Feng Shui Practice

What Comes First?

Even if you only know a little about Feng Shui you will already be aware of the immense importance the Five Elements and their three cycles has on your practice.  They permeate each and every one of the various formulas and also have a bearing on Chinese Astrology and BaZi (Four Pillars) Destiny.

Just to reiterate;  The Five Elements are: Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal; The Three Cycles are: Productive, Exhaustive and Controlling (also known as Destructive.

So when you begin purposefully using the principles of Feng Shui which of the three cycles associated with the Five Elements should you be using first?

What comes first, the producing, exhausting or controlling element?

“That very much depends on your environment.”

The first original formula of Feng Shui is known as the San He Formula  or Landscape Feng Shui.

This investigates the external surroundings of your home and its immediate vicinity.  It is used to determine good and bad locations for homes, offices and (in Yin Feng Shui) the most auspicious location for a burial site.

Feng Shui practice therefore points to knowing your neighbourhood and identifying the good, bad and the ugly.

The best indoor Feng Shui in the world will mean little if you have negative energies bombarding you from outside, particularly towards your front door. 

Spend time outside looking around you; take photographs to make sure you don’t miss anything.  Sometimes there is something you take for granted, and pay little attention to, which can in fact represent negative Qi. The next thing is to use a good quality compass and find out the ‘facing direction’ of your front door.  Is this negative Qi (poison arrow) directly facing your front door?   It is important to neutralise any external afflictions before doing anything else.

When these afflictions or poison arrows are pointing directly at your main door, it is necessary to counter their effects to improve the quality of the Qi entering your home to prevent  negative results such as loss, misfortune and illness befalling the residents.

Destructive Cycle of the Five Elements

When using the Controlling Cycle we are not actually destroying anything, it is more that we are seeking to ‘control’ or ‘block’ rather than ‘destroy.’  Therefore, when you identify a serious affliction and which direction it is coming from, this is one of the few times the Controlling Cycle of the Five Elements is recommended.

However, it is not a black and white situation. There are things to consider before placing a remedy.

Your Home and Garden

 How much outdoor space do you have?

If you only have a small garden space or none at all, in front of your home your options will be limited. 

Will you solve one issue to create another?

If you place a structure, such as a tree or a wall, in front of your main door to deflect a poison arrow, you may inadvertently be blocking any positive Qi Energy from entering your home?

As an example:  If you decide building a high brick wall is the answer to an affliction coming from the North it will not benefit you if your outdoor space is limited.  It will be as though you have a mountain confronting you. It will block any Energy and opportunities from entering your home and cause an excess of Yin Energy indoors.  This will create illness, lethargy and lack of motivation for all members of the family.

If you plant a large tree too close to your home to counter an affliction coming from the Southwest or the Northeast you will drain any Yang Energy from your home and block Energy, creativity and light from entering.

To the fulfillment of your dreams

LynC

www.abundance-chi.com

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Feng Shui-Yin and Yang-Metal

In Feng Shui Flying Stars formula, the numbers (or stars) around the Lo-Shu Grid 'fly' from sector to sector over varying time periods.  Each of the nine numbers in the Grid also represent one of the Five Elements with either a Yin or a Yang polarity.  These elements influence each other in a productive, exhaustive or a controlling cycles.

So how does Metal, with its Yin and Yang polarities, fit into the picture of Feng Shui?

Unlike the elements of Water, Wood, Fire and Earth, Metal has no life of its own.  Earth nurtures and protects Metal hence 'Earth produces Metal' is part of the productive cycle of the Five Elements. 

Metal is a hard and unyielding element and its Qi is sharp and inwardly piercing.  This piercing energy is what makes Metal the controlling element of Wood.  Wood Qi is an expanding and growing energy that can be destroyed when it is negatively affected by the Metal element.  This is not the physical element of Wood or Metal, it is a type of Qi.  When Metal Qi 'flies' into a Wood sector - the East or the Southeast - it can inflict its negative forces on the energy of these areas.

To control Metal Qi Fire energy is necessary.  No Metal can change its natural form until it has been super-heated to a liquid state, at which time it becomes malleable and able to be transformed into its many recognisable forms.

What do you think of when you visualise Yang Metal?  Yang Metal is the iron and steel that is sculpted into anything from hand-held tools to machinery, bridges, aircraft, cars and the internal structure of buildings.  All the things that makes much of our modern world function.  This is the Yang side of Metal.

For those born in a Yang Metal year it indicates an upright, forthright individual who is able to withstand difficulty and suffering.  Someone who will not crumble at the first sign of stress.  Their weakness is a lack of flexibility; they can be rigid and unbending just like Yang Metal. 

In contrast, Yin Metal such as silver, gold and platinum is a rarer, valuable and valued commodity which is fashioned into solid bars, coins and fine jewellery.  As well as being used as a means of exchange for goods and services, it is also a symbol of prosperity and desire.  Alone, or combined with the gemstones of the Earth element, fine jewellery is a luxury widely sought by people the world over.  Going back thousands of years and still in our modern era, jewellery is regarded a symbol of wealth, status and power; remember the jewellery associated with Tutankhamun; the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom monarchy.

Those born in a Yin Metal year tend to have a showy nature and they love to be the centre of attraction.  They like to be seen and will react badly if they think they are being ignored.  A Yin Metal person may appear superficial and attention seeking however they are also sentimental and value their friends.  What you see is what you get with Yin Metal people, there is little hidden depth to their nature.

