Feng Shui has been in the news and not in a good way.
Bad Feng Shui in Chinea. Corrupt Chinese public officials are being prosecuted by the central government for practicing “feudal superstition”, namely feng shui. These officials are not being prosecuted for simply using feng shui, they are being prosecuted for corruption and the use of feng shui.
The New York Times reported “from rural township party chiefs to the nation’s disgraced former rail minister” officials have used government funds to improve their personal advancement.” This is bad feng shui. In one case, county officials spent over $700,000 to move a 370 ton boulder six miles to ward of bad luck for their own careers. Feng shui is being used to get the upper hand over rivals with “dueling cures.” Citizens are angered by public funds being used for self-serving mysticism. The Communist government is legally prosecuting these officials on the grounds of corruption (and because feng shui is viewed as a competing dogma.)
This use of bad feng shui is reinforcing the negative reputation feng shui has as a superstition used for selfish ends.
Professor Lin Yun (my first teacher) taught that feng shui alone will not significantly improve your life. Feng Shui was one of five factors that influenced your success in life. The first two of the five are immutable, while the other three can be consciously changed.
The 5 Factors of Life Success:
- Destiny – Each of us enters life with a destiny. The Chinese believe this is unchangeable. As a wise person you can learn what your destiny is and take steps to use it wisely.
- Luck – Everyone has periods of good luck and bad luck. You can learn how to go with the flow.
- Feng Shui – Feng Shui is the first of the changeable life factors. You can change the energy of your home and workspace to support and balance your personal element energies.
- Karma – The Law of Cause and Effect. What you do has consequences. Karma can be energy carried from one life to the next and your choice of how you live with those energies. Karma can be what you do in this life – Instant Karma – “what goes around comes around”. Your actions can be planned or random acts of kindness, versus impulses to think only of yourself.
- Education – Chinese culture has long honored education and the educated with good reason. With knowledge comes the ability to make smarter choices. As a wise person you learn about the world around and within yourself and then act on that knowledge.
The Secret of Feng Shui
Feng shui is not about “gimme”. The best feng shui techniques when applied to a life of corruption will have little-to-no effect. Clarity and purity of intention is most important. Feng shui used consciously to improve your life and the larger world will be more effective and powerful. So as you move that potted plant or treasured memento to a specific area of the ba-gua, think of your intention and the ripple effect it will have on you and the world. This is the secret to good feng shui.
Contact Linda to bring good Feng Shui into your home, office and life.
photo by See-ming Lee