With an increasing public interest in Feng Shui, it is useful to understand the origins of authentic Feng Shui, which can be can be traced back for more than five thousand years.  Feng Shui was originally referred to as Kan Yu and has evolved over time to meet the changing needs of humanity in both rural and urban environments.

Contrary to popular belief Feng Shui is not a religion or superstition and nor is it confined only to Far Eastern cultures. For many years it has been used successfully in the West and today even hardnosed Dragon’s Den entrepreneurs acknowledge its effectiveness.

Common sense and observation
This fascinating art and science originated in rural China when farmers relied upon a successful relationship with nature to ensure their survival. Not dissimilar to today’s biodynamic farmers, they studied the landscape, seasons, weather and lunar cycles to try to understand the environment they inhabited. They observed how the rivers changed course and the impact of their rates of flow, the quality the sun’s heat, which areas of land were saturated, fertile or parched. Most importantly they recorded the reason why these different conditions arose and how the influences of time played a dominant role. It soon became clear that people could choose to align to the patterns of heaven and earth rather than be in conflict. In modern times, the visionary Green movement has been similarly educating people about our interdependency with the planet and our very ability to survive.

Feng Shui City Planning
The farmers’ Feng Shui knowledge guided them in how to build their homes in the best positions, facing the most beneficial directions. They chose the best locations for their crops where they were most likely to have high yields. Cities were planned in accordance with the same principles and prospered greatly where there was plentiful water (estuaries, harbours, rivers) and good protection in the form of mountains and hillsides.   

Astronomy and Astrology
Word reached monks and scholars of the practical wisdom of the rural folk, so they travelled far and wide to dialogue with the farmers and exchange notes and compare their knowledge of astronomy and astrology, gained from the privilege of education. They blended the practical and technical skills and the Imperial rulers of China started to apply Feng Shui to enhance the fortunes of their empires. They understood its power and employed masters in various styles of Feng Shui, such as Ba Chop, Sam Hap, Sam Yuan and Yuen Hom to protect their empire by choosing the best land for the ruler’s palace, the best burial sites for their ancestry and the most opportune and auspicious times for their ruler to take action in order to increase the likelihood of success. This ensured that the ruler fulfilled the mandate of Heaven and continued to reign over and protect the people.

Modern Application of Feng Shui
The skeptic of Feng Shui is prone to ask how a mountain shape or flow of a river can be relevant to someone living in a flat in the inner city? Once you understand Feng Shui principles, you know that it can be applied to mostly any situation because it is the study of energy movement, so it is very dynamic. Once you understand life force energy you can see it at work in all manner of ways – known as ki in Japan, Prana in India and Orgone in the West, this invisible life energy permeates and interconnects everything. Even quantum scientists are proving what the ancients have always known – that our world is interconnected.

Today many people live in crowded, urban environments where the pace of life is a lot quicker than in the past. Can we still apply these ancient geocentric principles to discover if our environments are beneficial or harmful? In Feng Shui various techniques are used to ‘diagnose’ our environments and determine which approach suits best.  Here are a few of those techniques and considerations used in a consultation:

Form School
The shapes within our environment affect the way chi or life-force energy behaves. In analysing the form of your surroundings a skilled Feng Shui practitioner will be able to apply ancient principles to interpret the modern urban or rural features of a property.  For example, a road is considered a type of ‘river’ and an aerial view of a neighbourhood can give some interesting insights into the fortunes of its inhabitants. Form accounts for 60%-70% of the influences on a property.  The way chi (vital energy) flows through the interior of a property is also considered part of Form School theory. Good ‘Form’ is always given high priority.

Compass School
A building is like a human body. It has a ‘mouth’ (the main door), eyes (windows), heart (often the kitchen) and a spine (the back of the property). It also has a constitutional footprint, which is determined by the Ba Chop method and the relationship between the orientation of the building and the main front door.

The influence of time on a building is likened to its ‘acute’ state, and this is where Flying Star comes in. Flying (i.e. moving over time) Stars are calculated to reveal the cosmic conditions affecting the building during a certain period of time.  Within each year and month further refinements can be made to those calculations.

Geopathic Stress Detection
The assessment of underground waterways, energy courses and grave site location is part of Yin Feng Shui and there are only a handful of truly skilled practitioners in the world. Geopathic stress is a disturbance in the natural resonance of the earth (7.5 – 8 Hz) causing a vibration of energy in a building that is uncomfortable for the occupants.  Over time, it can cause insomnia, irritability, fatigue, ME and in some cases severe illnesses such as cancer and leukaemia.  In certain situations Feng Shui remedies are far more effective once the geopathic stress has been dealt with.  Interestingly, Gypsies and people with nomadic lifestyles rarely suffer from cancer, as they are never exposed for long enough to any harmful concentrations of earth-born radiation.