To the fulfillment of your dreams

LynC

www.abundance-chi.com

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Feng Shui-Yin and Yang-Wood and Earth

Wood is the only living element in the Five Elements of Feng Shui.  Its energy (Qi) radiates growth and expansion and brings new life.  What is it that nurtures that life?  Earth.  It is the sustaining element of life.  Its Qi expands outward to embrace all living things. 

Earth is one of the trinity of Heaven, Earth and Mankind each of which influences one-third of our life on this planet we call home.  Within Earth is the practice of Feng Shui; it is where we live in the world; how we use what is available in the natural environment to allow us to live in harmony.  Earth is a storehouse of riches; it hides crystals, minerals and metals until man finds a way to harvest and use them to improve life in a multitude of ways.

In the Controlling Cycle of the Five Elements Wood is said to control Earth.  How does the Wood element 'control' the Earth element?  How do the Yin and Yang characteristics determine the effectiveness of this control?

Yang Wood are the trees that grow straight and tall; they seek the warmth and light of the sun.  This would not be possible without a base that allows it to send roots deep down and outward.   Do these trees grow on Yang Earth?  Yang Wood sends its roots deep to give it the strength and stability to grow strong and true.  Can it do this in Yang Earth? 

Yang Earth represents mountains and large rocks; it is unyielding, unmoving and protective.  It is not without reason that the Earth is also known as Mother Earth, Gaia, who nurtures and sustains us.  In the Eight Mansions formula of Feng Shui the Southwest is an Earth element location and it is also the location of Kun, the ultimate Yin, the nurturing mother figure of the family.

Like Kun, Yin Earth is the soft and yielding soil and the sand beneath our feet.  It is the Yin Earth that gives life to our trees.  Yang Wood relies on Yin Earth to give it life.  By providing this life Yin Earth becomes weakened when the roots of the trees push their way down and out; it makes the Earth prone to sinking and movement.  Even in an urban setting the roots of trees will find a way to expand and grow.

Yin Wood is flowers, vines and plants grown to feed us.  They are flexible and will bend with the wind; they 'go with the flow.'  Like Yang Wood, does Yin Wood rely on Yin Earth?  Mostly it does, but seeds carried by the wind and by birds and animals are often dropped into the crevices between Yang Earth rocks and boulders and somehow they find the means to root and grow, bringing life and colour to a harsh environment.  This also feeds birds and animals who choose to live in such inaccessible places.  Succulents, both large and small, find a way to thrive in the heat and dryness of the Yin Earth of a desert.  Plants will always find a way of living in apparently harsh and inaccessible situations, whether it is Yang or Yin Earth.

Earth is both a support and a provider.  Without it life as we know it would not exist.  Its Qi spreads sideways  allowing the growing and expanding Qi of the Wood element to thrive, whatever the circumstances.

To the fulfillment of your dreams

LynC

www.abundance-chi.com

Enjoying our posts?  Register with Google+ Google Friend Connect to follow.

Visit http://www.abundance-chi.com to discover more about Feng Shui

Feng Shui-Yin and Yang-Fire and Water

In the practice of Feng Shui when looking at the Five Elements, Yin and Yang and the Controlling Cycle, we are not necessarily talking about the physical aspects of these elements.  It is their essence, the interpretation of their energetic meaning that we are considering.

So exactly how does the Controlling Cycle (sometimes also called the Destructive Cycle) work in the concept of the Five Elements?  How does it work when Yin and Yang are taken into account?

It has to be remembered that Yin is not the 'poor relation' in the Yin/Yang partnership.  It is not weaker or less effective than its Yang counterpart, it only has different characteristics needed to help understand the duality of all things.

Yang and Yin are both necessary to make sense of this place we call home.  It is the duality of forces required to create balance and allow Qi to grow - they foster life - foster growth - foster balance.

Let us take a look at the opposites of Water and Fire.  They both have Yin and Yang features. 

Yang Water is the sea and the rivers; it is large bodies of moving water.  Yin Water is raindrops, snowflakes and condensation; it is mist and fog all of which has an impermanent and restless nature.  All Water is part of our natural world.  In Feng Shui Water signifies flow; the flow of Qi that influences and shapes our environment, the flow of intellect within each one of us.

Yang Fire is the bright ball of sunshine in the sky.  It is a Fire that warms, sustains and makes us feel good; it is a roaring fire.  Yin Fire is a candle flame and the embers of a fire; it is torchlight and the headlights on our vehicles.  It can also be represented by vivid and colourful fireworks, bright when lit but short-lived.   The Yang Fire of the sun is a natural gift from the Universe.  With the exception of the sun, our constant companion, Fire is an element that has to be created.  In Feng Shui Fire signifies expansion; it signifies being seen and being in the spotlight.  In a corporate or entertainment environment it can bring fame and recognition to the individual, helping them ascend  in their chosen field.   

In the Controlling Cycle of the Five Elements Water controls Fire.  It is Water that is used to extinguish a flame and manage Fire.  But which Water?  Is it Yin or Yang Water?

Imagine the sun.  Yang Water can not influence the power of the sun however looking at Yin Water its effect is more profound.  Rain or snow clouds, mist or fog masks the sun hiding it from view.  Yin Water will extinguish the flame of a candle yet the Yin Fire of a torch or car headlights will penetrate the mist to light the way and provide reassurance in the darkness.

While opposing each other around the compass, with Water being the element of the North and Fire being the element of the South, there are certain circumstances when they can work together in harmony.

Fire and Water can combine for mutual benefit.  In equal proportions they produce steam, a powerful element that is used to power machinery, engines, generators, turbines and smaller items such as household irons.

To the fulfillment of your dreams

LynC

www.abundance-chi.com