Feng Shui and Geopathic Stress with Julie Hicks, Geomancer

HARMONISE THE FENG SHUI WAY

Feng Shui literally means wind, water, and depicts that energy is a flowing force, always moving in and interacting between all things, and bringing with it a life-force that some people refer to as God's breath. The principle that energy is a moving force is the same in both Feng Shui and in Western science. Electricity has been described by scientists as a “flow of electrons”. Feng Shui can be regarded as an environmental science, a version that can be understood by anyone, without the scientific jargon . Feng Shui (pronounced more like f'ng shoy or f'ng shwe) is based on observations of the environment, the elements held within a certain space/place, geometry, and sometimes mathematical formulations.

The ancient Chinese studied the nature of things, and this connection with the environment had become very holistic in their way of life. The Knowledge (The Tao or The Way) has its earliest recorded writings dating back some 4,000 years, not like other lands where much knowledge and history has been lost (burning of an ancient library in Egypt, for example). The philosophies of The Tao is the basis of Feng Shui, and its message shows how to order our lives, how to live in harmony with ourselves, each other and the natural world. To become a Feng Shui Master could take up to 6-10 years of training, and I heard that one could be beheaded if you got it wrong, many centuries ago! The knowledge was recorded and used by the Emperors to bring prosperity to their Kingdoms. The story goes that back then, to kept the secret of their success when sought by a neighbouring kingdom of how they do it, an Emperor asked his Feng Shui Master to tweak things a bit before passing on their knowledge to the outsider - to keep themselves more prosperous than the other. So we might see some anomalies appearing in Feng Shui books today. For instance, I read years ago that the Career Sector was always placed on the side of the house where the front door was. The Feng Shui Masters used a very complicated instrument called a Lo Pan that has all the 8 Sectors marked off to exact degrees of the compass - 360. The 'facing direction' of a house is determined by its 'face' directing itself towards only one of those degrees, and that could fall into any of the Eight Sectors. No wonder many Westerners found Feng Shui practice to be disappointing and "not seem to work"! Another reason why Feng Shui, as we know it today, is confusing for many, is because back in earlier times there were some differing opinions amongst the Masters, culminating in a variety of Schools of practice - just like new religions/churches splitting away from the foundational Catholic Church - yet keeping the 'foundational knowledge' in tact.

One thing for sure is that Feng Shui is a system that can enable us to better harmonise the surroundings in which we live. Good harmonisation further depends on the quality of the elements (all the inanimate and animate things) that can have an effect upon us in those places where we spend long periods of our time, usually the home, and sometimes the office or workplace. The flow-on effect is unavoidable. This is why it can be said that Feng Shui works, whether you believe in it or not, because the life-force from all things are around you, and within you, happening constantly. If only there was a way of finding out how or why things happen in life! For example, if you wanted to find out why there seems to be an on-going relationship problem, or continual arguments happening in your home, a feng shui consultant can consult the house's Star Chart, and a 'negative' numeral relating to separation/divorce, or arguments and theft may be at your entrance, or in the bedroom. There is something we can do to turn around these energies. Therefore, by re-directing the flow of the elemental forces in the home or workplace, you may get a sense that you do have power to change the circumstances. The Universal Law of Attraction is working all the time.

Feng shui can also be used at the planning stage for a new home or business site, or before renovating or remodelling. Having your place 'feng shuied' does not guarantee a way to get rich and famous, because that may not be your Man Luck (soul workings). Earth Luck is your environment. There is no such thing as a perfect Feng Shui building, for the energies within are like life itself - a balancing act of the yin-yang principle!

Energy Reps - The Five Elements
Refining the principles of Yin and Yang further, chi (energy) has been categorised into five general types (qualities): Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. These elements are named in accordance to the kind of chi they exhibit, and they relate to each other in a cyclic way as well. The law of the Five Elements is based on the concept of production and destruction, which is forever on-going with creation (birth-death-rebirth).

The ancient Chinese scholars believed that everything that happens in our universe can be explained using the Five Element Cycle. Each element supports or enhances the energy of the following element, and as it does so, it loses some of its own chi, but this is replenished by the preceding chi. For example, water supports plants, which feeds fire, which turns into earth, which forms metals, which dissolve into the water, which supports a tree again. Thus the circuitry has been completed in a supportive way. If one of the chi qualities become deficient, the preceding chi will jump across and have a destructive influence on the following Element. For example, if Wood energy is deficient, Water is then able to move in to put out the Fire, Fire would melt the Metal, Earth walls would dam water and stop the flow, Metal would chop into the Wood.

