Feng Shui: Back to Nature

by Siou Foon Lee

For a moment let us picture a scene of vibrant Mother Nature in her original colours and landforms. Go back into time when a hill is a hill; a mountain is a mountain; a river is a river; a tree is a tree; a plain is a plain. Imagine no motorways crisscrossing the plains; no city silhouette on the skyline; no speedboats or ferries clogging up the waterways; no roads winding up or down mountain slopes; no concrete buildings where once a hill stood.

Imagine the Garden of Eden where beauty of nature is appreciated in its truest form. But the reality of it all is that no matter what, our real world is in the city skyline; our real world is in the flattened and deforested plains; our real world is in the waterways and motorways.

We have spoiled much to create human beauty. It takes a journey into uncharted land to find the artistic work of Mother Nature. Nature is so childlike and vibrant. We have lost this childlike innocence in between pursuing academic excellence and materialistic and commercial success. We cannot connect with the environment. We slice a part off land, we stain the watery beds, we pollute the air, and even slash into our green lungs. We do all this and more to master our environment. We have become arrogant. We forget we are not the masters of the universe, we are only an integral part of it.

Yet supreme powers in their test of supremacy want to reach greater supremacy of power. We live in a world where building power is a reality. Somehow we forget that in spirit we are connected to Mother Earth. Hurting Nature hurts us.

The external world offers rich visual experiences, but introspection is the most important view of all. It enables us to see our strengths and our weaknesses. We have to learn to be generous to our spirit. We have to balance our needs. This is about following Tao, the Great Ultimate. Fullness cannot last forever. It has to give way to emptiness. Without birth there is no death. The sun follows the moon. Day follows night. It is the Heavenly Order. Balance is the key.

Jade is prized for its unique combination of hardness (Yang) and soft translucence (Yin). It is highly valued and is the symbol of the best of fortunes. Let our daily living carry this jade like translucence. Let the quality of jade be our guide in bringing harmony between the physical and the metaphysical dimensions.