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The Surprising History of Feng Shui
Feng Shui (pronounced fung shway) is an ancient Chinese system of rules and beliefs. Literally, Feng Shui means Wind Water. It was developed to assist in designing villages and cities in compliance with natural and astrological laws so that man-made structures would be organic in their evolution. For thousands of years, the capital cities of China were designed nearly along the north-south axis in the Feng Shui approach to balance the cities with nature, the sun and the stars.
It was because of Feng Shui that the Chinese invented the compass, which turned into a benefit to the West that had nothing to do with home decorating.
Macro to Micro
It has only been in the last few dozen years that Feng Shui has been used to determine placement of objects inside buildings. America first experience Feng Shui in the early nineteenth century when Chinese immigrants brought it with them, using it to build the Chinatowns in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The Joss House built in Australia at that time used Feng Shui to inspire protection and good fortune. Western trading companies doing business in the East built their structures according to the tenets of Feng Shui to fit in with local businesses as well as to promote luck in business.
The purpose of Feng Shui for interior decorating is to arrange the five elements in harmony to strengthen and guide the flow of energy, called Chi or Qi. The five elements are fire, earth, metal, water and wood. All of the elements have a constructive and destructive cycle and must be used in balance to achieve the purpose of the room, in other words, a bedroom should be calming and a living room used for entertaining should be full of energy. Each of the physical elements is also associated with a color, number and direction that are also used to achieve balance and energy flow.
Bad Chi
Just as Feng Shui attempts to achieve the benefits of good energy, it identifies and warns against the dangers of objects and experiences that invite bad energy. People who have caused bad experiences for a homes residents or whose personalities clash with the owners should never be invited into the home. If you must meet with such people, choose a restaurant or other neutral place outside the home.
Gifts from people who have negative feelings toward a resident of the home must not be allowed to stay. Only gifts given from the heart bring good energy. Life and death dont mix in Feng Shui. A home is for living, and items like stuffed animals, dried flowers and an urn with the ashes of a loved do not belong in the home. Items of clothing or furniture must be new or have a good history. Do not allow cast-offs from others into the home unless they come with genuine good feelings. If you think the offer of a second-hand item is accompanied by a sense of unloading junk on you, do not keep it.
Furniture from unknown sources may also come with bad energy, so Feng Shui warns against second-hand upholstered furniture and beds that may be holding the bad experiences of the former owners. Stolen items hold the damage done to the former owners, so hot stuff is out. Violence in pictures or music is also a no-no, but if you have teenagers, you already know that -- but also be careful of any history books and anything else that may picture war or other types of violence.