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McLARNEY RESOURCE LIBRARY |
| Literally meaning "wind and water," Feng Shui (pronounced fung shway) is a 4,000 year-old Chinese discipline based on the belief that a vital life energy, chi, flows in the earth-a life force that creates mountains, makes rivers flow, and plants flourish. Positive and negative energy (chi) lines travel the earth. Chi also flows through people, keeping the mind alive and the heart beating. A marriage of art and science, the laws of Feng Shui harness positive chi through the proper design and placement of buildings, rooms and furnishings-encouraging good health, greater wealth and serenity. People are now discovering that the location of a building can determine success, moving a desk to the "command position" can encourage wealth, and positioning a bed kitty-corner to the entry door can improve marital relations. The orientation of a building or the furniture layout of a room can either block the flow of chi - causing physical illness and stress - or enhance chi - leading to success, and happiness. According to Feng, our destiny is linked to our environment. It's well known that our surroundings influence our emotions, health, relationships, and work. Rooted in the ancient Taoist principle of living in harmony with nature, Feng Shui strives to create compatibility between people and their environments to promote peace and prosperity. The Chinese saw themselves connected to the earth, nature and cosmos. They relied on stars, sky, and land to direct them where to live. Choosing the right place to live and plant crops meant the difference between a prosperous life and misery. A blend of Chinese philosophy, religion, folklore, and science, some believe Feng Shui began with grave siting. It was thought that if ancestors were buried in a comfortable location--where the wind is mild, the water clear, and the land is green, --ancestors would be rewarded in their next life. If not, descendants would suffer. The sacred knowledge of Feng Shui was confined to the aristocracy and revered by emperors. During the mid 1800's Opium war, European "foreign devils" wanted spoils from China, so the emperor gave them low, flat lands which were known to be riddled with malign spirits and bad Feng Shui (Shanghai, Tientsin, Hankow). Feng Shui masters were always consulted when palaces and tombs were built, when new cities were planned. Today, builders, corporations, and homeowners call upon placement experts who offer advice from the practical to the metaphysical. |
| DIFFERENT SCHOOLS OF FENG SHUI PHILOSOPHY Traditional Feng Shui includes the Compass and Form philosophies. The Compass School (School of Directions and Positions) relies on cardinal directions and cosmology to determine the best location for good earth chi. The Form School (School of Configurations) interprets the land as being alive, animistic, and sees positive chi in the form of animals. The ideal building site should have a black tortoise (symbolizing longevity and endurance) to the North, a red phoenix (symbolizing peace and prosperity) to the South, a white tiger (symbolizing peace and prosperity) to the West and a green dragon (symbolizing guardian) to the East. The dragon, also representing goodness and strength, is a popular, powerful mythical figure in Chinese culture. Hills and mountains are seen as dragons. Builder beware! Cutting into hills may rupture dragon veins, unearthing misfortune. The Black Sect School Of Feng Shui The most widely practiced Feng Shui School in America is the Tibetan Tantric Buddhist Black Sect School founded by world leading authority, Grand Master Lin Yun, who resides in Berkeley, California. Responsible for making this ancient art popular in the mainstream, Master Lin Yun is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan Buddhist Black Sect and travels the globe to meet with heads-of-state and spiritual leaders (i.e. the Pope and Dalai Lama). Often called the "modern school of Feng Shui", it takes into consideration the modern science of physics and psychology, architecture, design and intuition in its Feng Shui analysis. It focuses on the impact of immediate surroundings over compass directions because the chi (vital life force) flow of cardinal directions is influenced by so many factors of modern life - i.e. tall buildings, freeway structures, power lines, computers, televisions, etc. So Black Sect practitioners study the changing dynamics of chi by examining the immediate surroundings (landscape and conditions of nature), shapes, angles, colors, and placement. It incorporates elements of the Compass and Forms schools. A synthesis of Confucianism, Taoism, and Tibetan Buddhism, the Black Sect School also emphasizes the spirituality of Feng Shui and recognizes the power of blessings and rituals to rid misfurtune and bring peace and prosperity. |