Feng Shui

Feng Shui is the ancient study of the natural environment.

Its goal is to create harmony and balance by maximizing the beneficial life force energy that is all around us.   Feng Shui literally means ‘wind and water’ and the life force energy is called ‘chi.’ Chi is carried on the wind and water and inhabits all living things.

The Chinese world view was based the Tao.  Tao is translated into “The Way” but it cannot truly be translated because to name it is to lose its essence.  But we understand the Tao to be the ultimate law of the universe, the creator of creation and the source of all things. It is and it controls the cosmic force. We are here in this universe, on this planet, so we are of the Tao.

The Book of the Tao, the Tao Te Ching says: “Man models himself after Earth, Earth models itself after Heaven, Heaven models itself after Tao.  And Tao models itself after nature.”

In fact, the original name for Feng Shui was Kan Yu which means “look up and observe the heavens, look around you and observe the earth.”

So, ultimately, we always go back to nature as the model for all that is, for all life, for all that we are.

In the Chinese world view, the universe is made up of five components known as the five elements. These elements are:

WATER, WOOD, FIRE, EARTH, METAL

and they make up all that is in our natural world.

Since the world view was based on the patterns and laws of nature, the ancient practitioners looked around and realized that this planet and everything on it is made up of the interaction of five natural elements.  The combining of these natural elements make up all that there is, which the Chinese called the “ten thousand things”.

There is nothing that exists on this planet that is not comprised of or transformed by these elements either in its pristine state or in combination of two or more.   And there is nothing on this planet that does not change when it interacts with another element.  An element can create another, support another, reduce or destroy another.