Everything is made of energy
We are connected to our environment. We cannot escape our environment anymore than we can escape our bodies.
Feng shui started as a way to survive natural disasters such as floods, droughts, and earthquakes. It taught humans how to shelter themselves from the elements – to block the wind, let in sunlight, keep the rain out, and bring in fresh air. It led to a deeper awareness of chi and desire to absorb the healing, magnetic energies hidden in nature. Today feng shui has developed into a culture of better quality of life and making more sustainable living choices.
In the cosmos, the sun, moon and stars all emanate chi, or life force or cosmic energy, that impact us whether we are aware of it or not. On earth, the mountains, rivers, trees, plants, and microbes all radiate frequencies that interact with our personal frequency and affect us.
Energy can be transferred and transformed. Energy cannot be created nor destroyed – it is recycled. Take water, for instance. It evaporates as steam, gathers into clouds, condenses, and comes down as rain… only to evaporate once again and continue the cycle.
As the earth rotates around the sun, the seasons change, causing plants to sprout, grow, and bear fruit. The moon’s orbit orchestrates the rise and fall of the tide, and regulates animal breeding periods and women’s menses. Indeed, nature shows us that everything is connected.
Feng shui literally translates as “wind-water” but this does not fully capture the depth of feng shui philosophy. It is about energies that are like wind – forces you cannot see, but that you know exist because of how they affect your surroundings. Although you cannot see wind, mountains become eroded, seeds get distributed, and your skin is cooled by it. Feng Shui is also about energies like water – an energy that is shifting between solid, gas to liquid – energies that change from phase to phase in a cycle that cannot be broken. However, as feng shui experts, we can modify and direct these “wind-water” – like energies through reverently following the flow of nature, and allowing its power to support and guide us.
Feng shui is the application of laws of nature which are organized into the Yin-yang and Five Element Theories. These help us understand how our environment affects our lives. The laws of nature affects all of us regardless of race, gender, age. Feng shui can be applied to every phase of life, creating environments that promote a deeper human connection with nature and inspire progress.
The Yin-yang Theory
The Yin-yang Theory states that everything is made up of opposite, yet complementary forces that are constantly trying to achieve balance with each other. Yin literally translated means “shade” and relates to the metaphysical realm, nighttime, feminine qualities, and coldness. Yang means “sunny,” and is associated to the physical plane, daytime, masculine qualities, and heat. Although they can be respectively used to describe “negative” or “positive,” it is important to note that neither yin nor yang is considered better than the other – the goal is to achieve balance between them.
“Birds do not fly, they ride the wind. Fish do not swim, they flow with the currents. Humans too can harness energy and attain effortless effort.”
Cosmic and planetary forces
Our universe is filled with energy embodied in the sun, planets, stars and moons. Electromagnetic forces hold these entities in orbit. The stars and planets constantly interact with each other and undergo the push and pull of surrounding cosmic forces, causing various phenomena to occur on their galactic bodies. Depending on position and timing, the stress of cosmic interaction occurring in faraway galaxies has a direct effect on each of us and all living organisms. The ancient feng shui masters observed and studied these natural cycles. Their accurate charts and calendars help us understand the relationship between human behavior and celestial movements. Today we use the Flying Nine Star (Xuan Kong Fei Xing) charts to forecast and adjust these energies to our favor.
At the earth’s center is a magnetic molten core. In many ways, it is like a heart that pulses a frequency that is vital to the well-being of all living things on earth. This low electrical frequency of about 0.25-0.65 gauss regulates our biological and circadian rhythms. Forces within the earth cause movement on its surface as geologic plates shift, creating earthquake faults, mountains, valleys, gorges, volcanoes and caves. It is important to understand where we build our cities and homes in relationship to these landforms.
The study of feng shui
A prominent school of feng shui called Geomancy is devoted to the studies of landforms and how their position, location, color, shape, soil quality, and vegetation affect those who live on or near them. Another branch of feng shui known as the Compass School is based on the Chinese discovery of the magnetite and the creation of the feng shui compass known as the luo pan. The luo pan charts in great detail the energetic significance of the 360 compass degrees divided into the 8 cardinal directions (bagua) on houses, mountains, bodies of water, and stars; it can be considered the ancient Chinese model of the universe. Each direction possesses different characteristics and energetic influence on us based on The Five Element Theory.
The Five Element Theory
The Five Element Theory is the basic principle underlying our ecological system. The Five Elements are: fire, earth, metal, water, and wood. Think of these elements as phases of energy rather than substances.
The natural phenomena of how the Five Element energies interact is illustrated in the Cycle of Generation which creates a productive outcome, and the Cycle of Control which creates a destructive outcome.
Every living and non-living thing in our universe relates to the energy of one of the Five Elements. When you can categorize the things around you into the Five Elements and you understand the Cycles of Generation and Cycles of Control, you will experience the natural law of cause and effect at work.
Let’s take a look at The Five Element Theory diagram.
In the Cycle of Generation – which is illustrated by following the arrows of the circle – water promotes wood growth; wood fuels fire; fire creates earth; earth produces metal; and metal enriches water. All the outcomes are of a productive nature.
In the Cycle of Control – which is seen by following the arrows of the star – wood depletes earth; earth pollutes water; water douses fire; fire melts metal; and metal destroys wood. All these outcomes are considered destructive.
In many instances, nature restores balance all by herself, but there is no doubt that humans can have a hand in nature’s workings. You can add generative elements to your environment and eliminate defeating elements to restore balance. Working in harmony with nature’s rhythms, you have the ability to weld the forces of nature in your favor. This is the profound study of feng shui.
“Just as light is made by darkness, to fail is to learn, and true happiness is not known without grief – so must we embrace the duality that exists in all life’s experiences.”
Four spheres of energy
There are many aspects to consider in feng shui that coexist to affect your quality of life and to create the energy of your house. From the alignment of the stars, land contours, location, vegetation, neighbors, street configuration, orientation of all the rooms and everything inside, our job is to evaluate their impact on you and how to align them to your favor. The factors we take into account can be categorized into four spheres of energies which are as follows:
1) Your personal energy. This consists of your personality, talents, vocation, upbringing, etc., and can be revealed through your Life Map. Everyone is different and will be attracted to different environments for different reasons.
2) Your building. All the aspects of your home or office, such as shape, material, history, air quality, lighting, room layout, furniture placement, etc., creates a distinct field of energy that influences you – for example, good health or chronic illness. A feng shui master can determine if your space is contributing in positive or negative ways. In seeing the home as an extension of the body and upon realizing this connection, what needs to be done becomes apparent. Just like the food you eat, the air you breathe, and the sounds you hear, you are affected by everything in your environment on some level.
3) Your environment. A building’s energy is determined by where it sits on a piece of land and the natural and man-made geographical conditions around it. Freeways, airports, power plants, landfills, underground tunnels, neighboring buildings, landscaped grounds, traffic, and historical events are some of the many examples of pre-existing man-made environmental energies. Mountains, lakes, valleys, rivers, forests, inherent soil and air quality, and climate conditions are all natural factors. A feng shui compass is used to evaluate how the energies – from hills to high rises – in each of the eight major directions interact with and affect your office or home.
4) Your universe. Our stability is regulated by planetary movements. As day turns into night, as the seasons change, so do we change. The ancient feng shui masters observed and studied these natural cycles. Their accurate charts and calendars help us to better understand the relationship between human behavior and celestial orbits.
All the above energies are interconnected and constantly interact with each other. The goal of feng shui is to adjust all controllable factors in a way that positively promotes your well-being.
