Authentically, Feng Shui is truly about optimizing the flow of Qi to make it work to your advantage. Joey Yap sets the understanding of Feng Shui right in this article.
Like every other art, Feng Shui can always be viewed as a journey of progression. Back in the Tang Dynasty of China, Feng Shui was known as Kan Yu. Believe it or not, instead of determining the location of your aquarium or kitchen stove, Kan Yu was used predominantly to select the burial spot for many deceased emperors. This practice was known as Yin House Feng Shui, the study of the places for the dead. Interestingly, Yin House Feng Shui was the original form of Feng Shui. However, as time and progression washed over, Yin House gave way to another discipline - the Yang House Feng Shui, the study of places for the living. And this ultimately branched out to become today's modern day Feng Shui. This said, however, today's Chinese culture is still laced heavily with a rich heritage of positive symbolism. From the phoenix sculpture to the money tree, many Chinese have them in our homes. But somehow along the way, these auspicious-inspired pieces were all conveniently grouped and categorized, albeit haphazardly, into this field called Feng Shui.
Take for example, the colour red. For the Chinese, it denotes a sense of prosperity and wealth - so the redder your house, the bigger fortune and windfall the occupants would enjoy. This, of course, is not true.
Some people, in their pursuit to achieve the "heritage", "vintage" or "shabby chic" and affluent look for their houses, would ubiquitously adorn their properties with antique furniture and decorations in the form of turtles, dragons and phoenixes. While they are nice to look at, it is important to know that these have nothing to do with Feng Shui, and everything to do with cultural symbolism. The sole purpose of all these heritage items is just to provide a sense of positive reaffirmation to the occupants. In short, it's purely psychological.
So, what exactly is Feng Shui? We all know that Feng Shui is neither your auspicious painting nor your magical coin frog. Truth is, Feng Shui is actually a skill of studying the flow of Qi in your property to make it work to your advantage. Never mind the colour, the animal and the antique furniture; because you know Feng Shui is definitely more than that. Those practicing or studying the art of Feng Shui should extend their application beyond the placement of object as true Feng Shui involves the understanding of the Qi in the natural environment, and how it can be harnessed to benefit the occupants of the property.
|