Feng Shui: science or art?

((Escher: relativity))

The answer is—Both! Feng Shui is part science based on ecology, psychology, geomancy, meteorology, anthropology, sociology and parapsychology; but applying it correctly is an art.

The science of Feng Shui is applied in assessing how one's surrounding environment consciously and subconsciously impacts the mind. Feng Shui and Intuitive Living should be thought of as creating our optimal environment.  Today, we buy what is marketed to us; we buy tract homes and condos in small boxes. Even our interiors are designed with the latest trends rather than what we truly need.  We have lost our sense of understanding our environmental needs. 

In the past our ancestors situated towns near water sources and good land to grow crops, but now we are concerned with freeway access, commute time and schools. At the home level our ancestors designed for efficiency and use of materials available in the region. Today our homes ensure that our families are protected from intruders, that we have sufficient guest bedrooms, a living room and a family room, or they might be status symbols.  But at the root of it all our homes are areas that provide a comfortable environment for us to grow and thrive.

Practicing feng shui becomes an art when all the science principles are applied to a situation intuitively. You can put one hundred PhD scientists in a room to resolve a problem, but if they do not have an intuitive sense of the issue, the solution will never be reached.  That is why many of the greatest scientists were also considered amazingly intuitive in their solutions. 

You cannot find the right answer before first formulating the right question. And that is exactly where the art comes in.  Being able to formulate the question that is truly being asked by an environment and to reach, intuitively, the correct solution for you and your family. 

Four steps to Intuitive Living

"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.  We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift" - Albert Einstein

You would think that Living Intuitively would be easy and come naturally to us.  Unfortunately this is not the case.  As we have become more and more dependent on technology the less intuitive we have become.  We have lost our personal connection to other people, our understanding of nature, respecting weather patterns, etc; we rely on technology to help us with that.  Technology is a wonderful thing but to be fulfilled as living beings we need to maintain our intuitive sense.  We have to re-train ourselves to get in touch with that sense. There are four basic steps to beginning to live an Intuitive Life and once you implement these steps Living Intuitively will become a habit. 

STEP 1:  Intuitive Actions – take action to obtain positive results.
Taking action is the first step, after all you cannot move forward without first taking a step.  Decide to live aware of your emotions, decision, and surroundings without judgment.  To do this, practice listening and not talking, observing and not judging.  Just take it all in at face value.  Become aware of your emotions when you do this.  Do you get angry when someone has a different political opinion than you?  Does that anger stay with you all day?  Listen to the other opinion, accept that it is a different opinion, and move on.  This takes practice.  It is not done in one day, so be patient with yourself, but when you take that first step of becoming aware it will get easier.

STEP 2:  Intuitive Habits – Replacing bad / negative habits with good / productive ones.
Identify habits you have that are promoting your own negative influences.  How often each day do you have negative thoughts about your looks, your capabilities, your health?  Become aware when these thoughts occur and replace them immediately with a positive image of yourself.  To begin doing this you may want to make a list of what you perceive to be your faults.  Next to this list, write down a replacement thought or perception.  Each time you have a thought from the negative list remember what you wrote that was positive next to it.

STEP 3:  Intuitive Outlook – maintaining a positive attitude through life.
We all know these people, you might even be one; that person that is always negative, always angry, never satisfied.  I like to call this the Eeyore affect.  Stop being an Eeyore.  Most every situation has a positive side and if you try hard enough you can find it.  Instead of saying “I have lost my job, my life is ruined” try saying “I have lost my job now I have the opportunity to explore careers I have always been curious about”.  Find the positive, seek it out, I promise you it is there.

STEP 4:  Intuitive Surroundings – have positive friends, support systems, and encouragement.  Get rid of those negative influences in your life and surround yourself by only positive influences.  Spend less (or better yet, no) time with negative friends.  Seek out supportive people, those that you know will provide you with loving encouragement rather than tearing you down. 

These are not easy steps and they take practice but when you set your mind to it, you can begin living a happier and more prosperous Intuitive Life.