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Feng Shui means "wind and water" and deals with understanding the forces and powers
that are continually around us with the hope of harnessing these forces and receiving
good fortune.Many of the fundamental texts associated with Feng Shui have been around
for over 4000 years. This ancient art was confined to the ruling class until during the
Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618-907) when Master Yang Yun-Sang wrote several books that allowed
the general public to have access to the secrets of Feng Shui.
The art of Feng Shui became classified as a pseudo-science around the twelfth century as people started looking more closely into the location of their houses, temples, graves, etc. to ensure their prosperity.
Feng Shui was used to ensure auspicious grave sites. The location of one's final
resting place is extremely important to the Chinese. Feng Shui is said to be first
applied to grave sites by Kuo P'o (d. CE 324), and to house building by Wang Ch'i (11th
century). Divination to determine favorable building locations goes back to the
beginning of the Chou Dynasty (c. 1000 BC). In general, Feng Shui has been fundamental
in China since the Sung Dynasty.
The first mention of Feng Shui was in the
Lun Heng
by Wang Ch'ung a first century CE skeptic philosopher. He characterized Feng Shui as
a 'superstitious belief in aerial currents and subterranean water-courses which bring
good or bad fortune.
The Form School of Feng Shui is the original school of Master Yang's principles.Master
Yang focused heavily on the shape of the hills, mountains, direction of water flow, but
primarily on finding the lair of the dragon, China's most revered celestial creature.
Eventually a second school of Feng Shui emerged and viewed Feng Shui in a different
light. This second school, the Compass School, stresses the Pa Kua with its triagrams
and hexagrams that help calculate imbalances, and the Lo Shu Grid, which helps describe
when to do such actions. There are now several different branches of the Compass School.
Some branches focus on numerology while others focus on time dimension. Certain branches
of the Compass School also emphasize the influence of the planets on the quality of good
landscape locations.
When the first railway was built in China, the designers did not consult Feng Shui
practitioners. The railway ran from Shanghai to Wu-sung. Despite being only nine miles
long, the railway was purchased and destroyed by the Chinese "on the plea that the speed
of the train destroyed the Feng Shui of the thousands of people on both sides of the
line."
In 1949 General Chiang Kai-shek fled China for Taiwan and his group took with them many
valuable old Feng Shui texts. Thus Feng Shui was introduced in Taiwan and spread to more
countries. Now Feng Shui is taken for granted in both China and Taiwan. Feng Shui has
not been utilized in most buildings in the West, but Feng Shui knowledge is slowly
crossing the waters to the West.
The purpose of Feng Shui is to harness the natural forces around one so as to achieve
optimum balance and harmony in the location and placement of one's living environment.
In practice, Feng Shui seeks to find suitable locations to live, away from harmful
energies so the inhabitants would thrive with happy abundant lives.
The ancient Chinese Masters achieved harmony by observing land forms, energy lines and
sought the balance of Yin and Yang. They also tried to ensure that the flow of
beneficial Chi was harnessed while the harmful Chi was deflected. Feng Shui is important
not only during life, but in one's burial because harmful chi can still effect you once
you are dead.
Chi is believed to be the most important influence on our lives. Chi means "life's
breath" or "energy" and is the unifying energy that links everything together. It has
been likened symbolically to the cosmic breath of a dragon.
The concept of Chi originated in the Chinese Zhou dynasty and it literally means "gas."
There are three main forces of Chi that sustain all of life: Cosmic Chi, Human Chi and Earth Chi .
Cosmic Chi is the force of nature. It comes down on us from the planets, sun, moons, etc. This energy is similar to the way the earth is pulled by the sunand the way the tides are effected by the moon. Even stars and planets far away project cosmic chi. The existence of Cosmic Chi helps explain why the weathereffects personal moods and feelings. Cosmic Chi is considered the source of abundant wealth, fortune, peace, honor, and good health. Businesses with plentiful chi will prosper and continue to grow.
Human Chi is inside each person. Each person has his or her own unique chi that flows in its own path. It effects your personality, interactions with others, general mood and much more. Feng Shui practitioners try to help adjust your environmental chi to best suit you. Human Chi can be likened to the western concept of bioenergies.
Earth Chi
is the way the earth effects you. The forces of mountains, streams, valleys, plains,
etc all impact and influence you. In the way mountains protect us from harsh elements
and also provide psychological support. We tend to feel more stable and grounded when we
have mountains around. Those who live in the mountains tend to be more stubborn, loyal
and honest. Like a mountain, those people are more steadfast in their values.
Other earthly forms effect us in their own ways. Our chi is also changed by the earth's magnetic field and its pull.
