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In ancient times as well as today, Feng shui, pronounced in English as {Link without Title} ("fung shway"), was known as "Kan-Yu" which means 'The Law of Heaven and Earth.’ 1 Today's Feng Shui schools teach that it is the ancient Chinese practice of placement and arrangement of space to achieve harmony with the environment. Feng shui literally translates as "wind-water." This is a cultural shorthand taken from the following passage of the ''Zhangshu'' (''Book of Burial'') by Guo Pu of the Jin Dynasty : 2 The Qi that rides the wind stops at the boundary of water.Larry Sang. (1995) ''The Principles of Feng Shui.'' Feng shui is a discipline with guidelines that are compatible with many techniques of architectural planning. Space, weather, astronomy, and geomagnetism are basic components of feng shui. However, many believe there are inexplicable factors involved and so consider it a metaphysical art. Proponents claim that feng shui has an effect on health, wealth, and personal relationships. INTRODUCTION Early feng shui relied on astronomy to find correlations between humans and the universe Sun, X. (2000) Crossing the Boundaries between Heaven and Man: Astronomy in Ancient China. In H. Selin (ed.), ''Astronomy Across Cultures: The History of Non-Western Astronomy.'' 423-454. Kluwer Academic. and it is inseparable from an understanding of political power in premodern China.Aihe Wang. ''Cosmology and Political Culture in Early China.'' 2000:23 Chinese often used the celestial pole determined by the pole stars to determine the north-south axis of settlements. This technique explains why Shang palaces at Xiaotun lie ten degrees east of due north. In some cases, as Paul Wheatley observed''The Pivot of the Four Quarters'' (1971:46), they bisected the angle between the directions of the rising and setting sun to find north. This technique provided the more precise alignments of the Shang walls at Yanshi and Zhengzhou . Currently Early Yanshao and Hongshan cultures provide the earliest evidence for feng shui. Professor David Pankenier and his associates reviewed astronomical data for the time of the Banpo dwellings (4000 BCE) to show that the asterism ''Yingshi'' (Lay out the Hall, in the Warring States period and early Han era) corresponded to the sun's location at this time. Centuries before, the Asterism ''Yingshi'' was known as ''Ding''. It was used to indicate the appropriate time to build a capital city, according to the ''Shijing''. Apparently an astronomical alignment ensured that Banpo village homes were sited for Solar Gain .David W. Pankenier. 'The Cosmo-Political Background of Heaven's Mandate.' ''Early China'' 20 (1995):121-176. The grave at Puyang (radiocarbon dated 5,000 BP) that contains mosaics of the Dragon and Tiger culture ceremonial centers, suggests that the Gaitian cosmography (heaven-round, earth-square) was present in Chinese society long before it appeared in the ''Zhou Bu Suan Jing''.Sarah M. Nelson, Rachel A. Matson, Rachel M. Roberts, Chris Rock and Robert E. Stencel. (2006) ''Archaeoastronomical Evidence for Wuism at the Hongshan Site of Niuheliang''. Page 2. Cosmography that bears a striking resemblance to modern feng shui compasses (and computations) was found on a jade unearthed at Hanshan (c. 3000 BCE). The design is linked by Li Xueqin to the ''liuren'' Astrolabe , ''zhinan zhen'', and Luopan. Chen Jiujin and Zhang Jingguo. 'Hanshan chutu yupian tuxing shikao,' ''Wenwu'' 4, 1989:15 All capital cities of China followed rules of Feng Shui for their design and layout. These rules were codified during the Zhou era in the "Kaogong ji" (Manual of Crafts). Rules for builders were codified in the "Lu ban jing" (Carpenter's Manual). Graves and tombs also followed rules of Feng Shui. From the earliest records, it seems that the rules for the structures of the graves and dwellings were the same. Instrumentation 's Metro station.]] Emperor Di Ku was said to dabble in astronomy. Shun consulted the stars before he assumed the throne. There were feng shui devices before the invention of the magnetic compass (which occurs comparatively late in the long history of feng shui). According to the ''Zhouli'' the original device may have been a gnomon, although Yao, Huangdi, and other figures were said to possess devices such as the south-pointing chariot. As Derek Walters observedDerek Walters. ''About the Luopan''. http://www.derekwalters.de/text2.htm, "The luopan was originally a scientific instrument, used for astronomical observation." The oldest excavated examples of instruments used for feng shui are ''liuren'' astrolabes. These consist of a lacquered, two-sided board with astronomical sightlines. Liuren astrolabes have been unearthed from tombs that date between 278 BC and 209 BC. The markings are virtually unchanged from the astrolabe to the first magnetic compasses.Marc Kalinowski. 