Article writers often create Top Ten Lists and Tip Sheets as a way of communicating some basic information to readers. I have written my fair share of “Tips” articles as well, but when it comes to Feng Shui, many of the generic “Tips” just do not apply to everyone and are so simple that they do not convey anything special about this mystical tradition called Feng Shui. With generic Top Ten Lists, I usually get reduced to making common sense recommendations, which do not illustrate at all how unique and powerful an authentic audit can be. Examples of generic and common sense tips might be such as the following:
1. Avoid clutter, keep your house tidy and organized.
2. Avoid chronically dark spaces: use artificial light when there is not enough natural light.
3. Don’t live on a noisy, high trafficked street.
4. Sleep with your head against a solid wall and not near low windows.
5. Avoid sleeping with your body aligned directly with a door.
6. Don’t sleep under exposed beams.
7. Don’t buy a house where the front door is aligned directly with a back door.
With the seven generic tips listed above, some of them relate to a concept called Qi Flow. Qi Flow is a big topic which deals with the when, where, how and why of energy movement and air currents. Other tips come from an understanding of Yin-Yang Theory, which concerns the polarity of extremes or comparative environments, such as between hot and cold or dark and light. And some of these tips are examples of BOTH Qi Flow and Yin-Yang Theory.
I happen to love the aspects of this predictive art which are not obvious and which require serious study and calculations. This is why I often describe a house based on when it was built in combination with its magnetic compass alignment. This is the essence of Feng Shui as Space-Time theory. For example, in a house built in the 1950’s which faces northeast, it is in a phase (until 2024) which can undermine the financial success of the occupants. Who would now without doing a calculation? It is nothing you can see by looking at a house.
Over the years I have written many articles outlining major concepts, in hopes that the reader will enjoy a broader perspective on the subject, which truly does give way to “tips” when a person intelligently draws their own conclusions. For example, once you become aware of some broader concepts for what constitutes good or bad Feng Shui, it is the compounding influences which may actually manifest as a good or bad experience in that same house.
Another reason why my catalogue of internet articles focuses on concepts is because there is a tremendous amount of misinformation, dare I say “disinformation,” which has to be countered and the only way to confront it all is by dispensing solid theory. Otherwise, the on-line arguments may just end up frustrating readers with the barrage of contradictory tips, not knowing who to believe. Do you really have to keep your house neat and tidy all the time for good Feng Shui? No….
We also have to be wary of tips which are not generic at all, but so specific that they can actually frighten people. (Like don’t have blue roof tiles, you will die. Not true). If you read that based on your birth year, sleeping in a certain direction will attract theft or accidents to you, this is clearly an exaggeration and not likely to happen, without other undermining influences being involved as well.
Many of the concepts which form the foundation of Feng Shui principles and applications are foreign to those who are not already familiar with Chinese metaphysics in particular or metaphysics in general. Taken out of context, many subjects can seem strange, rigid, superstitious or at least subjective. Many articles also fail to really describe in concrete terms what “balance” or “harmony” really mean. These are more like New Age Feel Good terms which can be quite misleading. It is understood in Chinese metaphysics that there really is no stationary, continuous reality called “balance.” Everything is in a state of flux.
It is assumed that people have busy lives and they may search for general tips about Feng Shui because they have no interest in studying a complicated subject in depth themselves. This is appreciated from my end as well, since I view the Internet as a wonderful cyber-Library where I can just find out enough of what I think I want to know on a topic. The problem with our World Wide Web is that much fiction is labeled as non-fiction. And how many times have you been to a doctor where he or she couldn’t help but roll their eyes when you proclaimed to the doctor that you already diagnosed yourself from the internet?
I hope that this article’s intent, to intrigue you with the concepts behind Feng Shui, is the best tip of all.
Author: Kartar Diamond
Company: Feng Shui Solutions ®
From the Myths and Misinformation Blog Series
