Category Archives: Feng Shui

Square Table vs. Round Table

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“Is it better to have a round or square dining table?” In feng shui consultations, this is a frequently asked question. Naturally, which is better has a lot to do with the space; the surrounding furniture, the family structure, and the setting one is trying to create.

In consideration of any work, we always begin with the fundamental principles of yin and yang. What is dynamic and mobile is yang, while what is static and stable is yin. Hence, round shapes are yang and square or rectangular shapes are yin.

In applying Yin-Yang Principles, there are two considerations: Resonance and Balance.

According to the Principle of Resonance, if you are trying to create a yang environment you would use a round table. For a yin environment, you would use a square table.

In China, round dining tables are favored, while in the West, rectangular tables are more common. At a Chinese party, everything takes place around the dining table during dinner. This can be seen through the dynamic communal eating, the shared lazy susan, the host serving everyone and trying to push guests to eat more; people trying to out-drink each other, and everybody talking to everybody. This loud and lively event is very dynamic, very yang. A round table resonates with this situation, and it makes sense to use one.

In the West, a party begins with formal dining. People sit around a rectangular table, converse quietly with those who are immediately nearby, rather than with the whole table. More often, one helps themselves to food rather than being served. The atmosphere is more formal and calm, more yin. This resonates with the energy of a rectangular table. Funnily enough, Chinese parties often end when dinner is over, while Western parties begin when dinner is over.

For a small dining area, for efficient use of space, if the table has to rest against a solid wall, it’s better to use a square table and push one end against the wall. Since round tables resonate with yang energy, they are used in more open spaces. A square/rectangular table is more stable and calm, and good for long conversations. A round table provides a more dynamic atmosphere, and is better for fast chitchat. If you want your visitors to stay long, sit around a square table, otherwise, use a round table.

The shape of the table should also be taken into consideration when operating a business. Understanding resonance with space is important for business. For example, in a fast food restaurant, it’s good to use more yang features. These include more round and circular forms, as well as open and bright spaces. These yang characteristics affect people to eat quickly and leave quickly. On the other hand, for fine dining, people often wish to take their time to enjoy the food and conversation. In these situations, it is better to use more yin features, such as rectangular tables and dim light.

Balance is the other principle one must consider. It refers to the balance of yin and yang. In this situation we mean the balance of round and square tables. Even for a fast food restaurant, if all tables are round, the quality of the place becomes too yang, which is not ideal. Similarly, in a fancy dining setting, an excessively yin quality means that there is not enough flow in the setting.

Coffee shops like Starbucks use a lot of small round tables because they have solo customers in mind. With this type of set-up, there doesn’t seem to be any “empty” seats. Also, those having coffee alone don’t feel—or appear to be — lonely.

“In environmental psychology, the round table is much more comfortable and informal for individuals, as well as groups of people, to sit at,” says Starbucks executive Rubinfeld. However, this is not necessarily true. It very much depends on why people are sitting there. Too many round tables could be excessively yang, and incite a restless, unstable feeling. If all tables in the room were round, the atmosphere will be very dynamic, but chaotic. Any sense of restfulness or comfort will be missing.

The key is balance, the balance of yin and yang. Whether a design should be weighted more in the yin or yang direction, is based on the nature of the business. But it should never be extreme. A restaurant may want to try to provide a comfortable atmosphere, but not so much that customers feel so relaxed and comfortable that they hang around forever.

The shape of a table is not only important for dining, it is also important for a business office. It affects efficiency and creativity.

Once I was invited to consult with an airplane company about the design of its new headquarters. I recommended using more yang features, such as round tables and more windows for spaces designated more for discussion and brain storming. For spaces designated for formal discussions, ceremonies, and signing of contracts, I recommended using rectangular tables and having fewer windows.

In summary, in any design, it is important to follow the highest guiding principles of Resonance and Balance with yin and yang.. And remember, the precise application of these principles depends on the effect one is trying to achieve.

Shan-tung Hsu
Blue Mountain Institute
shantunghsu@gmail.com

 

Flag of Ukraine

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map of Ukraine

The recent unrest in Ukraine over its president Viktor Yanukovish backing out of a trade deal with the European Union, prompted one of my students in Kiev, to ask me about the national flag of Ukraine. How does the flag of Ukraine reflect the fate of the country? The flag is composed two equal sized blue and yellow bands. Originally, yellow on the top, now it is reversed and blue sits on top. Does this make any difference?

