When the topic “Feng Shui ” is discussed, most people will assume it as placing a “Money Toad”. “Money Frog” or some aquarium and Feng Shui enhancers. So what does Feng Shui really mean? It is an ancient Chinese system that examines the layout and architecture of a building and structures, the people who live in it, the local physical environment and how the energy flow known as “Qi’ communicates within all of these elements. The two words “Feng” (Wind) and “Shui” (Water) derive from the Chinese language. 風(Feng) 水(Shui), if we look at the ancient characters, we can tell that they were meant to depict a flying bird (for “Feng”) and flowing water (for “Shui). The positive energy is linked to both of these characters. This directly portrays the type of energy we think about when considering how “Qi” flows through the world and how we should use it to better our surroundings.
Practising Feng Shui can help to analyze and relieve the physical environment which we create for ourselves. How the “Qi” energy flows through your home, or office can naturally affect your happiness and success – and it’s something that you can impact. For centuries, people have been using this principle to enhance their lives in different aspects such as wealth, health, careers, relationships, marriages and almost every aspect.
HOW DID FENG SHUI ALL BEGIN?
“Feng Shui” was based on ancient Chinese observations of the sky and the earth. The fundamental idea is solely based on harmony between humans and nature. “Feng Shui” initially appeared in China during the Warring States Period between 476 to 221 BC. At that time “Feng Shui” was not called “Feng Shui” but it was called “Kan Yu”, “Kan” (Heaven) and “Yu” (Earth). During the Jin dynasty, a Chinese historian, poet and writer named Guo Pu first created the term “Feng Shui” in his book called ‘The Book of Burial’. He wrote,
‘Chi rides the wind and scatters but is kept when encountering water. The ancients collected it to hinder its dissipation and guided it to assure its retention. This is “Feng Shui” (Wind/water)”
Around the 19th Century, Chinese “Feng Shui” was introduced to Europe. Scholars from the western view “Feng Shui” from a modern perspective and called it the Eastern Environmental Science. A german protestant missionary, Ernest J. Eitel, during his 17 years living in China, wrote many books on Chinese history and philosophy. One of his books which were called “Feng Shui” or the rudiments of natural science in China’ which was published in 1873.
DIFFERENT FENG SHUI SCHOOLS
When we say school, some people might think of a school where students go for education. But in “Feng Shui” schools are meant in different ways or aspects of “Feng Shui”. There are many “Feng Shui” schools but the two major schools are the ‘Form School’ and ‘Compass School’. The Form School or the Landscape school focuses on the existing forms in our environmental landscape such as the rivers and mountains and how that affects the “Feng Shui” of the houses or tombs. The Compass School on the other hand focuses on “Bagua Luo Shu” and the relationships of the five elements. The Form school has three branches including “Luan Tou Pai”, “Xin Xiang Pai” and “Xing Fa Pai”. And the Compass School has many more branches such as “Fei Xing Pai”, “Ba Zhai Pai”, “Qi Men Pai”, “Wu Xing Pai” and many more.
In summary, the Compass School is all about the interior “Feng Shui” environment while the Form School is about the external “Feng Shui” environment. When analyzing “Feng Shui” it is extremely important that we consider both the internal and external as they complement each other. Even Though there are many different schools of “Feng Shui”, the basic principles remain the same such as “Bagua(Yin and Yang)”, the five elements and the earthly branches. You can choose the school that suits you.
HOW DO YOU CALCULATE YOUR KUA NUMBER?
FOR WOMEN
(1) Add all the digits in your birth year.
Example: 1969: 1+9+6+9= 25
(2) Reduce to a single digit.
Example: 2+5=7
(3) Add 4 to your single-digit number.
Example: 7+ 4 = 11
(4) Reduce to a single-digit number.
Example: 1+1= 2
- 2 is the personal Kua number for women born in 1969
If you get 5, your personal Kua number will be the number 8.
FOR MEN
(1) Add all the digits in your birth year.
Example: 1970: 1+9+7+0 = 17
(2) Reduce to a single-digit.
Example: 1+7 = 8
(3) Subtract 11 from the number.
Example: 11-8 = 3
Reduce to a single-digit number is required
- 3 is the personal Kua number for men born in 1970
If you get 5, your personal Kua number is 2.
HOW TO USE FENG SHUI FOR A BETTER LIFE?
