IN our daily life, we Chinese have many interesting common practices, unexplainable but widespread. Have you ever noticed, for example, how we always attach great importance to the choice of auspicious days (huang dao ji ri) to hold ceremonies, such as the corner stone laying ceremony, the opening ceremony, or weddings? Or when we move to a new house, how we pay special attention to the layout of furniture. There are even quite a lot of older people who worry about the people's birthdays (sheng chen ba zi) when pondering upon a possible spouse for their children.

　　You may be familiar with these phenomena, but have you thought about the grounds behind them? You yourself may be a practitioner, but do you really believe in the ideas behind them, or are you just following the crowd?

　　What is fengshui?

　　Fengshui, pronounced fung-shway, is the ancient Chinese art of arranging your environment to enhance the quality of your life.

　　Literally translated, fengshui means "Wind and Water", and has been used for thousands of years in China and the Far East as a method for determining the most appropriate locations for a harmonious life. These locations can be the site of a building, the floor plan of a house or just the layout of a room.

　　You and your environment, like wind and water, are two forces of nature that influence one another. When a harmonious balance of these forces is achieved, your health, happiness and prosperity thrive. When the two clash, negativity, chaos and health problems may abound. The goal of fengshui is to create harmony between you and your home insgroupsto manifest positive change.

　　Origin of fengshui

　　Since the dawn of time, Chinese Emperors employed fengshui masters to create items of beauty and spiritual content insgroupsto bring wealth, health, and happiness to the palace and thus the empire.

　　Fengshui can be considered a form of "geomancy" or "earth wisdom". The science comprises the calculations and methods used to analyze a location. The art of fengshui is the wisdom acquired from performing a multitude of analyses and knowing the exact degree to which the remedies (which are the results of the analyses) are prescribed.

　　The ancient keepers of this secret body of knowledge - fengshui - were highly respected meteorologists, astronomers, who were responsible for sustaining the good fortune and prosperity of the royal court.

　　Analysis

　　Fengshui is based upon a set of theories and complex calculations derived from the "Book of Changes" (I Ching). This includes an in-depth understanding and application of the basic principles. The fengshui practitioner first observes the environment, using a lopan (compass) to determine the orientation of the property. Calculations are then completed according to the basic principles. Then a determination of the energy characteristics within the property and its resulting effects on the occupants is made based on the results of these calculations. Remedies are then prescribed where necessary insgroupsto balance the energy to produce a positive effect.

　　Misunderstandings

　　Fengshui is becoming ever more prevalent in the West. This can be attributed to the fact that an increasing number of people are becoming aware of how their environment affects them. Unfortunately, a lot of hearsay and misunderstanding as to what fengshui truly is has also become commonplace.

　　Some people have confused fengshui with religion and superstition. Others think that seeking advice from fengshui practitioners contradicts the doctrines of their own religion. This is a mistaken concept.

　　Fengshui is not the product of any religious belief system. Rather, it is based on a set of calculations. The qualified practitioner examines the four aspects of building, environment (di li), time (tian shi), and most importantly, people (ren he). Most books and information widely available only look at the first two aspects: building and environment. This is only a partial examination.

　　Time and people are two very important components that should not be omitted. A particular building may have a good environment and other positive attributes, but for a specific individual, it might require further examinations and corrections to meet their individual goals for a particular period in their life and the life of the building.

　　Functions

　　Fengshui is relevant to every aspect of our lives and the way it is applied can be either beneficial or detrimental to the way one lives in relation to the surrounding environment.

　　In the West, fengshui is not considered a science, because its principles cannot yet be proven by scientific method. It is not a religion, though some of its advocates may consider it part of their religious practice.

　　It is not necessary to follow any religion to understand or practice fengshui. It is not just a philosophy as it also encompasses many practical tools and techniques. It is not a belief system. Asking someone if they believe fengshui is like asking them if they believe in the weather. It is not a question of faith, but a fact of life. (BY--Jiang Yingjin)