Many practitioners can also dowse for negative or ‘black’ streams and underground water and locate the positive or ‘white’ streams, in order to advise on placement of beds and desks.  In the case where beds and desks cannot be moved out of the sick energy lines, geopathic stress neutralisers can be installed.

Space Clearing
Space clearing is related to Feng Shui, but is a separate subject in its own right. Special herbs and resins are burned in a ceremonial and focused way to cleanse the property of ‘predecessor chi’, stagnant energy and negative atmospheres. This is especially recommended in old homes or premises that have been lying empty or have witnessed divorces or deaths. It is also ideal to space-clear a home before you move in.

Horoscope
“Millionaires don’t use astrology….Billionaires do!”  J P Morgan
An often overlooked area of Feng Shui is how an individual’s birth date relates to the property they inhabit, and how their Ba Zi (Four Pillars) horoscope may be impacting them at the time of their consultation. Knowledge of this very accurate astrology certainly helps a Feng Shui practitioner to make more informed recommendations to help their client. Another popular astrology is 9 Star Ki, which is very basic and while not as powerful it can still be useful for some situations.

Date Selection
Timing is everything. Feng Shui experts consult the 10000 Year Calendar and the Chinese Tung Sing Almanac to decipher nature’s cycles and find particularly auspicious days suitable for marriage, launching a business, having a press party, moving home, stock market trading etc. etc.

Different Types of Feng Shui Consultant

“Pop” Feng Shui consultants
This type of consultant has a limited offering comparable to a ‘microwave’ version of Feng Shui, rather than ‘oven-roasted’! They can charge lower fees because they are offering only very basic astrology and very basic Feng Shui. Usually they have trained via an unaccredited correspondence course, which can be suitable for some aspects of training, but inevitably lacks depth and subtlety. This type of consultants will encourage you to turn your home into a Chinese supermarket by offering you various items such as paired ducks, money toads, wind chimes and bamboo flutes. If that’s what you want, then go for it.

Intuitive Feng Shui Consultants
Intuition is valid, but the only problem with relying solely on intuition or channelling is that the consultant might have an ‘off’ day or be more immersed in their own issues and feelings than those of the client. There are some good intuitive practitioners but it usually works best when complemented with some technical training.

Clutter Clearers
Contrary to many claims, this is not part of Feng Shui, but is simply common sense. By all means pay for the valuable services of a professional organiser, but beware those Feng Shui consultants who list decluttering as one of their main skill-sets or an integral part of Feng Shui – this usually indicates a lack of classical Feng Shui training and over-reliance on intuitive skills which are highly subjective.

Classically trained – the real thing
These consultants have spent years training under the careful guidance of a master in person, not on a distance learning course. Intuition is still used in part but it is developed over time with experience and research and balanced with technical skills. No need to use trinkets as good Feng Shui should be felt and not seen. Trained in advanced Chinese Ba Zi horoscope, advanced Form and advanced Flying Star systems these consultants charge more because they deliver more.

Like any industry there are star performers and cowboys – it is hard to know how to select a good consultant; however, Feng Shui Agency and Chue Foundation consultants are a very safe option.

BENEFITS OF FENG SHUI

Used intelligently and professionally, Feng Shui can positively influence your life by approximately 30%. This 30% boost can help you sleep better, feel more positive, communicate better, feel healthier and remove energy blockages so that you can more easily be successful in your highest purpose. It is not a cure-all, but it is a valid discipline which has helped millions of people in many cultures over thousands of years.

About the author:
Master Sarah McAllister BA FSSA is an established Feng Shui practitioner of 12 years standing and a teacher of Chue style Feng Shui.  She is also founder director of the London based  Feng Shui Agency, and is an active member of the International Research Committee of the Chue Foundation, an international non-profit Feng Shui research organisation. Her business clients range from sole traders to FTSE listed multinationals and property developers, and she takes on a wide variety of residential work from studio flats to penthouse suites and new builds. For details of Sarah’s UK and international consultancy work or courses visit www.fengshuiagency.com, or contact her on Tel: +44 (0)844 848 4099. E-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   You can follow Sarah’s free tips and news on www.twitter.com/FengShuiAgency or Facebook and view her blog at www.fengshuiagency.com/blog