Feng Shui is an important concept in Chinese culture. It is now popping up in America and many people truly believe in its power. Some places have this sense of peace and well being and others do not. The ones that have the sense of peace have land that is in harmony. The ones without the sense of peace may have chi blocked. Feng Shui is about balance and harmony. It is a system of omens as well.

Feng Shui means wind and water. These are the elemental forces that shape a landscape and have hidden power to affect human fortune. If the flow is followed, great blessings such as happiness, health and prosperity can be achieved. Simple things can change ones luck and drastic measures do not usually need to be taken to achieve the balance necessary.

Chi is constantly moving. If it is blocked by a position of a door in a building, it can cause disaster. Yin and yang are opposing forces in a state of tension. They represent male and female, light and dark, water and fire. Feng shui has been referred to as earth magic and many times, a feng shui master is the one that can fix the problems. In China, even before a building is built, a feng shui master is called out to make sure that the building will have only good luck. In Chinese philosophy, yin and yang are the two cosmic forces that shape and balance life. Although they are opposites, they are both needed to work things out. Feng shui uses the concept of yin and yang to balance out all things.

There are five elements. They are different types of energy and are effective in all substances and changes. These five elements are water, fire, wood, metal and earth. These elements are a link that gives symbolic expression to this concept.

When buying a house or building a house, a few things should be kept in mind if you want to follow the Chinese philosophy that has worked for many thousands of years. Every house is surrounded by four animal spirits whose position is around the front door of the house. If you stand at the front door facing outwards, the Green Dragon is at your left side, the White Tiger is at your right side, the Red Bird is in front of you and the Black Tortoise is to the rear. the Tiger represents mammals, the Dragon represents fish, the Tortoise represents invertebrates and the Bird represents birds. The colors are also linked with the elements. Green is for wood, white for gold, red for fire and black for water. The house is at the center so that is earth. The Green Dragon and the White Tiger are like guards to the house. There should always be an even balance with these two. For example, if an addition is built on the right side of the house, it could mean disaster. The White Tiger is too powerful for the Dragon to control then. It is believed that the White Tiger will emerge to harm those in the house. When the animal spirits are in balance, the forces of yin and yang are in balance as well.

Ideally, the front of the house should be at a lower level than the rear of the house. If a garden that slopes upward from the front door or steps that lead up to the front door can lead to financial and domestic problems. High land in the rear of the house protects the family and provides support from family and friends as well. Damage in one or more direction of your property can mean trouble. Damage in the east can mean ill effects on health of the eldest son and he will receive misfortune. Damage in the west can mean that the youngest girl is likely to suffer from poor health. Damage in the south can mean that the second daughter will be prone to brain disease and the daughter in laws will encounter general misfortune. Damage in the north can mean there will be health problems in the family and the second son will be prone to accidents.

There are many beliefs that go into feng shui. One belief is that if you live in a house that is situated on a triangular plot, illness or possibly death can result. A fishpond outside the main entrance can bring good fortune and luck. If a house’s width is greater than it depth, the residents may suffer from mental illness or breathing difficulties. A half moon shaped pond or pool near the front door will encourage health and good fortune.

Inside the house, the rules are very similar. The front door of the house will see more traffic than any other part of the house, generally speaking. A well placed front door will encourage health and wealth. The door should always be well hinged and in scale with the size of the house. If the main door is extremely large, it can cause financial difficulties. If it is very small, the residents can be prone to petty arguments. The door frames should not be bent or weak either. If it is, the family’s fortunes will suffer. It is advisable to place two lamps outside the front door but if one bulb fails, it is a bad omen. Replace it immediately to avoid this. The main door should not face a corner of another house. It can encourage ill health and financial loss. The main door should never face a dead end either. The chi will be unable to circulate properly. Family life can suffer then. Front doors should also never face a church or cemetery, but it is acceptable if the side or rear of the house does.

The master bedroom, kitchen and family or living room are the most important sites for positive feng shui. The family or living room should be situated on the ground floor, with easy access to the front door. Avoid a cluttered family room. An aquarium with gold fish can help to increase the flow of chi in the house. If you are having money issues, it is advisable to have a large rounded green leaf plant in the family room. The growth of the plant will reflect the upturn in your finances. The larger the plant and pot, the greater the fortune.

The master bedroom is another important room. The position of the bed can have an effect on health, prosperity and marriage. The more attention you pay to the positioning of your bedroom furniture, the better the fortune will be. The base of the bed should be on wheels and never in contact with the floor since this will prevent air from circulating, resulting in backaches. Storing things under the bed is not advisable. It can bring ill health. Never set the head of the bed towards the west unless your horoscope advises you to. The bedroom door should not face a kitchen or bathroom. This can have a detrimental effect on the family’s finances as well as health.

The kitchen is best if it is on the southern or eastern side of the house. The kitchen should be rectangle or square, never triangular. The kitchen is looked upon as a treasure so if the doors at the front or the back of the house face the kitchen door, the good fortune can seep out easily. A kitchen door that faces a family or living room will encourage bad health and arguments.

There are ways to fix bad feng shui if necessary. You can place mirrors at strategic points to divert the bad omens. The mirrors can deflect certain things but not bad omens that are caused by a house facing a fork in the road, a dead end road or a valley. There are easy things that can be done to remedy most problems. These are the Chinese beliefs and although they are gaining in popularity in America, it is not yet a fully accepted or understood philosophy. It is easy to obtain information on the internet or in a library or bookstore. This philosophy has seemed to work well for the Chinese, so why not give it a try?