change, and the interdependency of all things are but a few of the deep meanings within this simple representation. Yang representing heat and light is rising and Yin representing cold and darkness descends. These are just two of the many examples of logic and insight to be discovered within this image.

Yin and Yang : Yang, representing heat rises on the left (or East) and reaches its peak at the top (South). Yin representing coolness descends on the right (West) and reaches its maximum at the bottom (North).

Yin is dark, female, inside and passive.
Yang is light, male, outside and active.

Another analogy is that the sun rises in the East, reaches its hottest at noon and sets in the west, soon reaching its darkest. Yet within Yin there is a seed of Yang waiting to arise and within Yang there is Yin waiting to descend. This analogy can be applied to time, seasons, directions, and many other cycles of change.

The Eight Trigrams

The Eight Trigrams are the basis for Feng Shui analysis and calculations. A Trigram is a representation of one of the eight directions. In the “Ba Gua” diagram below there is also a center which has no directional association, but is associated with earth. Based also on Yin and Yang concepts, the I-Ching, the Five Elements, and the Lo-shu map, it conveys a map for all other calculations used to determine the energy blueprint within a property.

The East/West Theory
(8 House Theory)

Both people and houses belong to one of the above Trigrams. Each of the Trigrams fall into two distinct categories as either east group or west group. Matching a West group house type to a West group person is ideal, as is matching an East group house to an East group person.

East Group : North, South, Southeast, East

West group : Northeast, Northwest, Southwest, West

Feng Shui is based upon a set of theories and complex calculations derived from the I-Ching. This includes an in-depth understanding and application of the basic principles. Using these principles and taking into account the physical relationship between the natural environment and the magnetic fields of the Earth provides a “blueprint” of the influences around us. Using this blueprint we can see clearly the energies or “Chi” that effect us in our properties.

The Feng Shui practitioner first observes the environment, using a Lo Pan (compass) to determine the orientation of the property. Calculations are then completed according to the basic principles. Then a determination of the energy characteristics within the property and its resulting effects on the occupants is made based on the results of these calculations. Remedies are then prescribed where necessary in order to balance the energy to produce a positive effect!

Feng Shui is becoming more prevalent in the West. This can be attributed to more and more people becoming aware of how their environment affects them. The health effects of high-tension power lines is but one example of how people are becoming cognizant of their environment and its relationship to their health and prosperity. Unfortunately, a lot of hearsay and misunderstanding as to what Feng Shui truly is has also become commonplace.

Some people have confused Feng Shui with religion and burning charms. Others think that seeking advice from Feng Shui practitioners contradicts the doctrines of their own religion. This is a mistaken concept.

Chinese geomancy (or Feng Shui) is not the product of any religious belief system. Rather, it is based on a set of calculations. The qualified practitioner examines the four aspects of Building, Environment, Time, and most importantly, People. Most books and information widely available only look at the first two aspects: Building and Environment. This is only a partial examination.

Time and People are two very important components that should not be omitted. A particular building may have a good environment and other positive attributes, but for a specific individual, it might require further examination and corrections to meet their individual goals for that time in their life and the life of the building.

Red is considered a lucky color. It is associated with happiness, luck and fame. It can initiate energy to move quickly.

Tools that are used in Feng Shui : Bagua, colors, elements, symbols and metaphors, intention and attitude, intuition, subjective and objective observations, mundane and transcendental adjustments and cures, rituals, ceremony and meditations.

What are the 5 principles and why are they important?
When evaluating a space, Feng Shui applies the following 5 principles:

1. Everything is energy and everything is connected
2. A person’s space is a reflection of their life
3. Space should be organized as it is in nature
4. Clutter causes confusion and chaos
5. Stating your desires allows your intentions to come forth

These principles are important because they provide the foundation from which a physical evaluation takes place. When you begin to evaluate the concept of the first principle, “Everything is energy and everything is connected”, doesn’t it make sense that clutter in your home could impact the success at your office?