What is Feng Shui?
Feng Shui is a set of methods and techniques for arranging a place to harmonise the flow of energy. It has existed for thousands of years. Indeed, as early as 4000 BC, Yin Feng Shui was practiced, the one that applies to burials. I practice Yang Feng Shui, the one applied to habitats.
Feng Shui has its origins in the principles of the Tao: vital energy, balance between yin and yang, cycles of the 5 elements… For Chinese medicine, we are all connected to each other and to the place in which we find ourselves. Around us and within us flows the Chi (or Qi or Ki), the same vital energy. In the same way as acupuncture, which stimulates the Chi of Man through the meridians, Feng Shui frees the Chi of the Habitat thanks to precise arrangements and the use of adapted materials and colours.
Various schools
There are different schools of Feng Shui. It is also often referred to as traditional Feng Shui, as opposed to “New Age” or “Western” Feng Shui.
I think that all schools are interesting and that every Feng Shui expert should be able to refer to one or the other according to the needs. Above all, it is possible to combine them in order to establish the most relevant analysis possible.
For my part, I mainly use :
- the Chinese form school also called landscape Feng Shui: it is about analysing the external environment of a habitat and determining how the 4 celestial guardians are characterized, which are the Black Tortoise, the White Tiger, the Green Dragon and the Red Phoenix. Of course, these animals are symbolic, they are, in real life, represented by mountains, rivers, buildings, roads… They help to determine whether the location of the habitat is suitable or not.
- The compass school: as the name suggests, the Feng Shui expert uses a compass to determine the precise cardinal orientation of the home. The energy centre is then defined, which allows us to divide the house into 8 (pakua trigrams) or 9 (lo shu square) sectors: North, North-East, North-West, West, etc. Each sector has its own characteristics and Feng Shui analysis allows us to “feed” them in the most appropriate way.
the school of flying stars: it studies how time and space impact our lives. These stars are represented by numbers from 1 to 9. The Feng Shui expert will take into account the cardinal orientation and the date of birth of the house to establish a numerical diagram of Chi. The combinations of numbers are then analysed in relation to the cycle of the 5 elements.
Any Feng Shui expertise establishes a diagnosis of the habitat, which necessarily includes favourable elements and others that are less so. I emphasize everything that is positive, while making the necessary adjustments. We sometimes talk about remedies in Feng Shui and, in this context, some experts recommend the use of objects such as the three-legged toad, the pagoda or the chi lin (dragon horse). As far as I am concerned, I consider that unless one has a knowledge of Chinese culture, these objects do not necessarily speak to Westerners. Our own culture is rich in symbols, no need to borrow any 🙂
Yin and yang
This concept is the basis of Chinese philosophy. Yin and Yang represent the two opposing forces of the chi of the universe. They are the two aspects of everything. No light without darkness, no cold without heat, no male without female. Yin and Yang are complementary and interdependent.
Yin (the black part) is the symbol of the feminine, but also of the earth, the moon, cold, calm, creativity…
Yang (the white part) is the symbol of the masculine, but also of the sky, summer, heat, movement…
Everything seeks the balance of these two forces to find harmony.
Feng Shui allows you to analyse whether yin and yang are in harmony in your environment and in your home. For example, some rooms are considered yang (living room, kitchen) and others are yin (office, bedroom). But within the same room, there must also be a balance: if a huge solid wood china cabinet (yang) dominates the living room, a small sofa and a light coffee table will be preferred to restore the balance. If a room is very dark (yin), we will add lighting (yang). It is often a question of pure common sense, as soon as we learn to see things according to these principles.
The cycle of the 5 elements: fire, water, earth, metal and wood
Feng Shui expertise cannot be achieved without mastering the cycle of the 5 elements (Wu Xing). According to Chinese cosmology, everything that exists belongs to one of these 5 elements, they form the basic components of all materials, of everything that happens in nature and in our body. Feng Shui analyses the interactions between these different elements to determine whether they are harmonious or not.
