Feng Shui - in Search of Qi
Those of you who were fortunate enough to attend the recent AFSC Conference in Melbourne were treated to some exceptional discussions examining the essence of feng shui and the origin of qi. A key point brought to light during these metaphysical discussions is the way in which our modern day ‘quick fix’ approach in the pursuit of wealth can so easily overshadow the fundamental observation of qi in the surrounding landform and its inherent link to fertility/nourishment or lack thereof.
Hindsight is such a wonderful tool and in this case, I can now see the interesting dichotomy between the commercial side of the Conference title: ‘Feng Shui Water & Wealth’ compared to an alternative title which certainly sprung to mind during the Conference: ‘Feng Shui: Fertility and the Nourishment of Spirit’.
Our key note speaker for the Conference, Dr Michael Paton, highlighted the importance of getting back to the roots of feng shui via careful observation of qi in the surrounding landform. I recently read Dr Paton’s fascinating article “Feng Shui: A Continuation of ‘Art of Swindlers’?” and I laughed out loud when he mentioned Karen Kingston’s assertion about using “colonic irrigation as an extension of feng shui theory”. Oh dear – this sounds rather intrusive!
Karen Kingston is a fabulous teacher and advocate of space clearing which is a highly useful methodology that can be used alongside feng shui practice – I use it myself, however I can see where Dr Paton is coming from. There are too many so called experts out there who gain a little knowledge about feng shui without any real in depth study and then market the process as a commodity that is simplified for ease of consumer use and wrapped in vague mystical connotations without necessarily having any real substance from a classical xuan kong feng shui perspective.
As Dr Paton points out in his article through the following quote from the Xing Qian (Star Seal), this issue of confusion and potential loss and/or misunderstanding of original feng shui concepts has always been an issue facing modern day feng shui practice – it was just as relevant a thousand years ago as it is now. It appears no matter when or where – mankind has a propensity to gravitate towards a ‘cut-to-the-chase’ approach when it comes to increasing wealth and/or a position of higher office.
“The method is on the lip and in the breast.
Yet the spirit is not passed on by the eye.
And the fundamental mystery is not passed on by the heart”.
I agree with Dr Paton, this is indeed a challenge faced by all Associations and collective groups of feng shui students and practitioners – esp in our current consumer hungry and materialistic society.
Our challenge as an Association is therefore twofold. On one hand, we need to promote and research the ‘origins of feng shui practice’ and help steer new students towards authentic teachers and learning institutions (keeping in mind, one teacher cannot be the master of all knowledge – it is better to learn from more than one source and use your own observation and research to ascertain which methodologies prove sound in practice).
I would like to think we were on the right track when we invited Dr Paton to speak at our Conference, alongside the canonical literature genius of Tyler Rowe and theoretical expertise of Master Gayle Atherton, Master Jodi Brunner and Master George Bennis, interspersed with the metaphysical and astrological insight of Vic Ketis alongside a selection of practical case studies.
For me personally, Master Joseph Yu is my ‘Enlightening Teacher’ (Qi Meng Lao Shi 啓蒙老師). He is not the only Master I have studied with, however he is certainly the most profound and I love the way in which he provides succinct interpretation of the classics and then demonstrates practical application in the modern world. He encourages the student to think for themself, observe, research, debate and share experiences with other practitioners so that we may learn together, rather than blindly accepting everything he says as feng shui law.
The second challenge our Association of feng shui currently faces, is the fact that members of the Association seek not only to increase their knowledge and expertise, but also to make an actual living from this practice, whether on a full time or part time basis. This is why the first day of the Conference addressed the commercial side of putting together a feng shui business and explored ways in which to market your services and realise the value in what you provide. The need for a more structured cost per service system was highlighted and this will be an ongoing discussion in order to help provide a more uniform fee structure depending on the level of expertise of the practitioner and the service they provide.
Coming back to Dr Paton’s article, he makes a good point that:
“In the West there is a perception that much of the “magic” of life and the power of the individual has been lost to the powerful corporate conglomerates, which tend to hold the reins of scientific knowledge through dry statistical analysis. Thus, there has been a gradual increase in distrust of modern knowledge systems, whether they are economics or medicine, and a search for more meaningful humanistic knowledge systems that meld both the intellectual and the emotional.”
This leads us back to the alternative title I came up with (in hind sight) for our recent Conference: ‘Feng Shui: Fertility and the Nourishment of Spirit’. Now, from a feng shui perspective, I should probably point out the concept of 'fertility' ties in with the transformative interaction of yin and yang qi in its most nurtured form, which stimulates a state of harmonious synchronicity with one's surroundings. I believe this is the crux of what people are really searching for these days and we are certainly in a great position to help lead the way with authentic feng shui practice and application. The tricky part is finding that all too pervasive balance between commercialisation and generosity of spirit, consumer appeal and metaphysical insight/application based on key observation of the surrounding landform, the abode in which an individual works and lives and observation of the individual’s inherent strengths and weaknesses as practiced via traditional xuan kong feng shui and san cai (the trinity of luck).
