FENG SHUI - WIND AND WATER

Feng Shui is Chinese geomancy, meaning a divination by means of figures or lines. It is believed that certain places in the environment have "ch'i" or energy, and by locating these places, one is supposed to be able to improve one's health and well being. In other words, a site should be in harmony with nature and the environment. 

Feng Shui is based on the concept of harmony, balance, constant change, and the interdependent relationship of all things. 

The Eastern concept of opposites is interdependence, not incompatibility.  Feng Shui is not interior design with a touch of magic. Feng Shui was developed in China more than 5,000 years ago and is based on Taoist philosophy and the concept of nature.

The Five Elements

These relate to how energy or "chi" flows through nature. It is also concept of how these elements relate. Each element can give strength or weakness to another element. 

The elements are: Metal    Fire    Water    Wood    Earth

The Eight Trigrams of the I-Ching

Legend says that Sage and Emperor Fu Hsi discovered the Eight Trigrams (pa kua) on the shell of a tortoise. It is believed that he then created the Book of Changes (I Ching). A trigram is composed of three individual lines.

The I Ching is made up of 64 Hexagrams with solid and broken lines. Each line has the properties of either Yin (broken lines) or Yang (solid lines) - each line having the properties of either Yin or Yang. The characteristics of each trigram will determine its meaning, character and associations.