The Time Aspect of Feng Shui
“Time marches on.” How appropriate a comment, especially at the beginning of a new century. Time is an elusive concept. What is right now, or did it just pass, or will it happen? Time controls our lives. People live by their calendars and their watches. It also is a principle part of Feng Shui. Feng Shui is based on change. Change occurs with time. Another quote says, “timing is everything.” With Feng Shui this could not be truer.
In the United States, there is a lot of talk about Feng Shui these days. Most books and practitioners address Feng Shui in a static manner. Feng Shui, however, is not static. It is constantly undergoing change. It is based on the yi jing or “Book of Change”. This Chinese oracle tells us that everything undergoes change. Feng Shui is a process of mapping these changes within an environment. Time cycles. It cycles in different measurements too. According to the Chinese Masters, Feng Shui cycles in multi-year increments, annual increments, and even monthly and daily cycles. Feng Shui was an observational science more than 2500 years ago and as such, the ancients observed the Earth, as well as the heavens. They observed the cycles of the planets, constellations, seasons, and life.
By drawing a correlation between the seasons and astronomical movements, these early masters realized that there was timing to when earthly events happened. They mapped out a solar year that correlates to the “Spring Establishment” or the Chinese beginning of Spring. This usually occurs on February 4th or 5th . This timing was chosen, as it is halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Just as wood starts the beginning of the cycle of the five elements, the spring establishment is the start of the new annual cycle.
Further mapping the timing of the earth, an evolved Feng Shui study began. This study is known as Xuan Kong. This study began to look at how timing effects buildings, people, and their environment. Working with their knowledge of directional Feng Shui, the early masters found a system that allowed them to assess why certain events happened in certain areas of a house during a certain time.
Over 2500 years, Xuan Kong has evolved and now it is highly accurate in mapping the timing of events associated with the movement of qi. Just as the orbits of the planets can be calculated, so can the qi energy within a building. While it is a complex system, it follows the same methods and calculations again and again. It has even been programmed into the computer. Using such a program will give you a print out of results, but it does not give you a complete Feng Shui analysis. It takes a trained master to synthesize these calculations with the environment, the architecture, and the people who occupy these environments.
Qi itself cycles with time. There are 180-year cycles, 60-year cycles, 20-year cycles, and annual cycles. It is stronger in new buildings and weakens over time. On a practical or environmental level, farmers have to rotate their crops to avoid exhausting the ground. The ground loses its nutrients over time. Some years later, the same area of the earth can be reused again. Similarly, qi of a house tires after some time. The qi gets gradually weaker until it cycles around, gets its “second wind,” and becomes strong again. This happens over a long period of time. Consider a 180-year-old house. Chances are, it is now remodeled and is considered a classic. It has a freshness about it that a house of 80 years does not have. The most vibrant though is a brand new building. It has the strongest qi energy. Even so, if it was an ideal Feng Shui house when first built, it will remain a good house throughout its life. Similarly, if it was an undesirable Feng Shui house when it was first built, it will remain undesirable through its life.
Even cities have this cycle of vitality. New developments are strong and vibrant, but after 40 or more years, they decline. Buildings built in the 1950’s do not have the same vitality that a modern 1990’s building has. Areas of the city that were built 60 years ago are not as vibrant as areas that are brand new. Think about cities in Asia that are currently flourishing. In Hong Kong for example, new buildings are replacing old all the time. The residents there understand that, properly applied, Feng Shui of a new building is better than an older building. Shanghai is now on the rise, with their building boom over the last 10 years. Cities that are rebuilding themselves are cities that will be prosperous, especially if proper Feng Shui principles are applied.
Above, we mentioned the 20 year time cycles. Currently we are in a “Tui” time cycle. (1984-2003) Tui is the trigram that is represented by the number 7. It also relates to the mouth or communication. It is also a very social and sometimes frivolous time. During this time, communication is strong. This timing has coincided with the emergence of the Internet. This time period is good for people (including national leaders) who use their mouth for a living. Attorneys, entertainers, and singers are in their prime time period. The last time period was “Chien.” (1964-1984) This was a time of strong leaders. Chien is usually associated with strong, hard metal. It was a time of extremes. The next time period is “Ken.” (2004-2023) This time is a time for youth and simplicity. We should see younger leaders and life should be not as complicated as it is now.
Remember that Feng Shui is intimately concerned with time. Time changes the Feng Shui of a building. Omitting the time factor in Feng Shui is like having a meal at a fast food restaurant. You can get a quick feeling of satisfaction, but over time, you will not have lasting benefits from those meals. Eat a nutritious meal that might take more time to prepare, or is a little more involved to prepare, you will sustain the lasting effects of good health and vitality.
