7: Feng Shui Developed from Survival Needs
Site selection – the selection of an auspicious site – is the first order of Feng Shui practice.
Ancient people, especially hunting-gathering people, were concerned with the four needs of survival: water, food, shelter and security. Therefore, they made sure they were near the resources they needed, and looked for safety.
6: Is Feng Shui a Science?
People often ask: Is Feng Shui a science? How should it be classified? The correct answer is that Feng Shui is a philosophy, science, and art.
5: Yin Yang Balance and Resonance
In the previous posting (number 4), we mentioned that, in Yin-Yang theory, a combination of Yin and Yang create harmony, while a combination of Yang and Yang, or Yin and Yin, create resonance, which means empowerment.
4: Can the Tao be spoken?
The fifth chapter of the Xi Ci (or Da Zhuan) commentary on the Book of Changes contains a saying, “One Yin and one Yang make the Tao. People use it daily, but do not know it.” Over the centuries, many scholars have tried to explain this saying, but their explanations have been too abstract for most people to understand.
3: Feng Shui and Natural Law
To talk about Feng Shui, we have to talk about natural law, since it is one of the two pillars of Feng Shui.
2: Feng Shui is Design for the Living Environment
When we talk about “designing our environment”, the term “environment” can refer to different scales. It can refer to a city, a neighborhood, a building, or even a room, or the furnishings or decorations within a room.
1: What is Feng Shui?
In August 2018, I was invited by the lineage holder of the Taoist Quan Zhen School to participate in a forum, the first one of its kind ever held in China. During the meeting, there were many Taoist scholars, practitioners, and historians.
The Monkey year, as predicted, has been very eventful, and it is now coming to an end. Although the remnants of the Monkey energy are tapering off as the New Year approaches, some of it will continue to remain through the transition.
In the Yin Yang theory, everything – every process, every transformation, and every object – has both a Yin and a Yang aspect. The Yin and Yang energy roles represent different qualities: Yang energy manifests outwardly, and tends to be aggressive, dynamic, initiating and expansive. Yin energy reflects inward, and tends to be subtle, responsive, unseen and withdrawing.
In communication, we often think strong delivery will help get the message through better. But in a very real sense, a soft, even whisper-like delivery, which is Yin, will tend to resonate more with the receiving entity, which is also Yin. This is why in many situations it is better to whisper.
