Tag: Feng Shui

Over the centuries many different schools of
Feng Shui have developed. The basic principles
are broadly the same, though each school has a
slightly different focus. There are three main
schools in existence today:
Form School
This school focuses on the features of the
surrounding landscape and the correct use of
the positioning of buildings – and, in former
times, burial sites – to gain protection from
inauspicious winds (feng) and provide
adequate water to sustain life (shui), though the
latter’s energy can be unpredictable.
A site or building, by tradition, needs the
protective or energizing force of particular
animals. (The Chinese believe that four celestial
animals guard the four directions: the dragon
to the east, the red bird or phoenix to the south,
the tiger to the west and the tortoise, enlaced by
a snake, to the north.) If landforms or other
natural features surrounding the site can be
seen as such symbols, then the location is
extremely fortunate. The building is protected
and/or energized according to its position. The
art of the practitioner is to minimize or deflect
bad energy (sha) and bring beneficial energy
(chi) to the establishment.
Compass School
This style of Feng Shui uses the eight major
trigrams of the I Ching (see pages 135-143 for a
full explanation) and relates them to the eight
principal points of the Compass. These are laid
out to form the eight-sided figure called the Pa
Kua, which is used to interpret the favourable
and unfavourable locations, not just for
buildings as a whole but also house floor plans
and room layouts. The Feng Shui practitioner
will advise on the correct placement of objects
within each ‘mansion’ and will often advise on
colour. The Compass school may also use the
Flying Star system, which takes into account
the astrological significances (calculated
according to the Chinese system) of the time at
which the house was built.
The Chinese compass works in the reverse to
the Western way of thinking, with the South at
the top of the diagram. Just as with Western

astrology and magical systems, in Chinese
thought, each direction is focused on certain
important areas of life or significances. Each
compass point and trigram has its own
‘Mansion’ within which are held the energies of
that direction, to be drawn on or mitigated at
will by the able practitioner.
Above are the significances of each of the
eight trigrams. These are, in order, Family
Position, Element, Polarity, Colour, Season, Area
of Life (most important) and, finally, the Shape
which enhances the energy of that section.
Black Hat Sect School
This is a more modern version of Feng Shui
which has its roots not only in traditional Feng
Shui but also in Tibetan Buddhism and Taoism.
In this school, the Pa Kua (often called the Ba
Gua) is used, but it is based on the direction of
the front door of the building, rather than the

compass points. The house or room is divided
into eight sectors, similar to the Eight
Mansions, each one having a bearing on an
aspect of life that might need enhancing.
Shown opposite is a Pa Kua calculated for a
house that has recently been purchased. Using
Chinese astrological calculations, a ‘fit’ must be
found between the occupants’ life energy and
the energy of the house. There are four helpful
areas (Longevity, Prosperity, Health and
Excellent) and four unhelpful areas (Death,
Disaster, Irritation and Spooks – also known as
the ‘Six Curses’). The diagram has been drawn
in accordance with the Western method of
having south at the bottom of the diagram.
The energy of this house is very much in
accord with the birth date of one of the
occupants, yet there are certain problems
associated with it in that, for instance, the
kitchen is in the ‘Death’ area. This means that

either the kitchen must be moved, which is not
immediately practical, or certain changes must
be made within the area to minimize risk. There
is a toilet in the house within the ‘Spooks’ area,
but with a little thought this can be used to
keep the area clear – one simply remembers to,
quite literally, ‘flush away’ the negativity.
Presenting Feng Shui in such a simplistic
fashion in no way honours the art as it should
be. It is much too complex a subject for that,
and true practitioners will study for many
years to perfect their skill and reach the state of
Perfect Man. Feng Shui is one of the ways of the
philosophy known as Tao, which assists us to
remain in harmony with ourselves and the
environment.

ONE OF THE most important adjustments
that we can make as we begin to work
consistently with magic is to the
environment in which we live and to our own
personal space. As we reach an internal peace
we create tranquillity around us, but equally
our environment must nurture us. For the
practitioner this means understanding both our
living space and our own subtle aura – or
energy field – created by our own vitality.
Scientific discoveries that were made during
the 20th century mean that we are becoming
more and more aware of the constantly shifting
fields of energy through which we move in our
daily lives. Today we call them electromagnetic
fields and talk of ‘adjusting the flow’. This
concept of energy fields is by no means new,
however, because the fact that there was subtle
movement between the two polarities of yin
and yang (negative and positive) was
recognized as far back as 5,000 years ago in the

I Ching (The Book of Changes), which we shall
study in more depth later.
The art of Feng Shui gives an understanding of
these energies and movements, both tangible
and intangible; it is the art of correct placement.
Good Feng Shui practitioners will understand
the processes of transformation, both internal
and external, which can take place when we are
in tune with our environment and will do their
best to balance the external energies in a way
that is appropriate for the task in hand, whether
that is creating a harmonious home, a
productive working space or a healing vibration.
To understand the theory of Feng Shui we
must first redefine our understanding of
divination. Divination – in this case using the I
Ching and the hexagrams as a tool – means
being able to ascertain the most likely course of
events should we be able to adjust any or all of
the energies when we are out of balance. It
consists of working with the flow of essential
energy and making very subtle adjustments
when necessary, so that we approach the ideal
or the divine as closely as possible.
Feng Shui can have an effect on every aspect
of our lives. The way it is applied can be either
beneficial or detrimental (or both) to the way
we live and to the surrounding environment. It
is by no means a game or fad, but it is a way to
live in harmony with nature, as it is understood
in the Tao, so that the energy surrounding us
works for us rather than against us.
In the West, Feng Shui is not yet accepted as a
science, since its principles cannot yet be
proved by science – although it does require
mathematical calculation. Neither a religion, a
philosophy nor a belief system, it puts into
practice tools and techniques that enable us to
be as perfect as we can and remain so.
A system that has stood the test of time
naturally changes to keep pace with
knowledge, and it is unfortunate that the
superstitious ‘silly’ side of the wealth of
information available to practitioners of Feng
Shui has received so much publicity in recent
times. The judicious placing and use of mirrors,
wind-chimes of a certain type of material, or
crystals hung in windows do all enhance the
available energy, but only when carried out
according to strict laws of correspondence.