As a result, there are 3 cycles:
- the production cycle: this is a harmonious movement where each element gives rise to the next element.
- the cycle of destruction: this is a cycle of imbalance where each element weakens or even destroys the next element
- the control cycle: here, each element reduces the power of the next element.
Let’s take the example of wood: it produces and therefore strengthens fire (we put logs of wood in the fireplace to feed the fire); it is itself produced thanks to water (we water the plants so that they blossom and live); wood exhausts the earth (hence the need for fallow land); metal kills wood (we saw the trees) while fire controls it (a forest is reborn after a fire)
In concrete terms, the link between these cycles and Feng Shui is made through the cardinal orientations and the numerical diagram of the flying stars. Indeed, to each element will correspond an orientation, a number, a season, an organ, a sound, a colour, emotions, etc.
The Feng Shui Expertise
In order to carry out a relevant assessment, it is first necessary to draw up a precise plan of the house in order to divide it, as we have seen, into sectors. Then, the teachings of the different schools and the taking into account of the main principles described above, will allow to establish a kind of energy map of the place: external and internal environment, elements necessary in such sector… Thus, the expertise leads to recommendations room by room, which will guide the choice of colours, shapes, materials but also furniture (yin or yang) or decorative objects (symbolic).
“Is my living room Feng Shui? One can, indeed, with a single glance, spot imbalances or arrangements to be optimized, but one cannot make an expertise like that, on a corner of table, too many elements are to be taken into account. You can’t decide to have a living room worked on in Feng Shui and leave the rest of the house “in its juice”. The energy circulates, it doesn’t make sense. All the rooms must be analysed and treated if you hope to obtain benefits.
Feng Shui is for everyone in the house. Everyone, whatever their age, their activity, their state of health…, will find benefits. A space treated in feng shui, whether it is a house, a flat, a business or a professional premises, will release an energy favourable to well-being, to the realization of projects and to abundance.
You are single and wish to welcome love into your life? To help you meet your soul mate, the Feng Shui expert will work on several areas of your home by suggesting appropriate colours, shapes and materials. He will also study the layout and decoration of your room.
Your son is taking his baccalaureate this year? You should know that depending on his date of birth, we can find the most favourable office location for his academic success.
Are you opening a shop? Did you know that there is a good place to place the cash register and that by optimising the circulation of energy, you can favour the circulation of customers?
These are just a few examples of how feng shui expertise can help you in your daily life, whether in the private or professional sphere. Calling on a feng shui expert, being in this process, is already a key step in the search for a more harmonious life, because it allows you to become aware of the space. And as this conscious planning will help you to take action, it is a virtuous circle!
Shared work
Feng Shui is not a miracle. It can create an environment conducive to our projects, our health, our relationships, etc. But it cannot make decisions or act in our place. But it cannot make decisions or act in our place.
In China, we speak of a cosmic trinity of luck: that of the sky, that of man and that of the earth.
The luck of the sky is the one we are given at birth (astrological sign but also sex, family and social environment…). Nothing can be changed.
Man’s luck is that which he can control, that which he can influence through his choices and behaviour (use of his intelligence, skills, interpersonal skills, personal development, etc.).
Finally, the earth’s luck comes from the environment. It is only on this last one that Feng Shui can act, by creating a framework of life the most favorable possible.
Thus, according to these precepts, we can act on 2/3 of our potential destiny, via our life choices, and via the places in which we evolve. The key to success, in order to be able to seize the opportunities generated by a favourable environment, is to have a constructive and positive attitude, to make changes in consciousness, with one’s objectives in mind.
As an expert, I do the analysis work, I can also, if you wish, change my hat and become an interior designer to guide the choices that will respect the specifications given by the Feng Shui study. But I need you! You too will have to work on yourself, ask yourself the right questions about what you really want. Sometimes the results will stir up emotions and/or upset habits, it will take time to understand the necessary changes. Moreover, after the expertise, the transformations must be carried out gently, one piece at a time, without rushing into anything.
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