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 in ways that can be understood.  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, 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 of the earth, the atmosphere, 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, roads, and the interior design of a space. Each of these things are made of energy and vibrate at their own specific frequency. The second type is more abstract, and that is the directional influences, which are invisible, but which have an influence on us as they relate to time and space. When evaluating feng shui influences, it is absolutely necessary to take into consideration both the visible and the 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 each actualize our fullest potentials in life.

Feng Shui is another method or tool for dealing with life's issues.  We all know about getting a better education in order to get a good job that pays well in order to increase our wealth, or about getting counseling if you are having personal growth or relationship problems or using prayer to develop our spirituality.  All these things we can do physically and mentally to deal with issues that may be affecting us.  Feng Shui is another tool.  Using its principles we can increase the energy in those areas of our lives that we wish to enhance, minimize nonsupportive 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?

Different schools of feng shui have developed over the centuries. 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 also 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.

Four symbolic animals: the tortoise, the green dragon, the white tiger and the red phoenix are represented in different land formations and man made structures.  It is preferable to have a mountain at the back of your building for support (the tortoise); have the green dragon to your left of your building, when looking out from the front entrance; have the white tiger to the right of your building, when looking out from the front entrance (the white tiger, should be smaller than the green dragon); and the red phoenix should be in front of the building. What this means in actuality is that you need to have either natural or man made support  behind you and on both sides of you with clear open space in front, which will then collect the energy which will nourish the people in the building.

Compass School - Eight Mansions or East-West School

This school is based on the compass eight directions.  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 made up of yin and yang lines and each relates 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, Chinese astrology and numerology. It is very computational, relying more on the use of scientific formulae to understand the energetic qualities of an environment. It is some times referred to as Time Period Feng Shui.
 A special compass, 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. The birth date relates to the individual's personal trigram and best and worst directions. The year of construction relates 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.

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 the highest form of feng shui analysis.

Life Aspiration School

This school is a  simplified form of feng shui and easy to learn.  The bagua, sometimes called pakua, 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 remedies. When these remedies are put into place, they increase the luck associated with the aspiration of the direction. The aspirations are:

Wealth and prosperity/Southeast

Recognition and Fame/South

Marriage and romantic happiness/Southwest

Children and Joy

Mentors, helpful people, networking/Northeast

Career prospects/North

Knowledge and education/Northeast

Family relationships and health/East

Although specific elemental remedies are used to activate each life aspiration, I am convinced that it is the belief and  the conviction of  the intention behind the cure or remedy that acts as a catalyst for change. The bagua is placed over 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. It is the most simplified approach to feng shui.

It is a school of thought that uniquely combines the traditional principles of Feng Shui design with spirituality, psychology, modern science and the transcendental to reflect the needs of society today. 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. Therefore, there is no direct relationship to the cardinal directions.

The bagua is the energy map that is used as a template that is superimposed over a floor plan or  property to evaluate the quality of the various energies.  Each section of the bagua is called a gua and has specific qualities that are attached to each, such as fame, wealth, marriage, career etc. Each has a direction, element and color associated with it.  Specific elemental cures are used to activate or balance the different guas.  Here, there needs to be a note of caution.  If elemental remedies are used inappropriately, based only on what can be seen or because of a static energy template,  there is the potential for creating conflict and or harm. For example, many books recommend using  water, such as a fountain, in the wealth area to increase wealth. But without knowing the deeper level of feng shui,  this could cause a problem.  Hypothetically, let's say that the area needs the fire element (the real southeast direction) to enhance wealth, then by putting water there you are actually extinguishing your prospects for wealth.  Feng Shui is not that simplistic. If it were, then everyone who puts a fountain in their wealth corner would be wealthy.

When benefits do occur from using the elements, again, I am convinced  it is the belief and  the conviction of the intention behind the elemental remedy that acts as a catalyst for change. The different areas of the bagua can also be symbolically enhanced with things other than the elements and beneficial results can occur for the same above mentioned reasons. 

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.

I have written an easy to understand and affordable e-book called "The First Book You Should Ever Read About Feng Shui." Click here to order. 

Environmental 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.

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.

Sheila is also a PSYCH-K™ Facilitator. PSYCH-K™ stands for psychological kinesiology and is technique for identifying and changing unwanted subconscious beliefs to be congruent with conscious beliefs, goals and intentions. To learn more click here.