Feng Shui Dictionary

Feng Shui is an exciting component of ancient Chinese wisdom – a science that goes back at least 4,000 years to the days of the emperors and mythical legends. That it has so brilliantly survived the centuries bears testimony to its potency. In recent years there has been an extensive revival of interest in its practice, particularly in the West, where the study of Feng Shui began as a New Age phenomenon, but has now attracted mainstream attention.

The current popularity of Feng Shui stems from the widespread appeal of its simple logic. While its many theories and guidelines are based on the Chinese view of the universe, the fundamentals are easily understood and widely applicable. Its laws and tenets relate to simple basic concepts that advocate living harmoniously with the environment, creating balance in the living space, and blending in with the natural landscapes of the world: the contours of the land, the terrain of the earth, the rivers and waterways of the world, sunlight and moonlight, vegetation, orientations, and directions – in short the winds and waters of the living earth that surrounds us.

Note

Words in bold have their own entries in the dictionary which the reader can refer to for further explanation.

Feng Shui …

… advocates living in harmony with the earth’s environment and energy lines so that there is balance with the forces of nature.

… contends that the environment is crowded with powerful, but invisible energy lines.

… says that some of these energy lines are auspicious, bringing great good fortune, while some are pernicious and hostile, bringing death and the destruction of happiness.

… offers ways of arranging the home so that these energy lines become harmonious and bring prosperity and harmony, rather than loss and discord.

… instructs us in the clever harnessing of auspicious energy lines – generally referred to as Sheng Chi, the dragon’s cosmic breath – making sure they meander gently through the home and accumulate and settle, thereby bringing good fortune.

… teaches us to avoid, deflect and dissolve inauspicious energy lines – also know as Shar Chi – which represent the killing breath caused by secret poison arrows in the surroundings.

… strenuously warns against sleeping, working, sitting, eating, and generally living in places that are hit by these pernicious hostile energy lines.

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Almanac

The Chinese book of auspicious dates. The Tong Shu (also T’ung Shu), or the Chinese Almanac, is one of the oldest books in the world. It originated more than 4,000 years ago and contains the largest number of divination systems ever gathered together in a single volume. The heart of the book is its calendar, which is based on the Chinese Ganzhi, or lunar system, of calculating the days and seasons of the year. The Tong Shu contains auspicious dates for undertaking a variety of daily activities, from selecting the best days for starting a new business to washing and cutting one’s hair, to performing harvesting and planting rituals. The Chinese Almanac is one of the most comprehensive and traditional collections of Chinese beliefs and practices in existence. The Tong Shu contains references to Feng Shui practice that are based on flying star calculations of auspicious and inauspicious days for undertaking a variety of domestic and business activities.

Altar

Let your altar face the door directly. There are basic rules for propitious placing of altars. The Chinese generally believe it is extremely auspicious to have the altar directly facing the front door, so that the minute we walk into our homes we can see the altar. From a Feng Shui point of view, it is also recommended that the altar be placed in the northwest section of the house or living room, since this sector represents the Chien trigram, which in turn symbolizes heaven and heavenly deities. Irrespective of where you place your altar, you should always ensure that your Buddha, Kwan Yin, or any other deity is in an elevated position. The Feng Shui dimension most suitable for altars is at least 60 inches (150 cm) high. The altar must always be clean. Keeping lights on continuously, apart from representing auspicious light offerings to the deity, also attracts good Chi energy.

Amulets

A practice popular with the Chinese is the wearing of amulets that are believed to ward off bad luck caused by wandering spirits in the environment. The Chinese believe that young children are particularly vulnerable to these wandering spirits, and many parents obtain special symbols from the temple or use those specially created for them by Taoist priests. It is debatable if this practice can be considered as part of Feng Shui practice. The author herself used to wear protective amulets as a child.

Antidotes

Feng Shui antidotes, or cures, are available for almost all Feng Shui problems. Some work better than others and correctly choosing which antidote to use is one of the skills of the Feng Shui master. There are many different antidotes and these are generally summarized as follows. Use:

• bright lights to dissolve bad energy.

• Yang energy – lights, sound, and bright colors – to overcome excessive Yin energy.

• windchimes, especially four-rod windchimes, to diffuse bad energy.

• the Pa Kua mirror to deflect killing energy.

• bells and singing bowls to purify stagnant space.

• crystals to soften excessive Yang energy.

• colors to correct element imbalance.

• curtains and blinds to deflect bad energy.

• the compass to change to more auspicious directions.

