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September/October 2006 Living Now
Integrating Ancient Feng Shui Wisdom

by Jon Sandifer

Feng Shui has many different styles and approaches. In the East, schools may have an underlying sense of defensiveness about their unique approach, leading to criticism of other styles or schools, similar to the 1970s Bruce Lee martial arts movies where one particular school of martial arts would try to undermine the other.

Dozens of styles and approaches to Feng Shui have originated in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Vietnam. Each school has its own lineage or master, and are reserved in their teaching style. In contrast, in the West more than 300 books are available on Feng Shui, mainly written by Westerners for Westerners.

In my own travels, I have discovered there are two common threads that all approaches and styles have in common: Chinese-based Feng Shui shows a greater understanding of the Eastern teachings behind the art, and all Feng Shui schools appreciate the importance of Form School, which is the oldest known style of Feng Shui.

The Chinese naturally have a clearer understanding of Chi, the Five Elements, Yin and Yang, and basic Chinese Horoscopes. As Westerners tackle this enormous subject, it is vital to learn and integrate some of these underlying aspects of Chinese culture. This then enables us to have a whole new palette from which we can create our own version or integrated method of Feng Shui.

Form School, sometimes called Landscape Feng Shui, is a common sense and intuitive approach to Feng Shui that can be traced back to Neolithic times in China. The correct use of Form School accounts for 60 percent of the success in Feng Shui. Form is all about finding the support that a property needs within the landscape – be it urban or rural. Form School is simple, practical and is about inviting the good chi in and deflecting any sources of negative chi.

By the 12th century, many different styles and approaches to Feng Shui began to emerge and develop. The more intuitive paths of Feng Shui can be traced back to Taoist masters, and the early use of the Compass began to bring in the aspect of time as well as placement.

When Marco Polo visited what is now Beijing, he commented on how quiet it was during the daytime. He said that it was a city of star-gazers. A deep study of the cosmos, the constellations and the movement of chi in the Heavens helped to create the 10,000 Year Calendar, Chinese Astrology, the Nine Purple Star Astrology, and the use of Trigrams from the I Ching in Feng Shui.

For example, the Flying Star approach is based on the Lo Shu Square, which forms the basis of the Bagua used in the U.S. Bagua means Eight Trigrams. Each trigram, for example, represents a family member, a compass direction, a color, an element, an activity and even a season.

Most of Feng Shui is pure common sense. For example, in Form School we always say that cul-de-sacs or dead-end streets are areas of the community where the chi starts to slow down, become stagnant or confused. A cul-de-sac has become a popular development in the last 30 years and uses a system of dead-end roads and loops that lack any sense of movement of chi or a coherent urban structure.

The grid system, adopted during Roman times, allows the chi to flow very strongly. According to the London Times, research has found that people living in cul-de-sacs weigh on average six pounds more than those living in grid-type developments. From a Feng Shui perspective, the sluggish chi affected them.

Feng Shui must move forward. Once we have mastered the basics, the best course of action is to stand on the shoulders of our teachers and work toward a new horizon.

Jon Sandifer, author Feng Shui For Life, is an internationally recognized Feng Shui Master from the United Kingdom. He is an accredited member of the Feng Shui Society, and has 30 years experience as a practitioner of Oriental healing systems. For information on his November 17-19 lectures, visit www.fengshui.co.uk. For a private consultation on Nov. 20-22, call Margo Marver at 503-232-3281.