The majority of Feng Shui enthusiasts are generally divided into three major groups - Believers, Sceptics and the In-Betweens.
The Believers are those who have seen the results Feng Shui can bring them and are convinced of its potency. Many are even full time feng shui practitioners. Sceptics are generally geng shui beginners who have dabbled a little but did not achieve the results they were expecting. In-Betweens are not Believers, and neither are they Sceptics bt they are curious to find out if feng shui really does work.
After so many years in the industry, it's only natural that I meet people who believe in feng shui all the time. But I am aware of the fact that like many other metaphysical sciences, feng shui is always sceptically perceived by the public in general. More so when there is a lack of clear information, I don't blame a feng shui beginner for feeling a sense of misconception shrouding the practice. In actual fact, the art, the science study and practice of feng shui is a principled subject and no different to other traditional studies. It is up to the practitioner of this art, the Believers, to help put it in a better light, and I believe,the bect way to do this through education by creating a greater awareness about authentic, classical feng shui.
A group of enthusiasts were once asked what they thought was the definition of feng shui. To my surprise, almost everyone responded with a different definition. It was such a fundamental question - yet most of their replies were different. Some said that feng shui is "an art of placement", others claimed that it was "about harmony" or "wind and water" and another group said it was about "living in harmony with nature".
It seems, almost everyone has a different definition of feng shui. Even the professionals in this field seem to have different definitions. Not surprisingly, even the same author, may have different definitions on the subject depending on which book you read.
What exactly is this art? It is really an art? Or is it a science? It is because of this lack of understanding that people tend to lose respect for feng shui and view it as a shell game of sorts. It even the professionals don't have it common demonimator on what feng shui is, then what value id there in it? Some of the common definitions circulating today are:
- Feng shui is an art of placement
- Feng shui is interior design
- Feng shui is about decorating your house with good luck objects
- Feng shui is about living harmony with nature
- Feng shui is about enhancing wealth
- Feng shui is about enriching lives
Which one of these is correct? I'll make it simple, let's start with the wrong definitions first and work our way back to arrive at a more accurate answer.
For starters, feng shui is certainly not the art of decorating your home with ‘feng shui objects' that bring you good luck nor is it the so-called ‘art of placement' having to move around your furniture and other objects in your general vicinity.
Placement of objects and items is a fairly recent concept introduced and passed off as feng shui in the 90s. Many people confuse ‘culture' with ‘feng shui', thereby leading to a misinterpretation as to what constitutes feng shui and what does not. Even though many Chinese good luck objects were use by wealthy residents, they were never used in the context of feng shui but always as part of Chinese culture.
Neither is feng shui about interior design. The furniture you buy, the colour schemes and the decorations that make up your home are not part of feng shui studies. Choosing colour schemes and furniture layouts are best left to an interior designer. You would never ask an architect or a land surveyor to advise you on interior design concepts. Then why ask a feng shui master to undertake interior design work?
Feng shui and interior design are two different subjects altogether. Although this may disappoint some of the new-age fans out there, feng shui is not about living in harmony with nature either. It is rather amusing when people say, "I want to live in harmony with nature, that's why I practice feng shui."
If we were to really try and apply this principle in its literal sense, it would mean living in the forest; as close to nature as possible. This may upset some people, do forgive me if it does, but this is an example of what is presently being hazily defined as feng shui. While it is true that feng shui is about "harmonizing", the question is, what is it exactly that we are trying to harmonise?
In order to understand have five categories of study in the world of Chinese Metaphysics - (known as the Chinese Five Arts - Wu Shu), feng shui is classified under physiognomy of the living environment. The Five Arts are Mountain, Medical, Divination, Destiny and Physiognomy.
(Physiognomy refers to observation of appearances through formulas and calculations in order to access the potential and outcome of a person, or in this case, the outcome of a person living in a certain property).
Feng shui is therefore an art of "assessing" the quality of life through observations and analysis of the person's living environment. The art in the old days was known Kan Yu(the observation of the forces between heaven and Earth). Only towards the end of the Qing Dynasty did the term feng shui come to be used unanimously to represent Kan Yu.
It is my sincere hope to be able to do justice to this art and at the same time, help you better understand that feng shui is not and neve will be merely a fashionable idea. Feng shui is a metaphysical science where one learns to recognise and tap into the Qi (cosmic energies) of the living environment to help the many endeavours in life.
The study and presence of Qi, is today recognised by Western medical doctors when it comes to acupuncture and acupressure. Feng shui is about Qi in the living environment and how to go about harnessing it. Not only do we want to harness it, we also want to use it to help specific goals in our everyday live.
Since Qi is a natural phenomenon of the living environment, it is rarely "generated" by manmade objects like decorative items and designs. The lesser spoken aspect of feng shui is that it is also a form of "forecasting". The nature of Qi is cyclical and as such can be calculated.
Practitioners of feng shui have learnt to assess outcomes based on the influence of Qi upon a particular living environment. The "predictive" and forecasting part of feng shui is often neglected or unknown to many practitioners, today simply because there are a limited number of masters or teachers who actually possess such knowledge.
If you know the types of Qi that will affect the environment in certain months of the year, one can prepare for the best or worst of the situation. Making inform decisions are in fact, part of both Chinese feng shui and Chinese astrology.
The best approach to feng shui would be study it with an open minded and have a "goal" when practicing feng shui; what are you trying to achieve by applying feng shui in your life? After all, feng shui is about harnessing the Qi in your living environment to help you achieve your goal. But it is not a miracle cure as it only represents one third of the cosmic factor that influences our lives (the other two being destiny and the human factor).
The 'Feng Shui and Astrology 2012' seminar will take place on 8 January 2012 (Sunday) at Raffles City Convention Centre, Singapore between 10am and 5pm. Those who attend will learn classical Feng Shui techniques that they can apply to their homes and offices in order to improve their quality of life, enhance family and working relationships and create opportunities to increase and maintain wealth. To know more about the seminar, please visit www.masteryacademy.com/fsa2012/sph
Joey Yap is an expert in Chinese astrology services and audits, Classical Feng Shui, BaZi, Mian Xiang and other Chinese metaphysics subjects. For more information go to www.masteryacademy.com/sph or www.facebook.com/JoeyYapFB
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