TEOFS - 8 - Feng Shui And Business

Feng Shui And Business

The Chinese art of feng shui can be used successfully by those in business to ensure profits and to create a sound business environment. A professional geomancer would say that the quality and pricing of the goods and the reputation of the district can only partially compensate for a site or shop interior that has a bad feng shui.

  Many of the feng shui priciples used in the home can also apply to the place of work although there are several additional features to take into account.

TEOFS - 7 - Feng Shui In The Home

THE MAIN DOOR

One of the most important features to take into account when buying a house is the position of the main door. The main door is subject to more traffic than any other part of the house, it is the door that protects the house, and is the means by which destructive spirits can enter the house and one of the ways lucky stars can spread their influence. In general, it is believed that a well-placed front door will encourage health, wealth and long life.

  The main door should always be well-hinged, upright and in scale with the size of the house. If the main door is unusually large, it is said to cause a dent in the house and the residents are likely to encounter financial difficulties. If the main door is comparatively small, the residents will be prone to petty arguments.

TEOFS - 6 - Building Or Buying A House

THE FOUR ANIMALS

When you plan to buy or build a house, first examine the site of the house, the surrounding buildings and the natural features of the land. According to the fifth century Chinese text, The Yellow Emperor's Dwelling Classic

  A good earth will grow exuberant sprouts, a house with good fortune will bring prosperity.

Every house is surrounded by four animal spirits whose position is fixed around the front door of the house. If you stand at the main door of your house facing outwards, the Green Dragon is at your left-hand side, the White Tiger at your right-hand site, the Red Bird is at the front of the house and the Black Tortoise at the back. The Tiger represents invertebrates, and the Red Bird represents birds. Their colours are also linked with the elements: green with wood, white with gold, red with fire, black with water and the house at the centre is the earth.

TEOFS - 5 - Mountains, Trees and Rivers

MOUNTAINS

Mountains and other raised features of the land are yang, and they are not only full of secter cosmological meaning to the geomancer, but are also the protectors of the site. An ideal sites is on a slope, open to the south and protected from evil influences by mountains at the north. A pinnacle or a point on the top of the mountains range or a fast running stream on its slopes or at its base will allow the ch'i to be dispersed too rapidly by wind or water.

Steeply flowing waterfalls threaten the site and steep mountain peaks will provide an excess of yang whereas a site that is low-lying among small hills or pools is undesirable since it is a source of excess yin and a likely place for sha to accumulate. A high mountain range as a back drop is acceptable for the site if there are foothills in front so the excess yang caused by towering peaks is lessened.

A headland jutting out from a horse-shoe shaped mountain is a good choice of site as is a peninsula or headland jutting out from the centre of a forking formation. This type of headland is sometimes referred to as the dragon's head. Two gently flowing streams should have their confluence in front of the site and then flow away to the sides, preferably out of sight. On a well-chosen site, these streams or a pool of water with adequate drainage, would be on a flat oiece  of land known as a Court Altar or Table.

TEOFS - 4 - The Pa Che System

 A PERSONAL COMPASS

The Pa Che system uses the later trigrams to determine the nine directions and each individual's life will match one of these directions. The charts in this chapter enable the reader to determine his or her own favourable directions from the nine variations of the Pa Che compass and to identify the directions where good or malign spirits have influence. Once you have calculated the number of your compass there are tables which list the colours most appropriate to your nature and the elements which can cause harmony or chaos in your life.

Pa Che feng shui is divided into two groups known as the eastern life and the western life. In an eastern life southern, southeastern, east and northern directions bring good fortune. In a western life western, north-west, south-west and north-west bring good fortune. If, after making the calculations below, you discover that you have an eastern life, live in an eastern house. If your main door faces to the east you will have the most auspicious forecast, however, if these directions clash the harmony of your life is disupted.

TEOFS - 3 - The Landscape And The Compass (3)

THE GEOMANCER'S RULER

The exact proportions of a building, room or the height of furniture should be checked by the geomancer to ensure fortune and prosperity. To do this he uses a geomancer's ruler that not only marks distances but also implies lucky or unlucky measurements.

The Chinese characters above the centimetres are for internal use, those marked under the inches are for external use. The characters that are written in the boxes indicate whether this is a lucky or unlucky measurement. At the end of the fourth box of characters on the internal and external markings the catelogy of fortune changes, for example the first four boxes marked on the external line in the diagram opposite represent different aspects of wealth and the four boxes that follow it represent different aspects of loss and disease. There is a character written in the middle of each group of four which denotes the overall fortune for that group. At the end of thirty-two boxes of characters on the external line and forty boxes of characters on the internal line the characters are repeated once again.

