Over the past 20 years, since around 1985, books on Feng Shui have been appearing more and more frequently in German bookshops. These books are very different in their presentation and the content they convey.
Feng Shui (wind and water) is the Chinese term for an ancient method of designing one’s own environment with the aim of creating positive energy and averting bad energy. This is said to have a positive effect on the quality of life and personal success of a family or company. Feng Shui is also used for landscape design.
With the energy py ramids, we are pursuing exactly the same goals, only with a different, new method. As the energy py ramids are aimed at people who want to make their living space more positive, we also have to deal with the ideas of feng shui .
In the meantime, such a wealth of information has accumulated that it is worth writing a separate chapter on the art, benefits and risks of Feng Sh ui. On my homepage you will find a table with the most common information on Feng Shui. There are certain basics that are accepted by most Feng Shui masters, but on many points these masters do not agree with each other at all. On the contrary!
Feng Shui goes back to the teachings of Vastu Shastra from India, which were brought to China by the monk Boddidharma around 500 BC. More detailed explanations follow below.
Of course, all other peoples have developed similar methods. Here in Europe we have the problem that the old Germanic and Celtic methods were destroyed in the course of Christianization. At the same time, the Christian master builders developed their own system for building houses, creating cathedrals and designing large gardens. Just think of Louis XIV’s Versaille or Frederick the Great’s Sanssouci.
All of these building systems were associated with the prevailing religious system in the various cultures by the respective master builders. Important buildings have always been dedicated to the respective gods. They were erected according to astrological plans, religious rituals, invoking the respective gods, accompanied by sacrificial ceremonies.
The early master builders understood something about these things. They were priests, diviners, astrologers, mathematicians, artists and stonemasons all rolled into one. The members of the craftsmen’s guilds were also aware of these connections.
It is only in the last 100 years that the esoteric and spiritual aspects of house building or landscaping have increasingly gone out of fashion. On the one hand, this is due to people’s increasingly materialistic way of thinking, and on the other hand, overpopulation in Western European countries has increased so much that most people today are happy to be able to afford a plot of land or a house at all. Under these conditions, the desire for an optimally located plot of land quickly fades into the background. Most people only start to think about their housing situation again when, over the years, discomfort increases or illnesses occur. Then they start looking for the causes, perhaps buying a book on feng shui or consulting a dowser.
My following contributions are intended to provoke critical reflection. I expressly welcome the principles of feng shui. They can improve our lives. However, in recent years I have noticed numerous shortcomings that have prompted me to write these critical reports. Anyone who seriously advises their clients with Feng Shui will understand me. However, this is only possible if we can maintain a healthy distance from classical Feng Shui after studying the basics.
We need Feng Shui knowledge that recognizes, respects and promotes our western needs and interests. Fortunately, there are already a number of German Feng Shui specialists who have broken away!
© D. Harald Alke, Kyborg Institute
