What is real feng shui?

Lately a lot of feng shui practitioners, teachers and schools have been heard saying that they are “real feng shui” and by default of course, all others are not.

Feng shui seeks to create environments that are in balance with our individual sense of harmony and serenity. It is the practice of understanding how the energy, the feeling, in our living spaces impacts and affects the quality of our lives. Feng Shui allows us to harness and use this energy to our best advantage.

ALL perspectives of feng shui are real. Each seek to accomplish the same thing – creating an environment that supports those living and working within it. The tools or methods each of these perspectives use is quite different, not better or worse, simply different.

Feng shui is an ancient Chinese form of environmental placement that has been used for thousands of years and was originally used for burial of the dead. The Chinese believed that if their ancestors were buried with honor and riches then the living generations would prosper as well..

Form School or Landform Feng Shui is the oldest school of feng shui. It is based upon the position of the mountains, the rivers and the basic configuration of the land. “Qi flows where the earth changes shape.” quote from the Classic of Burial, a text attributed to the Han Dynasty. Climate, contour of the land and the shape of the plot are all taken into consideration when constructing a dwelling. This school of feng shui is the foundation that all perspectives share.

Over time feng shui has evolved to include many diverse and varied perspectives, both in thought and application. And as history shows, feng shui has always evolved and adapted in response to the needs of the culture it is in. This does not make one perspective better than another, they are simply different and depending upon our needs and situation, one may serve us better than another.

There are three basic principles in feng shui:

1. Everything is constantly changing
2. Everything is alive
3. Everything is interconnected

Based on these premises, it is easy to understand how feng shui has continued to evolve and grow. If everything is constantly changing, the way we view and work with the environments around us is also subject to change.

There are many different schools and perspectives of feng shui, and while they each share a common foundation and belief, their approach and methodology is quite different.

So what is real feng shui?

All perspectives of feng shui are valid and effective; no one approach is better than another, they are all merely different facets of the same crystal, each shining a different light on the same subject.

Real feng shui is ALL feng shui.

© 2010 Harmony Life, LLC by Laurie Bornstein

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