Equiessence

Feng Shui is not a matter of luck and it is more than a system omens.  For the Chinese, Feng Shui has traditionally been a way of life.  It is a way of living harmoniously with, rather than conquering, the natural world.

In China nearly every household will have a Ba Gua (a small mirror surrounded by lines known as hexagrams) outside their front door to deflect bad fortune that may be caused by the position of the door.  Some households also hang wind chimes as well, as ghosts and spirits fear their sound.

It is art and science that has shaped cities, palaces, villages and cemeteries.  It is a force alive around us and as long as we follow its flow of the universe (the Tao), we can strive for the three great blessings of health, happiness and prosperity.

Extreme steps are not usually required to achieve harmony.  A well positioned door, tree or aquarium filled with goldfish may be enough to improve fortunes.  The master bedroom, kitchen and sitting room are the three most important sites for positive Feng Shui in the house.

Feng Shui literally means wind and water.  Chi is continually on the move, condensing, evaporating, inhaling, inhaling and exhaling.  If for example it is blocked by a door position it can cause disaster, yet Chi can also evaporate in a space that is too open.

For health in particular, the concept of smooth flowing shen chi (positive energy) is everything.

The 5 vital health organs are linked to the 5 elements:

• Heart - Fire
• Lungs - Metal
• Kidneys - Water
• Liver - Wood
• Spleen - Earth

The 5 elements are types of energy that are effective in all substances and change.  They are the link that gives symbolic expression to the heavenly stems, earthly branches and the 24 points of the compass and the astrological terms that mark out the divisions of time and space.

The Chinese calendar revolves around a cycle of 60 years.  Their cycle is formed by the interaction of the ten heavenly stems and the twelve heavenly branches, which are units of time and place.  On a Feng Shui compass, the branches mark directions of the earth and identify the chi of the earth, the dragon of chi.  The stems are associated
with water and can be used to mark twists, turns and branches of watercourses.

The elements are also a system to correlate everything in the universe, which can be grouped into fives.  The elements are also reflected in the shapes of hills and mountains and in the directions of water.

As mentioned before, the Yin and Yang energies must remain balanced. Yin energy represents the internal organs of the body and cold.  Yang represents the outer regions of the body and heat.  Wind or gas is considered hostile yang energy.  Apparently an effective treatment is to use a wind oil (such as Tiger Balm) around the nose and navel.

According to Pa Kua, Che (which according to the I Ching means arousing) is the growth trigram, which represents the eldest son.  It signifies spring which is a season of growth and it has great energy and strength.  Its compass direction
is EAST which in turn makes it the Health direction.

Activating the East corner of any room attracts healthy growth energies.  The element is BIG WOOD, which is suggestive of trees rather than bushes, Deep Green rather than light green and large wooden structures rather
than small wooden ornaments.

The uses of Feng Shui enhancers can be used in your house to activate certain areas and remedy problem areas:

• Three-legged frog placed at the entrance of the front door.
• Chinese laughing man statue.
• Buddha in the garden.
• Wind chimes in the garden.
• Pictures of : Horses, Mandarin ducks, Ornamental peach trees, Mountains, Two birds, Two Doves, Pine trees.
• Symbols such as good luck symbols, Trigrams.
• Old Gold as this is something of value that is old, such as old coins, personal treasures that are not overly ostentatious.
• 3 Chinese coins on red ribbons  placed above the front door and carry 3 in your purse/wallet.
• Crystals / Hanging light catchers / Cut glass to reflect light and bring more light into the bedroom.
• Ringing Bells tied with red thread. Tie it  to the doorknob (entering) of the front door and another
  to your bedroom doorknob.
• Flowers and fresh flowers are always best, but once they begin to die they must be removed at once. Also keep a few realistic artificial flowers in vases (keep them clean though).
• Picture of a sunset at the south of the house.

To activate excellent health luck, you can place BIG WOOD in the East of any room such as the following:

• A healthy plant.
• Any object made of wood.
• A decorative dragon carved of wood, or made of china.
• Any object that symbolizes both wood and water.
• Pictures of healthy, young looking flowers or plants.

Display pictures / paintings / carvings/ ceramics / fabrics with the following symbols preferably in the EAST (but not necessarily) of your rooms where possible (particularly your bedroom) to also activate health luck:

• Sau, Chinese God of longevity (smiling old man with a bald head, walking stick).
• Peaches such as ornamental peach bushes made of jade.
• Deer.
• Cranes.
• Pine trees.

In the EAST avoid these:

• Dead or dried flowers or plants.
• Any objects that represent metal.

In your bedroom you can guard against sleeping taboos for Health and Happiness.  These are:

• Mirrors as they represent water.
• Television in the bedroom.
• Feet facing the door.
• Fish tank in bedroom.
• Pictures with water in the bedroom.
• Exposed overhead beams.
• No headboard.
• Ceiling fans.
• Protruding sharp edges or corners pointed at you while you are asleep.  This is called Shar Chi killing breath / poison arrow.
• Bedroom next to or under a toilet.
• Bedroom next to a childrens playroom.
• Bedroom at the end of a long corridor.  This can be remedied by hanging a small wind chime from the ceiling in the middle of the corridor to slow down the energy.

In order to guard against foul energies that cause ill health from entering your home, check that none of these are directly in front of the main door:

• Pillar.
• Cross.
• Windmill.
• Hill.
• Statue.
• Huge building.
• A hostile / threatening structure.

If your bedroom does not receive direct sunlight it may be too Yin and this can cause ill health.  Yin represents death and Yang represents life.  Suggestions for this are to:

• Repaint the bedroom to make it as bright as possible.
• Install bright lights and leave them on for a couple of days.
• Leave the radio on in the room for as long as possible even when you are not there.

Other suggestions to guard against foul energies that cause ill health are as follows:

• Do not have a large mirror opposite the main door as it reflects energy out again.
• Always keep the bathroom and toilet door closed.
• Paint your front door bright red.
• Keep a pet to bring in lively yang energy to the house.
• Do not have Bonsai or Cacti in the house as they represent stunted growth.
• Keep the cooker and fridge or sink separate as fire and water should never mix.
• Throw away chipped / broken crockery at once.
• If the wall directly in front of the entrance to the home is less than 2m away then energy will bounce back outside the house.  Therefore place a picture of a waterfall / fountain further away from the wall to attract and pull energy into the house.

INFORMATION SOURCES

• Man Ho Kwok with Joanne ™Brien, 1995, The Elements of Feng Shui.
• Lillian Too, The Complete Illustrated Guide to Feng Shui, 1998.
• Denise Linn, 1995, Sacred Space.
• Discussions with Annick Vincent, Feng Shui Extraordinaire (Sydney 9388 2928).
• Colin Bisset Feng Shui Consultancy.