The Original Feng Shui Practitioner

Feng Shui has been practiced for over 2,000 years in China. Yet, feng shui practices are still used today in many societies.  So how can such practices be translated into our current lifestyle and society, when life was so different?  The best way is to try to imagine how life was back then.  What was the Feng shui’s practitioner’s role and  how did such a position come to existence in the first place?  What can we learn from them?

Feng shui began from the observation of nature and the living environment. How did the landscape form?  Why did the trees grow in one area and not another?  Where did the water flow?  Which areas had more sun and why?  These are the kinds of questions that the feng shui practitioner used to study nature.  Over time, they found that patterns exist in nature which could explain why trees grew in one area and not another, why water flowed one way and not the other.  They began to understand how weather affected the landscape and vegetation and this was the beginning of the study of feng shui.

The ancient Chinese Emperors used such feng shui practitioners to locate auspicious sites to build new cities, temples and palaces.  These men had to travel for long periods of time and survive with nature.  They understood what nature provided for them to accomplish this.  No wonder they were so well respected. To do this, one must be in harmony with nature, understanding her fruits and ways.  Not only was it necessary for them to understand such patterns, they needed to understand how it affected man.  In a way, they were responsible for the development, well-being and survival of their people.  That was truly a heavy responsibility!  But the key was to listen and observe nature, through vegetation and animal growth.

So, what can we learn from this? We can learn that we must take the time to observe and listen to our environment.  There are patterns in our lifestyles that we have created.  Are these patterns giving us the desired results?  If not, are there ways we can change such patterns to create new ones.  The original feng shui practitioner had no tools, only his keen senses.  We must learn to sharpen our senses by being aware of them.

Like the feng shui practitioner take a walk around your neighborhood.  Observe the environment.  Use all your senses to take it all in.   View the vegetation, buildings and streets.  What do you smell?  Flowers, cut grass, car exhaust fumes, food?  What about the sounds?  Do you hear airplanes from above, trains, traffic, dogs barking or are you lucky enough to hear birds chirping?  Know your environment because it does affect your well-being.  It may help you understand why you are feeling the way you do.

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