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A complex blend of sound commonsense, fine aesthetics, and mystical philosophy, Feng Shui is a traditional Chinese technique which aims to ensure that all things are in harmony with their surroundings. Its application ranges from the planning of entire cities to the placing of a single flower in a vase, from the orientation of high-rise office block to the interior furnishing of a humble studio apartment. What we might refer to as the 'feel' of a place-good or bad-is called by the Chinese its Feng Shui. Unlike Westerners, however, the Chinese will often be able to give sound reasons why a particular spot should give an impression of peace, or of unease. Having the correct Feng Shui in the home, for instance, is said to enhance happiness and prosperity. Certainly, if the interior is pleasing, this will promote tranquility, and it is easy to understand how this might lead to increased confidence and success.

There can be no exact translation of Feng Shui (rhyme Feng with 'tongue' and Shui with 'sway'), since it has no true equivalent in Western terms. The words themselves mean 'wind' and 'water both wind and water 'flow', and this gives some clue to the nature of Feng Shui. Remarkably, the theory that there were currents of invisible energy which flowed in certain directions was firmly established in Chinese philosophy centuries before the discovery of the Earth's magnetism. Long before 'lines of force' became the backbone of school-book physics, lines of beneficial and malign currents were integral to the study of Feng Shui, and known respectively as ch'i and sha. Ch'i currents are understood to meander gently along irregular paths, while sha strike viciously in straight lines. Curved surfaces favor the advantageous ch'i; sharp edges, the harmful sha. Modern researchers have drawn parallels between the ch'i and sha currents and the Western concept of ley lines: but though they are in some ways analogous, they are not wholly similar. And whatever cosmic forces may be manifested in ley lines, if for evil, they are not held in the same abhorrence that the Chinese reserve for the malevolent forces known as the 'secret arrows' of Feng Shui.

The term ch'i was also used by the astronomers of old to describe mysterious meteorological phenomena that have never been positively identified and it is the same term that is still used today by acupuncturists to describe the flow of vital energies in the body. Though these currents are not identical, it is an intuitive aspect of Chinese philosophy that the features of Heaven and Earth are also to be found in the human frame.


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