Admit it or not, many of us stream quietly to those astrologers and others of the like for tit-bits on how to work things out when faced with a problem, professionally, personally or otherwise. Recently I was reading a corner in the Times, where they publish Feng Shui tips and it led me to turn to Google to find out what it exactly is.
It is an ancient Chinese practice of harnessing the natural forces to create harmony, balance and positive energy in our surroundings to improve our lot. It is now a widespread practice even outside of China.
"Man follows the earth, Earth follows heaven, Heaven follows the Tao, Tao follows what is natural" ~ Lao Tzu
Chinese followers believe that life presents us with three kinds of luck. Heaven luck - the circumstances of our birth (Indians call it
kismet). We have no control over this. Mankind luck - the luck we create for ourselves through our actions, decisions (this is
karma). We have control over these. And the Earth luck - the luck we create with our surroundings. This is Feng Shui.
The Yin and Yang of it :
According to Chinese philosophy, things are perceived as part of the whole and in relation to it. The original concept of yin and yang came from the observation of nature and the environment. "Yin" originally referred to the shady side of a slope while "yang" referred to the sunny side. Later, this thinking was used in understanding other occurrences, which occurred in pairs and had complementary and opposing characteristics in nature. Some examples include: sky and earth, day and night, water and fire, active and passive, male and female and so on.
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Yin and Yang |
Usually, yang is associated with energetic qualities. For example, movement, outward and upward direction, heat, brightness, stimulation, activity and excitement are all yang qualities. Yin, on the other hand, is associated with the physical form of an object and has less energetic qualities such as rest, inward and downward direction, cold, darkness, condensation, inhibition, and nourishment.
Five elements of Feng Shui : This theory believes that apart from yin and yang, the elements also influence rules and techniques applied. There are five of them. They interact in different combinations and permutations to influence our environment to bring about good or bad luck.
Fire: It is red, an auspicious color. It represents summer and is placed south.
Water: Is dark blue or black, a solemn color. It represents winter and is placed north.
Wood: it is green, a prosperous color. It represents spring and is placed east.
Metal: it is golden or white, an intense color. It represents fall and is placed west.
Earth: It is yellow or brown, a color of attainment. It represents the centre.
Feng Shui items : There are a host of items that can influence your environment based on where they are placed, the most common ones that are found in the market are wind chimes, laughing Buddha and the bamboo plants.
For more on Feng Shui, you may want to go to
http://www.vaastuinternational.com/Fengshui.html.
Wish you a glorious Monday and a eventful week ahead!
Trivia: Chi is a Chinese word meaning aliveness, life force energy or life breath - also known as Ki, Qi or Prana.