As we know, any successful company in the world has a good logo; such as, Apple computer, Facebook, Google, Nike, Mercedes Benz, and Twitter, to name a few. Likewise, any strong country in the world has a good flag design.

The most common national flag design is the combination of colored bands in either a horizontal pattern (German, Russia, and Netherlands) or vertical pattern (France, and Italy). Flags could also have different design patterns such as the flag of USA, England, China and Japan.

Good design is reflected by the color combination and the form of the pattern. For the flag with color bands, ideally it should have a three-color combination such as the flags of Germany (black, red, yellow), France and Russia (blue, white, red), and Italy (green, white, red). If there are only two colors, it should have three bands such as the Austrian and Canadian flags. Three (either color or band) represents a Yang number with more dynamic energy. Two (color and band) is a yin number. It is static and has less momentum such as flags of Libya, Monaco, Poland, and Indonesia. (Indonesia, in spite of its largest population and big territory, does not play any important role in the world stage).

Ukraine’s national flag of blue and yellow was officially adopted for the first time in 1918 by a short lived Ukraine People’s Republic and then was restored in 1992. There were times when yellow was on the top and blue was on the bottom. There are some who argue that maybe it’s better to have yellow on top instead of blue. The real issue is that it has two-colors and two-bands. Both are Yin in number (even number), and the lack of Yang energy from the numerology in the flag reflects stagnation, conflict, and indecision for the fate of the country.

Good design follows Natural Laws; Yin Yang Theory and Five Element Theory. From the Five Element theory point of view, Blue (Wood element) and Yellow (Earth element) are in direct conflict. What is more, even though Wood controls Earth, the light blue is a weak Wood, which means it does not have a strong control over Earth. This reflects stagnation and indecision. Also, from a Yin-Yang theory point of view, Blue is a yin color, Yellow is a neutral color, thus the flag energy also leans more toward yin. The flag of strong and rich countries such as USA, China, Russia, Japan, German, France, Italy, Netherland, and Canada all have the color red, the Yang color, in their national flag.

Ideally, Ukraine should add a Yang element in its flag. This can be done by simply adding a red band to the flag. If there is a concern of being too similar with other countries, it can also consider inserting an emblem, of which reflects the historical and cultural identity in the center of flag to bridge the Blue and Yellow colors. But make the blue, a darker blue for strength.

To change a national flag is not an easy task. It will require much national debate. However, all manifestations begin with a simple thought of a simple person. Time will come when people’s energy will change, to a stronger energy and inspire the change of the flag, for the better future of the country.

Shan-Tung Hsu, Ph. D.
Blue Mountain Institute
Seattle, Washington USA
shantunghsu@gmail.com

A Country of Miracles

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There is a country with a land size of 35,900 Km square, 0.37 % of USA. It has a population of 23 million (7.35% USA). This country has no oil, iron, coal, gold, or mineral deposit, nor does it have any other noticeable natural resources.
Yet this country has accomplished:

GDP per capita: $37,000 (USA $49.800)
Foreign Reserve: 408 billion. It ranks No. 6 in the world, next to China, Japan, European Union, Saudi Arabia, and Russia.

Electronic Industry: rank No. 4
Steel industry: No. 4
Petro-chemical Industry: No.4
Import/export Volume: No. 12
Mass transit quality: No.5
Literacy rate: > 96%
Health Care service quality: No. 5

National Health Insurance is administrated by the Ministry of Health, and has a population coverage of 100%. The average premium is around $30 per month and there is easy access to very good health care service. Its per capita health expenditure is $750 (less than 1/10 of USA)
Literacy rate: >96%
The cost of water, electricity, gasoline, school tuition, tax rate are among the lowest in the world.
Political system: Democratic, with strong opposition political party.
Religious/worship areas: one for every 1,500 of the population.
It’s amazing! Isn’t it?
So, what is this country?
–Taiwan (Republic of China)
Pay a visit to this beautiful island. Enjoy the picturesque landscape, friendly people, most abundant variety of fruit and vegetables, and the best of Chinese food.
Shan-Tung Hsu
Blue Mountain Feng Shui Institute

The Feng Shui Prospective of 9-11 Memorial Park

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Ten years in the making, the National September 11 Memorial was completed and opened to the public on September 12, 2011.  The eight-acre park was designed by Israeli- American, Michael Arad of Handle Architects, a New York and San Francisco firm.  The Memorial is composed of a forest of swamp white oak trees with two square pools, one on each of the original foot prints of the North and South Towers.  The core of the design is a 30-foot man-made wall of water that hugs the sides of the one-acre reflecting pools. The downward-streaming water is meant to symbolize falling tears.

