Feng Shui, literally means wind and water, is an Ancient art of creating positiv e energy and is becoming a popular

way to create ideal work and home environment s. Feng Shui is called the "Art of Placement," that balances the life energies, or chi, in a living space. Using simple "cures," it increases the flow of positi ve chi and subdues the negative flow. And according to the theory of Feng Shui, harmonizing our personal chi with the chi in the environment puts us in harmony with the natural world. History of Feng-Shui: The history of Fengshui (Feng Shui) is a very old story. Fengshui (Feng Shui), a s a practical philosophy, exists before the Chinese learn to write. The ancient wise people used the most original and basic binary form of "Yin" and "Yang" to reason the events of the world around them. The palaces and tombs of the royal f amilies built in Tang dynasty (618-907) and all the following dynasties strictly followed the prescription of the Fengshui (Feng Shui) requirement. When the Bud dhism reached China, it soon absorbed the Fengshui (Feng Shui) principles and co mbined in its own practices. The historical Buddhism temples, most locate at fam ous mountains in China, are all build with the idea of Fengshui (Feng Shui) in m ind. The practice of Fengshui (Feng Shui) was severely undermined in China since the 20th century. With the invasion of the European countries, Chinese intellectuals begin to question their heritage. Under the banner of 'learn from the west', Fe ngshui (Feng Shui) is regarded as superstition' by many. Feng Shui is based on the principle of Yin and Yang, and the balancing of five e lements, including fire, earth, metal, water and wood. A Feng Shui analysis of a building examines the surrounding environment, the building and how the people inside interact with the building, and it also looks at time-related factors suc h as the birth dates of occupants and the year the building was completed. Based on these factors, recommendations can be made on how to improve the relationshi p with the environment using the elements as remedies. Two major elements work together in Fengshui (Feng Shui). The with-birth part, w here and when you where born. There is not much we can do about it. The after-bi rth part, where and how do you live? Fengshui (Feng Shui) is being excised on th is part most. Feng-Shui Tips: It is inevitable that everyone has to earn his/her own living, unless of course one has been left a fortune of millions or billions. Everyone wishes for a good and stable career. However things can go very wrong (as they do sometimes) when we least expect them to. Feng Shui has some remedies for enhancing career luck a nd to keep it that way. 1. Find out your Kua number and your 4 best directions. Locate your 'Sheng Chi' direction and sleep with your head pointed in this direction. 2. If your career is going nowhere, changing the position of your main door to f ace your personal 'Sheng Chi' direction might be of help. Stand inside your hous e at the door looking out to determine the directions. 3. If you have your own office, place your desk accordingly so that it faces you r 'Sheng Chi' direction. 4. Do not sit with your back to a window or a door. These features give you no ' support' for your back and you might be backstabbed or double-crossed by colleag ues. Look out for any poison arrows directed at your back, caused by open shelve s or sharp edges. 5. Find a painting of mountains (without any water feature such as lakes or ocea ns) and place it behind your working table. 6. If possible keep some terrapins in your office. Place potted plants to camouf lage offending pillars that send out poison arrows. However be sure to take good

