Clear Your Space...Clear Your Mind #4

Chapter 2 ~ The History

"My best friend is the one that brings out the best in me."

Henry Ford

      The birth of Clutterbusters opened the door to another breakthrough, Feng Shui (pronounced “Fung Shway”).  It was a logical step for me.  I began reading about the time-honored science and found a name for the very thing I had been drawn to and intuitively had done my whole life.  I felt vindicated - I wasn’t crazy, just apparently Chinese.  I began studying how one is affected by his/her environment and space, which led me to an eight day intensive workshop.  I looked forward to expanding my horizons with author and teacher, Nancilee Wydra, creator of The Pyramid School of Feng Shui.  I was on the path.  I read about Feng Shui, had understood pieces of it, but there was much confusion and conflicting information out there. 

     So what is it really?  Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese Art of placement in one’s environment.  It is all about energy, flow and harmonious spaces.  There are many schools of thought based on this venerable Chinese practice, but simply put, Feng Shui began in China as a way of determining an auspicious location to bury the dead Emperor.  It was believed that a gravesite protected from the harsh forces of nature would insure a better afterlife.

     Enter the scientists of their day:  the Feng Shui practitioners.  They learned methods for measuring the winds (Feng) and developed complex formulas to interpret the waters (Shui) and by calculating their cycles nature was understood.  It was all about the flow of energy, or Chi (pronounced “chee”).  Feng Shui is the study of Chi, which is everywhere.  It is in constant motion, fast or slow, and it vibrates and pulsates, creating worlds.  The idea of Feng Shui is to harness this Chi or to harmonize with it. 

     So through a multifaceted progression of computations, which determine where one could rest in peace, The Compass School was formed.  Feng Shui grew from there.  Those scientists concluded that if there were auspicious locations to lie as a corpse, then there must be favorable locations to lie while in slumber.  Feng Shui taught the people how to die and how to live, not as a religion, but as an act of faith, spirituality, and sacredness.

     The Pyramid School became an offshoot of traditional Feng Shui practices, focusing on the person rather than the place to recommend remedies and cures.  I like to think of it as “Design Psychology Goes East”.  I thought I was going to learn about hanging crystals and bamboo flutes, but instead I grasped something more significant, more powerful.  I was reminded of the knowledge already within me and embraced the concept: everything we surround ourselves with has meaning.  If you make a conscious decision to become aware of that idea, you can change the course of your life. 

     Throughout a sea of contradicting data there is one common thread in the world of Feng Shui:  the atmosphere we live in is a key ingredient to the wholeness we feel as balanced individuals.  Like the food we eat, or the air we breathe, the places we surround ourselves in contribute to our well-being.

to be continued...