”Paradise is where I am” – Voltaire
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Feng shui compass flikr/borghai
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So your body is in perfect harmony with nature – at least you think you’ve figured out how to keep it that way. What next? What about your home? How important is it to have that in harmony? Well that’s where Feng Shui comes in. Literally meaning ”wind” and ”water”, what TCM does for your mind and body Feng Shui is said to do for your immediate environment. Feng Shui is an ancient art based on the same principles as acupuncture, the five elements and yin and yang. The goal is to balance qi in your home and office to promote health, good fortune, relationships and well-being.
In Feng Shui qi is the force that circulates just as it does in the human body. It flows everywhere and through all things; it determines the shape and form of landscapes, mountains, hills, valleys, lakes, rivers, as well as the health of trees, plants and all living creatures. Where it can circulate freely but not too forcefully, like a gentle meandering stream, there will be harmony with nature and life. Feng Shui means having your inner qi compatible with the qi around you.If you feel comfortable and relaxed in your living and working space, then outer and inner qi are in rhythm with one another.
It is interesting to note however, that Feng Shui was first mentioned in ancient Chinese texts as a science focused on the dead and not the living. The tombs of the deceased were orientated in an auspicious way so that the ancestors could rest in peace, which would then bring good fortune to the living descendants. The earliest mention of Feng Shui was in the Book of Burial, by Guo Po in the 4th century CE. The study of graves and burial grounds was called Yin Feng Shui. Nowadays most Feng Shui masters will concern themselves only with Yang Feng Shui which deals with private and commercial dwellings of the living.
There are several schools of Feng Shui which can be placed in three categories: classical (eg compass and landscape); black hat tantric buddhist (BTB); and modern (westernized). Already well known and faithfully adhered to in the East, Feng Shui is becoming more and more popular in the western world too. Major companies such as Coca Cola, Nike and Walt Disney admit to employing Feng Shui consultants in their business. Famous celebrities said to have applied Feng Shui principles include, Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Madonna, Oprah Winfrey, Gwyneth Paltrow, Richard Branson, Sophia Loren and Cher.
So next time you feel out of balance, look around your home. Perhaps it’s something in your kitchen or bedroom space that is giving you that uneasy feeling!