Chi can be broken into five elements or phases:
metal
,
wood
,
water
,
fire
and
earth
. These elements characterize all matter around us. All five elements of Chi are
associated with
colors
,
moods
,
seasons
,
body organs
,
times
, etc. For example, water is associated with black. The deeper the water, the blacker
it is.
The five elements of chi are combined in different amounts and cause good and bad luck
to a person. Sometimes the elements work to cancel one another out and sometimes they
enhance one another.
One's chi is greatly effected by the year they are born. If a person was born in a fire
year, they should not have too much water in the home because water destroys fire. The
five elements are constantly interacting with one another in productive and destructive
cycles,
The concept of yin and yang is a concept if balance as well. Yin and Yang are two
opposite forces that govern the universe. Together they make up all aspects of life
around us. Yin is dark, yang is light; yin is feminine, yang is masculine. They need
each other, can never be separated and together create harmony.
Another premise associated with Feng Shui is the premise of the Eight Triagrams, or "Pa
Kua." The Pa Kua comes from the
I Ching
and is used by the Compass School approach to Feng Shui. It is used to interpret good
and bad Feng Shui according to the placement of the symbolic hexagrams and triagrams in
a compass shape.
Chinese history books describe how around 2005 BC, a turtle emerged from the River Lo
with ninenumbers arranged in a grid upon his back. The numbers were arranged in such a
way that when they were added vertically, horizontally or diagonally, they always added
up to fifteen. Fifteen is the number of days it takes for a new moon to become a full
moon.
The grid pattern corresponded with the Eight Triagrams of the Pa Kua around a ninth critical point. This group of numbers became known as the Lo Shu square or grid. The Lo Shu square is another important foundation in the Compass School of Feng Shui because of its relation to the Pa Kua. The Lo Shu grid is said to unlock the meanings of the Pa Kua with its added numerology. Each day, month and year has its own Lo Shu number and Masters within the Compass School look to the Lo Shu grid to decipher good and bad days for activities.
Examples of Applied Feng Shui:
A large part of understanding Feng Shui is understanding how your surroundings effect you. Practitioners have explained these effects of Feng Shui in our daily lives so people will be able to make the chi around them flow as smoothly as possible. Illustrations of Feng Shui help to show its practicality.
But is Feng Shui a Religion?
It is hard to classify Feng Shui. Some might classify Feng Shui as a religion, while others note that no worshipping happens within it. There are no elixirs or potions to solve one's problems and it is not magic either. Rather Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese art of placement aimed at understanding and harnessing the energies for one's prosperity. Feng Shui has characteristics of religious groups interwoven into it, especially Taoism.
Taoism is based on the
Tao Teh Ching
and is concerned with being one with naturethrough intuitive knowledge and harmony.
This knowledge can be attained through meditation on the Tao. The Tao is
incomprehensible, and indescribable with words, through balance one can understand it.
On top of Feng Shui and Taoism exhibiting many similarities, in general, the religions of the far east share many similar premises. The religions of the far east are different than the typically monotheistic religions of the west. Religions in the east tend to be more holistic by looking at how everything around a person effects their life. These religions tend to be tied to nature and the serenity that it brings. On the contrary, religions in the west are typically monotheistic and more structured. These religions are based on a collective experience that is less related to nature and balance than religions in the east.
Considering that religions of the east are considerably different than religions of the
west, it becomes increasingly difficult to classify Feng Shui using western ideas, but
one classification available for Feng Shui would be as a quasi-religion. Arthur Greil
discusses quasi-religions and includes in the category groups that "are deliberately
ambiguous with regard to the issue of whether they are sacred or secular in nature."
Another potential classification of Feng Shui is as a client cult. A client cult tends
to provide specific tangible compensators for life's problems.
In general, client cults solve people's problems and provide solutions for a fee. The
prevalence of Feng Shui "Masters" might suggest that either Feng Shui is easy to master
or many people are conning people with their supposed expertise. There are thousands of
people who claim to be Feng Shui "Masters" but true masters are rare. There are perhaps
a half-dozen practitioners in the world who can claim mastery of the subject and none
have much contact with the general public.
Using the terms "quasi-religion" and "client cult" to classify Feng Shui is purely to
understand Feng Shui better. These conceptualizations in no way are right or wrong, but
rather they are more or less useful to someone not familiar with the practices
associated with Feng Shui. Unfortunately, there are no scholarly books about Feng Shui
in English so we are forced to relyupon the advice and teachings of the numerous
"Masters."
