It's almost impossible to go through a day anymore without hearing something somewhere about 'feng shui' (which is actually pronounces "fung schway," don't ask). Little strings of coins, bamboo plants, and bells all come with tags saying that they will bring 'good feng shui' into your home. So, what is good feng shui? For that matter, what is feng shui?
Well, feng shui is a Chinese art going back about 3,000 years, around the same time acupuncture, the I Ching, and Taoism were developed (it was a big millennium in China, lots of new stuff going on). Feng shui is actually based on Taoism, and is a combination of philosophy, school of design and world view. Basically, feng and shui mean wind and water, two things that in China are thought to bring good fortune. In English, anything that brings good fortune has started to be called 'good feng shui' and anything that discourages good fortune, 'bad feng shui;' which must sound very strange to any Chinese speakers who hear it. Some Taoist practitioners in China 3,000 years ago started creating some ideas about how to design a home, or a pick a grave site, or build a government building in ways that all the things that would bring good fortune would be included.
This theory initially had nothing to do with actual interior design. Rather, it focused the placement of structures and buildings. What direction the exterior door faced, whether there was a river, or a mountain, or geographic point of interest in the area, and the architecture of the building were all relevant questions. Recently, a new school of thought developed in feng shui, called the black hat school. The black hat school of feng shui takes the philosophy and world view of classic feng shui, and moves it inside the house.
Traditionally, having a stand of bamboo near your property was said to encourage prosperity. So, the black hat school, when things like having a small bamboo tree in the house became possible, determined that having bamboo in a room would bring prosperity to that part of the house (which is why bamboo is good feng shui in an office). Other concepts in black hat feng shui are that a person sitting at a desk should not have their back to the room, and that furniture in a room should not be pushed right up against the walls.
It is crucial to recall how intimately feng shui is tied to Taoist theory and the overall Chinese world view. Understanding these myriad ideas and concpets takes time and dedication. Indeed, only the black hat school is widely taught or practiced outside of China. However, taking the time to learn about feng shui and its core philosophies and could have positive ramifications in one's personal and professional life. - 15252
Well, feng shui is a Chinese art going back about 3,000 years, around the same time acupuncture, the I Ching, and Taoism were developed (it was a big millennium in China, lots of new stuff going on). Feng shui is actually based on Taoism, and is a combination of philosophy, school of design and world view. Basically, feng and shui mean wind and water, two things that in China are thought to bring good fortune. In English, anything that brings good fortune has started to be called 'good feng shui' and anything that discourages good fortune, 'bad feng shui;' which must sound very strange to any Chinese speakers who hear it. Some Taoist practitioners in China 3,000 years ago started creating some ideas about how to design a home, or a pick a grave site, or build a government building in ways that all the things that would bring good fortune would be included.
This theory initially had nothing to do with actual interior design. Rather, it focused the placement of structures and buildings. What direction the exterior door faced, whether there was a river, or a mountain, or geographic point of interest in the area, and the architecture of the building were all relevant questions. Recently, a new school of thought developed in feng shui, called the black hat school. The black hat school of feng shui takes the philosophy and world view of classic feng shui, and moves it inside the house.
Traditionally, having a stand of bamboo near your property was said to encourage prosperity. So, the black hat school, when things like having a small bamboo tree in the house became possible, determined that having bamboo in a room would bring prosperity to that part of the house (which is why bamboo is good feng shui in an office). Other concepts in black hat feng shui are that a person sitting at a desk should not have their back to the room, and that furniture in a room should not be pushed right up against the walls.
It is crucial to recall how intimately feng shui is tied to Taoist theory and the overall Chinese world view. Understanding these myriad ideas and concpets takes time and dedication. Indeed, only the black hat school is widely taught or practiced outside of China. However, taking the time to learn about feng shui and its core philosophies and could have positive ramifications in one's personal and professional life. - 15252
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If you're interested in taking a basic feng shui course, make sure you enroll in a thorough and reputable feng shui school.
