Feng Shui Information -- Compass and Black Hat

Feng Shui is the ancient art of creating harmony and success through applying the natural principles of how energy moves through nature. The energies present in any physical location can have a profound influence on every area of our lives. If we can understand what these influences are, how they are created and operate, we can use this information to our benefit. Feng Shui not only "diagnoses" the nature of a place, but tells us how to manipulate the influences in practical ways. A Feng Shui Consultant is one who has studied these principles and can determine what influences are present within our home or business location, and how they are affecting our health, wealth and personal relationships. If the influences there are not helpful, physical "cures" are recommended to increase the beneficial energies and neutralize injurious ones. It is also often possible to make a good situation even better.

Physics tells us that any physical object has an electromagnetic field in and around it. The exact properties of the field varies depending upon the object. This field interacts with and has influence on the fields of other physical things nearby. This is the situation with buildings and people. The homes and offices we live and function in interact with us -- since we also have energetic fields in and around us -- and constantly exert their influences. Because we spend large amounts of time in these places, the influences become significant. Older civilizations, though they lacked the tools of modern science, were very aware of these influences and how to make the best use of the information.

"Feng Shui" literally means "Wind and Water." Developed in China, the history of Feng Shui spans at least 7000 years. The principles of nature have remained the same and it is therefore completely relevant to modern life. A very deep and complex understanding of these principles was acquired by the Chinese people through painstaking observation. The understanding within Feng Shui is based on The I Ching, the Book of Changes, which describes and predicts the cycles of change which we undergo during our journey through consciousness. Feng Shui is a systematic approach to understanding and interacting with the natural world.

Feng Shui is considered to be so important that many Chinese businessmen will not even build a building unless the architecture has been approved by a Feng Shui expert. If there are problems in a business, the Feng Shui expert will often be called in, even before a business analyst, to remedy the situation. A couple experiencing marital difficulties will be likely to consult a Feng Shui expert to resolve their difficulties. There are systems of geomancy or sacred geometry similar to Feng Shui in different cultures around the world on every continent. Every long-lived culture has made use of these basic principles to promote survival and success. An examination of famous government buildings -- such as The Forbidden City in China or Buckingham Palace in England -- reveals the way in which design and construction supports the maintenance of power.

These principles are now finding their proper place in the modern Western world. People from all walks of life are coming to understand and to take advantage of the benefits of Feng Shui. Donald Trump is quoted as saying, "Location, location, Feng Shui." As Feng Shui becomes more known, lawyers, business people, actors, entrepreneurs, architects, hospitals, families, etc. have found Feng Shui consultations to be extremely helpful.

Everyone is sensitive to a variety energies in different places. We are automatically comfortable in some places and uncomfortable in others. Sometimes the reasons we react in particular ways are obvious. For example, we usually feel soothed in environments which are aesthetically beautiful. Other times, our reactions are much more intangible. Have you ever been in an attractive room, but somehow felt uncomfortable there? Often the solution to remedy a field of energy can be as simple as adding a plant in a corner or putting a throw rug on the floor.

Business success also hinges on tangible and intangible factors. A good business in a good location with other aspects working for it, such as good marketing and staff, will likely succeed. Sometimes a business with many good factors working for it will not succeed. Why? Often Feng Shui can reveal the answer with its ability to determine the unseen factors.

There are two primary traditions of Feng Shui, with several similar approaches: Compass and Black Hat. Both make use of information about the specific influences of different land formations and the other elements of nature. Both consider how "chi," or vital energy, flows in and around buildings and natural formations, energetically nourishing, attacking or starving the different areas. Both schools use a model called the Ba Gua, depicted as a square containing nine smaller squares, which is laid over a schematic drawing of the building. The 9 squares of the Ba Gua represent important areas of our lives and how our home or office is helping or hurting these areas. Both schools look closely at the architecture of the building and the interior design. Both also consider the "nature" of the occupants, based on their birth dates, and whether they are compatible with the "nature" of the place.

The Compass School tradition uses an intricate set of calculations based on the compass orientation of the building and the year it was constructed to determine the building's basic "personality." This personality is equivalent to a building's set of energetic characteristics. The Ba Gua for that building is like a map describing these characteristics.

A person's characteristics are determined by genetics and the time period during which they live. Similarly, a building's set of energetic characteristics are based on physical makeup (location, architecture and interior design) and its "birth-date," or date of construction. In either case, the individual and the building will undergo change over time, based on the interaction of the fixed characteristics and the energies of changing external conditions. As time passes, the way in which the occupants of a building are affected by the place will change in predictable ways. Feng Shui is the study of the laws of change. By knowing the fixed energies in a building and how they interact with annually changing energies, one can then predict how these influences will likely affect the occupants at any given point in time.

Virtually every building has areas which can be improved. Changing the effects of the energies is accomplished by several means. The Compass School recommendations are based primarily on Five Element Theory of Chinese Medicine. Five Element Theory is the basis for acupuncture treatment. For home or business, the application or intent is to establish harmonious, growth-oriented energy cycles in the nine areas of the building represented in the Ba Gua. This is done by using different natural elements both inside and outside the building. Additional remedies may employ repositioning of furniture, different color schemes, moving activities to different areas (when practical) and, in unusual cases, modification of the building itself. Most recommendations are quite simple and inexpensive, involving readily available resources.

Some remedies will be permanent, and some will be different as required to offset the different annual energies, which change on approximately February 5th of each year.