SolveYourProblem Article Series: Feng Shui
Ok, What On Earth Is Feng Shui?

Feng Shui: Classical, Black Sect & Western School

One of the reasons that it is sometimes tough to get a true feel and handle on Feng Shui is that there are three different schools of thought on the subject. All of these different views of Feng Shui can be traced back to one ancient master named Yang Yun Sang. This master is considered to be the major founding father of Feng Shui based on the many different writings and teachings he left behind on these ancient Chinese principles.

Master Yang developed the idea that each place on earth had a specific Chi or important energy that influenced everything. He stressed that one must take into account the different nuances of the land in order to find a favorable site in which to build. From his teachings came the basis of what we know today as Classical Feng Shui.

Classical Feng Shui – This is the most traditional view of Feng Shui and includes the Compass Feng Shui School and the Landscape Feng Shui School. In the landscape form, this Feng Shui School takes into account the shapes and imagery found in our natural environment while the compass form uses such tools as the eight directional map called the Ba-Gua and the Lo-pan which is the Feng Shui compass.

In addition, this traditional school of Feng Shui thought also employed the theories of yin and yang as well as the five elements – water, fire, wood, earth and metal. Calculations using a Lo-shu square as well as your personal Kua number are also used to create favorable surroundings for a proper balance of Chi.

Black Sect Feng Shui – This is a more recent Feng Shui practice created fifteen to twenty years ago my Master Thomas Lin Yun. This school of Feng Shui uses a mix of Taoism, parts of traditional Feng Shui as well as Tibetan and Chinese Buddhism. Meditation as well as elements of modern psychology is used in this school of Feng Shui.

Western School of Feng Shui – This version is also called a Modern or Intuitive Feng Shui school of thought. Traditional Chinese symbols and practices are eschewed for more westernized viewpoints to balance the Chi in a space. While the principles of the classical Feng Shui are used, they are brought into fruition using Western methods.

You will discover through various sources during your quest to employ Feng Shui in your home that many interior designers and Feng Shui consultants use a mixture of these different school of Feng Shui philosophies. Many people may not see the appeal of the ancient Chinese symbols that are used to ensure a harmonious balance of Chi in the home. However, they do not have to give up on Feng Shui all together. With the Western school of thought, those Chinese symbols could be replaced with equally effective westernized symbols to achieve the same purpose.

While each school of Feng Shui thought is different, the end result is always the same. In other words, there are many ways to employ the Feng Shui method in order to create that pleasing, positive flow of energy in the home. This good Chi leads to other positive changes in life such as a better paying job, a happier family and marriage and good health. It is simply amazing what a few changes in the home can do to create a better, more energized atmosphere.

If you plan to hire a Feng Shui consultant to inspect your home, be sure to ask them what school of Feng Shui thought they follow the most. Employing hybrid Feng Shui principles is not wrong as long as the end result is what you are hoping to achieve.

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SolveYourProblem.com : 2008

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