TEOFS - 3 - The Landscape And The Compass (2)

A THIRTY-SIX-RINGED COMPASS

There are no set rules for the number of rings on a compass or their content, although it is unusual to find a compass with more than thirty-eight rings. The compass illustrated on page next has thirty-six rings and their names and purposes are described in the list that follows:

1. Fu Hsi hexagrams - (former hexagrams)

2. Wen Wang hexagrams - (later hexagrams)

3. The eight positions of the Baleful Spirits - help identify unlucky positions on the ground.

4. The four and eight ways of Wang Ch'uen - these are used to help find the deceased an auspicious position in the land of the dead so as to ensure a good rebirth.

5. The Nine Star and Separating the Dragon Ring - these are used to identify whether the dragon is lucky or malign on the land or rivers surrounding the grave.

6. The Earth Valley Needle - this is the opposite of the Heaven Pool. It is used in the cemetery to find the most suitable position for the tombstone.

TEOFS - 3 - The Landscape And The Compass (1)

THE LANDSCAPE AND THE COMPASS

The symbols inscribed on the compass ring are rarely static since the forces in the landscape are in a continual state of flux. The symbols reflect the carefully balanced relationship between heaven and earth, the tension and opposition between yin and yang, elements, hexagrams, stars, and the hundreds of other symbols of the compass. Even within a single series of symbols, one symbol refers to another and interacts with it.
In practical terms this contant interaction is applied to five basic landscape categories:

Shan

TEOFS - 2 - Symbols Of Heaven And Earth(2)

THE SIXTY-YEAR CYCLE

The Chinese calendar revolves around a cycle of sixty years. The cycle is formed by the interaction of the Ten Heavenly Stems and the Twelve Earthly Branches which are units of time and place. Each year, a stem is paired with a branch and a new combination is produced so that the Heavenly Stems are repeated six times. In the first year the Heavenly Stem is Chia and the Earthly Branch is Tzu, following the yearly rotation this combination will take sixty years to appear again.

The branches, in particular, give information about time and place, although they are the means by which the heavenly bodies can express their influence. On the feng shui compass the branches mark directions of the earth, and identify the ch’I of the earth, the dragon ch’i. The stems are associated with water and can be used to mark twists, turns and branches of watercourses.

When they stand on their own, the Earthly Branches correlate to the twelve animals of the Chinese horoscope, twelve months, twelve double-hours of the day, twelve directions, and twelve groups of animal associated with the twenty-eight constellations. The twelve animals of the Chinese horocope do not correspond to stars or groups of stars as do the twelve animals of the Western zodiac.

TEOFS - 2 - Symbols Of Heaven And Earth(1)

SYMBOLS OF HEAVEN AND EARTH

Feng shui divines the forces that are in heaven and on earth so that humanity can live in balance with them. Heaven, earth and humanity share a mutual responsibility to maintain the harmony of the universe. Humans fulfil their role by understanding the cosmological forces of creation and by knowing how to be at one with their flow and change. The basic principles used to identify these forces in feng shui are the same as those that govern Chinese arts and sciences such as astrology, physiognomy and acupunctune. The most important principles are listed below.

TEOFS - 1 - Living In Harmony

                                                             LIVING IN HARMONY

In Chinese philosophy, yin and yang are the two cosmic forces that shape and balance all life. They are opposites in a continual state of flux and tension, and through this dynamic they produce life. Yin, which is feminine, luminous and fluid, is present in the moon, rain and floods. It is counterbalanced against yang which is masculine, heavy and solid, the force that is in the sun, the stars and the earth. The forces of yin are in the ascendency as the cold and damp of winter approach and are on the wane in the warmth and new growth of the early spring as yang asserts itseft. Yin and yang are never represented as gods nor are they associated with divine power, they are purely natural forces tat were brought into being through the emptiness that existed at the beginning of time. Their creation and activity are described in the Huai Nan Tzu (crica 120 BCE), a study of natural philosophy recorded in twenty-one volumes:

TEOFS - Introduction

INTRODUCTION

Why is it that some places emit a sense of well-being and peace and others a feeling of unease? How can it be explained that some families or businesses seem dogged by bad fortune and others blessed by success? A feng shui master would not hesitate in his reply - the forces at work in the land and in the cosmos may be in harmony at one place and in chaos at another. If the orientation of a building clashes with the contous of the land, the flow of a river or the direction of a road, if the position of a front door or a piece of furniture blocks the flow of ch'i, the life-giving energy, it is usually a matter of course that misfortune will follow.

The Elements Of Feng Shui

THE ELEMENTS OF FENG SHUI

by Man-Ho Kwok with Joanne O’Brien

Man-Ho Kwok is the foremost Feng Shui master working in Europe today. He studied for twenty years before qualifying, and is now in considerable demand as a consultant on Feng Shui to the Chinese bisuness communities in London, Manchester and other major cities. He became well known after he was called in to help with the design of London’s docklands. Man-Ho Kwok is now becoming known as a consultant outside the Chinese communities as Westerners catch on to the fact that his methods really do word.

Joanne O’Brien is a well known authority on Chinese religion and philosophy, and is the author of a number of popular books on Chinese matters including The Contemporary I Ching, Chinese Myths and Legends and Lines of Destiny (Chinese face and hand divination).