Feng Shui: Introduction

I'm a huge fan of feng shui - the Chinese art of placement which has been dubbed acupuncture for houses. Over the last few years feng shui has become increasingly popular in the West, with features in virtually every newspaper and a growing stack of self-help tomes on the bookstore shelves. At first the idea sounds crazy: how can shifting your furniture change your luck? How can re-positioning a mirror bring in more money? Why on earth does it matter if there is a beam over your bed? It all sounds insane. However, if you can believe that our homes are full of subtle energy, constantly moving, then it makes more sense that the lay-out of our homes, the positioning of our furniture and other features, can affect how that energy flows.

Feng shui evolved around five thousand years ago in China. The ancient Chinese believed that invisible life energy (called chi) flowed through everything in life. It's the same philosophy that underlies acupuncture. If the energy in your body is flowing freely and easily, you will stay fit and healthy. If, however, the energy becomes stagnant or blocked, or erratic and undisciplined (through bad diet and lifestyle or weakness in an organ) you will most likely fall ill. The needles of acupuncture simply act by removing the blockages or calming the energy flow - they regulate the chi. The principle is exactly the same in houses. The Chinese believed that the buildings we live in require quite as much attention as our bodies and so developed this highly complex science for "healing" the environment. Centuries of observation showed that different areas of the house and different parts of each room attracted specific energies. Furthermore they discovered that certain configurations (the layout of rooms or even the position of furniture or features) could either help or hinder the free, smooth flowing of energy. If the energy was blocked or allowed to flow swiftly it would cause corresponding blockages and problems in life. Clutter can "catch" energy, stopping its free circulation and turning it dull and stagnant. Sharp corners can send energy shooting out, in too harsh a concentration. A series of open doors send energy racing through, too fast and too frenzied. A blank wall will stop the energy dead in its tracks. However, fortunately, they also realized that very small but specific changes (known as "cures") such as hanging wind chimes or crystals in certain places or using certain colors would correct such disharmony and put your life back on track. Boosting particular areas with auspicious colors and objects could even create better energy and better opportunities in life. At its core, feng shui teaches that by making small shifts to your home you can affect everything in your life, from your finances to your health, from your relationships to your spirituality.

Although feng shui sounds so mystical, it is taken very seriously, not just in its native China but all over the world. Madonna is a fan; so is Pierce Brosnan. There have been rumors in the press that members of the British Royal Family have sought the help of feng shui experts. And, surprisingly, it is not necessarily Hollywood celebrities or troubled royals who are seeking the help of feng shui consultants. Most of their clients are high-powered businesspeople and large corporations who use feng shui to keep ahead of the game and to maintain their profits high. As feng shui expert Sarah Rossbach, author of several books on feng shui explains, "Today, those in powerful positions do not take chances where feng shui is concerned. I was surprised to find hard-nosed businessmen anxious to try feng shui as an added tool to clinch deals, enhance corporate clout, or expand their businesses." Western and Oriental banks, restaurants and corporations throughout Asia and also in the USA consult feng shui experts. Chase Manhattan, Citibank, Chase Asia, Paine Webber, Morgan Guaranty Trust, the American Chamber of Commerce and the offices of the Asian Wall Street Journal and the Far Eastern Economic Review (all sane, sage businesses) have used feng shui. Body Shop founder Anita Roddick freely stated that her headquarters and shops around the world had been designed using the principles. Richard Branson of the Virgin empire has used feng shui to huge advantage. And telecommunications company Orange have used it to rapidly expand their business.

People use feng shui because, quite simply, it works. A hotel in Australia was virtually empty until an Oriental company bought it and called in a feng shui consultant. He said the problem lay with the staircase: it faced the front doors and so the hotel's energy was shooting outwards and being lost. The staircase was moved and the hotel's luck changed almost overnight. On a more personal level, feng shui consultant Sarah Shurety tells of a couple who were on the verge of divorce. They could hardly bear to talk to one another. Sarah checked their house and found the problem in their bedroom. There was a large beam in the ceiling above their bed which effectively divided their bed in half. In feng shui, beams are considered to cause quarrels and even ill-health in the people who sleep under them. Sarah advised the couple to move their bed. "Now they are newly in love again," she reports, "the beam was cutting them in half, separating them.