The Five Elements - Feng Shui is about combining all of these aspects to better align people with the power of the universe. Each of us is born in a certain year that is influenced by the exchange of vibrations from a particular planet with the expanding forces of earth. This is how the ancient masters of natural phenomena came up with the five stages of transformation or the “five elements” to put everything in order for easy application and understanding.    These five elements are Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood. Each of these elements has a chemical identity such as hydrogen for fire, along with a time of day, body organ, color, direction, season, and personality trait. Determining a person’s element is according to the year they are born. Determining the element of a house is found by knowing the year it was built, or when the roof was put on, and taking a compass reading to find the direction the house is “sitting” (back of the house). The Chinese Lo Pan Compass is used to get an exact reading of which direction the house sits and faces towards. This information gives a very detailed reading of the building and what influence it is having on the inhabitants.    Each of the five elements has a number associated with it according to the “Nine Star Ki”. Thousands of years ago oriental astronomers were familiar with the 9 planets of our solar system and recognized the vibrational influence they had, but likened them to stars at the time. The numbers are matched as follows: number 1 for water, numbers 2, 5 & 8 for earth, 3 & 4 for wood, 6 & 7 for metal, and number 9 for fire.
	Heaven and Earth
	“In the beginning, God created Heaven and Earth”. It is always exciting to see different spiritual belief systems overlapping or supporting each other. This is a great example. Chinese Astrology says there are Ten Heavenly Influences and Twelve Earthly Influences governing our lives at any given time. The Heavenly influence is coming from the external universe in 10 phases of growth and decay, according to five phases of growth and five phases of decay related to the five element system. When applying Feng Shui to the home certain sections or rooms are going through their growth/positive cycle while others are going through their death/decay cycle.    The Twelve Earthly Influences are associated with the twelve constellations of the zodiac and in Chinese astrology there is an animal for each year. For example 2010 is the year of the Tiger. The twelve animals were chosen according to their likeness to the growth and decay cycles, for example, a monkey is likely to be in an early growth phase or the season of Spring, whereas an ox having a slower constitution would belong to a decaying or slowing down phase or the season of Fall. Another interesting fact is Jupiter’s twelve year cycle around the sun correlates to the twelve meridians in the human according to some experts.    Digging deeper into these types of ideas and practices there seems to be a complex form of interrelationship connecting all things. But as this information is examined, dissected, discussed, written about and made to seem very complicated, I think what we’ll begin to see is that it’s not so complex but actually very simple. What I do know is when Feng Shui principles are applied to buildings, homes, land, animals and people, amazingly wonderful things happen!             Back to top
	Designing a Home
	Designing a home with this knowledge is paramount so it may be constructed with the placement of bedrooms in the growth or most positively influenced area, and kitchens placed in a decay or least positive area, therefore letting the stove or “fire” kill off the negative Chi. Bedrooms are also situated in particular directions according to the birth year and element of each person. A fire element person for example would want a bedroom in the south quadrant and a wood element person in the east.    Many negative influences on finance, health and relationships that occur in people’s lives after building a new house happen because their home is opposing the owners! This also happens quite often when people move. One of my clients moved into a new home and the Feng Shui reading indicated that she needed to get “earth” into the house, rocks, soil (not plants) or she may suffer cardiovascular problems. She did not apply her “remedies” as I instructed and underwent a triple bi-pass surgery within 3 months of moving in. Her daughter indicated she had no issues in this area of her body before. This is only one of many examples that I have seen, unfortunately.    According to Feng Shui, the most important part of any household is the bedroom. Getting good sleep each night is the most important aspect of Feng Shui. Why? Because as we are sleeping, the Chi, or vital force energy, has a chance to truly interact with us and absorb into our being without the interference of daily life. Our minds are at rest, we are doing wonderful and exciting things in our dreams, and the intelligence of the universe is now assisting us in our growth and happiness. When couples are getting a Feng Shui reading and the question of who gets the best direction for the head of the bed is discussed, the person that is least compatible with the house is chosen to help balance the negativity.    Although there is much more to Feng Shui than I’ve indicated here, this will give you an idea of how vast, and I believe, important Feng Shui really is. The true meaning has been lost as it came across the ocean, but have heart, most of the Chinese people that practice Feng Shui, and there are many since it’s considered part of their daily life, are often practicing what we call “superstitious” Feng Shui. True Feng Shui is based on geometry, meteorology, astronomy, physics and geomancy and is considered a science. The master I trained under, Master Lawrence Sang, says that he enjoys teaching Feng Shui here in the west because we are better educated and do not get caught up in the superstitions. What I know, for a fact, is that it has changed my life for the better, and for that I am truly grateful.             Back to top