Anyway, if you are currently thinking about learning feng shui, a great starting point is to join the Association of Feng Shui Consultants International Inc (AFSC) which can be found at www.afsc.org.au and begin your journey surrounded by like-minded individuals seeking to enrich their metaphysical learnings with authentic teachings and via the shared experience of the collective :-)
cheers,
Derelle
Australian Feng Shui Master Consultant, Derelle Ball can help you enhance the health, wealth and nurturing Feng Shui potential of your home with a detailed user-friendly Feng Shui Report. For further information visit: Off-Site Residential Feng Shui Consultation.
Can Feng Shui Make Me a Millionaire?
Finding wealth through Feng Shui and why the fixed Bagua map is not the answer
The Most Important Key to Success
Perception is such a funny thing. Two people can experience the same input on their 5 senses and yet come up with totally different conclusions – it all depends on their perception and the underlying subconscious beliefs that drive them.
For example, there is a famous story about 2 brothers who grew up in the same household with a drunken and abusive father. After becoming adults and leaving home, one brother became an abusive drunk and the other brother became a successful business manager who refused to touch a drop of alcohol. When both brothers were questioned as to why they felt they ended up where they did, they both replied “it was their only choice”.
I bring this up in relation to a discussion I had the other day with a friend who moved into his newly renovated home in NSW around a year ago. The renovation was extensive enough to shift the building permanently into the current Period of 8, and this gave him a water star 8 qi at the facing where his main entry and a beautiful external water feature are located.
He started the conversation by stating his finances have gone terribly since he renovated and moved into the house. I did not do the feng shui for his home, however I am familiar with its layout and fei xing/flying star chart and surrounding landform. I was surprised to hear his statement and this lead to a discussion of the underlying character of the 8 Zuo Fo qi.
Yes the water star 8 connects with the ruling energy during the Period of 8 (ie up until 3 Feb 2024), and deemed fortunate if you are able to harness its energy. The character of the 8 Zuo Fo is kind of like the mythical Pi Yao. It likes to gradually accumulate. Legend states the Pi Yao has no anus, so everything it eats is accumulated in its belly!
The character of the 8 qi connects with assets, knowledge, wealth, property, resources, a steady plodding pace, altruism and accumulation. It does not like to be rushed.
My friend had set up his business from home and had expected to continue at his regular creative, frenetic and highly energetic pace, however it appears the 8 qi has had a slow but steady influence on his finances, although not in regard to where he expected it.
His home based business floundered since moving back into his renovated home, however upon digging deeper, it emerged that since moving there his investments in property had significantly increased, along with the rental income he earns from investments made in residential and commercial properties. He hadn’t really taken into consideration sources of income other than his home based business when he made his initial statement. Upon reflection, he realised the gentle plodding and accumulative influence of the water star 8 had indeed been very good to his bank balance via his substantially increased assets, investments and accumulated rental income.
I then dug a bit deeper still and looked at his 4 Pillars chart – especially the month branch, which gives an indication on how strong an individual’s capacity can be to begin and run their own business and whether or not their current luck pillar supports this, or if they should perhaps be open to seeking alternative ways in which to produce income.
In my friend’s case, there had been certain times in his life cycle where he was able to make good money via running his own business, however he had entered a new 10 year luck cycle when he moved into his renovated home, and the energy had changed, and his money making capacity was better supported via property investment and/or the accumulation of material resources, as well as capitalising on his inherent talents connected with the recognition of patterns and trends in the market. He can still make money managing a business, however it will likely be easier to do so if he invests his money, time and/or skill in someone else’s business as part of the process.
So now he feels happy with the effect the water star 8 energy has had on his renovated home and capacity to accumulate wealth. Its subtle influence connected with accumulated assets and increased capital gain and rental income and he is now keen to get further educated on utilising his talent for tapping into market trends and patterns in order to continue generating income.
And here is the most important part of this conversation. You see it’s not enough to simply be aware of your feng shui or astrology. These are tools which give you choices. It’s still up to you do something and take the correct action in order to make the most of what is on offer. As Tony Robbins famously states: “Action is the most important key to any success.”
Australian Feng Shui Master Consultant, Derelle Ball can help you enhance the health, wealth and nurturing Feng Shui potential of your home with a detailed user-friendly Feng Shui Report. For further information visit: Off-Site Residential Feng Shui Consultation.