In Feng Shui, the Five Elements also represent many other qualities assigned to each of them, such as shape, colour, numbers, people within a family, body and organ parts. A Feng Shui practitioner looks at the correlation of Elements in your living/working space and will often recommend shifting, adding or moving around certain elements, e.g. wooden furniture, metal ornaments/clocks, water/glass, earthenware, and heaters/light, if the balance is out of cyclic harmony. The Five Element Cycle is the basis of all analyses done in Compass and Flying Star School. Each of the eight sectors/directions - S, SW, W, NW, N, NE, E, SE, plus Centre - are named according to the Elemental chi they exhibit. The interpretations gained from this compass reading over your home can give powerful insights into what areas of life-events the occupants of a building are tending to focus on. Out of eight areas (the Sectors) considered appropriate for a successful life - one's fame and reputation (Fire), relations with other people ( yang Earth), fun and creativity (yin Metal), having helpful people about or being helpful (yang Metal), career choices (Water), knowledge and study (yin Earth), family (yang Wood), and abundance/wealth (yin Wood) - your house position gives indications of what areas are coming to you the most, to the side-lines, or are behind you. Also, your house can tell us if these areas of your life are being supported, or somewhat missing. In Feng Shui analysis, it is important to increase supportive energy where they are found to be lacking. Each house tells its own story, and it is believed by many that one's soul-journey and their house match each other. Moving house often means there is a change in life circumstances, and it may be interesting to note whether your next abode will have the same set of energies as before, or whether you have moved onto another life-path.

Feng Shui Schools
Over the many centuries, many schools of Feng Shui were developed. For my consultations, I use the well-known practices from Form and Compass School, as well as the more recent and advanced knowledge of Flying Star School.

Form School This School involves the analysis of the land and physical forms - such as contours (shape), mountains, plains and water bodies. It is the earliest school of Feng Shui as it began in the mountainous regions of China where the positioning of a house (or a town or city) became important - to draw from the landscape its protection, support and nourishment. Another main consideration that comes out of Form School, is to attract positive (auspicious) chi and deflect negative (inauspicious/sha) chi.

Compass School [also known as Bagua or Pakua School] As the name suggests, this School relies heavily on the compass directions. It actually was formulated from the famous Chinese Book of Changes (called the I Ching) for the eight major trigrams, the eight compass directions (the Bagua) and the Lo Shu (magic number sequence) to determine the location and quality of chi in any given area. Houses that are irregular in shape, e.g. the L shape, will have a missing or partially missing Sector(s), which means that there will be missing energies for the occupants. But for every imbalance in Feng Shui, there is a remedy to bring back balance!

Flying Star School Flying Star School is considered to be the most advanced and complex area of Feng Shui practice, the knowledge of which has only been brought to Australia within the last 80 years. Using the Universal language of numbers, it takes on board the effect of chi within cycles of time. Therefore, a house contains formulations from the number sequence (1 to 9) for each of its Sectors, starting from the time it was built, after which the energy qualities become locked in. Number (Star) qualities can range from positive, neutral to negative. A combination of Stars in any given Sector (and the rooms you live in according to the floor plan) gives indications on how one's wealth, health and relationships are flowing for each member of the household. The energy quality can become quite specific, and may be influencing such things as..."wisdom and intelligence, conflict and arguments, steady increase in wealth and fame, increased risk of accidents in children, romance and academic success, or sickness, problems with the authorities.

The graphic to the left shows the Magic Square and how the Stars are 'flown' around the Sectors of your house in a Sigil of Saturn pattern. The Square has nine divisions - representing the Eight Directions/Sectors around its outside - South is always at middle-top. Five is written in the Centre as it has no direction (and is midway between 1 and 9), then the number sequence goes as per the pattern of the arrows. (It's a magic pattern because each row, in any direction, adds up to 15 - even if you 'flew' them backwards, starting in the Centre each time with 5.) From Flying Star School, if your house was built in the Age of 6 (1964-1983) for example, that number 6 is used in the Centre, then the sequence flown around according to this pattern. This happens with four sets of numbers (Stars), finally culminating as a group formula for each Sector, and ultimately in specific rooms of the house. The number '8' is the most auspicious Star at the moment as we are in its time-frame (2004-2023). It will appear twice in the formulations of any Age of a house/office, so there is often an opportunity for good health and relationships if it lands in your bedroom, and good finances if positioned at your main entrance (or the door that is used most from outside). The other Sectors of the house will then either hold neutral or negative numbers, and all are 'untimely'. It is only a stimulated negative Star found in a room that needs a remedy. The rooms under most consideration are, of course, the ones that people spend a lot of time in.

Last Edited: July 2010