Author: Kelly Dearborn
Introduction
When initially unraveling the mysteries behind the practice of Geomancy and Feng Shui it is difficult to differentiate between the two. They both deal closely and almost entirely with man's spiritual and emotional relationship to the earth. Evolving from simple observation and analysis to a very conscious practice, these two religious philosophies have managed to complement each other. Feng Shui however, is the mother of Geomancy, in that it provided a basis from which Feng Shui extends. Where Geomancy remains faithfully restricted to geography and architectural placement, Feng Shui moves inside and around the architecture of Geomancy. Because of this it seems more logical to describe Feng Shui, being that it is the more intricate of the two.
Feng Shui Religious Philosophy, Inclusive of Geomancy
The roots of Feng Shui are found over 500 years before the practice of Feng Shui was actually documented. It has relative origins that date back to 771BC to 221BC during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. The actual practice of Feng Shui, however, is believed to have been within the Han Dynasty from 206BC to 221AD (http://www.feng-shui-architects.com/tradition-origins.htm).
During the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, three main elements of Feng Shui were present, but existed as separate practices. The first element was the recognition of the land's geography and its relation to man. Feng Shui practices the need for constant harmony between the earth and its people. Secondly, there was the recognition of man's environment (meaning a dwelling or residence) and how it relates to her. In Feng Shui practice, how a house is designed directly affects the harmony of the people living within it. The third element was a critical study of the movement of the sun and the affects of light on man. Light in Feng Shui is an essential element to obtaining closeness with positive energy. The important elements of Feng Shui beyond these three were yet to come.
When I Ching, the ancient Book of Changes, was first popular during the Warring States period from 403BC to 221BC, Chinese culture was introduced to the concepts of the Five Elements, and Yin and Yang among others (http://www.feng-shui-architects.com). In Feng Shui, the Five Elements, wood, water, fire, earth, metal, are all combined into one harmonious energy. When translated from original Chinese pinyin form, the words 'feng shui' literally mean 'wind water'.
Yin and Yang are adapted to an equal degree to the practice of Feng Shui. Generally speaking, Yin and Yang can represent all opposite forces that counteract each other within the universe. The Yin represents the negative energy of things, whereas Yang is the opposite, the positive energy that manifests itself in things. Feng Shui has applied this concept of Yin and Yang to its belief in the governing energy of qi. Qi, pronounced ch'i, is the dynamic combination of the polarities of Yin and Yang that regulates the welfare of man and the earth. Therefore, it can be argued that what was provided during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty as a whole essentially bore Geomancy in its discoveries of dwellings in relation to the earth's energy. Feng Shui had yet to take solid form from these concepts.
It was finally in the Han Dynasty, fifteen years after the Eastern Zhou Dynasty had passed, while linked with the practice of I Ching, Feng Shui practice was first documented. It had evolved into a formal practice by pulling all of the philosophies mentioned prior to this Dynasty into one intricate concept. This also included the development of the luopan, a circular magnetic compass "Éwhich was marked off in rings containing data relating to astrology, directions, the elements, landscape forms, times of day and so on" (http://www.witcombe.sbc.edu/earthmysteries/EMGeomancy.html). This device better enabled Feng Shui masters and geomancers to determine areas that nested the greatest amounts of positive qi.
Today Feng Shui is an international practice. Once banned during the Communist regime of the Cultural Revolution in China, it has prevailed now, simply disregarded by perhaps a rather apathetic government. Feng Shui practitioners all over the world are consulted both for the exterior design and interior redecoration of houses and business offices as well as for consultations on things like garden space and money management.
It is important to now describe Feng Shui independently of its historical overview. The Feng Shui of something implies its closeness to perfection. The definition of perfection in this case could perhaps be defined as the unification and simplification of an environment to a positive emotion. For example, say the color yellow directly elicits warmth and happiness. If a person feels a sense of depression when in a certain room of their home, painting it yellow would help counteract their negative emotion if not override it entirely. Here is another example again involving color:
...[W]hen a young man represents his love by sending his fiancé flowers every day: She associates these flowers with his love, and this heightens their mutual love. Similarly, a couple can enhance the 'relationship corner' of their property by growing pinkish roses there. Every time they pass by, the flowers will remind them of the importance on their love relationship, and they will work harder at it. (Messervy, 2000, 28)[Working harder at the perfection of these positive emotions is also at the core of Feng Shui. As in Geomancy, when planning to build a house it is ideal to pick property that is already the closest to perfection as possible and then improve upon it with the design of the house and or the removal of regional features that detract from the area's Feng Shui. The diagraph directly below depicts an ideal Feng Shui setting (http://www.angelfire.com/tx3/kthan/fengshui.html).
