What is feng shui according to the modern perception? Many people have taken up the practice of feng shui because of its apparent exoticism. Some get to redecorate their houses and offices by following directions from Internet guides without investigating the feng shui core of learning, and very few turn to feng shui masters for advice when home decorating. All these point out to the fact that feng shui is perceived and understood in a very shallow manner for the immediate purpose of attracting abundance or having a good love life. The truth is that if you finally come to find and understand the answer to “what is feng shui?” then you are ready to change your life in the real sense of the word.

What is feng shui for the true practitioner? According to Chinese philosophy, the chi, the vital energy could make or break the “kingdom”. Feng shui is deeply rooted in the symbolism of Taoism, in the understanding of the laws of nature and the fact that humans and earth are one. The theories of the contrast yin-yang and that of the five elements only completes this vision of life in harmony or disharmony with the environment. The basic analysis of a place from the feng shui perspective will therefore involve the identifications of the elements that break the chi and the rearrangement of the background elements so as to be in balance.

A feng shui master could give an answer to the question “what is feng shui?” but will the inquirer understand it? It is very confusing for many people to see how information is obtained by using the compass, the Chinese horoscope or the Ba-Gua. Moreover, the feng shui determination of a location is also relying on the examination of the surrounding land, the presence of any course of water and the specificity of the buildings in the neighborhood. If you want a comprehensive feng shui investigation, be prepared to get surprised!

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The basis for feng shui is the complete understanding of nature and the taoist vision, both embracing the idea that everything is full of the life energy or light, called “chi” or “qui” (in Chinese) or “ki” (in Japanese). The basic factors that could influence a feng shui analysis of a location, person or situation include the five elements and the yin and yang rule. Feng shui is created on the ancient symbols present in I Ching, the ancient Chinese oracle. These symbols are used in the octagonal grid, the Ba-Gua, that helps you understand or determine the various relations between the feng shui locations in the home or office and the various parts of your life.

Feng shui is common to several different schools, and it involves several levels of learning and understanding, depending on the complexity of the information you have access to and actually get to internalize. The cures offered by feng shui for life improvement vary from the use of fountains, aquariums and crystals to the energy improvement by means of clocks, colors and mirrors. Light and colors make an important combination by the power they can bring to a certain location. Most places characterized by “bad feng shui” suffer from lack of light and color.

The interaction of the universal elements is another crucial aspect of feng shui; wood, fire, water, earth and metal can create productive or destructive circles depending on the preponderance they have in one’s space. Each of the elements has a corresponding color; it is basic feng shui knowledge to know how to complement colors and balance an environment. The location of the elements in a space is not randomly done as it has to be determined by the octagonal grid, the Ba-Gua.

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