Image by Julian Ball https://www.flowgamestudio.com/
Q&A about Space Clearing
Hi there, for those of you who are interested in Space Clearing, I thought I'd share a recent Q&A session I had with journalist Melinda Ayre from Good Health Magazine:
1. Tell me briefly about the sort of space clearing services your business offers?
I provide general Space Clearing services and specialised Qi Activation Ceremonies which can help shift and remove stagnant or sha qi (negative energy) that may be affecting a home or business after illness, when shifting into new premises previously occupied by someone else, when seeking to energise the strongest yang qi in a home or business to literally ‘wake up and re-energise’ the space, when seeking to calm quarrelsome energy and simply when the occupants feel stuck and weighed down by the atmosphere around them.
2. How did you start space clearing and when did you discover your 'gift'?
As a Xuan Kong feng shui consultant, I’ll often come across a particular room in a house or section of a business that has suffered imbalance of elements and/or negative earth qi that is having a negative impact on the general health and well-being of the occupants. I can tell from observing the surrounding landform and the natal flying star feng shui chart of the building which areas are most affected and which elements are best utilised to effectively clear the sha qi and positively energize the space, so it was a natural progression to utilize space clearing techniques in conjunction with feng shui to help the occupants tap into a positively energised state of synchronicity and harmony within their work or living environment.
3. In your own words, can you explain what you do and what you feel when you enter a space?
First I check the surrounding landform and assess the origin and quality of qi (transformative energy) and whether there are any poison arrow features etc affecting the dwelling, as well as the natal chart of the space via flying star feng shui which requires the construction date and precise magnetic orientation of the building using a Luo Pan compass in order to ascertain the unique number chart of probability factors affecting each compass sector within that space. This (in conjunction with certain Trigram and He Tu combinations and element associations) then tells me which areas are likely to require the most attention and which elements to best use in order to gain the most effective result.
Often you will feel when a room is full of stagnant or sha qi – the overall atmosphere is heavier and there is a feeling of being pressed down and you naturally start to breathe out like a big ‘sigh’ as the depressed or blocked energy in the room envelopes you. I also tend to get a slight rash from my wrist to the elbow in rooms requiring rebalancing of the elements and space clearing. Clients are always amazed at how they feel after a space clearing – rather than feeling ‘heavy and pressured’ they now feel a bit light headed and many start to giggle. It’s really cute to see.
4. Are there any big differences between Space Clearing a home and clearing a business?
Occasionally when space clearing a home, I’ll pick up on the resonance of a particular argument or a very strong emotion that has been previously experienced in a room. I’ve had two experiences with ghost-like presences – one was a ghost cat that rubbed against my leg and had me quite surprised when the owner said I’d just felt the presence of the resident ghost cat, and the other experience revolved around the presence of an elderly woman who had previously passed away in the home and although she was no longer actually there, her personality had been so strong, there was still a very distinct feeling of her presence in a room where the occupants felt they were being judged and scolded for not behaving appropriately.
Interestingly, the flying star feng shui natal chart of that particular room contained a combination which indicated potential conflict between females of different generations, with older females being more susceptible to the influence. I used a combination of metal and a splash of fire element to balance the elements in the space, plus gave the home a thorough space clearing that was held on a specific Sun Ceremony date to ensure the spiritual entities of the home (also known as the 4 guardians) were appeased and respectfully acknowledged in order to gain their protective and nurturing influence for the occupants of the home.
When space clearing a business, I make sure the abundance locations containing the prime water star energies are decluttered and advise the clients if they would benefit by having water in that location to help retain the beneficial qi for the business. Ideally, it’s much easier to space clear a work space when it is empty – esp if you are using sage smudge sticks, because it can have the effect of making the occupants feel a little giddy and giggly and less work-oriented for a short while afterwards. But then again, I’ve had other business clients who have suddenly found their second wind after the space clearing and they are suddenly on the phone to clients and planning new events and meetings while feeling super energized!
5. Can you tell me your top Space Clearing rituals?
The space clearing process itself begins before I even leave home. It’s important that the person conducting the space clearing is currently healthy, free from emotional or mental blockages or obsessive worries and focused in a very positive way toward protecting and nurturing the clients in their home or workspace.
When space clearing, apart from using sage, incense, essential oils, Himalayan Rock Salt, palo santo wood etc, I also like to use a wooden clearing gong and striker which originally came from a temple in South Korea. It’s great for shifting really stagnant, sticky qi that sometimes accumulates in the corners of a room. I also use singing bowls, clearing bells and tuning forks that emit Solfeggio frequencies. One of my favourite forks is tuned to 528Hz which resonates at a deeply transformative level. It’s very subtle and gently regenerative. If the energy in a room is particularly blocked, I’ll sometimes incorporate a 417Hz frequency which is great for helping the occupants facilitate change and shift out of a stagnant situation.
