Feng Shui For You and Me

by James Gilbert Pynn

Come back with me, dear ones, to Ancient China. No, this has nothing to do with Kung Fu Panda, though it must be said as far as talking Panda kung fu movies go, it was pretty hilarious. Did you know Dustin Hoffman does a voice in there? Anyway, Id prefer, instead, to take you back 3,000 year to the first uses of an ancient Chinese art known as Feng Shui.

Literally translated as wind water, Feng Shui is fundamentally system of life and a guide to arranging your stuff. The working belief is that if you arranged your furniture around in just the right way, it will unlock blocked passages of energy that can affect your happiness, health, and wealth. It was the wealth part that got you interested, right?

Though its now a system of arranging stuff, the soul of Feng Shui is rooted in the belief that our lives are deeply affected by the things around us and the by thee spaces we live in. Thats not so much of stretch, is it? We are, after al, the byproducts of our environments, what is so preposterous about the notion that our environment continues to affect us everyday?

The Western scientific community has dismiss Feng Shui as some kind of ancient magic system. But the Chinese believe practicing it ensures good health, wealth, and a more fulfilling connection to other people and the environment. This is all predicated on the Chinese belief in chi, or energy " literally is means air or breath. They believe every object has a specific kind of chi. Therefore, you only want to have the kinds of objects in your home that have good chi. It is a delicately simple system.

The ardent study of Feng Shui requires a lifetime to fulfill. From simple arrangement to the intricacies of the I Ching, there is more than can be learned by one person. It is not just a study of the things in a space, but it requires understand the people requesting your services. You must access their energy and listen to what kinds of energy they wish to attract. Further studies will take you into Lunar Cycles, chi cleansing, and the Five Phases of being. Heavy stuff for an art dismissed as little more than an ancient Chinese interior design course.

About the Author:

If you, or someone you know, is interested in learning some of the fundamentals of Chinese interior design, it would behoove you or them to consider the art of Feng Shui. It will take you beyond mere interior design and commend you to a life of learning and art.