The Disciplines
of Feng Shui
Bill Clement
April 1999
The words feng and shui literally mean wind and water, but the exact translations of Chinese characters is difficult because each character may have multiple meanings.

Feng shui has recently been erroneously relegated to interior design and furniture placement. Although these are factors involved in some forms of feng shui, they are inaccurate descriptions because they are incomplete. Feng shui is actually a technique of qi manipulation based on evaluations of natural and artificial environments.

Qi is difficult to explain because it exceeds the limitations of human perception. Qi is the energy which permeates and pervades the universe. Qi comprises all energy and matter. Qi operates according to rules which it alone defines. Qi has no boundaries. Qi is the animating force of life.

The Form School of feng shui examines the flow of qi and its effects in the external environment including rivers, lakes, mountains, plains, natural and artificial landscapes and architecture. The Compass School of feng shui examines the flow of qi and its effects in the internal environment of natural and artificial structures, as well as incorporating some aspects of the external environment. The combination of the two schools offers a more complete and more effective method of qi manipulation.

There are numerous schools of feng shui which you may encounter during your investigation.

Xuan Kong, known as Flying Stars, has a basis which has been formulated over several thousand years from the observations and wisdom of Chinese scholars and sages. The basis is the Dao, the Yi Jing, time factors, mathematical calculations, and a multitude of other factors. Xuan Kong Feng Shui is considered to be the highest form of feng shui and is highly regarded in the Orient.

Ba Zhai, Eight House, Eight Mansions or East-West Theory, is another school of Chinese feng shui. Ba Zhai also has a basis which has been formulated over time from the observations and wisdom of Chinese scholars and sages. The basis appears to be the Dao and the Yi Jing. Ba Zhai is reputedly the most popular form of feng shui in areas of the Orient, speculatively because the age of the house is not a necessary consideration for this form.

Black Hat Tantric Sect Tibetan Buddhist Feng Shui, known as Black Hat, Black Sect, or BTB, is a prominent modern school which claims to be feng shui. This modern interpretation of feng shui appears to have been recently fabricated in the mind of one man, Thomas Lin Yun, and has no basis in or connection to Traditional Chinese Feng Shui, the Dao, the Yi Jing, time factors, mathematical calculations or other factors deemed important to the traditions. The origins of BTB are considered dubious by many practitioners of Traditional Chinese Feng Shui. Traditonal practitioners also consider BTB to be psuedo-feng shui based primarily in superstition and profit, marketed with the expertise of genius, creating a product and then creating a demand for the product. This school is extremely popular in the West because it is easy to learn, easy to apply, and requires no comprehension of Oriental philosophies.

Bill Clement, © 1999, All Rights Reserved