Feng Shui is an ancient science developed over 3,000 years ago in China. Feng shui is an art that seeks to promote prosperity, good
health , and happiness by relating how energy,
Chi, pronounced "chee," flows through a particular structure, house, or building. It is a complex science that unveils how to balance the energies of any given space to assure good
health and fortune for people residing in it.
Pronounced "fung shway,"
Feng Shui literally means "wind and water." "Feng" means "wind" and "shui" means "water". During ancient China, gentle wind and clear water have always been associated with a 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 considers (1)
yin, feminine and passive energy and (2)
yang, which is masculine and hot. It also looks at the five elements - water, fire, wood, metal, and earth, and the external environment.
Some consider Feng-shui as a superstition but it is a form of art and science of understanding the forces of nature in order to design houses and places that blend with the environment without clashing with it. It aims to create harmony with the surroundings by promoting flow of positive energy and avoiding any sort of negative energy.
Traditionally, Feng-shui has two branches; Landform Classification (ti-li) branch and Building Characteristics (chai-yun) branch. Landform Classification studies how energy flows over and around mountains, rivers, and valleys, and how energy connected with nearby landforms, as well as roads and buildings, can affect a building or a burial site. Building Characteristics studies the flow of energy within a structure and how it affects its residents. Feng shui is an environmental medicine creating positive energy and frequencies, which stimulate well-being. It places the ordinary daily materials such as plants, furniture, lighting and color, in positions, which create harmony bringing about good fortune.
The main tools that are used in 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 compass is a very important tool in Feng-shui. A traditional feng shui compass' name is "Lo Pan", "Lo" means "everything" and "Pan" means "bowl", and the correct interpretation of the term means a bowl that allows one to have access to mysteries of the universe. It is also known as Geomantic compass. The points on the compass, with eight separate directions, north, northeast, east, southeast, south, southwest, west, and northwest are considered very important.
Feng-shui can be used to decide the location, construction, and architectural features of houses, establishments, even style of furniture, colors and decorating themes, and the location of plantings, and many other features. By creating positive energy all around, Feng-shui has been known to improve family relations, cooperation, business and life as a whole.
Feng-Shui principles can be applied to any style of building or decorating, not just to Chinese or Asian modes. As Asian culture becomes more popular in the United States, the ancient Chinese method of creating a harmonious environment, feng-shui, is also gaining great popularity and people are realizing its importance both in designing houses and changing lives.