'The ''Xingde'' Texts from Mawangdui.' ''Early China.'' 23-24 (1998-99):125-202. Since the invention of the Magnetic Compass for use in Feng ShuiWallace H. Campbell. ''Earth Magnetism: A Guided Tour Through Magnetic Fields.'' Academic Press, 2001., authentic feng shui has required the use of a compass. This compass could be a ''Luopan'' (Chinese Feng Shui compass of the types ''San Yuan, San He'', and ''Zong He)'' or one of the earlier versions such as a south-pointing spoon ''(zhinan zhen)''. FOUNDATION THEORIES The goal of feng shui as practiced today is to situate the human built environment on spots with good qi. The "perfect spot" is a location and an axis in time. Some areas are not suitable for human settlement and should be left in their natural state. Some current techniques can be traced to Neolithic China , while others were added in later times (most notably the Han dynasty, the Tang , and the Ming ). Today, to determine a perfect spot, local manifestations of qi must be assessed for quality. Quality is determined by observations and by using a compass (Luopan). Qi (ch'i) Qi is a difficult word to translate and is usually left untranslated. Literally the word means "air". In feng shui, "Qi" means "flow of energy". Max Knoll suggested in a 1951 lecture that qi is a form of Solar Radiation .Max Knoll. "Transformations of Science in Our Age." In Joseph Campbell (ed.). ''Man and Time.'' Princeton UP, 1957, 264-306. A Luopan is used to determine many things. One those being to detect the direction of the flow of qi. Compasses reflect local Geomagnetism which includes Geomagnetically Induced Current s caused by Space Weather .Lui, A.T.Y., Y. Zheng, Y. Zhang, H. Rème, M.W. Dunlop, G. Gustafsson, S.B. Mende, C. Mouikis, and L.M. Kistler, Cluster observation of plasma flow reversal in the magnetotail during a substorm, ''Ann. Geophys.,'' 24, 2005-2013, 2006 It could be said that feng shui assesses the quality of the local environment and the effects of space weather -- that is, feng shui is ''qimancy'', or qi Divination . Stephen L. Field. 1998. The Art and Science of Fengshui. http://www.fengshuigate.com/qimancy.html .. Beliefs from the Axial Age , feng shui among them, hold that the heavens influence life on Earth. This seems preposterous to many people, yet space weather exists and can have profound effects on technology ( GPS , Power Grid s, pipelines, communication and navigation systems, surveys), and the internal orienting faculties of birds and other creatures.Moore, F. R. 1975. Influence of solar and geomagnetic stimuli on the migratory orientation of Herring Gull chicks. ''Auk'' 92:655-664.Moore, F. R. 1977. Geomagnetic disturbance and the orientation of nocturnally migrating birds. ''Science'' 196:684-686.Thomas Alerstam. Bird Migration Across a Strong Magnetic Anomaly.'' J. exp. Bml.'' 130, 63-86 (1987) Atmospheric scientists have suggested that space weather creates fluctuations in market prices.L.Pustil’nik, G. Yom Din, Influence of solar activity on the state of the wheat market in medieval England, ''Solar Physics.'' 223, 335–356, 2004.L. Pustil’nik, G. Yom Din, Space climate manifestation in Earth prices – from Medieval England up to Modern U.S.A., ''Solar Physics,'' 224, 473–481, 2004. Polarity Polarity is expressed in feng shui as Yin And Yang . The polarity within feng shui is buildings of the living (yang) and buildings of the dead (yin). Bagua (eight symbols) Two diagrams known as Bagua (or pa kua) loom large in feng shui, and both predate their mentions in the Yijing or I Ching . The Lo (River) Chart (''Luoshu'', or Later Heaven Sequence) and the River Chart (''Hetu'', or Early Heaven Sequence) are linked to astronomical events of the sixth millennium BCE, and with the Turtle Calendar from the time of Yao.Deborah Lynn Porter. ''From Deluge to Discourse.'' 