How Did Feng Shui Come About?
Feng Shui is a concept that if studied and followed correctly can affect the harmonious environment around an individual and the space they occupy. The first thing that a person must understand when grasping a new concept is what that concept actually means. Feng Shui translates to mean wind and water and these two components are two fundamental forms of life energy according to Chinese philosophy. Once this is understood, an individual can then begin to grasp the history of Feng Shui and how it has developed over the years.
Feng Shui began in ancient China around the third century B.C. with the West Han dynasty. According to feng shui design, a belief exists that the earth is a being with life that has an energy surrounding it. That energy in Chinese is called “chi”. Chi is determined by the placement of an object and the actual physical surroundings placed around that object. The site around an object, usually a building, is believed to have either positive or negative energy.
In ancient China feng shui design was practiced by rich and poor alike. According to the website www.indobase.com who gives a wonderful detailed explanation of the history of feng shui, “In ancient China a city was planned in concentric rectangles surrounded by walls surrounded by lakes, hills, valley, gardens, courtyards and parks.” The Chinese tried to ensure that both the manmade and the natural environment were planned to promote and enhance positive energy. Then they were landscaped using the Yin and Yang ideas.
The first step that the ancients did to ensure good feng shui was to construct their buildings using the techniques outlined in the feng shui philosophy. If one follows feng shui design then, “the left of the building represented Yang or male force and was connected to the forces of heaven and the right of the building represented Yin or the female force and was connected with the energies of the earth.” In order for a structure to be balanced, the Yin and Yang forces had to be coherent with each other. Because of this balance of power between building and earth, the palaces of old were built according to the feng shui guide using Yin and Yang.
Feng shui needs to be fully researched in order to be understood. The ancient Chinese were looking for a way to promote a more harmonious environment when they began to use feng shui. In today’s society, lives are becoming more and more hectic. If a person can find tranquility and peace by using feng shui, then more should try this unique and life altering philosophy.
