Feng Shui: Feng Shui and Religion

By Jenny Liu

Feng Shui and Religion

Many people have asked me how to reconcile feng shui with religion. There are people who know feng shui can help, yet they hesitate to consult a feng shui master because they are uncertain if feng shui will contradict their faith.

It is important to understand that feng shui is not a religion. Feng shui is the recognition or understanding of the laws of nature, that there are certain patterns of energy. For every force, there is an equal and opposite force. For every cause, there is an effect. This natural phenomenon exists whether you believe in it or not.

Feng shui is a system of survival that looks to nature for guidance. Just as birds migrate to the south for winter, we, too, should move to where the weather suits us best so we can thrive. Just as spiders strategically spin their webs where there is prey, it is pointless for us to establish an office where there are no customers. Like the changing colors of the chameleon protects it from prey, we need to know how to make changes and adapt our business to competitors.

The energies of nature have a great influence on us. The strong magnetic fields of sunspots on the top of the sun are associated with economic boom while sunspots on the bottom of the sun are related to economic depression and a rise in illnesses and hospital deaths. The moon's phases regulate women's menses and affect our moods. Living in natural settings and nourishing ourselves with natural foods strengths our bodies. All of these things happen regardless if you are Christian, Buddhist, Catholic, or Hindu.

Feng shui is based on the Taoist philosophy that everything is made of energy or what is called "chi" by the Chinese. There is no "God" in feng shui. In feng shui, there is an ultimate power or "Tai ji" that rules, connects, and guides us. This is known as the "way" or the "laws" of nature.

If there is to be a "God" in feng shui, it would be this power of nature: the source of life. In order for us to excel, we must respect and understand the ways of nature. When we live by the laws of nature, we can progress and evolve into superior beings. This is the basic purpose of feng shui.

If we were to apply this basic purpose of feng shui to religion. A person's religion should promote their natural well-being as well as others . Religion should be a faith that inspires, enlightens and brings happiness, health and success. However, if practicing the religion does not enable us to develop ourselves in a positive way, then we must question if it is a worthwhile expenditure of our time and energy.

In various world religions, man has created different names and different images to represent a higher intelligence or divine force. I believe at root, almost all religions have similar goals - that we are to believe and have hope in a higher energy, a divine source that creates us, rules us, protects us and offers guidance when we have done wrong.

However, the documents that hold these principles have passed through generations of time, translations and interpretations have likely distorted the original intentions. We must use our judgment to know when man has manipulated these principles to control others for selfish reasons. Therefore, we should not limit ourselves, rather we should open up and use experience to understand what is true and real.

Many things happen in this world that do not have an explanation. It is human nature to fear the unknown and have thus theorized and created our own answers in science and religion. Nonetheless, there are still more things unexplained by science and religion. Feng shui offers another perspective to see our world and how to deal with, prevent or solve problems we face in our daily lives.

A related issue that comes up is prayer and meditation. Both are similar in that we are using our thoughts to communicate to "God" or an omniscient power to reinforce our desires - be it peace of mind, wealth or health for ourselves or love ones. In feng shui, our minds are ultimately powerful. Our thoughts are an energy or frequency that can assert influence on ourselves or others. This is particularly affective if the person's mind energy is focused or are similar to the person in which they want to influence. This power is developed through meditation where creative visualization can be used to induce the realization of our goals and desires such as personal success or the health of a loved one.

In feng shui, paying respect to our ancestors at home is a traditional way of respecting the cycle of life. By celebrating our ancestor's energy or spirit, we acknowledge them as our source of life. Although they are not with us physically, their energies exist in nature and are similar to our own. A connection with them allows them to guide and protect us, giving us strength and reinforcing the continuity of the family lineage.

Jenny T. Liu is a fourth generation practitioner who holds a BA in Environmental Design from UC Berkeley and an MA in Architecture from UCLA. Awarded for her Master's Thesis on Feng Shui, she is an expert in the ancient Chinese philosophy of Feng Shui. Please visit her website at: http://www.liu-fengshui.com.