The mountains containing the Ying force, are the protecting, shielding force
from behind that embraces the Ming Tang, or the area the dwelling place
is located. The river, curving through the front of the landscape, crosses
in front of the dwelling place. This brings the influence of natural flow
and order to a place of residence. On the other side of the river is another
area of land that sits lower than the dwelling place, but is curved also.
This places curvature surrounding the dwelling place entirely. In Feng Shui and Geomancy the earth governing force of qi is believed to attract positive prosperity, sheng qi, or negative misfortune, sha qi, depending on how man has arranged her environment (http://www.feng-shui-architects.com/articles-gowiththeflow.htm). The earth is thought to be covered with geometric linear patterns formed by qi. These lines can dictate the level of the environment's Feng Shui according to how well man has protected herself from negative qi, perhaps by utilizing mirrors that deflect this negative energy or restricting any doors to the front side of a house only. Evil is thought to travel invisibly through land in straight lines. But, as grazing goats or sheep arrive at a certain destination by meandering, so does good travel in curves and round, circular paths. Therefore, round windows in a house or curving paths leading to the main entrance help ensure good fortune. Also, it is critical to have a dwelling place facing the south, as the north is the direction from which traditional evil qi is thought to travel. All the doors are designed to be on the front of the structure as well, so that evil qi has no place to enter. Trees in groups of three also serve as protectors and/or blockades from detrimental views. They are also symbols for longevity and prosperity among other things.
Another critical element of an environment with ideal Feng Shui is light. When a structure faces south in an ideal Feng Shui setting, the rising and setting of the sun forms an arc above it and thus encloses the structure in curvature to a degree. Also, the sun will predominately light the two sides of a house. So, it can be concluded that with the front of the house facing south, receiving positive qi, and with its two sides encapsulated in positive light, there is only one side, the back, that ultimately needs to be protected from negative qi. Too much light, however, can also be a detriment as it is too hot, causing discomfort, or too bright, diluting certain visual aesthetics.
Conclusion
On a global scale, the acceptance Geomantic and Feng Shui ideals is being used to overcome negative patterns in just about any type of situation with a positive emotional ideal. Geomancy focuses specifically on the geography of a location and its qi as it pertains to house and/or dwelling place construction. Feng Shui not only looks at the geography of a location, but it can also be applied to any environment, be it internal or external, that directly affects man's emotional order. The ideals of these two religious philosophies have stemmed from over 500 years of concept development that began during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. Unfolding the layers of Feng Shui also reveals the layers of Geomancy, making these two ideals complimentary and practically inseparable.
These photographs were taken in Taiwan of sights designated as having good Feng Shui (http://www.angelfire.com/tx3/kthan/fengshui.html).
Works Consulted
Info Trac:
Castle, Christopher. "Nature's Teaching: The Art and Science of Geomancy." ReVision. Spring 1999. v21. p39(1). Heldref Publications.
"Feng Shui - More Than Superstition." Journal of Business Strategy. Sept.1999. v20. p13. Faulkner & Gray, Inc.
"Luck Be a Stone Lion: Feng Shui, once considered a New Age fad, is now being embraced by Big Business and bureaucrats." Time. July 3, 2000. v156. p53.
Messervy, Julie Moir. "In Harmony with Feng Shui." Organic Gardening. May 2000. V47. p28. Rodale Press, Inc.
Williamson, Gayle. "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Feng Shui: The Complete Guide to the Art and Practice of Feng Shui." Library Journal. May 15, 2000. v125. p93. Cahners Business Information.
Internet Websites:
http://www.angelfire.com/tx3/kthan/fengshui.html
http://www.feng-shui-architects.com/articles-gowiththeflow.htm
http://www.feng-shui-architects.com/articles-thebalance.htm
http://www.feng-shui-architects.com/tradition-origins.htm
http://witsombe.sbc.edu/earthmysteries/EMGeomancy.html