In this opening article of the series, I shall try to show
you the depth of the connections that Feng Shui has with the
philosophies which grew up around it. Feng Shui should never
be studied in isolation, but seen as an integral part of Eastern
Philosophy-all of which is bound deeply in Eugneics, trying,
by various methods to improve the human condition. It is important
to lay deep and strong foundations before building up your
knowledge of practical Feng Shui applications. It will all
be worth it! At the end of these articles, you will see all
of the connections and thus be able to explain why Feng Shui
is like it is, and be able to demonstrate in simple terms
its symbols and metaphors to the most skeptical. Incidentally,
Feng Shui is like the Law of Gravity, in that you do not have
to believe in it for it to work. It just is! It just does!
So, to understand Feng Shui, it is essential to know a little
about the philosophies surrounding it. Taoism, Tai Chi , Meditation,
Buddhism and Shinto. Much confusion can be caused if you do
not study these basic traditions. From them,their rituals
and their thinking, it becomes obvious what Feng Shui is and
how it should be treated. Taken in isolation, Feng Shui can
be seen as just the ramblings of superstitious minds,when
in fact it is much, much more. This will be made clear through
these articles and by the end of them you will even more fascinated
by Feng Shui.
At the end of these articles, you will know a great deal
more about Feng Shui , how and why it works and how to apply
it to your own and, to your friends lives. So, be patient
and learn about its background before you actually tackle
the applications of Feng Shui itself.
The particularly strong characteristics of the earth science
known as Feng Shui lie deeply within the ancient Chinese philosophy
known as Taoism, but it also has certain connections with
Confucianism as well as Buddhism and Japanese Shinto. Feng
Shui also links across to Vashtu Shastra in India and even
has connections with Native American Questing and Space Clearing
as well as Ancient Egyptian mythology with wild touches of
the Knights Templar, Freemasonry, Celtic traditions and mystic
Hebrew! Quite a mixture. It also has strong echoes through
the Eastern martial arts, in particular Tai Chi and the exercise
regime of Chi Kung.
Taoism, pronounced Dowism is a name which has been applied
to a kind of naturistic religion and a number of schools of
philosophy found in Ancient China. It should be said however
that before Taoism, pictures of animals and symbols connected
with Feng Shui have been found which date back into prehistory.
This pictures include the twelve astrological animals.
The actual term Taoism was not used until the Han dynasty
in the 2nd century AD. Its main beliefs and rituals had merged
into the main concept of the Tao as being the unity behind
the multiplicity of things. The Tao is the way, the nothingness
from which all things are created to take part in becoming
and unbecoming - the constant whirl of life, surrounded by
the vibrational energies given off by all things,known as
"Chi" It is interesting to note that becoming and
unbecoming fits very well into the basic theories of Quantum
Physics, i.e., nothing stays the same - and with the working
of the electromagnetic fields around the earth known as the
Van Allen Belts [which were only discovered in 1958!]
From Tao, nothingness came Yin and Yang, opposites which
attract, from Yin and Yang developed the five elements---Earth,
Water, Fire, Metal and Wood. From the five elements came the
10,000 things, ie - everything else. So, everything is a part
of the Tao, the oneness, the tapestry of life and everything
is built up from yin/yang - opposites, trying to become each
other - female/male and from a mixture of the five elements.
It is these basic ingredients which form the chi,flowing in
from all the Compass directions, used in Feng Shui, colourfully
known as the dragons breath.
Taoism is thought to be the philosophy of Lao Tzu who, some
sources say, was born in South China in 604BC. It may well
be however, that he did not really exist and that the philosophy
of Taoism, like Feng Shui, came from a group of learned sages
and masters. There are many stories connected with Lao Tzu,
saying that he and the Buddha were the same person and that
Lao Tzu was born at the age of eighty! What a pregnancy that
must have been!!!!! His name is important and that the plum
tree and plum blossom, used in Feng Shui remedies have connections
with him. Lao Tzu, or the group of sages known as Lao Tzu,
wrote the book called The Tao Teh Ching, which tells of the
nature of life in harmony with the universe. It is a book
which brings together many of the concepts of Taoism and Feng
Shui as well as the broad beliefs of Buddhism and Shinto.
But remember, Feng Shui had already existed, probably back
into prehistoric times, from human beings watching nature
and working out his/her connections with it. Feng Shui had
been used in the siting of gravesites to protect them from
fengíwindí and shuiíwater. For the luck
of the living family to be good, the gravesite of their ancestors
had to be protected from being windswept or flooded. Feng
Shui , pronounced Fung Schway[or Fong Choy], was brought into
the philosophy of Taoism and became part of the way of life
for the Ancient Chinese. It was not a Sunday religion, but
very much a practical way of organising your environment and
life. The arts of Feng Shui in the environment surrounding
humans, were also used in the internal environment of the
human body through Chinese medicine, especially acupuncture.
In my study of Taoism and Feng Shui, particularly the writings
of Kristofer Schipper, I have been amazed by the many rituals
of Taoism in which the human body is referred to as a land,
a natural environment, with rivers and mountains, its chi
energy helped by Tai Chi, acupuncture and other forms of medicine
and exercise. Feng Shui and Taoism, then later on, Buddhism,
also blended with the way of martial arts, particularly Kung
Fu . Feng Shui is this concerned with the chi of the inner
and outer landscapes.
In the next part of these articles,
I will look at Feng Shui influences through tai chi and meditation.
In the meantime, i suggest you read or dip into any of the
following book.
Part 1: The Origins of Feng Shui
Part
2: Feng Shui influences through tai chi and meditation
Part
3: The Roots of Feng Shui
Part
4: Feng Shui and how you can use it
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