SENTIENT TIMES December 2002/January 2003

Feng Shui
Smoke and Mirrors

By Sugeet

Feng Shui, the art and science of creating harmonious and wonderful spaces, provides information for making one’s home into a safe refuge. Even when the arrangement of living space has been a hidden source of unnecessary stress, or a business has been adversely affected by weak design, Feng Shui can suggest useful corrections.

Feng Shui studies how the life force, or Chi, flows or doesn’t flow in a given space. It then suggests ways to correct stuck or blocked energy. Western Newtonian science wants to deny the existence of something if it is not detectable by instruments, and the lack of “proof” of Chi’s existence has always been the major stumbling block for research into what the East has known for centuries: Chi (prana or life force) exists.

Contrast this to a difference between Soviet and Western medicine. Soviets include such “esoteric” disciplines as Kirilian photography, acupuncture and yoga in their treatment of patients. The Soviets don’t care whether an approach is “New Age” or esoteric—if empirical results can be shown, the practice is included in the treatment model.

During recent decades quantum theory became acceptable; and one of the major paradoxes it revealed was the dual nature of light seen as both waves and particles. For the Western linear mind conditioned by Newtonian ideas of the universe, this stuff was, and is, very unsettling. But perhaps Chi/Life force is not as outlandish as we first thought.

Part of the reason the West has had problems proving the existence of Chi has been the basic method we use for scientific study. We believe (rightly or wrongly) that by breaking something apart to it’s smallest component, we will understand, measure and control it. The East has sought (both philosophically and scientifically) to understand the relationship between the part and the whole. There was no heavy emphasis on breaking apart, rather on understanding interaction. And so the Eastern tradition has been to study how this chi affects our lives and how can we use it for our advantage.

Where a few years ago there were only a handful of texts available on the theory and practice of Feng Shui, a popular online book source currently carries 444 titles. Such proliferation may actually be unfortunate, as many people hope their lives will be transformed by reading Fast Feng Shui or Feng Shui: Action Movie Role-playing or even Feng Shui for Romance and Prosperity.

As Western culture commercializes Feng Shui, we lose the art and science in favor of a quick fix—which doesn’t fix. Then it’s on to the next fad in the hope of finding a solution. Many complain that they read one book and it says, “Do this!”, while the next book purchased says, “Do that” for a similar situation. Written by adherents to different schools, the two books are seemingly at odds.

Right now Feng Shui is in its fad stage and will remain so until the next “new thing” arrives to take its place. Feng Shui deserves a deeper look. This is a system that has been worked, reworked and refined for thousands of years, which could not have happened if Feng Shui were mere superstition. It does work, but is far more complex than popular authors would have you believe. Feng Shui is not for dummies or idiots.

If the likes of Lao Tzu and Confucius embraced its principles, can Feng Shui be just a superstition? Why are nearly all real estate transactions in Hong Kong first approved by a Feng Shui practitioner? Real estate tycoon Donald Trump finds his business improving significantly when he uses Feng Shui. What might happen if we were to understand and incorporate Feng Shui into our lives?

This ancient practice may have originated in India and moved through Tibet and into China. The exact history is impossible to trace. But in all these ancient cultures, systems developed which worked with the energies of the land. Agrarian cultures paid close attention to how the weather affected the land and crops. Success or failure growing food often depended on subtle observations and acting in concert with the interaction of “wind” (Feng) and “water” (Shui.)

Ancient China knew heaven and nature appeared to operate by whim. Yet over time and with patient observation, patterns began to emerge. Feng Shui was first practiced to place family graves. If the ancestors’ spirits were happy, the land would prosper and give good crops. What was good for the ancestors might also be good for the living, so early Feng Shui masters were called upon to place the family’s house in the most favorable position. Landscapes were also designed to fit in an auspicious manner.

Continuing study by Chinese scholars started producing various “schools” which believed that harmony, prosperity and peace could be produced utilizing different methods. But it’s important to know that the fundamentals always remained the same.

Initially shapes of the land were studied along with the way energy flowed or didn’t flow. Placement of graves and later of buildings was done according to the land—and the “Landform School” became prominent. A given piece of land might lack desired auspicious features sought by early practitioners, and another school developed in response to this absence: a compass was the central device to know how to place rooms, homes, farms, cities. This school incorporated aspects of astrology and other ancient studies, as well as holding the older principles. Over time, the compass became the center of what is now called a Lopan. A compass is the center of 17 concentric rings. Each ring is inscribed with calculations necessary to determine particular aspects of the Feng Shui master’s reading. In our western terms, think of a slide rule: by simply adjusting fixed sticks and reading the result, advanced calculations result. This Lopan became the centerpiece of the “Compass School.”

