1. What Is It?
In Chinese “Feng” means wind and “Shui” means water. But as Rising Dragon Feng Shui expert, Angela Ang – who had the dubious pleasure of auditing David Blaine’s London Bridge glass box – explains, although wind and water are key ingredients in Feng Shui study, it’s not all airy fairy abstract concepts.
“TV shows talk about Feng Shui and the flow of energy, Yin and Yang, blah blah, but what does that really mean? When I see the explanation of Feng Shui so crude and off the point, it makes me want to cry.”
“Feng Shui study means looking at what effect electro-magnetic forces, light waves, psychology, gravity and other such invisible forces have on life. The best definition of Feng Shui is the cause and effect of energies in the environment on you.”
Says Raymond Catchpole, chairman of the UK-based Feng Shui Society: “The underlying philosophy recognises that humans and their environment are sustained by an invisible, yet tangible, energy called ‘chi’. This may move like the wind to activate opportunities, but when frustrated by obstacles it can eddy like water to become trapped and stagnant.
“The skill of a feng shui consultant lies in recognising where chi is flowing freely, where it may be trapped or stagnant, and where it may be excessive. Recommendations for change and placement are made to help realise a harmonious re-balancing of yin and yang, the dark and light. They can be based on nine traditional cures, adapted for modern western use, involving light, sound, life, movement, stability, electricity, symbolism, colour and transcendental solutions, each and all as required.”
Every object, explains Angela, has an electro-magnetic field and – naturally enough – a building’s electro-magnetic is much bigger than a human’s electro-magnetic field.
She says: “Over time, the house’s bigger energy field will affect that of those who live in it. It will either be a positive connection which supports the bio-chemistry of the individual or it will clash with them. When the house has an energy that conflicts with the occupant, their electrical impulses get weakened, distorted, confused and even turned against them.”
2. What Are The Effects?
When bad feng shui is present, she says, people commonly self-sabotage – continue to do something they know they shouldn’t like eating junk food – experience sustained negative emotions, age quicker or sleep poorly.
Raymond says Feng shui principles may be applied geophysically or more superficially, to placement, design and decoration. “Every aspect of home, life, career and relationships is open to enhancement to facilitate the holistic development of the individual, their family or business by enhancing the immediate environment.”
Angela, who advises both businesses and householders, says a consultation involves mapping out the energies of the house and those of the occupants and ensuring the energy fields of both match. This doesn’t mean that a Feng Shui expert rip out all your furniture and make you paint rainbows and kittens on your wall though.
Says Angela: “Do you remember the advert where a Feng Shui consultant strips a young man of all his furnishings bar the beer fridge? Don’t panic, that was just humour! It’s not really like that in traditional Feng Shui! I only suggest new furniture if it is necessary. Though presentation and aesthetics are important, these represent just a superficial surface level. A beautiful house can still be dreadful energetically. I solve the energy problems so you can live a happier life and you can decorate according to your own tastes within the guidance I give.
“My job is not to redesign a home or to make it look like a studio for IKEA, it’s to find the energies causing the disruption to their neural and nervous system. Once we’ve got these, we try to remove or correct them. If that isn’t an option, we must move the client so as not to be exposed to them.”
“This is the real reason why movement of furniture is associated with Feng Shui – it’s not about creating a pretty room, although we always try and keep it tasteful. It’s about looking at the underlying invisible energies in the room and arranging things so people sit only where energy is good and avoid areas where the energy clashes with them.”
She says she normally chats with clients first to learn what it is they are looking to improve or remedy. “Different people have different priorities and so there’s no point creating more opportunities for romance if they want to stay single and its insomnia they’re having problems with.”
She then takes readings with her Lopan – a special type of compass for Feng Shui purposes – and after closely studying the inside and outside of a house, she maps out the energies on a floor plan. “I use colours and numbers on the map – it helps clients understand what I’m telling them better than if I write on it in technical Chinese jargon!” She says the most important thing to get right is where you sleep. ”Sometimes I have to get people to change rooms, other times they may need to rearrange their furniture so the bed is better placed.”
3. Top Tips
While mapping a household’s energy field and aligning someone with it takes years of study to develop, there are some simple guidelines one can use to yield smaller benefits…
Angela’s Top Tips…
Colours – use red with caution as it’s associated with promotion of argumentative energies.
Bedrooms – Best if square or rectangular. Don’t have bed facing the door directly. Avoid having beams, pipes, skylights or sloping ceilings above the bed. Keep the bedroom for sleep and romance only.
The living room – avoid placing the sofa in line with the door. Don’t put shelves above where you’ll sit. Keep well ventilated and Hoover often.
Breakages – fix anything that breaks quickly and properly.
Raymond’s Recommendations
Entrance – Front door should be large, with bright brass door furniture. Approach should be uncluttered. Planters on either side of the front door, or guardians such as lions or fu dogs, produce healthy chi.
Office/study – Avoid clutter. File it, deal with it or bin it. Desk should have good view of the door with solid wall behind. Avoid right-angled corners on the desk surface. Don’t have a window behind or so close you can be distracted. Curtains are preferable to roller blinds and horizontal slatted blinds. Go for uplighting not fluorescent light.
Dining room – Avoid excessively fiery colours. A round edged table is better than sharp corners and angles. Avoid pictures of dead animals, battles or sinking ships. Install mirrors where they can reflect the food.
Children’s bedrooms – Babies and youngsters need rectangular rooms and have their beds with head and one side against walls. Teenagers can have more adventurous irregularly shaped rooms. Don’t place beds under beams, sloping ceilings, shelves or cupboards. Avoid bunk beds, the bottom is cramped and the top insecure. Furniture should be rounded. Curtains are better than blinds. Have at least one big plant with soft leaves. Avoid aggressive pictures.
Bathroom – Decorate in strong Earth element colours. Soil pipes should be concealed. Mirrors should be large enough to reflect the space around an individual and the immediate image should not be divided or split as with mirror tiles or some cabinet doors.
Garden – Gentle curves produce gentle energy. Set aside special areas for children and a quieter spot to enhance relationships. Water, introduced under direction, and wildlife should be encouraged.