Feng Shui

The concept of feng shui has gotten much attention over the past few years here in the western part of the world;

The Feng Shui Cycle

read any decorating magazine or website and you'll find something somewhere that talks about "good feng shui" and how to incorporate it into your own space.  It's even somewhat of a slang term when people talk about their space or someone else's crowded mess as being "bad feng shui."

No doubt this is due in part because of so many people moving in and out of Asia to other parts of the world and bringing their practices with them.  As they say, the world is shrinking and every culture is finding itself enmeshed with every other, whether this is good, bad, or indifferent.  It's almost as if McDonald's and Coca-Cola have been traded for egg rolls, chow mein, and even feng shui!

A Life of it's Own

When first introduced into western culture, feng shui was seen as a fine tool for architecture, decoration, and the arrangement of furniture and other objects within a room.  Designers, planners, engineers, and architects appreciated many of its teachings regarding simplicity, lack of clutter, and open rooms.  Many also understood the real science behind feng shui's use of colors in certain rooms, understanding that different colors affect people in different ways - red stimulates emotions, greens and browns are very soothing, yellow is revitalizing and energizing, and so on.

The Feng Shui Elements

But somewhere along the way, the stories of feng shui's usefulness grew and grew until they were almost out of control, like a wildfire that continues to spread.  Feng shui began to be touted as a remedy for virtually every ailment you might have and as a bringer of harmony, wealth and prosperity in every aspect of your life, as long as you had the right feng shui "tools" and did what these people instructed you to do.  Practicers of feng shui claimed that the natural energy that feng shui captures could add to or detract from the peace of your relationships, could help you to be successful in your career and bring business opportunities, and would affect even your physical health itself.  Feng shui began to be connected with good luck and good fortune, and even the smallest detail would affect the outcome of completely unrelated items - where your bathroom was in relation to your kitchen could make you sick and bring bad fortune in your career, for example.

Many of these claims, however, have spiraled into pure folklore, and have brought on the so-called feng shui "remedies" of crystals and other such that have no root in the practice.  New age thought and theory mingled with actual the actual science behind the practice until the two were very difficult to tell apart.

Yin And Yang

And because few people in the western world were familiar with the true teachings and practices of feng shui, it was very easy to simply slap a "good feng shui" label on anything from products to design teachings and use that as a marketing tool.  Unfortunately, this has actually worked quite well for many unsuspecting persons who never looked beyond the surface of slick marketing campaigns to really learn about the ancient practice itself.

Some people then are left wondering just what is the true practice of feng shui, and better yet, how does it apply to us in our modern-day times?  Of what benefit is it today? Does it really help or harm you in your relationships, your career, and your physical health?

Also, how can someone living in a huge metropolis incorporate the practices of feng shui in their living space - and why would they want to?  If much of what most people believe about feng shui is really just myth and folklore, what does the true practice involve?  Is it simply practices of color schemes and arrangement, or is there any grain of truth involved in the thought of positive energy?

If you find yourself asking these same questions, don't despair.  We're here to help.  In this book, we'll talk about the real truth of feng shui, how there is scientific basis for the belief that color affects mood - and what colors should be used in your own home.  We'll also explain the most important and basic principles behind feng shui and give you some practical pointers on how to apply this to your own home, office, and anywhere else.

But in order to answer those questions, we do well to take a closer look at the true practice of feng shui and its ancient roots.