Q. As a Christian, I believe that God is in charge of my life. It sounds to me like doing feng shui is interfering with God’s plan, and I hesistate to follow a practice that does not come from the Bible.
A. If that is how you feel, feng shui may not be for you. On the other hand, feng shui can remove obstacles to communication, eliminate unnecessary arguments, reduce your stress, and improve your ability to take advantage of any opportunities and abundance that God sends your way.
Was it God’s plan for you (or anyone) to accumulate so much clutter that you feel completely stuck in your life?
Was it God’s plan for you to place your couch so it is difficult to relax and unwind at home — so you are more likely to lose your temper with your children or spouse?
Or has God has led you to feng shui because it is a useful tool that can clear away obstacles and help you to live your life in accordance with his plan?
I cannot answer those questions for you or say whether or not feng shui is appropriate for you; your religious beliefs and practices are your own business. I can reassure you that although feng shui has Buddhist and Taoist roots, it is not a religion, and can be practiced by people of any faith. I also would advise you to listen to your heart, and not to proceed with feng shui if you do not feel comfortable with it for any reason, religious or otherwise.
photo: lumix2004
Q. Do I have to be Buddhist to practice feng shui?
A. Feng shui is not a religion, and can be practiced by people of any faith. It is a philosophy of interior and landscape design that originated in ancient China, and which is based on the Taoist belief in the interconnectedness of all things. It teaches us to be thoughtful about how we arrange and use the spaces we inhabit and work in, and reminds us to be attentive to and appreciative of the relationships and possessions that bless our lives.
Many western feng shui practices incorporate Buddhist meditation or chanting. None of these are required to do feng shui. You can do feng shui using Jewish or Christian (or other) prayers, or without using any prayers at all. Contemporary Western feng shui is very flexible, and very personal. If you have a religious practice, you can incorporate as much or as little of that practice as you’d like into your feng shui rituals. Or you can apply feng shui to your home without using any rituals at all. The choice is yours.
Some people may feel that feng shui is not a good fit for their spirtual practice or religious belief. It’s up to you to decide what kind of practice you feel comfortable incorporating into your life.
photo: modcam
Q: “I understand each individual has a “kua” number (according to the date of birth) by which we can find our “power spots.” I am confused about whether to use the ba gua or the compass.”
A: The BA GUA is a map of energetic influences in your space. It has eight perimeter sections and a central area, each of which is associated with a particular life aspect or “aspiration,” such as wealth, career, family, marriage, and so on. The ba gua can be oriented according to the compass directions (with career in the North and Fame in the South), or it can be applied relative to the main doorway (with Career in the center of the front of the house, and Fame in the center of the back of the house). I have a strong personal preference for the doorway method, for reasons explained here, but if you feel more comfortable with the compass method you should use it instead.
Your PERSONAL KUA NUMBER has nothing to do with the ba gua. The kua number determines which compass directions are supposedly “lucky” for you, and which are “unlucky.” It even defines what direction your front door should face for best luck. However, these are not the same as the “life aspirations” defined by the ba gua. If you want to take advantage of your “lucky directions,” those are always defined by the compass.
“Power spots” is my own term for the areas in your home that most closely match your current life priorities, according to the life aspirations defined by the ba gua. Power spots and kua directions are not the same thing. I want to stress that I give very little importance to personal kua numbers in my practice, for reasons explained here. This method can be helpful if you are choosing or building a house with your kua number/directions in mind. It is often very difficult to benefit from this method if you try to “retrofit” it onto a space that was not selected to suit your kua number.
I’m not saying that you should ignore your kua number directions if you wish to use them. Do be aware, though, that facing or sleeping in your lucky direction is pointless UNLESS that position also conforms to ALL the other guidelines for good feng shui. For example, your lucky directions may indicate that your best sleeping direction for health is with your head pointing NW, but in your home that may mean sleeping in the hallway or kitchen, or it might place your bed in a position that exposes you to harmful EMF radiation or another form of sha chi while you sleep — which will do you much more harm than good.
I only use the personal kua directions when all the other guidelines for good feng shui can also be met, and suggest that you do the same. If you don’t know your kua number, and want to find out what directions are lucky or unlucky for you, a Google search for “kua number calculator” will point you to online resources.
photo: iprole