What is Feng Shui? 風水

Feng Shui is a modality for creating balanced, harmonious living or business space guided by ancient Taoist wisdoms. It constitutes a crucial component of Taoist philosophy and tradition that have been developed in China in over 3000 years.

Feng Shui literally means “Wind and Water”, which is the significant symbol of the nature on the Earth. According to Taoism, humans are placed between the Heaven and the Earth and Feng Shui is the way of connecting humans with the two levels.

The ultimate goal of Feng Shui is to bring balance and harmony in our human life following the universal laws of the nature, which is “Tao”. The fundamental consideration for Feng Shui is Yin-Yang balance in the space. Yin and Yang are the two complementary opposites, possessing relatively opposite qualities. All matters are seen as part of the whole or there are no absolutes. In other words, all matters have two aspects: Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang generate each other, control each other and transform into each other. The Yin-Yang balance in the space is the starting point of good Feng Shui.

The second important consideration is a creation of a cycle of the Five Elements or Phases in the space – namely Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal. According to the Taoist philosophy, the Five Elements are not considered as basic constituents of the Nature, but as basic processes, qualities or phases of a cycle of change that explain all phenomena in the universe. The Elements are corresponded to seasons, climates, directions, time, colors, sounds, flavors, emotions, body organs, and more. Feng Shui can create a smooth flow of the Five Elements in the space by looking into the correspondences under individual situations.

The third but most crucial consideration is to harness “Qi”, which is usually translated as the life energy, vital energy or life force. Qi is the basis of all phenomena in the universe and provides continuity between material forms and non-material energies. The Taoist philosophy sees humans as the union of the Qi of Heaven and Earth. The Qi of humans is interacted with natural forces and this is the Taoist’s view about how the Qi of the space ultimately affects the life of the residents/occupants and where Feng Shui comes to play a crucial role.

Feng Shui is the way of aligning us with the natural flow of Qi. Qi does not manifest quality in itself, but it acts either harmoniously or destructively depending upon its quantity and movement. The quantity is important. Too much Qi may cause imbalance or stagnation. Free, smooth flow without obstruction will bring harmony. Feng Shui is the way of bringing balance and harmony into the living space and workplace by activating and guiding a smooth flow of Qi.

Classical Feng Shui

Mika’s Feng Shui practice is based on “classical” or “traditional” Feng Shui, which comes from the original Taoist philosophy and traditions. The classical or traditional Feng Shui is divided into two major schools: Form School and Compass School. The Form School reads the visible and material world that manifests in the earthy environment, such as landscape, orientation and shape of the house and interior placement and arrangement.

The Compass School reads invisible and non-material phenomena of the Heaven. This school uses a Lo Pan Compass, a magnetic compass that contains varying numbers of rings. With the Lo Pan Compass, the Compass school conducts various numerical readings and calculation. One unique aspect of this school is that it incorporates the concept of the “time”. In other words, the energy of the given site shifts over a period of time. The Compass School’s approach is rational and pragmatic and this is why Feng Shui is considered as “science”.

The Form and Compass Schools are complementary each other. A complete Feng Shui reading should be guided by these two approaches for total harmony and complete balance of the energy between the Heaven and the Earth.