The purpose of the memorial was to commemorate those who died in the September 11 terrorist attack, and those involved in the rescue work, and to provide a place for the families of the victims to be reminded of the loss they suffered and for continue grieving.  It is also intended as a reminder that we should remain vigilant against the threat of another attack, and also to show the world the American spirit:  that we may be destroyed, but we can rebuild.

People with a basic understanding of how energy works know very well that to hang onto past tragedy serves only to perpetuate the negative energy, and continue to be consumed by it. A memorial park should be more than merely a place of remembrance:  it should lead in a positive direction.  It should inspire, by conjuring up a positive image, like the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial.   Even the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery inspires people by commemorating heroic acts and sacrifices for good causes.

Most who died on 9-11 were just victims, caught up in an event they did not choose.  In this, they were not much different than millions of innocent civilians who have died in wars all over the world.  Although it may be appropriate to have a reminder of tragedy and grief, the reminder should also lead to a symbol of hope for peace and celebration of life.

A wrong concept always leads to wrong manifestation. Not surprisingly, from a feng shui point of view, the design of the 9-11 Memorial fails badly on all three levels:  informational, chi energy and physical manifestation.

Instead of creating a Yang, upward and positive energy, the design reflects a Yin, downward and negative energy.  If we wish to show an American spirit that can rise up after being destroyed, we should build something that moves upward, above the ground, rather than something that sinks 30 feet below ground.  In fact, when the “Reflecting Absence” design was first selected from among the 8 finalists, relatives of the victims gathered with other concerned citizens to protest the choice.  They too thought that the memorial should be built above the ground.  Despite this, many politicians hailed the creativity and thoughtfulness of the design, and the chosen design prevailed.  From a feng shui perspective, both the designer and the decision panel had either lost touch with common sense, or had somehow developed a much disoriented mind set.

The most significant feature of the design is the waterfall.  From a feng shui perspective, a body of water metaphorically represents money and wealth. The 52,000 gallons of water per minute, rushes into the center dark pit, symbolizes that money is continuously going down to the drain.  This is especially so since it is in the center of New York City, the financial center of USA, at the site of the World Trade Center buildings that were a major part of that financial nexus.  On both the information and energy levels, this reflects not only the current state of affairs, but also the days to come.  Even more, the treasured survival tree is a non-fruit bearing pear tree that was rescued from the World Trade Center grounds  — a further suggestion of the infertility of hopes for economic recovery in the years to come.

As a tourist attraction, what can it offer tourists?  What can a tourist expect to take away from this?  Only sad memories of the event, and the tears of the victims’ families?  It literally is a depressed place and a depressing place. What incentive would tourists have to visit?

An additional irony is that, in the midst of the financial crisis, the US government spent 500 million for the project.  And, coincidentally or not, within a week after the National September 11 Memorial opened to the public, the Occupy Wall Street movement began.

Why has so much money flooded the Seattle/Puget Sound area in the last couple decades?

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Change is the nature of the universal energy, qi. The only thing in the universe that does not change is change itself.  Change reflects the flow of energy.  On a large scale, the planet’s energy shifts from continent to continent by the century. In the 19th century energy was high in Europe, in the 20th century energy moved to North America, and in the 21st century energy is flowing toward Asia.

On a smaller scale within America, energy is shifting from East to West; from New England to California.  When California reaches its prime, since the energy cannot go to the ocean, its momentum turns toward the south (México) and the north (Seattle/Puget Sound). In addition, Vancouver hit its high energy point, and its energy has shifted south toward the NW. Therefore, in the past two decades, Seattle has experienced fast growth, while a lot of energy and money has flooded into (and grown from) the Seattle/Puget Sound region. This also relates to the rapid rise in real estate value.  For the people who subscribe to the Flying Star School of feng shui, one might suggest the years of 1984-2003 are the period 7 of the grand 180 years cycle belonging to the Metal element, which resonates with the energy of the northwest direction.  Metal also creates the element Water.  In the Five-Element theory, intelligence is related to the Water element. Therefore, you find Microsoft, Starbuck’s Coffee, Amazon.com, and many bio-tech and high-tech companies, all belonging to the Water element, prospering in the Greater Seattle area.  The years from 2004 to 2023 are period 8, the Earth element, of the cycle. Earth creates Metal; therefore, the Pacific Northwest can expect a couple of decades of continuing prosperity.

