What is Feng Shui?

Feng shui literally translates from Chinese as "wind" (feng) and water ("shui"). It's the art of arranging buildings, objects, space and life to achieve harmony and balance. Feng shui works on the assumption that the world is driven by unseen forces. The idea behind it is to "unblock" the way, so the forces may flow freely and create balance in a space (or life).

Feng Shui is simply the study of the environment and how it affects people. It is a system of environmental design that originated in ancient China about five thousand years ago. Feng Shui provided guidelines to help people maximize the benefits of their surroundings, while minimizing its detriments, both in the natural and built environment.

What makes Feng Shui that Makes Sense different from all the other feng shui books out there?

The main difference between Feng Shui that Makes Sense and all the other feng shui books available today is that this book exposes of many of the commonly held myths and misconceptions people have about feng shui. These misconceptions have been perpetuated through literature and by countless feng shui “experts”. Cathleen feels strongly that it was time to put a stop to the nonsense and bring people back to the essence of what feng shui was originally designed to be, and that is a beautiful system of environmental design. Throughout the book I have added numerous “Reality Check” boxes that not only expose many of the myths, but also explain their origin, and when possible, their practical alternative.

Feng shui was developed about five thousand years ago in ancient China, long before electric heating, lighting, and air conditioning. Early feng shui guidelines suggested that ideally, people should build their homes facing south in order to maximize the light and heat of the sun throughout the day. Thus, a southern exposure became the most favorable direction for a home to face.

In China, and in feng shui, the symbol for the south is fire (the sun) and the color that symbolizes fire is red. Therefore, when one did not have a home facing south, a superstition began that by painting the front door red, they would symbolically receive the same benefits as a home with a southern exposure. This superstition has been passed on for generations, and is perpetuated to this day, though if you paint your front door red expecting something miraculous to happen, you will most likely be disappointed!

I hear this all the time, " I don't believe in Feng Shui" and it doesn’t bother me at all. It indicates that the person making the statement truly has no understanding of what feng shui is and what it isn’t. Feng Shui isn’t a religion, superstition or belief system. You can’t choose to “believe” in feng shui or not. No matter where you are or what you are doing, you are experiencing the feng shui of that space. We all know the feeling of walking into a space and feeling comfortable and conversely, being in a space that made us feel uncomfortable. The way we feel in the space is dependent upon the feng shui of that space. Feng Shui goes way beyond how a space looks, and addresses specific things in the environment that influence the way the space feels. Feng Shui is simply how we experience our surroundings, for good or bad, better or worse.