Feng Shui:

The Interior Design Practice for the New Millennium

These days, Feng Shui is possibly one of the fastest growing interior design technologies to hit the Western world and it is doing so with roaring speed. No longer are we prepared to tolerate “bad vibes” in the working or domestic environment. In fact, many are starting to question the impact of the energetic balance in such establishments, calling in the Feng Shui professional to correct problems. Unlike its Western counterpart, the specialty and aim of Chinese interior design (Feng Shui) is to place people in harmony with the working and living environment so that they are in a better time and space to perform better, achieve more, intuit better. Such a simple concept . . . and one that any sensible business person would understand. And yet so many of us are prepared to live in a less than desirable work or domestic arrangement, or, worse still, we think that a good environment is an expense we can well do without! The question is . . . to what expense?

What is Feng Shui?

Although there are many new age concepts generated in the western world now about the subject of Feng Shui, there is nothing new age about it. This ancient art and science of placement and orientation is an age old tradition. The emphasis is on the study of natural life force energies present in a building and the aim is to maximize these harmonious forces and reduce any negative effects to bring about greater prosperity and luck. Feng Shui does this by orienting a person uniquely, to constantly receive and be in harmony with the best life force energy in a building. This in turn enables one to be more open to experiencing the greater opportunities in life. The Chinese have a very profound way of thinking about Feng Shui and there is an ancient proverb which reflects just this. It is said that:

First is a man’s Destiny,

Second is his Luck,

Third is his Feng Shui,

Fourth is his Virtue and

Fifth is his Knowledge.

When you notice the order this proverb expresses, you need to understand that it’s not that the Chinese have ever considered virtue or knowledge to be unimportant; it’s just that they have always known that being in the right space at the right time is of utmost importance. After this it’s up to your virtue and knowledge.

For thousands of years the Chinese have linked time and placement to the destiny of man and they consider Feng Shui to be the art or science to enhance destiny. If you always find yourself in the wrong space at the wrong time then perhaps it’s time for you to tune into the ancient science of Feng Shui. This time/space continuum is probably the most intrinsic aspect of human existence and yet we seem to know little about it, if anything at all – despite the fact that we live with it everyday.

How does Feng Shui work?

Although there are multiple layers and levels to Feng Shui study and knowledge (according to each unique circumstance), Feng Shui exists at two main levels: one is what you can see and the other is what you can’t see.

The seen level: In Feng Shui the seen level is about the environment and the naturally occurring formations in the environment at both a macro and micro level. The macro deals with the external environment, i.e., the surrounding area; the micro deals with the internal environment or the inside of the building. A mountain or a tall structure in front of your building or your front door opposite your back door will have an impact on how your building will accept the flow of life force energy, or Chi, as it is known. Yet according to the ancient classical texts, we still do not have the full equation before us because there are the unseen aspects to consider as well. In other words, what do these features specifically mean to the unseen influences of your particular building.

The unseen level: Without a doubt, the way the Chinese see it, the unseen level of Feng Shui is the most powerful consideration. Unseen influences describe the type of life force energy that a building attracts to itself according to when it was constructed and then ignited by the life force energy of the first people who moved in to that building. Thus, each building, like the people who inhabit it, is individual or unique. The building has its own “horoscope,” if you like, and this horoscope predisposes the building to certain events, luck, prosperity, human fortune, etc.

So, how do you know if you’ve been in touch with these powerful unseen influences? Well the truth is that you already have been, but because it may have seemed so intangible, you may not have identified it as such. For instance, when you’ve encountered a room or space where the “vibes” of that room felt really bad, the majority of people may have gone ahead and blamed the aesthetics. At one level, we may intuitively sense that something is not quite right with the room, but we cannot put our finger on what it is, what to do about it – how to create the solution for it.

The interesting observation of such rooms is that no matter what interior design you add, this space still doesn’t feel good. Adding new décors may improve the space minimally but it is as though there is an unseen atmosphere that still exists at a very subtle or subliminal level. If you’ve already had this experience, then you’ve had a true encounter with the unseen influences. Perhaps you can identify a space like this in your home or office. When people occupy this space they often get sick, argue with each other, don’t perform as well as they could or maybe other unforeseen events take place, such as extramarital affairs, lawsuits, bankruptcy, etc. It is as though something unseen is dragging on them, predisposing them to certain events or behavior. For those of you who have ever jumped in the car and caught every red traffic light on the way to work this will be easier to understand. It is as though there unseen influences are working against you.

Alternatively, we can also encounter good unseen influences. These are the spaces within our buildings where people naturally gravitate to, the spaces where really good events take place – all by themselves. Good unseen influences can be the reason why a building and people within it can be naturally flourishing, prosperous or fortunate.

The unseen level of Feng Shui is very powerful and the Chinese have long recognized this factor in building structure. This is why they invented the Chinese Lo-Pan compass which is used to detect or pinpoint such influences. So sophisticated and accurate are these ancient systems that they can even detect the progress of a building in time dimension. For instance, where do the two major prosperity influences fall in the floor plan and how long will the prosperity last? Which years would there be more prosperity and how could this be tapped? If sickness or other bad fortune could affect a building, then when will it hit, how long would it last and who in the building would most likely be take impacted by it.

In Asia, Feng Shui is affectionately considered to be “acupuncture in space.” Just as the ancient Chinese developed profound systems to locate the illnesses that travel along invisible lines of energy within the body, they also understood that the same disease could occur in the living environment.

By now you’ve probably gathered that Feng Shui and the placement of man is a science which is specialized and individualized for each human being (according to the building and destiny). Always remember, just because you can’t see the rays of the sun, doesn’t mean you can’t get sunburned! If you’ve got something unseen that’s going on with your building, its good to get it checked out by an experienced practitioner of the unseen influences. Go with someone who has a long track record of success.

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