Is The Office Cubicle Driving You Mad?

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Herman Miller invented the cubicle in 1956, with the idea of creating more privacy and helping to reduce distraction and increase concentration.  Since then, the  cubicle has become a standard feature of modern office design in the American workplace.  Offices designed using this modular unit, often called mouse mazes or cube farms, have become the symbol of human conditioning, and of the reduction of  individuality to uniformity and blandness.

One thing we know is that most people do not want to work in a “cube world”.  A common report from those working in cubicles is that they find themselves frequently checking the time, anxious for their workday to end so they can get out of the space.  After all, a cubicle design is similar to a prison cell.  Staring at a partition wall in such close proximity to one’s field of vision, throughout the long work day, replaces feelings of openness and comfort with a sense of being trapped.  This feeling, and the resulting impact on creativity, can lead to anxiety and agitation, and even make you feel that you might be going mad. How much of the work-related stress and low productivity of corporate America is due to this working environment?  Is this one of the reasons Americans seem to need to work longer hours in the office to finish their work?

Corporations at times try to save money by resisting change that benefit employees. The irony is, such changes in the long term actually benefit the corporation, as they can increase employee productivity, reduce stress levels, and increase overall morale.  But often enough, even if a company wants to move away from the cubicle work space; it is hard for most designers to know what to change to.

There have been few attempts to liberate workers from these constricting cell since the cubicle was invented.  Most changes have been superficial updates that meet technological and aesthetic advances. Over a decade ago, Knoll took on the challenge of reinventing this modular office unit, and hired a well-known architectural firm to take on the task.  However, after two years and millions of dollars spent on research, development, and engineering, they only managed to create a more expensive design that did little to resolve the core issue.

The fundamental reason for this impasse is that industrial designers have not been able to identify the real issue behind the cubicle problem. When you do not feel good in the box, you cannot argue with the feeling.  Although the cause may not be clear, the feeling itself is real and valid.

Naturally, when architects, interior designers, and furniture designers make any attempt to “improve” the design, they tend to understand and approach it from a purely physical point of view.  As I have often commented, the blind spot for designers throughout history has been that they only see a building or object as a physical body, but not as an energy body –  nor as an information carrier. There is much to learn from the wisdom of the traditional Form School feng shui in which all objects and manifestations are seen on all three levels:  as a physical body, an energy body, and as an information carrier. Designing with this in mind will naturally create functional, economical and beautiful designs.

God created the human body with a strong spine at the back to hold up the entire body, and  with openings in front, such as our eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.  Therefore, to live in resonance with our physical body, our living environment should follow this same pattern. In our daily lives, we always feel better when we position ourselves with some protection behind our back with a nice open space in front of us.

Throughout the history of world, people have followed their instincts and built their houses with the backs against a mountain, hill or more protective objects and the front doors facing bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, oceans or facing a nice field or other open space.  This is also how we should build our work spaces.  The innate flaw of the cubicle office is that it violates this feng shui design principle  which is based on natural laws.

In the terminology of Form School feng shui, we need to have Water (for expansion) in front andMountain (for support) at back. Why is this more ideal? In simple language, when we are protected from behind, (for example with a wall closely behind us), we feel more secure, and when we feel more secure, we are more relaxed.  When our bodies and minds are more relaxed, the energy in our body flows better, and contributes to a higher spirit, happier feeling and more productivity in our work. Furthermore, having a nice open space in front of us allows an extension of view and vision.  This not only helps release our stress, it also frees and expands our thoughts, enhancing creativity.  (This is why people nowadays need to have more windows as life becomes more stressful.)

The cubicle design turns this whole principle upside-down.  The computer is placed on the working counter against the partition wall (facing a mountain); co-workers pass or approach from behind, causing one to feel vulnerable.
Regardless whether one is aware this impact or not, it builds internal invisible stress. To help mitigate the problem, and in an attempt to bring life to an unexciting space, people who work in cubicles put photos, plants and even mini-fountains in their work spaces.  Some workers place small mirrors in front so that they can see reflections from behind without turning.  All these design maneuvers may help to some extent, but they do not fundamentally fix the problem.  As long as there is no Mountain behind the chair, the insecure feeling remains.

