The Ancient Chinese Philosophy of Feng Shui

We seek happiness in our lives in the West by acquiring more and more things, yet we don't find it. Feng Shui represents an Eastern approach to the issue of happiness and contentment, but approaches it from another direction entirely.

Many people think of the mystical when Feng Shui is mentioned, but this traditional Chinese philosophy is more about creating a good living space for each of us. The basic belief is we need a harmonious place to just be and Feng Shui shows us how to make it.

Feng Shui is an extremely old philosophy. When it first arose, it wasn't even known by this name, instead being called Kan You. As it evolved into a powerful force in China, it gained its new name which means wind-water.

Feng Shui proper wasn't a philosophy, it was a way of life in ancient China. It was considered a form of astronomy and entire cities were laid out based on astronomical forecasts. Politics were also based upon these readings.

The dominance of the theory ran from a period of from five thousand to two thousand years ago and is easily noted in archelogical digs and reseach given the orderly procession of structures from cities to individual spaces.

Today, Feng Shui doesn't set for the political aspects of cultures nor the layout of cities and population centers. Given the state of the world and urban sprawl one sees everywhere, that might be a bad thing.

In truth, modern Feng Shui has gone local. The largest applications are no longer cities, but individual projects where the purchase of land and building upon it are determined using the philosophy.

Where Feng Shui has really taken roots is in the individual. As more of us become familiar with the philosophies of the east, applying there lessons to the places we spend our lives is becoming more and more common.

Perhaps the oddest fact about Feng Shui has to do with China. Why? It is forbidden by the communist government. The versions you and I are familiar with are actually from schools of thought based in the UK and USA.

For a philosophy that has been with us for so long, there would be seem to be a bit of a harmony break given the fact it isn't practiced formally in China. That being said, it should return to prominence as communism continues its fade.

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