from Fortunecompass.com

The art of Feng Shui has roots that are 4000 years old, with a sweeping history as intricate as the tradition itself. While it is difficult to convey the depth and breadth of Feng Shui’s amazing history, we can shed light on the elements that seem to be the most relevant to practitioners and students in the West today.

Feng Shui has its beginning in prehistory, long before the advent of writing in China. The first written references to the eight-sided ba gua symbol are believed to appear first during the Xia period (around 2100-1600 B.C.). Feng Shui arose out of a scientific philosophical tradition that also gave birth to the world’s oldest book, the I-Ching (or Book of Changes). In fact, the I-Ching plays a key role in traditional Feng Shui practices, which shares the use of the trigrams and hexagrams that are central to I-Ching philosophy.

The I-Ching is based on a binary mathematical language that is also reflected in the dual principles of yin and yang. The movement between yin and yang occurs in a progression, which is mapped by trigrams that reflect the various combinations, expressed in broken and solid lines. There are eight different trigrams possible -- and, by extension, 64 hexagrams -- whose meanings are analyzed in the text of the I-Ching. However depending on whether you read a Taoist, Confucian or western influenced interpretation or translation, the meanings may vary. The Book of Changes has continued to evolve through the centuries. Over time, the I-Ching developed into a sophisticated method of divination, still very much in use around the world today.

Nobody knows exactly how the formal practice of Feng Shui arose, but it was probably inspired by the keen observation of a sage or sages who could “see” the flow of energy between heaven and earth and within the landscape. A wise observer would have perceived how energy flow gives rise to beneficial or detrimental circumstances in and around buildings and spaces. This knowledge was developed into a systematic practice and passed on from master to student in protected lineages for thousands of years. Initially, it was used primarily to select the most auspicious burial grounds for society‘s elite, but gradually it was also applied to the sites chosen for palaces, homes and other buildings. Emperors guarded the Feng Shui secrets of their courts and used Feng Shui to achieve success in their conquests.

At some point, with the increasing use of the magnetic compass (a Chinese discovery attributed by tradition to the revelations of the mythical Lady of the Nine Heavens), Feng Shui practitioners began to put significant emphasis on the importance of the cardinal directions in analyzing the qualities of a given place. During the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.), secular Taoist philosophers became very technical in their studies, adding further mathematical calculations to Feng Shui theory. As Buddhism spread to China, Feng Shui was adapted to the needs of the monks and priests and used in determining the most auspicious locations and designs for temples and monasteries.

During this period, different schools and masters of traditional Chinese Feng Shui oriented themselves to different aspects of this vast study and emphasized different theories, but the abiding principle that bound them was an adherence to careful, scientific observation and measurement, which was facilitated by the Feng Shui compass, or luo pan.

However, since Feng Shui techniques were mostly kept secret within lineages and reserved for use by those in power, independent practitioners created their own approaches, often considered inferior by the keepers of the more formal traditions. Thus Feng Shui wove itself into the popular consciousness and became more available to the common people, but not without some variation in technique. This gave rise to practitioners who were considered imposters and charlatans, being untrained in the intricate and secret science of Feng Shui as passed down from antiquity.

Imperial support for Feng Shui from ancient to modern times waxed and waned according to who was in power. During some periods of Chinese history, it was outlawed and forced underground -- or retreated into the mountains -- along with many other Taoist practices.

In the 20th century’s Maoist China, Feng Shui was characterized as a cult or religion based on superstition and this was used to justify the outlawing of the public practice. Feng Shui masters were either forced into exile or escaped from the People’s Republic of China to avoid harsh treatment. It is commonly believed that Mao retained Feng Shui advisors for himself, using the power of this ancient practice to help him achieve his goals. The persecution of Feng Shui practitioners by Chairman Mao and his regime stimulated the emigration of many of the most accomplished Feng Shui masters to other parts of the world. Without such oppressive conditions, Feng Shui still might be a little known practice in the West.

It’s clear that throughout its compelling history, Feng Shui has been the subject of much debate and evolution. Therefore, it is no surprise that it has continued to morph and adapt -- and to stimulate debate among its adherents -- since it spread beyond the borders of its homeland to Europe and the United States. Today, there are many different theories and practices about how energy affects space and time that all carry the label “Feng Shui.” It is up to each individual to decide which approach suits his or her needs best and to take the time to learn about the various Feng Shui schools.

But no matter which approach to Feng Shui you find that you prefer, you’ll discover that your life will benefit greatly once you become aware of all the subtle ways your environment can affect your health, wealth and happiness.

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