Feng Shui

Origin and history

Feng Shui has roots dating back to 3000 BC in the burial sites and temple constructions of ancient China. The systematic system as we know it today consolidated between the Han dynasty (3rd century BC – 3rd century AD) and the Song dynasty (10th-13th centuries). Two main schools developed: School of Form (focused on natural geographic features — mountains, rivers, formations) and School of the Compass (focused on cardinal directions, the luopan Chinese compass and personal date).

The two basic words: feng ("wind") refers to invisible energy in motion, the chi that circulates through space; shui ("water") refers to the storage and accumulation of energy. The literal idea: the place where the wind stops and the water settles is where the energy concentrates — places of power for living, working or burying ancestors. The good Feng Shui creates spaces where the chi flows but does not get lost, accumulates but does not stagnate.

Principles and tools

Feng Shui works with several fundamental principles: 1) Yin-Yang balance in space (combination of bright/dark, hard/soft, dry/humid). 2) Five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water) in productive cycle and constructive cycle — each space requires its right balance. 3) The Bagua, octagonal map superimposed on the room or house, indicates which sector corresponds to which area of life (love, prosperity, career, fame, etc.). 4) Direction of doors, windows, beds in relation to the personal date of the inhabitants. 5) Colours, materials, plants chosen to enhance specific energies.

Common practical applications: position of the bed (head against solid wall, not aligned with the door, not under window, with view of the door from a "command" position); position of the desk (with view of the door, back to solid wall, not back to window); flow of corridors (avoid long straight corridors that "shoot" chi like arrows); energetic corrections with mirrors, hanging crystals, vital plants, fountains, lights — to redirect or enhance the chi where needed.

Basic Feng Shui at home

For starting without specialist: 1) Eliminate physical clutter and accumulation — they block chi. 2) Front door clean, lit and accessible — main entry point of fresh chi. 3) Bed in command position (full view of the door without being in front of it). 4) Avoid mirrors in front of the bed. 5) Vital plants in living spaces. 6) Free of broken items (energetically anchor stagnation). 7) Light, ventilation and natural sound (open windows, regular cleansing). With these basics, any space gains harmony — even without applying advanced Feng Shui.