• element therapy (see “The Five Elements,” (#litres_trial_promo)) to correct disharmony.

Antiques

Danger of harmful left-over energy. The danger with displaying antiques in the home is that you are unlikely to know the luck of the people who last owned the piece, or the quality of the Chi that still clings to the antique. It may contain very negative energy that could bring bad luck to whoever possesses it. It is particularly risky to keep antique cannons and firearms in the house, because these, especially if they come from clan homes, are likely to have “tasted” blood before.

Aquarium

A water feature that brings good Feng Shui. It is a good idea to activate the wealth sector of the office (the southeast corner) by introducing a water feature. An aquarium containing lively fish symbolizes growth and activity. You can also activate the southeast corner of your home with an aquarium. However, do not place your aquarium or fishpond on the right-hand side of your front door (standing on the inside looking out) for this may cause husbands to stray or encourage a roving eye.

Archways

Can be auspicious if they are not overdone. The curved shape of the arch is an auspicious shape because there are no angles to send out harmful poison arrows to the surrounding living space. An archway is more conducive to harmonious Feng Shui than square doorways in the home. Archways also suggest the circular shape that represents the element of gold. They are especially lucky when placed in the northwest and west of the home. They should preferably not be seen in the east and southeast.

Armchair

Formation in Landscape Feng Shui. A vivid way of describing the perfect location for your home is the “armchair formation” of Landscape Feng Shui. This symbolism is part of the Form School. The armchair formation suggests that ideally the home should have higher land at the back (known as the black turtle) to provide support, like the back of an armchair. The left-hand side of the home should be higher, because this is deemed to be the place of the green dragon. The land to the right of your home is the place of the white tiger and should be lower than the dragon. If land on your right is higher than land on your left, the tiger becomes overbearing and dangerous. In front of the home is the crimson phoenix, which acts as the “footstool.” Ideally there should be a small hump just in front of your home.

Arrowana

With its silver scales and sleek, swordlike body, the arrowana has long been used by Chinese businessmen in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand to bring good fortune. Also known as the “dragon fish,” it is best kept singly or in threes or fives, but never in pairs. When the arrowana is well fed and healthy, it emits a pink or golden glow; it is this glow which is said to bring good fortune. If you wish to keep arrowanas, you should make sure they are well fed and well-looked after. Only strong, vibrant arrowanas have the capacity to bring you great wealth. The aquarium which houses this fish should not be cluttered with water plants or seaweed or have too much sand. A large, bare aquarium will serve to accentuate the beauty and the abundance of the fish. The aquarium is best kept in the north corner since this is the water corner. The aquarium can also be kept in the east or southeast, which are wood corners. This is because water is harmonious with wood. Never keep arrowana in your bedroom.

Arrows

Symbolic of killing energy. Among the most dreaded Feng Shui taboos are secret poison arrows caused by hostile structures in the landscape.

Art

There are Feng Shui implications in the art you hang in your home or office and these can cause good or bad Feng Shui without you being aware of it. Indeed, the subject, color, and orientation of paintings all have Feng Shui implications; it is therefore important to consider your paintings seriously when you hang them. The rules for hanging paintings are:

• Avoid hanging abstract art in colors that clash with the element of the wall on which you are hanging the painting. Thus, do not hang art depicting metal objects or those that are painted substantially in white or metallic colors in the wood corners (the east or southeast). In the destructive cycle metal destroys wood; the elements are in disharmony and the painting is creating problems for the wood corner. If you occupy a room in this corner you will suffer from the clash of energies.

• If you wish to hang portraits of the monarch, or perhaps the founder of your company, the best wall would be the northwest, since this activates the luck of the Chien trigram. This trigram represents the patriarch, or leader, and hanging a painting of a leader in the northwest creates exceptionally good mentor luck.

• The best art to have in the office is landscape art, because Feng Shui is about the landscape. If you can fold landscape into your office in an unobtrusive manner, you will enjoy harmonious Feng Shui. A mountain painting behind your seat symbolizes support. This is one of the best features to create for good Feng Shui in the office.

• A painting of water or a stream in front of your desk at work effectively simulates water bringing great good fortune to your office. Paintings of rivers, lakes, and waterfalls are therefore to be hung in front of you and never behind.

• Similarly, a painting or a picture of a big, open field in front of you symbolizes the bright hall. This symbolism is enormously lucky, whether real or as a painting, since it suggests a complete and total absence of obstacles. A big, open field suggests that everything will be smooth in your business and in your career.