Feng Shui means "wind and water" in Chinese - It's history
began in the fourth century B.C. when the Chinese invented the compass.
During the following century, they began using the device to aid in the
proper placement of grave and home sites.
Finding the optimum
final resting place for ancestors was to ensure health, harmony and
prosperity for their descendants, because we are all connected by
cosmic, universal energy -- called "chi."
Today there are as many forms of feng shui as there are practitioners.
These are the three main "schools" of feng shui:
Form School:
This
school of feng shui began in southern China. It is based on looking
at and evaluating land forms, waterways and geography.
Compass School:
The
absence of geographical and geological features and the relative
flat topography of northern China necessitated the development of
the Compass School, which dominates throughout most of the world.
This is the traditional, classical feng shui practice which uses
either a Chinese (luo pan) or Western-style compass to determine the
eight compass directions in a room, office or home. Because those
directions govern various aspects of your life, you place the
corresponding colors, animal symbols, numbers, and elements in the
areas that you wish to activate.
Black Sect Tantric
Tibetan School:
In this school, which has gained popularity in the
United States, you disregard compass directions. Instead, you stand
at and use the entrance of the room, house, or office as your main
reference point. Then you place objects and other enhancements
according to what you aspire to and wish to accomplish.
Basics
Feng
shui is based on these fundamental concepts: Flow
of energyBalance
of yin and yangInteraction
of the five elements. Avoid
sharp, straight edges to keep energy flowing.
In nature, we find perfectly straight lines in only very short
segments, as in the canes of sugar and bamboo. Even the tallest
redwoods and pines have irregularities. It is a natural law that
energy flows in wavy lines like the breezes, mountain ranges and
streams. In the land, chi moves in dragon lines along the
topography; in people, its paths are called meridians.
This undulating flow is beneficial and natural.
Freeways, tunnels, bridges, buildings, corners of building and
lampposts have straight edges, which are considered conduits of
negative energy -- called sha ch'i or "killing energy."
In feng shui, such are to be avoided.
Balance
the "yin" and the "yang"
The duality of the universe and the world around us is expressed in
the "tai chi," a circle created by a light and a dark
droplet, positioned end to end.
"Yin" is the female: soft, passive, nurturing, fluid, even
numbers and the right side. "Yang" is male: bright, hard,
active, aggressive, odd numbers and the left side.
Notice that in each half, there is the presence of its complement,
in the form of a dot. This has been accepted for several thousand
years in Chinese philosophy, but the acknowledgment that every male
has a feminine aspect, and every female has a male side, is new to
the Western mind and medicine.
Together, yin and yang comprise a whole, and yet there is an element
of each in the other. But sometimes we have too much yang, and other times, we have too
much yin. It is up to us to find and maintain the balance between
the two in our physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, sexual and
intellectual selves. Achieving this balance help us become grounded
or centered, much like a rock that is pounded by the elements and
still remains unyielding.
Use
the elements in generative ways.
Each of the five elements, fire, earth,
metal, water, and wood --
relates to the other in two different ways
The
first relationship is generative or creative. For example, water
nourishes wood, wood makes fire, fire creates earth (as in
volcanoes), earth creates metal, metal creates water.
The
second relationship shows how each can be overcome or destroyed
by the other. That is, water puts out fire, fire melts metal,
metal cuts wood, wood displaces earth, earth dams water.
Feng shui gardens are closer in spirit to rock, English or low-maintenance
gardens than to formal, artificial and overdesigned European gardens,
which are characterized by unnatural features such as severe corners,
angles and straight lines.
Whether you live in a condo or a mansion, whether you are positioning a
potted plant on your patio or having many acres professionally landscaped,
putting everything in its right place according to feng shui principles
will help create a healing, harmonious and natural environment.
In
designing your garden, be mindful
of the three basic concepts of feng shui
Energy
flow (wavy or curvy is beneficial; straight lines are negative)
Balance of
yin (dark, soft, passive) and yang (light, hard, active)
Generative
and destructive relationships of the five elements:
wood, fire, earth, metal and water.
Here's how
to apply basic feng shui principles in your spot of earth:
Stand in the center of your outdoor space.
Use a
compass to determine the eight directions.
Refer to
the guide below to place the corresponding colors,
symbols, numbers and elements in their matching areas.
|
north
|
Creativity,
Personal growth, New ideas, Inspiration, Prospects, Career, Music,
Art
|
| Use: Water
elements |
|
Good place
for: Metal toolsheds, ponds, Jacuzzis |
|
Shapes:
Waves & curves |
|
Avoid:
Stone, clay, earth |
|
|
northeast
|
Knowledge,
Wisdom, Meditation/reading, Inner journeys, Spiritual and
intellectual growth, Nature
|
| Use:
Earth element |
|
Good
place for: Stone benches, rock gardens, repairing
equipment, stones and boulders, statuaries, brick,
flagstone, anything made from the earth |
|
Shapes:
Low and flat surfaces |
|
Avoid:
Plants and trees |
|
|
|
east
|
New
life and growth, Rebirth and rejuvenation, Harmony,
Health, Family life, Nutrition, Healing
|
| Use:
Wood element |
|
Good
place for: Fruit trees, herbs, medicinal plants,
play equipment, sauna, tai chi and other
exercises, trees, plants |
|
Shapes:
Columns, cylinders |
|
Avoid:
Metal garden accessories, patio furniture, tools,
white flowers |
|
|
|
southeast
|
Wealth,
Abundance, Material possessions, Communication
|
| Use:
Wood element |
|
Good
place for: Cultivation and display of show plants,
flowers or fish |
|
Shapes:
Cylinders, posts and columns |
|
Avoid:
Metal garden accessories, patio furniture and
tools, white flowers |
|
|
|
south
|
Opportunity,
Dreams, Aspirations, Awards, Fame, Achievement, Happiness,
Longevity, Festivity
|
| Use:
Fire element |
|
Good
place for: Barbecues, fire pits, burning leaves,
trees, flowers |
|
Shapes:
Pointed and triangular shapes |
|
Avoid:
Water elements such as ponds, waterfalls, and
fountains |
|
|
|
southwest
|
Marriage,
Romance, Motherhood, Love, Relationships, Partners
|
| Use:
Earth element |
|
Good
place for: Seating/dining for two, team sports |
|
Shapes:
Low, flat surfaces |
|
Avoid:
Wood patio or deck furniture, gazebos, fences and
gates, green |
|
|
|
west
|
Children,
Creativity, Harvest, Socializing and entertaining
|
| Use:
Metal element |
|
Good
place for: Outdoor entertaining, bar, children's
playground/garden Convalescing & healing,
sunbathing |
|
Shapes:
Circles and arches |
|
Avoid:
Barbecues, fire pit, pyramid, red flowers |
|
|
|
northwest
|
Trade,
Interests outside of home, International travel,
Fatherhood, Mentors and benefactors, Helpful people,
Supporters
|
| Use:
Metal element |
|
Good
place for: Statues of deities, angels, cherubs,
animals, wind chimes, sounds |
|
Shapes:
Circles and arches |
|
Avoid:
Barbecues, fire pit, pyramid, red flowers |
|
|
Article
written by Angie Ma Wong
Visit her website at wind-water.com
for
free feng shui graphics, click here
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