What is Feng Shui? An Introduction to the Diverse and Ancient Practice of this Ancient Art
By on October 1st, 2009

As 2009 makes its way into Fall, many of us are in squirrel mode; gathering our resources for winter so that we may relax into the season. Â Autumn is often associated with a sense of richness, wisdom and freedom. Â Is it also seen as a time to begin to cultivate our inner space, incubating with new ideas to birth next Spring.
What is Feng Shui?
Feng Shui (translated from the Chinese to wind/water) is the ancient Asian art of space planning to profoundly improve quality of life.  It can be a powerful tool in aligning us with our life’s purpose. As a Feng Shui Consultant, this time of year is filled with assisting clients to create nurturing environments and sacred space, aligning goals and intentions with personal surroundings.
As the popularity of Feng Shui in the West continues to grow, so has confusion around the subject. Many of us interested in learning more about the practice can be overwhelmed by the abundance of information on the subject in the ever growing section on “Feng Shui†a the local bookstore.
Many approaches offer varying cures to Feng Shui challenges, from simple practical remedies, to those that encompass complex astrological charts. I often hear questions like, “Where is my wealth corner?†and “Do I need to place an ancient Chinese symbol there to activate my prosperity?†The answers vary on different schools of thought. And although the practices take on many different forms, the goal is the same: to promote balance and harmony within our physical, emotional and spiritual bodies.
The two main perspectives of Feng Shui – Compass and Form – originated in China and date back several thousand years. All other schools are derivatives of compass or form with various Asian interpretations and influences. Some of these fascinating disciplines include:
Black Sect Tantric Feng Shui, The Three Harmonies Schools, San Yan School, School of the Nine Starts, Yin Yang School, Taoist Schools, Â Intuitive Feng Shui and Cantonese Schools.
Although understanding any one school can take years to master, here are some of the brief similarities and differences of the two main schools mentioned earlier, Compass and Form School.

Compass School
This is the most traditional school of Feng Shui. It is very specific and strongly associated with numerology and an intense knowledge of Chinese astrological charts. It takes the birth information of the client and correlates it with the compass to determine which directions are lucky and unlucky. The compass is also used to determine the best direction of the door placement coupled with the occupant’s date of birth and the year the home was built to assess the flow of ch’i or energy. It is yang-oriented practice in that it is based on “fixed†data that cannot be negotiated or changed. Once your best directions are determined, they will always remain the most fortunate direction to place furniture items, like the bed.  Compass utilizes more traditional Chinese symbols like dragons and frogs to enhance money luck. Its use of the mystical Bagua map is directions in its application, to determine life values such as wealth and love.

This school of Feng Shui is a non-directional approach to the study of ch’i (or energy) flow in our personal surroundings to bring balance and harmony into our lives. It does not utilize astrology or numerology in any determination of positive or negative life influences. Classic Form School follows the earth’s energy patterns in mountains, rivers and other natural surroundings to determine optimal surroundings. Its modern practice is to work with a client’s goals and intentions and manifest them through environmental affirmations.  Its yin-oriented approach is flexible and moves with the many fluctuations in our busy lives. It embraces an intuitive approach to working with the energy in a space.  It super imposes the Bagua map over a room, house, garden or property in accordance with the front entrance to determine where life values reside such as prosperity, love career, health, and wisdom.
There is no right or wrong Feng Shui. Regardless of which school you choose to practice, powerful results are seen when you connect your intentions, goals, affirmations and dreams with your personal environment. Take a moment to connect with your surroundings. Â Do your living and creative spaces support who you are today? If not, Feng Shui can assist you in activating positive growth. Â Â The outer reflects the inner so doing the work to manifest change will profoundly improve the quality of your life.
For more info on Feng Shui, visit CherylJanisStyle.com.
Photo credits:
Compass image via: 1
River image via: 2
































