Feng Shui

Whether you’re searching for a home in Beverly Hills CA, or Moorhead, MN, acquiring a property is one of the most important decisions anyone can make in a lifetime. Buying or selling real estate can be so overwhelming, especially, when you don�t know what property to choose or what to do when searching for a new home. Selling a home, scouting out a new location for a business, or buying multiple properties is when you should, not only hire a qualified real estate agent, hire a Feng Shui expert as well. Yet, the optimal time to call in a Feng Shui expert is even before a home is built.

Some people say, they have a gut feeling when they find the right property; they just feel like they�re home. But, why not have some basis to form that feeling. Your gut is probably a good indication that you�re on the right track and the property is the right choice for you. Yet, the placement and direction of the home or business, in question, can be analyzed before a purchase is made. This gives you more than a gut feeling; it gives you choice information.

An energy analysis can also be done, to make sure that the property is compatible with its inhabitants. Water, tree, fire, metal and earth are the elements that are contained in the Chinese five-element-theory. This theory goes hand-and-hand with Feng Shui concepts. It is the core of Feng Shui. Why not use this knowledge to purchase or sell a property. The Chinese have been doing it for thousands of years; they thought enough of their ancestors to hire a Feng Shui practitioner. It all began by looking for the best location for a grave site:

When Chinese pictorial writing began about 5,000 years ago, it is believed that Form Feng Shui was being practiced. This was about the same time, in Puyang, a Chinese city located in northeastern Henan Province , that constellations, depicted in mosaics of a dragon and tiger, were discovered at the burial site of a six-foot-man. On the floor, at the base of the tomb, made from cowrie shells, a white tiger was placed in the west and an azure dragon in the east.

Cowrie Shell

The mosaics that were found relate to, two of the four, Celestial Animals used in Form Feng Shui. The dark tortoise of the north and the red bird of the south are the other two. Form Feng Shui was the first school, of many, with principles relating to this ancient art of placement. Yet, the term Feng Shui wasn�t mentioned until, about the later part of the 5th century A.D.; it was first referred to in the Chinese Book of Burial.

When a Chinese family needed expert advice for a proper burial site, they’d hire a Feng Shui practitioner. The practitioner knew how to observe the directional energy of the land and its surroundings and surveyed the perfect plot for the family�s ancestral, burial ground. The family of the deceased believed that burying their loved one, in this select site, would bring wealth and auspiciousness to all living relatives. This is how Feng Shui was launched and literally translates as, �Wind, Water�.

The Chinese looked to nature and noticed how Ch�i (Chee) meaning energy, or the dragon�s celestial breath, was in the drift of the �wind�. They also studied the flow of �water� and how ch�i settled there as well. Since the azure dragon was revered in their culture, they knew that this was the wealth of their surroundings; harsh winds and rapid waters drove ch�i away.

The people observed the lay of the land. In the east, the rounded, lush mountains, like the dragon�s curved spine, kept them safe. The dark tortoise mountains, of rich black earth, protected the backs of the ancestor�s graves from the harsh winds of the north. And, the white tiger-hills, of the west, were the guardians from the storms of nature. In the south, the red bird was the warmth of the knolls that faced into the sun; while, the meandering rivers, by the frontage, signified the wealth and prosperity of the land and its inhabitants. The dragon’s breath, at last, was peaceful and calm.

Even back then, the people were wise to hire a Feng Shui expert. Location, location, location was the family�s treasure in locating the best grave site. Now, when using Feng Shui, the same premise should be applied–but for the living as well; find the best location, and that doesn�t necessarily mean prime real estate. Although, even without knowing it, most prime estates have many Feng Shui principles incorporated in their structure and grounds. Still, purchasing a property on the side of a mountain, no matter how breathtaking the view, is not optimal Feng Shui. Mud slides happen, as well as earthquakes and volcanoes. The back of the house should be situated, far enough, away from the mountain. The view of the mountain�s beauty can still be captured, but the mountain should not endanger anyone living on it. A home does not have to be a mansion, but it can be your own harbor of respite and joy.

Lo Pan

As thousands of years passed and Feng Shui was being practiced widely in China ; about 1200 A.D., Yun Sung, the forefather of modern Compass School , enhanced Form school by introducing directional energy. He used a compass. In Traditional Feng Shui the compass is called the Lo P’an.

When looking for real estate, equip yourself with a western compass. It can be purchased in any sporting goods store or most department stores. Take a compass direction of the energy that you will be facing. A facing position is found by standing with your back to your front door and looking out toward the other side of the road or street. Today, roads and highways are synonymous with rivers. A large, trafficked area has fast-moving energy and equates with a large, fast-moving river or even a rough ocean. That�s why businesses do well on high volume roads, but a home in the same area can cause many woes for the people living there.

A young couple, just starting out, may want to consider buying an eastern-facing home. This signifies new beginnings and new projects; while, an elderly couple may want to consider the more quiet and peaceful energy of the west. A southern energy is very dynamic; though, the energy of the north is placid and contemplative. Northeastern energy should be avoided, unless the individuals living there like a whirlwind of chaotic energy. Northeastern energy can be very draining on slow-moving and methodical inhabitants. Think about the storms coming out of the Northeast, the Nor�easters. If you buy a home facing in this direction, at least you�ll know what you�ve gotten yourself into.

When searching for your dream home, it should not have overgrown trees and bushes blocking the front door. The entrance is called the Mouth of Ch�i, also known as the Ming Tang, the inner and outer space found at Chinese gravesites. The inner space is an area adjacent to the dragon’s lair; the outer is bright and welcoming. Ming Tang translates in Chinese as Bright Hall.

Ming Tang

In the same respect, a pathway to the front of a home should be bright, winding and welcoming. The house should be well maintained, with no loose shingles, or if it is made with brick or stone, loose mortar. A fixer-upper needs to be repaired as soon as possible. The color of the roof, sides, front and back equate with specific energies and these factors should also be analyzed, so that they may enhance the inhabitants own energies. In the backyard, this area should be supported with the dark tortoise hills by planting bushes or trees on the perimeter, toward the back of the home. On the sides, bushes, flowers and small trees could augment the property. But, the east side of the home should have plants and bushes larger than on the west side. The dragon rests higher than the tiger. Adding foliage is the equivalent to the �U� configuration, an arm-chair-effect that was first used in Form Feng Shui.

The armchair is supported in the back by the dark tortoise, on the sides by the azure dragon and white tiger. The red bird hovers in the front. If the home is in the city and has other homes next to it; this is considered protection on both sides. But, the back would still have to be enhanced. Yet, there�s one caveat� make sure you know who you�ll be living next to, before you purchase that home. Loud neighbors can mean that the dragon and tiger are always animated or angry. Remember, when you finally purchase a home, this is where you will live, eat and sleep each day of your life, so practice beneficial Feng Shui.

The Chinese knew it all along; Feng Shui is the best way to choose where you will live, now, and possibly to the end of your life. Feng Shui and real estate make the perfect couple, you and your energy-enhanced home.
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Copyright � 2005 by Dolores Kozielski. http://www.fengshuiwrite.com