Modern Feng Shui

The first feng shui Master is often credited to Yang Yun-Sang, of the Tang dynasty (618-906).  He is known for his theories on dragon veins, a vital contribution to modern feng shui.  Dragon veins are the geographical structures of—and, the relationship between—mountains and valleys. Yang also used his basic principal of natural landforms and applied them to residential and urban architecture.  Today, these theories are still relevant and are part of the Form School of feng shui, which is often used in conjunction with the Compass School. 

From the Sung dynasty (960 CE) to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), feng shui was practiced as a Taoist art with its roots deep within the I Ching, The Book of Changes.  By the Ch’ing dynasty (1644-1911), the divination arts were incorporate into feng shui analysis. This would include physiognomy, palmistry and astrological charts.  It was felt that an individual’s karma was important in evaluating a site.  By matching one’s Birth Star with the baqua of a given location, it was possible to find a suitable site for the individual and his family members. 

In the Ming Dynasty, which was the time the “Purple Forbidden City” was built, feng shui expanded and the 9 Stars and 3 Circle Schools were developed.  The compass was incorporate into different schools, as well as, the geographic studies of Yang Yun-Sang and the teachings of Xu Xiake, who believed in “making your own home part of the natural world”.  This is where the concept of table top water fountains have become popular feng shui cures

There are seven important schools of feng shui since the Tang and Sung Dynasties:  

  Nine Stars, Eight Doors and Baqua Combination  Method  

    Surprising Entrances and Escaping Jai  

    Orthodox Five Elements  

    Double Mountain, Three Harmonies and Five Elements  

    Baqua and the Five Elements  

    Profound Emptiness and Five Elements 

    Hongfen Five Elements School


Today, according to Prof Yun Lin, the most important Modern Schools, are:

 

     The Three Harmonies

    The Three Era  

    The Nine Stars  

    The Southern School  

    Taoist Schools  

     Ecclectical School

     Yin/Yang Schools  

     Buddhist Schools (which includes Black Sect)

When feng shui was outlawed in China after the Communist take-over in 1949, ancient texts were spirited out of China by feng shui Masters to Taiwan and Hong Kong.  By the end of the Cultural Revolution, feng shui became accessible again throughout China.  Today, feng shui has regained its respectability and is openly practiced.  Perhaps, the recent absorption of Hong Kong and this city’s prominent use of feng shui will be a homeopathic remedy for China. 

Feng shui began to appear in the West as early as the 1970’s.  Today, feng shui has become popularized through magazine articles, TV shows and glossy books.  Numerous celebrities, such as, Donald Trump, Madonna, Prince Charles, Prime Minister Tony Blair, Tim Allen and Demi Moore, believe in the success of feng shui.

These big and small businesses are also calling in feng shui advisors: CitiBank, The Body Shop, Henri Bendal, British Airways, Conte Nast and Fellisimo.              

What would you like Feng Shui To Do For You?

If you would like information and an appointment for a Feng Shui consultation, or to arrange an astrology reading, feel free to email me

Feng Shui Field Trip
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Feng Shui In Your Neighborhood

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