What is Feng Shui? Feng Shui is often described as a way of bringing positive energy into your home by moving furniture and re-arranging personal items to achieve balance and harmony. While this is part of a Feng Shui analysis, there is a deeper philosophy that most people don’t know. The origins of feng shui were developed to help humans connect with the dynamics of the universe, and use the information to better our lives. The words Feng Shui literally mean wind and water. These two forces were the process by which the earth was formed. Wind is associated with one of the Chinese medicine’s five elements of wood, and water is associated with money.
   Thousands of years ago the Chinese understood and defined life by the laws of nature. People lived in a much closer relationship to the natural environment than we do now. Bathrooms, preparing food and cooking were all done outside. Many people slept on or close to the ground and were subjected to harsh weather without the protective structures we have in the modern world.
   As human culture developed all over the world, our ancestors seemed to have had an innate intelligence about a prevailing “energy” permeating all things. The word used by Chinese to describe this vital force energy was “Ki” or “Qi” and as we know it in the West, “Chi” pronounced “chee”. This force was thought to be very powerful and resides in each of us, as well as in the physical universe. The leaders of the time were very interested in increasing the Chi to become as physically and mentally strong as possible. This is where the application of feng shui came into use.