care of the plants so that it does not wither and die. Crystals also make good remedies for such problems. 7. According to the 8 Life Aspirations, North represents career. The element of North is water and the color is blue. In the North section of your home or offic e, place a metal wind chime. But remember not to place anything that represents the Earth or Wood element in this section. 8. Be aware of your bedroom. We spend 1/3 of our lives sleeping so it is importa nt to note the features in our bedroom. Watch out for features that cause danger ous 'shar qi' (killing breath) that may affect your well-being. Feng Shui Tips On Education Education is a lifelong pursuit. We never stop learning and growing even when we leave our school days far behind. As Helen Keller said, "Knowledge is love and light and vision." Feng Shui can help transform average but hard working student s into high achievers. Full potentials can be met and hidden abilities discovere d. Below are some Feng Shui points designed to aid students (and working adults) academically. 1. Find out your Kua number and your 4 best directions. For example, if you have the Kua number 3, your 'Sheng Chi' direction is. Sleep with your head pointed i n your 'Sheng Chi' direction. 2. Change your child's sleeping position so that his/her head points to his 'Tie n Yi' direction. Position your child's table so that he faces his 'Tien Yi' dire ction while studying. 3. Beware of 'shar qi' (killing breath) directed at you or your child in the bed room. Poison arrows triggered off by protruding corners and sharp edges cause 'S har qi'. This will cause illnesses and uneasiness and leads to distraction in a whole. Soften the effect of poison arrows by placing soft material and crystals. 4. Do not let your child sleep or study in a room located above a garage or belo w a toilet. This will cause his mind to wander and distract his studies. 5. According to the 8 Life Aspirations, education and knowledge is located in th e Northeast section. The element of Northeast is Earth and the color is beige. I n this section of your house display some symbols representing the Earth element , such as pottery, porcelain and clay items. 6. If the Northeast section is missing from your home, you can apply the above s tep to your own or your child's bedroom as well. Quartz crystals are strong attr actors of the Earth element, so place some on a decorative table in the corner a s well. 7. Hard work and patience never hurt anybody. Be diligent in your studies or wor k and you will achieve something in no time at all. Feng Shui Tips On Love Love is an emotion all of us have experienced one time of the other. Countless o f songs, movies, poetry and art are dedicated to this powerful emotion. Many her oes and kingdoms rose and fell in the name of love. Vaastu Philosophies: Vaastu Shastra is an integral part of Vedic culture and philosophy. The five ele ments of nature, namely: earth (stability), water (purity); fire (energy and pow er); air (pervasiveness) and space (creativity and dynamism), are co-related wit h everything that goes on in the Universe. The relationship between Vaastu and Astrology Vaastu and astrology have both originated from the Vedas, and are inter-dependen t on each other. In fact, both are derived from each other and complement each o ther as well. Vaastu Shastra, while trying to find out muhurta (auspicious momen ts) depends on astrology to find out the right time. An astrologer, while perfor ming yagnas, must depend on Vaastu to get an idea of the location. While both th e sciences are independent and complete in themselves, a joint study helps for a

better understanding. The Vaastu Philosophies are: Jivatman: Some locations are sacred in their very character. In such places, the building also imbibes power, which can bestow siddhi or spiritual powers to the occupants. The physical abode is the resting place for the body, psyche, spirit of the individual and the smaller unit of a family or group. This is the shape wherein the jivatman of the individual can achieve spiritual harmony and content ment, during their sojourn in earthly life. Panchabhoota: In an act of creation, the objects formed become subservient to th e cosmic order of Panchabhoota. In other words, the five elements, namely space, air, fire, water and earth play a subtle part in the emanated form and each has its location and role, meaning and power. Dvaitam/ Advaitam: To achieve the sublimation of the jivatman with paramatman, t wo paths have been recommended, one known as Dvaitam and the other as Advaitam. In the field of architecture, the philosophies of Dvaitam and Advaitam have had great impact, particularly in the realm of religious buildings. All temple preci ncts are built around the concept of form and space, which articulate the Search for the Divine either within the self or outside of the self. Purusha: Vaastu Purusha is the body on which every aspect of human activity is c arried out. Whether we build a house or playground, we place it upon the sacred body of the cosmic, in order for it to reside with us. The manifestation of ener gy in the universe of reality, or prapancha is the movement of purusha/prakriti. Shivam/Shakti: This movement from stillness and bliss into manifestation is the secret of creation. The still centre is known as Shivam, and the energy which is the energy of creation is Shakti, the former the male principle and the latter the female. In the Indian tradition the male/female is inextricably linked as the Ardhanaree shwara (half male and half female) and the Srivatsam (the mole) on the body of V ishnu. (The feminine principle exists in the form of a mole on the body of the m ale). Triguna: Each physical form is perceived as a composition of three: Gunas or cha racteristics known as Satvika, Rajasa, Tamasa. When one of these Gunas is predom inant, then the nature of the material objects takes on the dominant character. In Vaastu, the three Gunas are characterised by the three shapes of a circle, oc tagon and square respectively. The energy contained within the square and rectan gle is the most stable, restful and in equilibrium. This is considered suitable for residences and places of learning. The energy contained in a polygon is a su itable centre of energetic activities, such as offices. The energy contained in the circle is very high, and is suitable for entertainment centres, amphitheatre s, council chambers, and sometimes for religious centres such as prayer halls an d temples. Karma Bandhanam: It is the confinement of each individual to repeated births as a consequence of action accrued in each birth. The delusion of a trouble-free ex istence must be effaced, so that the spirit can accept and live through the trav ails and the highs and the lows with equanimity and grace.