The Five Elements according to a Thai practitioner
And he was doing so well….
I was reading this article and was very interested in the fact that the practitioner was describing Feng Shui as a science and his assertion that there is a lot of mysticsm and superstition surrounding it.
“Feng shui has been falsely associated with magic, religion and superstition,” says the 32-year-old, who has practiced traditional feng shui, fused with contemporary Western beliefs for almost two decades. [First Clue]
“It’s basically a science, which is part art and part skill in removing clutter, thus creating a beautiful and balanced environment. At its most basic level, it’s a decorating style, design and creation that enhances harmony and brightens your life,” he says.
The article then goes on to talk about the background of Feng Shui. So far, so good.
Then he loses it. He starts to discuss the 8 Aspiration sections. Sorry, this is from the Black Hat Feng Shui. So he starts out talking about traditional Feng Shui and five elements, then falls back to a one-size-fits all, cookie cutter approach.
This unfortunately is what is popular now in the US and a lot of the world. But as traditional Chinese Feng Shui becomes more and more known, people are realizing that this method only works to a point. Much of which is psychological.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to Feng Shui. Each house and person is different. Different floorplans, different construction dates, and different people with different birthdates. All of these make for an unlimited number of variances that need to be addressed one-by-one.
Traditional Chinese Feng Shui is based on repeatable methodologies to analyze individual houses. Even a 15 degree difference in orientation can make a different mapping for the qi. Lay that upon an unlimited number of floorplans and you soon see that it is very specific to the house and to the occupants.
In summary, when you are reading about Feng Shui, be very discerning. Many books and websites bring feng shui down to the entertaining or to the “all houses are the same” level. This is just not so. Is Feng Shui difficult to learn? No. But it takes time and practice. You can learn much of the theory in a short time, but without experience, you are still very green. Bottom line, be careful of what you read.
Bangkok Post Sunday 02 October 2005 - THE FIVE ELEMENTS