Most bosses would not feel comfortable working in cubicles; in fact, they have the luxury of well-protected private offices. It’s hard not to wonder why bosses would put their employees into spaces that they themselves would not feel comfortable in.  Without increasing the space, it is still possible to create a working environment making people feel much more comfortable.

Some office designs do have cubicle partitions that fully protect the worker, with the opening to the side, so that people pass or approach that side.  Many people who work in cubicles do this intuitively, when they have the space to do so, by orienting their computer or other work activities toward a side wall rather than toward the back wall.  Physically, this is not as comfortable, but emotionally it will be less stressful. This is a definite improvement. If this cannot be done, it may possible to put some large plant at one’s back, as a buffer between one’s back and the world outside the cubicle.

Imaging how much better it will be, when architects, interior designers, furniture designers — and all designers! — understand the traditional Form School feng shui.

Birthday Celebration

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Birthday celebration has been an important and joyful event in modern human living.  For parents, the birthday of a child brings much happiness to know their child has experienced another year of emotional, mental and physical growth. However, in holding parties and giving presents to the birthday person, many usually don’t give much serious thought on “What are we celebrating?”, nor for the birthday person to think “What entitles me to expect and receive presents in simply getting one year older?”

In old time China, children celebrate birthdays for their parents and elders to express their gratitude for the love and support they have received from them.  Rarely did parents celebrate birthdays for their babies and children as in the West.   However, nowadays, all are westernized.

There is nothing wrong to find opportunity or an excuse to have a joyful gathering, to enjoy a good time together.  On the other hand, the deeper meaning of birthday celebration may have been lost.  In China, it used to be thought that ideally birthdays should be a day for reflection.  This is a day for people to reflect and appreciate the love and support they have received in the past year from family, friends, society, Heaven and Earth.  This is a day for people to reflect on their inner growth and outer progress in the year just past and to see if it matched or exceeded what they have received from outside in return. This is a day to meditate on making adjustment and setting a new goal for the coming year.

For the birthday person to show their appreciation for the love and support they have received, this is an occasion to give instead of to receive.  In many cultures, such as the traditional American Indian culture, instead of the birthday person receiving gifts, they would give gifts to those who come for the celebration.

I always tend to shy away from celebrating birthdays in the “normal” way.  This year,  in taking advantage of the rare occasion that I  am able to stay home for more than a month without  traveling abroad,  I decided to  celebrate my birthday with  a “21-day Lemon Juice Fast” to cleanse  my body.  Feng Shui is about designing a good living environment. Our Body is the living environment for our spirit and soul. Regular detoxification practice is a good way to ensure good feng shui for our spirit and soul.

I have now entered the 6th day of fasting and feel much better already. I will give a final report at the end of this fast.

Feng Shui and Religion

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Does religion have a role in Feng Shui?

This is a frequently asked question.
The answer is: No.  Feng shui is not a religion nor has it ever followed any religious tradition or practice.

However, most religious groups do apply feng shui principles in building their temples and monasteries. Most Taoist and Buddhist temples in China are built on a site that nourishes spiritual energy.

Last November, I was invited by the headmaster of Yunjui Shan (雲居山Cloud Residing Mountain) ,in Jinagxi, China,  to locate a proper site to build a new meditation and training center for the monastery. This Ch’an (zen) monastery, was established during the Tang dynasty and has over 1200 years of history.  The headmaster was very much into feng shui and I found him also sensitive to the energy of the land.  Since my suggestion was very much in accord with what he had in mind, he was very happy with my visit.

This past March, he once again asked me to help with the proper positioning of the gate for a new temple. High up in the mountain, in the rain and cold, the master walked so briskly through the woods and muddy ground, that I had to pay attention to keep up.   Overall, it was a most interesting and rewarding experience.

From all the Buddhist and Taoist temples I have visited, I hardly find a temple without good feng shui.  Although in general, the energy at such sites is more supportive of spiritual cultivation and may not necessarily support business or commerce.

Good feng shui for business requires a more mundane energy, which in general means sites are on low ground, such as cities close to bodies of water.  Temples, on the other hand, are for spiritual cultivation, thus are mostly located on mountains or higher ground in a city.

Balance with the intended purpose is one of the key considerations of feng shui design.