In these two early schools there is a polarity, a yin-yang if you will. Landform used big shapes and interpretations while the Compass School became very much the result of precise formulas and calculations. Over time, other schools developed, mostly around renowned masters. A seminal work for successful architecture and town planning today is titled A Pattern Language. It can be regarded as a Western approach to the same information—it is yet another interpretation of observing how humans live best in their environment.

The third Emperor of the Mind dynasty (Yong Le, 1403-1423) was an ambitious man. He usurped the throne from his nephew, Chien-wen. He then moved to consolidate all power in his throne. He knew Feng Shui would assist him. Calling for the greatest Feng Shui masters and the finest geomancers in all China Yong Le told them to design a city such that he could command the entire known universe. Two years later, the august body gave him the design for a 9,999 room palace, sited perfectly. Gu Gong (the Forbidden City) was started in 1407. When finished, all the Masters and geomancers were executed so that none of the true knowledge could be available to others.

But it was impossible to suppress that which had been learned over the centuries and new masters arose. More schools developed. Landform and Compass con-tinue, and were joined by Landscape FS, Eight Mansions, Flying Star FS, Black Hat Sect, Nine Star, Ki, Four Pillars, BTB, and Intuitive.

By now it should be obvious that Feng Shui doesn’t lend itself to the exacting rigors of western scientific approach. What works is used, there is no need to dissect, measure and attempt to control it. It doesn’t lend itself to the profit-driven corporate business model widely in use today. Because of the lack of a concrete bottom line, Feng Shui is dismissed more often than not in the business world.

While camping at Medicine Lake recently, I oriented my tent and sleeping bag to face east. I wished to be greeted by the rising sun. I hardly slept at all that night. During the day I reversed the bedding so that my head pointed West. I slept like baby that night. At home, I sleep with my head pointed northeast and sleep wonderfully. The energies at Medicine Lake appear to be quite different from those of Ashland.

A few nights ago, a friend called. There was terrible static on the line. I asked him to move away from fluorescent lights. He wasn’t near fluorescents, but he did change position. The static disappeared. By a simple change of position, the energies (in this case the radio frequencies) could move unobstructed and I could hear without the static. In it’s most simple form, this is what Feng Shui does: it analyzes the flow or blockage of energy and then moves things about to allow that energy (or chi) to flow freely.

Theodor Schwenk, author of Sensitive Chaos (a study of the way that water moves) found similar patterns in the shapes of shells and fish, growing leaves and gnarled bark, anatomical structures and embryological development. In the book he included hundreds of diagrams and photographs showing this flow in nature. Some of the most dramatic are similar patterns formed by wind on water, sand, and in clouds. Looking at these illustrations, one starts to grasp how more subtle energies can flow, become stuck, and later flow on. This volume is probably the best graphic illustration of how energy moves in nature, and possibly the best way to visualize how chi moves.

While thought to be “the art of placement” in the home, Feng Shui has practical application in all aspects of human endeavor. Feng Shui offers the homeowner or apartment dweller the opportunity to create greater peace and harmony at a time when there is so much uncertainty in the world. In business Feng Shui can affect employee interaction (or lack thereof) and customer relations and the entire working atmosphere. It can affect the flow of foot traffic in a store. It can change the cash flow of a particular location. It can have a great effect on how customers relate to and feel about a business. Feng Shui offers the architect and builder the chance to site and design a home in harmony with the energies of the land. Incorporating Feng Shui principles, the home will have a natural draw and salability not present in other dwellings. Using Feng Shui principles to design a landscape results in a creation of beauty, harmony and peace—an oasis.

You may wish to read one or more of the many books on Feng Shui currently available, but to grasp its subtleties and to really be able to work with the energy, it is highly recommended that one work with a teacher. Feng Shui, neither fad nor rocket science, is a complex mixture of precision with intuition, science and art. When used properly, it can change the way we ride the river of life.

Sugeet is a Certified Feng Shui practitioner living in Ashland. Visit his website www.CreativeVisions.biz, or reach him by phone at (541) 488-1777 or (888) 239-1919.

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