History of Feng ShuiThe roots of Feng Shui can be traced back several thousand years ago, to the teachings of China's shamans, diviners and great kings who established the three components that make up the entire science of feng shui:
In prehistoric China, the compass was originally used for navigation. This navigational compass would be modified later for use in feng shui. At the beginning of the Chou dynasty (1122-207 BC), Emperor Wen first used the pa kua as a tool to describe and define patterns of change in the natural world. By the eighth century BC, the Chinese were using the pa kua and the theory of change to design their cities and feudal landscapes to bring wealth and peace to a kingdom. The study of kan yu became part of the science of Feng Shui during The Han dynasty (206 BCE-219 CE) Kan means "mountains"and yu means "low places." Kan yu was the study of the energy of landforms and how they affect individuals who live next to these forms. It was during this dynasty that the great Taoists Huang-shih Kung and Ch'ing Wu, developed the idea that mountains and rivers are filled with vital nourishing energy. The pathways of energy in mountains were called dragon veins, while those in waterways were called water dragons. The ancient Chinese thought the layout of the land could affect the fate of an entire kingdom. For instance, if the capital city was built on land that boasted good features such as mountains and rivers then that country would prosper. If it were built on land that carried harsh winds or bad magnetic energy, the country would suffer catastrophes. Likewise, if an emperor were buried on or near landforms with positive energy, his dynasty would last and he would have many descendants. If he were buried on or near landforms with negative energy, his dynasty would fall. In fact, kan yu was first used only by nobility to select burial sites that would ensure the longevity of their regimes. . It wasn't until hundreds of years later during the Chin dynasty (265-420 CE) that kan yu was adopted by ordinary citizens as a way of choosing the best real estate. The T'ang (618-906 CE) and Sung (960-1279 CE) dynasties were the golden ages of kan yu. The T'ang dynasty invented a geomantic compass called the lo-p'an which was a circular object that contained seventeen rings and twenty four directions that could be used to determine the most auspicious location for a dwelling. During the Sung dynasty, the Emperor Hsü Jen-wang expanded the practice of Feng Shui to include the diagnosis of buildings as well as landforms. He founded the Hsüan-k'ung, also known as Mysterious Subtleties or Flying Stars system of Feng Shui. This system utilized information about the direction a building faces, the year that it was built, and the pa kua to predict the fortunes of a building's residents. As cities expanded and more and more houses were built far away from the positive embrace of natural landscapes the Flying Stars school of Feng Shui increased in popularity. Feng-shui's last phase of development overlapped with the Ch'ing dynasty (1644-1911) and the Republic China period (1911-1949). Early in the Ch'ing dynasty, a Feng Shui master named Jo-kuan Tao-jen founded the Pa-chai (Eight Mansions) School. Applied exclusively to the feng shui of residences, Pa-chai matches the occupant's guardian star, which is determined by the year of birth with the direction faced by a dwelling's front door. During the Republic years, the Hsüan-k'ung school began to use the principles of Landform Classification, in addition to the compass and the Flying Stars system, to evaluate the feng-shui of a building. Also during this Feng Shui renaissance the San-yüan school was developed to study residential and commercial structures as well. The San-ho school, on the other hand, remained exclusively devoted to the study of mountains, valleys, and waterways. Today, the San-yüan, San-ho, Hsüan-k'ung, and Pa-chai schools remain in practice and are known as the Four Schools of traditional Chinese feng shui. Today even the most rudimentary forms of Western Feng Shui incorporate the basics of these four schools. The simplest way to incorporate the art and science of Feng Shui into your own life is to use the system that I am presenting in this book that is based on the nine areas of the Bagua. Click Here to Discover How To Get Everything You Want In Life Using Feng Shui |