What is Feng Shui?

Feng Shui is one of the Eight Branches of Chinese Medicine. The other branches include self-cultivation and meditation, movement such as Qigong and T’ai Chi, nutrition, bodywork and massage, cosmology and philosophy, herbal medicine and acupuncture. They all have in common the same concepts: Qi (Chi) or energy, the theory of Yin and Yang and the five elements.

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The two Chinese symbols for Feng Shui mean wind and water and refer to how energy moves in the environment and how to live in harmony with that energy. It is the science of harnessing this energy to work in your favor. In
China, it was used to come up with the most auspicious burial spots for ancestors so that the descendents’ luck would continue for generations.

In modern times this art is used to enhance business, prosperity, health, luck and all aspects of life by placing things so that the energy will flow smoothly, not creating any blockages. There are many ways of doing Feng Shui, some which rely on direction and others which do not. The more ancient, classical methods are all based on compass direction. These are the methods I practice.

Qi

The most important principle of Feng Shui is the one of energy or “Qi”. A lot of people have trouble with this concept because, since we do not see energy, we feel that it does not exist. What I have learned, in the many years that I have practiced this art, is that there are very definable energies existing around us and it is preferable that we know how to work with these energies instead of them working against us. The Chinese call this energy “chi” or “qi”, the Japanese call it “ki” and the Yogis call it “prana”. Other cultures have other names for it but it is now fairly well known that this energy exists and can even be measured. It is life force energy and flows through everything. For the Chinese, chi links spirit and substance.

Yin and Yang

An important aspect of this energy is the concept of yin and yang. The Ancient Taoists thought that the cosmos began as “nothingness” and then split into two complementary aspects called yin and yang. They are halves of the same whole and each has a seed of the other within. Yang refers to the active, aggressive, light, more “male” aspect of this energy and Yin refers to the passive, yielding, quieter, dark, more “female” aspects of the energy. As these exist in nature, they exist in your home or office. The yang areas are the active areas where there is a lot of light and activity and the yin areas are the quieter, more restful areas. Generally we like bedrooms or offices to be quieter, more yin areas and entrance areas to be more yang, active areas. Throughout our environment we want a balance or harmony of both.

Five Elements

As yin and yang are the root and trunk of creation, the five elements are the branches that bear the leaves, flowers and fruits. They refer to the five major phases of energy that are in all things.

• Water refers to energy that is being conserved. It is associated with the season of winter when the movement is under the surface of frozen water or ice.
• The next phase is wood which refers to growth and renewal as happens in the season of Spring.
• When this energy reaches its peak, as it does in Summer, we are speaking of fire energy when it is expanding and radiating.
• As this energy contracts or pulls back, as it does in Autumn, we refer to the energy of metal.
• The phase of earth refers to the energy of balance and harmony of all the other four phases. Earth is the ground of all the other elements and often is associated with the stability of the season of Indian Summer.

Similarly, these elements represented by the substance itself, a shape or a color bring harmony to an environment.

• Water is represented by black, navy blue, a wavy shape, water features, seascapes, mirror or glass.
• Wood is represented by green, a columnar shape, wooden objects, stripes or paisleys.
• Fire is represented by red, purple, magenta, burgundy, the shape of a triangle or a cone, lights, candles, activity and pictures of people and pets.
• Earth is represented by earth tones (yellow, rust, brown), the shape of a square and ceramic and pottery.
• Metal is represented by silver, gold, pewter, bronze, brass, off-white, white, grey, round or oval shape, stark and rigid surfaces.

The five elements are the most important aspect of all Chinese studies. I do an analysis of the elements present at your birth and I can tell you everything about your personality and your destiny. This analysis tells you about all aspects of your life including relationships and money. It also predicts challenges and how to deal with them.

Similarly, to analyze your environment, I do a numerical chart, based on the measurement of the front of your home or office which tells you where the areas of human harmony and prosperity are as well as any challenging areas. I give recommendations, based on the five Chinese elements, that help your environment and thus your life. According to this method, called “Flying Star”, there are also energies that visit us every year. This year, for all properties, to avoid obstacles and sickness, I recommend hanging a windchime in the southeast of your house and placing 6 metal coins in the north. Use the west as much as possible because the best energy of the time is located there.

We cannot ignore the principles of Feng Shui. By learning to work with them, you can change your life and destiny profoundly.

Christiaan Janssens

CRO Akwa Wellness