Despite its current reputation as a mystical practice, in reality it should be viewed more as the core of Chinese architecture. It combines knowledge of geography, meteorology, ecology, urban planning and architecture.
These are the ten key principles of feng shui you should know:
1. The universe is integrated and holistic. It may sound trite or cliché, but the basic principle of feng shui is the Taoist belief that all things in this universe are interconnected. The Taoists have a concept called “wu wei”, which can be translated as “non-action”. It does not advocate sloth; wu wei simply means man should work with the flow of nature, rather than against it, in order to live a happy and peaceful life. Harmony is a key principle in feng shui.
2. Be aware of the limitations of your space. Feng shui is essentially the science of utilizing a particular space, in accordance with its natural position and location. In China where feng shui originated, the large landmass encompassed areas with very different topography and weather. Feng shui advises that buildings be built in such a way that they will blend in rather than disrupt the natural environment of the area.
3. The best locations are those surrounded by mountains and bodies of water. This particular principle sounds random, but it is a reality present in most early civilizations. The earliest human settlements were discovered near bodies of water, such as the Mesopotamians near Tigris and Euphrates, and the Egyptians near the Nile. The Chinese established their civilization near the Yellow River and the Yangtze. The mountains are good sources of food and protections, while bodies of water are clearly useful for transportation, hygiene and basic human needs.
4. Observe and examine your space. This is related to the second principle, in that it requires one to fully observe the topography before deciding on how to construct or build a particular home or building. One should think big but start small, deciding on the best configuration of the home (both internal and external) by observing the details first.
5. Examine the geological aspect of the land. This sounds weird at first, but science has proven that geology does have a significant impact on the people living in the area. Trace elements found in soil do affect human beings, even their health. Other matters such as the Earth’s magnetic fields and the presence of water underground can also affect the people living above them.
6. Examine the quality of water surrounding or near the area. This is a very good example of feng shui as a practical science. The quality of water affects human health, as well as determines the kind of flora or fauna growing in the area.
7. Always build homes facing the south. Again, another seemingly mystical principle, but the truth is that given China’s topography, this advice takes into consideration the people’s needs. Facing the south means one’s home is able to avoid the chilly northwest wind, allowing the natural light to stream in and help keep the home heated during winter.
8. Find the “moderate middle”. This is feng shui’s version of the happy medium. Feng Shui advocates a neat and organized layout, be it inside the home or in the construction of a city. Moderation and balance are key to feng shui. More importantly, finding the “middle” is important, especially in a country as large as China, with the center being most accessible to all provinces at a roughly equal distance.
9. Be mindful of Qi. But first, what exactly is Qi? It is often defined as energy, but a more literal translation of Qi is “airflow”. Allowing the air to flow freely into the home makes for a more peaceful, healthy feeling that affects the human body spiritually and physically.
10. A place’s feng shui can be improved. This is perhaps the most important principle, and the reason why a lot of people believe that re-arranging furniture can change one’s fortune. To a certain extent, that is the concept of feng shui as something that can be improved. On a larger scale, improving roads, re-directing the flow of water and other such steps can help change feng shui. Within the home, re-arranging furniture according to the principles above can be very useful.
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I’m sure you would agree that many liars use Fengshui to defraud people out of money by rearranging their house according to Fengshui principles. It has been shown time and time again that each Fengshui consultant comes up with different, often opposing, arrangements.
How can one tell which ones are real and which are fake?
Also, I disagree with your definition of Qi. It is not the definition given by most people who believe in its existence.
My 8 observations of feng shui:
1. Feng shui is an art, not a science. While traditional feng shui has a coherent body of theory, it does not employ empirical analysis or scientific method.
2. Feng shui has general principles, not immutable laws. Take south facing houses – this applies only in the northern hemisphere. House orientation is reversed in the southern hemisphere.
3. Good and bad fortune depend not only on feng shui (environmental factors). There is also ming (fate), daode (moral conduct) and dushu (personal effort). Feng shui can only do so much in improving your life.
4. Feng shui can roughly be divided into the form school and the compass school. Popular feng shui books tend to promote the form school. Serious practitioners tend to apply both methods.
5. Feng shui is time dependent. The good or bad feng shui of an area does not last forever. There is ebb and flow in the universe.
6. Not all qi is good. Feng shui seeks to cultivate and harness good qi (life force) and to avoid or tame harmful qi.
7. Beware of superstition dressed up as feng shui. The lucky charm you buy will not transform your life. It will however lighten your wallet.
8. Don’t be a feng shui slave. If certain feng shui advice does not sound right, it probably isn’t. Have an open mind, but also listen to your common sense.
Pervertt, here is my take:
I think there is so much confusion around feng shui goes back to the fundamental problem of Chinese culture: we don’t have a systematic way to manage and transfer knowledge.
I wouldn’t say feng shui is not science. Just like many other Chinese practices, like acupuncture, chinese medicine for examples, Feng Shui is experimental science. Our ancestors practices something for thousands of year and conclude somethings to be useful but without knowing why.
What I agree is Chinese don’t have enough science spirit. When we find something useful, we don’t get to the bottom of it to find out why; as such, we cannot always repeat what was effective before because we didn’t capture the other environmental factors that make it work
On lack of systematic knowledge transfer practice, University didn’t exist until about 150 years ago while Chinese have 5000 years of history. Without these institutions, the quality of knowledge transfer was iffy
Snowball, science has gained universal respectability because of the logical rigor of scientific method. Assertions in science are not good enough. They need to be backed up by empirical data derived through observation and repeatable experiments. Traditional feng shui lacks this precision. Most books I’ve read on the subject rely heavily on anecdotal evidence and on subjective interpretation. I have yet to see a feng shui paper based on experimental data.
Feng shui would gain a lot more credibility if it followed the path of traditional Chinese medicine, which shares similar theoretical underpinnings. TCM has far fewer skeptics because it has adopted scientific method – a TCM practitioner can rightfully say that a particular herb or concoction works for a particular ailment, and back the claim with detailed studies and experimental data. I understand there are universities in China that teach and research TCM.
Feng shui is not like this. It has been corrupted by superstition and maligned by dodgy practitioners. The basic tenets may be universally accepted, but the application of that knowledge is mired in contradiction and disagreement. Take house orientation for example – to this day there is no common agreement on whether house orientation principles should be reversed for the southern hemisphere. I have read feng shui books that insist that all houses should ideally face south, irrespective of their location on the planet. Others disagree, saying different solar patterns for the 2 hemispheres justify the inversion of the same orientation principles.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. The waters get muddier when it comes to the subjective interpretation of environmental features. To one feng shui practitioner, an area may be favoured because it is protected by a rock with friendly and benevolent features. To other practitioners, the same area may be unfavourable because the rock may appear threatening or malevolent.
So, if feng shui practitioners cannot agree among themselves, how do you convince a skeptical public that they are dealing with a noble art form, much less a rigorous science?