Six thousand years ago in ancient China a practice was hidden from the public. It brought wealth and happiness to the lives of the people who controlled the chi energy. Chi is described as invisible energy, “life’s breath or energy that binds life together” (“The Ancient” par. 1). Only the masters and the wealthy knew about the practice but, after 3,000 years of it being hidden from the public it was no longer contained in China but was moving westward (Shen 6). This practice that controls your attitude, luck and emotions is known as feng shui. Previously, feng shui was named Kan-Yu, Kan meaning “heaven’s way” or study of the universe and Yu meaning “earth’s way” or study of earth. Another name for feng shui was the Qing Wu Method, which means the “way of the sun and earth” (Shen 11). Many people today spend thousands of dollars to involve feng shui into their living and work space to remove stress from themselves; many people also look for it in existing homes before they live in them (“New” par. 2). Recently, this practice was getting popular with stressed Europeans, Canadians, and Americans who wanted to bring harmony to their life (Shen 22). Involving feng shui into homes or an office allows energy to flow freely through the space which harmonizes the environment, causes positive emotions, and increases personal prosperity.
Feng shui is the “art of placement” (Shen 6). Arrangements of furniture and plants and the locations of water and lighting can make significant effects on the space and allow the energy move in freely (Shen 5). When determining where to place objects a good rule to follow is curves allows energy to move gradually. If furniture is going in a straight line to a certain area the chi will move to quickly. Curves resemble nature where the chi energy moves gradually in no certain direction (“The Ancient” 4). Feng shui is influenced by three main religions: Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism; these religions structured feng shui on making it how it is today. Taoism values nature, Buddhism teaches that all things are connected and Confucianism’s ideas of respect for the dead.
Chi energy and Yin and Yang are the foundations of feng shui. Yin and yang combine active and passive, when the two parts are added together they balance each other, if there is too much yin in a space then it gives off bad energy that can cause unpleasing moods (“The Ancient” 2). The term ‘yin and yang’ was created during the Zhou dynasty, 1,046 - 256 BC in China, which was described as “opposites that depend on each other” (Shen 8). When evenly distributing opposites like hard surfaces with soft it achieves visual balance. Changing up the textures, colors and proportions with furniture, flooring and light sources will create a sense of harmony. Interior designers and architects can help with feng shui even if they have not studied the practice because the have knowledge of visual flow and portion making the space more feng shui...