Feng Shui is spreading to the west rapidly. As more Asians move to the west, their
traditions move along with them. Along with sushi, martial arts, and organic remedies,
Feng Shui has crept into western society. One can go into a bookstore and find a dozen
books on Feng Shui, not to mention the thousands of websites dedicated to Feng Shui.
Eastern ideas have penetrated western society in the same way that western society has
penetrated eastern cultures. This is evident by McDonald's in Japan and skyscrapers in
Hong Kong. This cultural exchange will continue to help people all over the world
understand each other and understand each other's beliefs. Feng Shui could lose its
cultural identity and becomea worldwide traditon.
Feng Shui Ultimate Resource
This site is helpful for information about Feng Shui without the consumer driven side.
It helps beginners understand Feng Shui and what it is and is not. This site acknowledges
that not all of the advice given by "Masters" is accurate.
http://www.qi-whiz.com
A World of Feng Shui Online
Lillian Too is one of the acknowledged true Masters of Feng Shui. This site offers
reviews of her books, additional articles, tips, links and pretty much anything that you
would need to know about Feng Shui.
http://www.worldoffengshui.com
168 Feng Shui Advisors - Learn about
Traditional Feng Shui!
This site is a typical Feng Shui consulting site but it has a very clear analysis of
what Feng Shui entails. The 168 Feng Shui Advisors put out helpful articles about Feng
Shuiand this site allows one to link to them.
http://www.168fengshui.com
Fengshui Help,
Fun and History of Feng Shui
This site offers free Feng Shui advice and facts about it. There is a tip of the week
and helpful information about frequently asked questions.
http://www.fengshuihelp.com/fengshui_history.htm/
Origins of Feng Shui
This site provides helpful basic information on Feng Shui. The information is easy to
understand and has a trusted feel to it. The makers of this sitedo want you to consult
their services, but they also want you to understand what they are doing.
http://www.fengshui-living.com/page1.htm
Feng Shui
This site is flashy but does have a different spin in that one can find a few good case
studies of Feng Shui being used in the home.
http://www.xdimension.com/fengshui/
The Celestial School of Feng Shui
This site describes the Celestial School of Feng Shui. This school is not a
traditional school like the Form and Compass Schools, but rather a specific school
designed by the Master, Margaret Hunt. It appears to be a mix between traditional Feng
Shui, Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese beliefs.
http://www.mghunt.freeuk.com/
The American Feng Shui Institute
This site describes an Institute that one can attend to learn about Feng Shui.
http://www.amfengshui.com
What is Feng Shui?
This website talks about the history of Feng Shui, who uses it and describes the
different schools. The information does not go too in-depth but is still helpful.
http://www.chinesefengshui.com/whatis.htm
Feng Shui: For Modern Living
This is the web site of a monthly magazine by the same name that is published in
London. Publisher Stephen Skinner claims that Feng Shui has nothing to do with
religion, but the pages of the magazine is rich with information that illustrates well
how Feng Shui fits the sociological conception of a quasi-religious movements. The web
site contains only a few articles, but has lots of links to Feng Shui resources.
http://www.fengshui-magazine.com
Feng Shui
This site gives some general tips that this writer found useful, but the best use of
this site is its list of Feng Shui books with helpful citations about them.
http://www.gems4friends.com/fengshui.html
New Age Catalog and
Magazine: Feng Shui for Harmony and Relaxation
This site provides information about the different ways of seeing the earth around you
through Feng Shui. The information is laced with images of their products that will help
balance your chi. This site definitely is aimed at the commercial side of Feng Shui.
http://www.rainbowcrystal.com/atext/fs.html
Feng Shui
Practitioners
This site will help you find a Feng Shui Master near you. It also has a few articles
and products you can buy.
http://www.fengshuidesigns.com/pract/practhm.htm
Feng Shui by Bartlett Designs
This site is for Feng Shui consulting, but it does have a few good articles about
practical ideas for the home and utilizing Feng Shui. The site seems to be centered
around the Master rather then Feng Shui.
http://www.bartlettdesigns.com
SpiritWeb: Feng
Shui and Qi
This site discusses Feng Shui as a philosophy and links it to new age ideas such as
reincarnation and healings. There are also some emails and responses from the author to
people needing help.
http://www.spiritweb.org/Spirit/feng-shui.html
Feng Shui Emporium
This is a good example of a site that had a lot of Feng Shui products to buy. Anything
one would need to practice Feng Shui can be purchased here.
http://www.luckycat.com
VI. References
Created by
Elizabeth Hagerty
For Soc 257: New Religious Movements
University of Virginia
Spring Term, 2000
Last modified: 04/20/01