Feng Shui - The Law of Heaven and Earth

[Edward Swanson]

Feng Shui is also known as The Law of Heaven and Earth. It is the
science of placement. Beginning with Chinese astrologers who were
studying the effects of the suns place in the sky, they began to
notice a distinct connection between the placement of objects and the
energy of a space. As the science grew, it came to include the five
elements of water, rain, wind, fog and sun. Though many practitioners
consider Feng Shui a field of scientific study, many critics argue
that there are to many interpretations for it to be called science.
With no definable boundaries or controls, it is often called a pseudo
science.
The idea of Heaven on Earth is related to how the placement of
objects, both in architecture and in space, creates a sense of fluid
motion. If heaven is a place of perfect peace and tranquility, then
Feng Shui is the means by which you can create your own little piece
of it on earth. The proper placement of the essential elements can
help you create a space that is perfectly suited to you and your
unique temperament.
Though Feng Shui is becoming enormously popular in the fields of
design in Western culture, this is a fairly recent development. In
fact, it was as a result of President Nixon's visit to China in the
70's that Western designers first recognized the practice. As the
doors to trade with China began to open, so did the interpretation of
their design. Chinese architecture became more than just a fad, as
there seemed to be some inherent quality to it that couldn't be
described. Slowly, the Western world came to understand that this was
Feng Shui.
Before Communism came to China the Western world seemed to overlook
the value Feng Shui and did not even recognize it's existence. This is
in spite of the fact that one of the main reasons behind The Boxer
Rebellion was related to Feng Shui. As trade routes were established
across the interior of China and railroads were built to span the
massive bulk of the country, locals began to complain, and eventually
rebel against the progress, because the seemingly random placement of
the railways was destroying the natural Feng Shui of the countryside.
They felt the very energy of their lives was being disrupted by these
tracks. At that time, the value of Feng Shui was lost on those who
only saw the value of commerce that could take place by dissecting the
country with railroad tracks.
Now, as Feng Shui has become a mainstay in the design terminology of
Western architects and interior designers, many New Age practitioners
of the art are creating hybrid versions of the original to fit their
own eclectic lifestyle. While there is obviously some truth to the
placement of objects in design, what many now know as Feng Shui is
only marginally similar to the original art practiced in China for
thousands of years. Like so many other Eastern philosophies, we in the
Western world have seen it fit to put our own unique twist on it to
make it fit our lifestyle.
Now a bastardized version is used in design and decorating and even in
art. The true nature of Feng Shui and its placement of the elements in
living space has become nothing more than a marketable catch phrase
used to attract clients who don't really understand. It may seem easy
for those whose lives are truly guided by this ancient science to
judge or to dismiss these practices, but they actually stand as great
opportunities to teach and to let the meditative nature of true Feng
Shui make itself known.