1996:35-38 The Turtle Calendar of Yao (found in the ''Yaodian'' section of the ''Shangshu'' or 'Book of Documents') dates to 2300 BCE, plus or minus 250 years.Sun and Kistemaker. ''The Chinese Sky During the Han.'' 1997:15-18 It seems clear from many sources that time, in the form of astronomy and calendars, is at the heart of feng shui. In ''Yaodian'', the cardinal directions are determined by the marker-stars of the mega-constellations known as the Four Celestial Animals. East: the '''Bluegreen Dragon''' (Spring equinox) --- ''Niao'' (Bird), α Hydrae South: the '''Red Bird''' (Summer solstice) --- ''Huo'' (Fire), α Scorpionis West: the '''White Tiger''' (Autumn equinox) --- ''Xu'' (Emptiness, Void), α, β Aquarii North: the '''Dark (Mysterious) Turtle''' (Winter solstice) --- ''Mao'' (Hair), η Tauri (the Pleiades) The bagua diagrams are also linked with the ''sifang'' (four directions) method of divination used during the Shang dynasty.Aihe Wang. ''Cosmology and Political Structure in Early China.'' 2000:107-128 The ''sifang'' is much older, however. It was used at Niuheliang, and figured large in Hongshan culture's astronomy. And it is this area of China that is linked to Huangdi, the Yellow Emperor, who allegedly invented the south-pointing spoon.Sarah M. Nelson, Rachel A. Matson, Rachel M. Roberts, Chris Rock, and Robert E. Stencel. '' Archaeoastronomical Evidence for Wuism at the Hongshan Site of Niuheliang .'' 2006 FUNDAMENTAL TECHNIQUES An often-misunderstood term in Feng Shui is that of ''schools''. A ''school'' (at least in Feng Shui) is a technique. The concept is well known to Chinese -- for example, the "Thousand Schools of Thought" mentioned by Mao Zedong . But Westerners often confuse the term with a ''physical'' school, when something less tangible may be meant. There are many 'masters' of the different Feng shui schools. However, some maintain that authentic masters impart their genuine knowledge of Feng shui only to selected students. 3 For example, there is the classical misunderstanding of Form and Shape aspects of Feng Shui, and Time and Space aspects. Westerners are not usually aware of the tendency in Chinese culture to reduce long-winded terms to shorthand (the best example being the often-complex definitions for ''Feng Shui'' itself). Because the history of feng shui covers at least 3,500 years before the invention of the magnetic compass,Aihe Wang. ''Cosmology and Political Culture in Early China.'' Cambridge UP: 2000. defining authentic feng shui as having a "compass school" and a "form school" misses the point. In his fieldwork in China, Ole BruunOle Bruun. Fengshui in China: Geomantic Divination Between State Orthodoxy and Popular Religion. U of Hawai'i Press, 2003. noted that traditional methods of feng shui (increasingly referred to worldwide as "classical feng shui") all use a compass. Traditional or classical Feng shui is what is practiced and taught in Asia. Classical Feng shui has some features similar to those found in the archaeological record, and in Chinese history and literature, but the application of classical Feng Shui is not identical to that of ancient Feng Shui techniques. Classical feng shui is typically associated with the following techniques. This is not a complete list; it is merely a list of the most common techniques.Cheng Jian Jun and Adriana Fernandes-Gonçalves. ''Chinese Feng Shui Compass Step by Step Guide.'' 1998:46-47
NEW VERSION One of the grievances mentioned when the anti-Western Boxer Rebellion broke out was that Westerners were violating the basic principles of Feng shui in their construction of railroads and other conspicuous public structures throughout China. At the time, the Westerners concerned had indeed little idea of or interest in such Chinese traditions. Since Richard Nixon journeyed to China , Feng Shui has been rediscovered by Westerners. It has been reinvented by New Age Entrepreneur s for Western consumption. Feng shui speaks to the profound role of magic, mystery, and order in American life.H. L. Goodall, Jr. Writing the American Ineffable, or the Mystery and Practice of Feng Shui in Everyday Life. ''Qualitative Inquiry,'' 7:1, 3-20 (2001) The following list does not exhaust the varieties. Black Sect -- Incorporated as a US church in 1984, with temples in California and New York . (The church deviates from what is known of the history of Tantrism in China.) Chou Yi-liang. Tantrism in China. ''Harvard J. of Asiatic Studies,'' 8:3/4 (Mar., 1945), 241-332 This new version of Feng Shui was invented in the early 1980s by Thomas Lin Yun Rinpoche who came to the US from Taiwan . |
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