Finding the right location to first ground the space clearing via a 'sacred space' within the building is essential to the process and this is where it really helps to look at the dwelling through feng shui eyes in order to establish where the qi originates in the surrounding land form, whether there are any blockages of qi flow and how it then enters the building and resonates within. The sacred space is where you first purify and combine the elements and your intentions for harmonious synchronicity for the occupants.
It’s very important to thoroughly wash and exfoliate after a space clearing. When I first started clearing homes back in the late 1990’s I once made the mistake of coming home after a particularly long space clearing and was so tired I fell asleep without first showering. Big mistake! The next morning I woke feeling terrible, with a headache and tummy ache. Sha qi is very sticky and often you will have a fine residue of the qi collected on your clothing or dusting your skin after a big clearing.
As long as you wash and exfoliate before sleeping that night, it’s usually fine, however if you allow the qi to settle into your skin, your body can easily absorb some, hence the hung-over feeling the following day. Ironically, the client phoned me the next day to tell me how wonderful the space felt and how revitalised the staff were. I’m now very pedantic about the washing and exfoliating after a clearing, to the point where if clients wish to join in with the space clearing, I repeatedly instruct them to go home and have a shower and body scrub once the clearing is over.
6. What could a reader expect from a consultation when you come to visit? Can you take us through step by step?
A lot depends on the space to be cleared, the reason the clients wish to have the space clearing and what the flying star natal chart reveals about the element balance in the building. I explain the process to the client as I go and they are welcome to join in. If the space clearing occurs in conjunction with or after I have worked on the feng shui of the building, I can ascertain which elements work best for the client personally from a 4 Pillars astrology perspective, (which is included in my feng shui reports) and then provide them with the appropriate space clearing tool to use. Clients tend to covet my collection of space clearing tools.
8. Could you give our readers a simple ritual that they could try today?
Pick a sunny morning and open up as many doors and windows as practically possible to allow a cross flow of fresh air into your home.
Dust and wipe down hard surfaces with a few drops of lavender essential oil on a damp microfiber cloth (or use some disposable Pledge Grab-It Electrostatic Dusting Cloths).
Burn a pleasant blend of essential oils (eg orange, bergamot and lavender) and open up all the internal doors so the aromatherapy is able to fill the entire space. Some people prefer to burn sandalwood incense or special space clearing charcoal, however be mindful that asthmatics may react adversely to some of the stronger substances, so when in doubt, go with essential oils.
Clear your mind and visualise a bright, beautiful golden white light beaming down on your head from above, passing through your body and then into the ground below you, connecting the Heaven, Man & Earth qi. With each breath in, focus on the cleansing beauty of the light and with each outward breath, imagine the light flowing through your body and into the earth at your feet, and forming a protective bubble of pure qi around you.
Start either in the kitchen or the main door and work your way clock-wise around the interior of the space, ringing a pleasant sounding bell, singing bowl or gong. Pick something that is pleasant to your ears – preferably with no tinniness to the sound. Metal element qi (which is terrific for space clearing) likes to begin in a specific point and then travel out in a beautiful arc of continuous pure sound (I visualise it as a protective rainbow of sound), so the longer the sound is held each time you ring the bell, gong or strike the singing bowl, the better!
Listen carefully as you emit the sound – when you encounter sha qi, the vibration tends to waver or dip slightly. The more time you spend in that area, the clearer the sound will become. If you know a chant – feel free to use it. Chanting can really help focus your mind on maintaining purity of intent while you cleanse the space. The most simple yet highly effective chant is Om Mani Pad Me Hum. It’s very easy to remember, or if you find it too difficult, simply repeat “Om” and try to feel it in your diaphragm rather than the back of your throat as you chant.
For really difficult rooms, place a small bowl of rock salt in the centre of the room to help collect the sha qi and make sure you dispose of it in a bin outside the building once you have completed the space clearing.
Once you have completed space clearing each room and are back in the kitchen or at the main door, wave your hands in a big figure of “8” while producing the metal element sound to help seal in the vibrational energy.
Finally, once you are finished, make sure you wash and exfoliate before going to bed!
Australian Feng Shui Master Consultant, Derelle Ball can help you enhance the health, wealth and nurturing Feng Shui potential of your home with a detailed user-friendly Feng Shui Report. For further information click: Off-Site Residential Feng Shui Consultation.
Recent Articles
- Feng Shui - in Search of Qi
- Can Feng Shui Make Me a Millionaire?
- The Most Important Key to Success
- Q&A about Space Clearing
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