Feng shui (風水, “wind and water”) is the ancient Chinese art of arranging our surroundings in harmony with their natural energy. This page explains what traditional feng shui really is, the principles behind it, and how a serious study is carried out.
The ancient Chinese art of feng shui — literally “wind and water” — is becoming better known around the world, as more people sense that their surroundings can be a source of support for caring for and improving their lives.
Chinese geomancy is applied to architecture, interior design and decoration, the layout of gardens and water features, and even to town planning. Many of its guidelines rest on logical and aesthetic principles, where common sense and the pursuit of beauty matter greatly; others draw on cycles of time or on the magnetic lines of the earth.
Feng shui consultants generally use this art to improve health, income, the capacity to study, or relationships — whether personal or in business. For the Taoist sages, feng shui has its own field of action, part of what they call the “luck of the earth”: the influence of the environment on people's lives. Alongside it they weigh the Qi of heaven (the innate qualities we are born with) and the Qi of man (our own effort, dedication and determination). So the Qi of the earth is one factor among several, not a final or absolute verdict: feng shui should be seen as a help that works together with the other factors, not as a magic cure for every problem. The Chinese call these the Three Lucks, or San Cai (三才): Ren Cai, the luck of man; Tian Cai, the luck of heaven; and Di Cai, the luck of the earth.
Below are a few thoughts on the questions worth considering when first approaching this art. Like any field of knowledge, feng shui is practised in various ways, some more sound than others. Without going into too much technical detail, here are some notes on how it is practised today.
Feng shui is a very old art, and its practice runs deep. Some people confuse its principles with the rituals or superstitions peculiar to Chinese culture, or with a style of oriental decoration; others take commercial advantage of it to sell all manner of charms and curios that are not necessarily of any real use. A home packed with red tassels, Chinese coins, mandarin ducks, crystals and other objects does not, in itself, mean good feng shui.
Although feng shui does sometimes make use of certain items — fountains, particular natural elements and so on — its practice cannot be reduced to buying objects to patch up problems. In general its most important principles concern the physical layout, the flow of energy, the magnetic orientation, the use and activity of each room, and what we call the time factor.
A good practitioner might recommend building a home at a favourable time, choosing a healthy site, orienting the outlook and the front door towards a specific magnetic direction, advising on the best internal placement of corridors, doors and windows, and choosing the most suitable colours, materials and elements for each room and its inhabitants. Much of this can go unnoticed by an onlooker who is searching for very “concrete” objects: true feng shui is known more by its effects than by its outward appearance — though there are aspects of “form” that are indeed assessed by eye.
Feng shui draws most of its roots from concepts used in Chinese philosophy, such as Qi or Chi (氣), a synonym for energy. In essence, feng shui is about encouraging the circulation of what we usually call Sheng Qi (positive energy) and guarding against Sha Qi (harmful energy). It also explores the balance between yin and yang (the opposite energetic poles), the right distribution of the five elements (fire, earth, metal, water and wood), the influence of the eight directions and their trigrams, the Earthly Branches and Heavenly Stems, and so on. These same principles underlie Chinese medicine, Qi Gong, Tai Chi, the martial arts and Chinese knowledge in general.
If you decide to have a feng shui study done, the consultant should at least use a precision compass to establish the directions of your space, work out the most favourable periods for building and/or renovation, ask the residents' dates of birth, observe the internal and external forms of the place with care, and from all this draw up a geomantic chart — one that includes observations on how the space evolves over time, together with advice for a better balance. In modern life it is also wise for a feng shui study to take in possible problems of electromagnetic pollution, building materials, and readings of disturbances in the subsoil. In the end, the consultant should take account of anything in the surroundings that bears on the real improvement of your home or workplace.
Finally, when you apply feng shui principles such as order, cleanliness and the vitality of your surroundings, remember that at its very heart feng shui includes the search for beauty.
Related: The Five Elements · Yin and Yang · The Feng Shui Compass · Schools of Feng Shui. To learn traditional feng shui in depth, take a look at our professional Feng Shui course.
