Jun

Exploring Chi, the Energy of Feng Shui

Posted by admin under feng shui for dummy, feng shui life, feng shui tip

Chi (pronounced chee) is the fundamental principle without which Feng Shui (nor anyone, for that matter) cannot exist. Chi, a Chinese word that has no direct translation in English, holds several meanings at once: cosmic energy, life force, breath, and vapor. Chi is the invisible energy that animates all living things. Chi flows continuously: through pathways (or meridians) in your body (the practices of acupuncture and Asian medicine are based on these flows); through your home, through the Earth, the heavens, the atmosphere, and the cosmos. Chi is the flow of life itself, and if the chi stopped flowing through you for even one second, you would cease to live.

The flow of chi in your environment affects every area of your life, influencing your health, your outlook, your decision making, and even your sex life. The flow of chi in turn is influenced by the interior and exterior elements of the physical environment. Colors, shapes, orientation, lighting, objects and their positions and arrangements, the use of space, and the degree of cleanliness or clutter all impact and collectively determine your home’s energy flow. And this flow (or lack of flow) affects you continually, conditions your experience in your home and workplace, and significantly influences your future for good or for ill.

Start by examining the ways that your body absorbs chi on a daily basis. Chi comes to you from multiple environmental sources that include the following:

* The food you eat

* The air you breathe

* The water you drink

* The land and its vegetation

* The sun and other celestial bodies

* Your living environment

* Your working environment

These multiple sources in the environment supply your body with chi (energy) to sustain itself. Your body then transforms the energy and directs it into multiple activities: digestion, breathing, moving of muscles, thinking, working, sensing, worrying, complaining, lounging around the house, and a myriad other human activities. Yet, all these activities are powered by the same basic energy that flows through your system, your environment, and the universe itself.

According to Feng Shui theory, several varieties of chi exist, all of which affect you on one level or another. The following sections cover some of the more-important varieties.
The chi of the heavens

Heavenly chi includes the chi of the air, the weather, the sky, the stars, and other heavenly bodies. The amount and quality of chi in the air helps determine the quality, freshness, and vitality of the oxygen you breathe. Chi of the sky and atmosphere includes climatic influences that affect humans and other life forms. Cosmic chi is the energy of outer space and its celestial bodies: the sun, the moon, and the stars. Without solar chi (the chi of the sun), no life can exist on earth.

The chi of the earth

The chi of the earth is the realm of Feng Shui. While civilization is not advanced enough to change things in space (it can send out satellites, but it can’t rearrange the planets), civilization can certainly alter the chi of the Earth, for both good and ill. The energy of the Earth is divided into many categories; Feng Shui masters have delineated hundreds of specific distinctions about the types of chi of different pieces of land. The most important distinction in Feng Shui is whether the energy (chi) of a parcel of land is healthy and supportive of the humans who live in the area. At the extreme ends of the spectrum, the chi of the earth can be two forms:

* Lively, vibrant, and nourishing: This type of chi is abundant in locations like Hawaii, in old-growth redwood forests, or by healthy, moving streams. Such an environment generates a great deal of negative ions (which are actually positive for your health), contains high levels of oxygen, and helps create a positive mental attitude.

* Arid, barren, and hostile: The chi in these conditions is unsupportive of human life and can actually drain life from the people who stay in the area for long periods of time. These locations may feature negative magnetic fields, unbearable temperatures (hot or cold), and a lack of life forms. Examples include the Arctic and Antarctica, the Gobi Desert, Death Valley, and the Dead Sea (the names of these last two are certainly no coincidence!).

The chi of your house and living environments

The chi of homes can vary widely, depending on the energies of the residents and the general and specific details of the structure and the lot. The interaction between the chi of a living environment and the chi of the humans within this space is Feng Shui; the house itself and the people living in it synergistically create the house chi, which in turn continuously affects and conditions the residents’ energy, actions, and to some degree, their destinies. Amazingly, the way your home is situated can mean the difference between experiencing long-term happiness and good fortune versus enduring missed opportunities and a more-difficult life path. Deciding between these two options and taking concrete actions to bring about the one you desire is the purpose of Feng Shui.

All homes, over time, have variations in their energy patterns. However, the chi types listed in the table are a quick-and-easy way of discussing the general energy characteristics of a home as it relates to humans. For example, if a home has gambling chi, this influence can be felt by the residents even when they’re not currently sitting at the poker table. Moreover, if someone has died recently in the home, the general energetic feeling may be death chi for some time — regardless of whether the residents are conscious of the feeling.

You don’t have to worry about correctly analyzing your home’s specific chi type. This job is better left to a professional Feng Shui consultant. You can simply determine what areas of your life you want to change and apply effective cures to meet your goals. Through this process, rest assured that the chi type of your home can inevitably change and improve.

Types of House Chi

Chi of the House

Life Effects on Occupants

Studious chi

Atmosphere of learning and cultivation

Noble chi

Honor, principles, and worthiness are tangible

Angry chi

Feeling of tension, arguments, and bitterness

Fighting chi

Clashes, violence, and a feeling of fear in the air

Wealthy chi