By balancing the energy flow in your home, feng shui can help you make the most of it. The world is divided into five elements according to feng shui:
Wood: Artistry & Development
Water: Feelings & Motivation
Metal: Center of attraction & order
Fire: Power & Courage
Earth: Strength & Balance
Below are tips you can apply:
01. GET A PLANT ASAP!
Feng Shui is all about space and airflow. Plants are great natural air purifiers and also create awesome unity with nature. Nature in a home environment invites harmony and home balance. Here are some plants that are very important to Feng Shui:
- Bamboo: It can ward off negative thoughts and energy, it can promote resilience and courage among people. It is also a sign of prosperity. But just be aware, Bamboo is a plant that needs a lot of love and attention.
- Jade Plant: It is also considered as the money plant and is believed to attract prosperity to offices. BUT JUST MAKE SURE THIS PLANT DOESN’T GROW TALLER THAN A METER OR IT CAN DISRUPT THE CHI BALANCE IN YOUR ROOM. One great place to put your plants is in the empty cabinets in your kitchen. In the Feng Shui perspective, this space is often filled with dust, so Chi gets stuck in there and creates dead energy that will hold you back in life.
02. CLEAN YOUR AIR!
Ok, we know how great a plant will be to have, but maybe some of us, if we get a plant we know it’s going to die. So what you could do is just open your windows more often, the fresh air from outside brings more movement into your room that creates good energy flow as well. But it is also understandable, there are some living circumstances that do not permit this as maybe the outside might be too polluted so you can always get an air purifier.
03. PUT AWAY ELECTRONICS
In the modern world, everybody has computers, phones, etc. Feng Shui is an ancient practice that has no interest in such advanced technology. In order to live in a harmonious place, it’s best to remove any kind of electronics because they emit strong energy that is not always positive. Even though it sounds like an extremely hard thing to do, you are guaranteed to feel much more comfortable. DO NOT PLACE THE ELECTRONICS IN THE BEDROOM. The bedroom should be a relaxed and positive century and these electronics can be disruptive to your sleep.
04. MORE SHAPES
Add various shapes in your home, regarding the furniture in your home, make sure you have an abundance of shapes. Shapes represent different elements in Feng Shui. You need a mix of all these elements to create a wonderful living space. These are some of the examples which represent different elements:
Square: Earth
Rectangle: Wood
Triangle: Fire
Wavy: Water
Round: Metal
05. TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES
It is common in most Asian cultures to remove shoes before entering the house, this is because it is understood that low-level energy tends to sink into ground level and some may get stuck to our shoes and also why would you want to walk around in your house with dirty shoes? And also by removing our shoes we will keep the bad energy out of our homes. Of course, it isn’t very sensible to pile our shoes outside the front door so instead get a small cabinet and arrange the shoes inside.
06. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH LIGHT
Light is the strongest manifestation of energy. Light in your home, be it natural or artificial greatly influences the quality of your home energy. So make sure you open your windows and let the light shine in. Try your best to find lighting for the corners that are hard to reach. Because if you let this space to be dark, it can represent the neglect of certain aspects of your life.
07. FOLLOW BED ARRANGEMENTS
The bed is the most important piece of furniture in your room. It is important to have a good placement for it, in order to have a great flow of Chi. Anyway, while each bedroom is unique, there are few main tips to keep in mind while positioning your bed :
- Make sure to have access to both sides of your bed.
- Make sure the bed is placed diagonally across the door. You should be able to see the door while lying in bed. In this way, if a boogeyman comes, you’ll be able to know. Of course, sometimes, this is not possible so you can place a mirror in the position where you can see the door while laying in bed, just make sure you are not facing directly in the mirror.
- Do not have anything kept under your bed just because you cannot find any other places to store it. This will create negative energy under your bed and you won’t be able to get a good sleep. And also the space under your bed is creepy enough that you don’t need any more negative energy under there.
08. DECLUTTER YOUR CLUTTERS
Clutter is the worst thing to have in Feng Shui. If your house is dirty then you are leaving negative Chi to collect. The clutter can mean that you have tonnes of stuff that you don’t like anymore or don’t use and only create blocks of negative energy for yourself. In this case, you just have to let it go. There is also a Japanese legend that says, if you collect a lot of things in your living space that you don’t use, a hundred years later, they will turn into demons.
