氣乘風則散, 界水則止
Qi rides the wind and scatters, but is retained when encountering water.
From The Book of Burial
Feng Shui is a discipline that involves understanding our environment and the complex forces of nature (Qi), how to harness the positive Qi and avoid the negative.
Feng meaning "wind" and Shui meaning "water" is the ancient Chinese practice of harnessing the natural forces of nature to promote harmony and a sense of well-being.
The word "Feng Shui" first appeared in "The Book of Burial 葬书 by Guo Pu 郭璞 AD 276-324." Guo Pu is a mystic, geomancer and a scholar.
Feng Shui is one of the Five Arts of Chinese Metaphysics, classified as physiognomy. The Feng Shui practice discusses architecture in metaphoric terms of "invisible" and "visible" forces that bind the universe, earth, and humanity together referred to as Qi. It was first practiced during the Chou Dynasty 206-219 BC [approximately 3000 years ago] to orient tombs (Yin Feng Shui). Today, Feng Shui is used to locate auspicious site determined by reference to local features such mountains, bodies of water and other structures in the environment.
Feng Shui is about Time (invisible energy) and Space (visible energy).
Authentic FS deals with the matters of energy in our environment and is specific to each individual. To perform an audit, one must look at the environment (San He), the time or period (San Yuan), and the occupants (Ba Zhai). Look at the environment that surrounds the property, the time the occupants moved-in, and the occupants dates of birth.
To practice FS, it is important to know and master the fundamentals: Ying and Yang; the flow and quality of Qi; Five Elements; 24 Mountains; Bagua; Luo Shu and He Tu. In addition, you have a good understanding of the Forms, Eight Mansions, and Flying Stars. Finally, you must know how to use a Luo Pan.
San He
Feng Shui is divided into two ideologies: San He and San Yuan. These two schools originated over 1500 years ago and their fundamentals have remained unchanged.
San He deals with landforms, in which a FS practitioner looks at the appearance of the surrounding environment--roads, buildings, mountains, river, trees, etc. Certain configuarations of the mountain ranges and water courses must be observed to determine whether it is auspicious or inauspicious. This school is the oldest school of Feng Shui in the Han Dynasty and was originally used to locate an auspicious burial ground and the orientation of tombs. Then, the school progressed to the consideration of homes (Yang House Feng Shui). For people residing in the city, the same theory is applied to the shapes of the buildings (mountains), and the roadways (water) that surrounds the property.
San Yuan
San Yuan is a collection of more recent Feng Shui techniques based on the eight cardinal directions, each of which is said to have unique energy (qi). It uses the Luopan, a disc marked iwth formulas in concentric rings around a magnetic compass. This practice focuses on the aspects of time and how it affects us. This is a dynamic view of FS, one where a person's environment runs in 20-year cycles after which their "luck" expires, unless the energies in their environment are renewed. The formula used in this system focuses on how the quality of Qi in a property changes in cycles. For accuracy, both San He and San Yuan must be applied in a FS consultation.