Feng Shui - The Art of Living in Harmony

Feng Shui has gained wide popularity all over the world. Coming from China and having a millennial antiquity, it increasingly influences the architecture, constructions and our home life. Much has been written and said about this subject. After all, what about all these recommendations to avoid sharp angles, to place metal objects in the house in order to balance energy, and others just as strange? Feng Shui is a body of knowledge that has taken shape and developed over thousands of years. At first, it was a field reserved only for meteorologists from the Chinese imperial court. They were initiated into medicine, geomancy, astrology and other occult sciences, keeping the secret of the knowledge they possessed strictly. It barely reached the ears of ordinary people. Many had heard of Feng Shui, but their knowledge was, so to speak, "by ear." Eventually, this knowledge came into the possession of several trusted families outside the imperial palace. These early Feng Shui masters used their art to help people improve their lives. Knowledge was passed from father to son to protect the reputation and position of the family.

Chinese geomancers have a series of very sophisticated beliefs from animism, Taoism and Confucianism. Feng Shui teachings say that the earth has rivers of energy very similar to the acupuncture meridians of the human body. Feng Shui also takes into account the position of the constellations, including some stars in the north that cannot be seen because they do not seem to correspond to any constellation today. In the last two thousand years, this tradition has been perpetuated, so that with each new generation, knowledge about Feng Shui has become more accessible, until a simplified version of Feng Shui developed today in the West.

What came to be known as Feng Shui in the West is, in fact, a popularized version of this tradition. Feng Shui is not based on religion, mysticism or superstition, but rather resembles mathematical science. At the base of this system are four primary aspects: construction, environment, people and time. Most modern authors and practitioners use only the first two aspects, leaving aside the (more important, but more complicated) calculations related to people and time. As the Earth moves and changes continuously, so do the energies. Modern science has shown that geomagnetic waves are in continuous flow. Feng Shui calculations give variable results depending on construction, people, time and environment. There is no fixed place for money, love or study. Although the energy (chi) for these purposes exists, they are found in places that differ depending on the building. This is why a qualified practitioner is needed to discover these places. There has been a lot of talk about the "remedies" of Feng Shui, but the authentic tradition does not recommend - as it happens today - flutes, mirrors, charms, incantations or other occult solutions.

If you want to balance the energy of a place, the practitioner will use rather the five primary elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. These elements can take the form of a brass vessel or an aquarium, but effective remedies are only the elements themselves. Much has been written about the use of mirrors as a remedy in Feng Shui. In the Middle Ages, mirrors were made of polished brass, being used as a remedy for the "metal" element. Today's mirrors do not contain enough metal to have such a vocation. When asked where the mirror should be placed, true practitioners answer, "In the bathroom, where it is most needed." Although a mirror can be used architecturally to hide a supporting pillar or to make a room look more spacious, it is not a Feng Shui remedy. The purpose of remedies is to restore the natural balance of vital energy (chi) in a building. Feng Shui remedies are based exclusively on elements and not on objects. In terms of avoiding sharp angles, as in the visual arts, rounded edges are much more beautiful and pleasing than sharp angles. This has to do with what we might call environmental Feng Shui. It can sometimes be limited to making a room not too bright or too dark. Again, we want to create a balanced environment. Lighting a stove to heat a home can be considered a form of environmental Feng Shui.