Confused About Feng Shui?
Download | Duration: 00:00:48
Have you read about Feng Shui but felt confused in the end? Yes, I've been there too so I know how it could be so easy to just put that book down and move on to something else. This is how feng shui came into my life and then once I saw the effects it made within my own space feng shui became a part of my business. Now I love sharing these simple techniques with others however so many are confused about the true meaning of feng shui. That's because since the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618-907) there have been three primary schools of feng shui but they all still work with the elements that surround each of us such as; water, wood, fire, earth, & metal.
Below you will find an explantaion about each school. Enjoy! Oh, and be sure to leave a comment about your first feng shui experience.
Let me explain a bit about each school:
Form School: This is the most ancient school of feng shui, dating back to the Chin Dynasty (AD 300). In agricultural times water for irrigation was of primary concern. Shapes were of great emphasis in one's surroundings based off the water flow to and from the site. The shapes are based on the mythical Chinese animal symbols within each of the four main compass directions.
Compass School: As people evolved and became more visually seperated from their cities they no longer needed visual reference to landforms. Thus, Compass School evolved from the Taoist and Form School teachings into a
formulation of complex calculations based on the individual's time of the birth and compass directions. Compass School was the first to develop the ba gua map, a pattern of arrangement transposed over a space. However, this is where the confusion comes in to play between Compass School & BTB. Compass School orients the ba gua to the points of the compass direction. Focusing on the alignment of the space with the stars and planets at time of birth.
BTB: Brought to America by Feng Shui Master Grand Master Lin Yun in the 1970's. Grand Master Lin Yun was the first Chinese feng shui master to teach Americans. He was also the religious leader of the Black Hat Sect of Tantric Buddhism, which gave name to "BTB feng shui". The Dalai Lama is the head of the other four nationally recognized hat sects. The ba gua is based on the main entrance of chi flow instead of compass direction. Grand Master Lin Yun's teachings differed from and added to classical feng shui.
Grand Master Lin Yun intermixed Chinese traditions and rituals with those from other cultures, including Buddhist teachings, Sharmanism, and Tibetan customs. He was the first to emphasize the "invisible" aspects of feng shui, introducing intention, the power of the mind, and the link between one's mind and one's physical environment. He taught his students how to use this link to manifest their intentions.
He integrated feng shui with Western Psychology, including Jung's theories of archetypes and a collective unconscious, and postmodern theories of the social construction of reality. Traditional feng shui concepts were interpreted into modern-day knowledge, including modern science, medicine, architecture, and ecology. BTB is often referred to as modern feng shui and integrates mundane and transcendental cures through the use of intention.
Grand Master Lin Yun based his feng shui recommendations on "reading the chi" of the person and the environment. He situated the ba gua on the main entrance, mouth of chi, rather than on compass directions. Major and minor adjustments are performed through placement of objects, visualization, symbolic cures, mantras, etc. He introduced the use of The Three Secrets.
What does BTB have in common with earlier teachings?
The theory of chi, directing chi flow through placement, Yin and Yang theory, five element theory, use of the I Ching and the practice of ba gua mapping.
When selecting a feng shui method or consultant for your space go with whatever method feels right or comfortable to you. Just remember that it's your space that nurtures your endeavors in life.
Awaken Your Space
Comments