There are many instances where Feng Shui practitioners describe the qi (air currents, energy flow or energy patterns) as being “confused” by certain aspects of the environment. While I have described countless examples of how we can direct or re-direct qi flow, I personally have not used the word “confused” to describe what happens to qi when the environment becomes uncomfortable, chaotic or the impact turns negative.
Qi also gets frequently described as “energy,” when it is more so the supplier of energy. Shen Qi describes an environment where the energy is balanced and conducive to good health, while sha qi describes a situation where the energy could be harmful to good health and well-being. But in this case, is the qi confused? I would say not. Not anymore than the Sun can be confused. Qi knows what to do and where to go. It’s people and structures that may prevent the ideal qi flow, not the qi itself.
I liken this to the soul, which is pure and eternal. But a lower state of consciousness or an ego may force the soul to be in a position where its journey of evolution is sabotaged or misdirected for some period of time. Then again, all things happen for a reason. But I digress.
When a feng shui practitioner says the qi is “confused,” they may really just be describing a circumstance where the smooth flow of qi has been interrupted by a human or by a physical object or structure. Example:
Sloped ceilings and exposed beams will not allow for the smoothest flow of qi in a bedroom along the walls and ceilings and could undermine quality of sleep. The person then becomes “confused” or disturbed, and not the qi.
A house with such odd architecture and disjointed lay-out of rooms that you don’t know which is the front and which is the back. This also confuses the human, not the qi. It might be like not knowing where to enter a car and which way to drive.
A place so filled with clutter that a person (or the qi flow) is halted and there is no clear path for which way to move through the space. This confuses the human, not the qi. The qi can sit there and stagnate and just become sha qi.
A floor plan design that does not capitalize on its natural potential for sunlight, such as having a bedroom that is too bright (yang) and a living room that is too dark (yin). Once again, the human is on the receiving end of this environment and could become irritated, depressed, or “confused.” The qi is just the qi.
Qi has a tendency to move in predictable ways, such as the way water will choose to move downward unless intentionally re-directed. Qi has an intelligence and knows when to contract or expand in relation to the human(s) it is involved with. And therefore, NOT easily “confused.”
As an example: Let us say that a business takes up 1,000 square feet of space in a bigger building. The business is doing so well, they need to expand their physical space. The business takes over the next suite and doubles in size. The Qi knows this and when the expansion takes place, the Qi for the business superimposes its directional ‘influence” specific to that business into the new space, knowing that it belongs to that business and not to the former occupants of the newly acquired space.
The Qi is not confused; it is the human that suffers when they knowingly or unknowingly corrupt the natural good flow of qi. Similarly, if a human ignores their health long enough, the body will send little signals that something is off: headaches, shortness of breath, a fever, etc. The human body qi is alerting the person that something needs to change or be addressed. Like a body out of balance, sometimes we don’t know that the outer environment is off-kilter until it’s been going on for a while, or if there are compounding influences.
One of the goals in Feng Shui is to address these flaws as soon as possible, so that they do not cause harm. Ultimately, we like to see those flaws never exist in the first place and that is why Feng Shui knowledge in the design phase is so advantageous.
Author: Kartar Diamond
Company: Feng Shui Solutions ®
From the Feng Shui Theory Blog Series
