Is junior having difficulty with his
studies? Relocate his desk. Too much stress at
home? Perhaps some objects are out of place?
Aryeman Raj talks to Vicky Moane, a
Sharjah-based feng shui expert, on the many
facets to this Chinese spatial
tradition.
Your home or office is alive with energy. And
by acknowledging the forces flowing through all
things and by symbolically honouring them, you
could transform your approach to living, say
feng shui experts.
You may have heard the inspiring testimonials
of people who have made quantum leaps in life
using feng shui in their homes and offices. Does
all this sound frivolous, unbelievable and too
good to be true?
"Not at all - feng shui has changed my life.
The effect it had on me is amazing and my life
has been enhanced," says Vicky Moane, a trained
classical feng shui practitioner and consultant,
who lives in Sharjah.
A strong believer in the classical and
traditional form of feng shui, she has
experienced the positive power of this spatial
science.
In the 1990s, an article on feng shui in a UK
newspaper sparked Moane's interest. She
experimented with the Chinese art by moving
furniture around in her office. She says this
was her first insight into how energy can affect
a business, an experience and she found
liberating.
"(Prior to this) I was blocking the flow of
new ideas by holding on to old ones. I was in
awe and admiration (of the effects of feng shui)
and wanted to learn much more about this
traditional Chinese methodology," says
Moane.
From then on, she has thrown herself into
studying and learning feng shui. Her main
influence is Joseph Yu, who owns and runs the
Feng Shui Research Center in Toronto, Canada.
Since 2000, she has studied under his
instruction in Vienna, Madrid, Berlin and Bonn.
In 2004, she became a senior practitioner of the
Research Center.
As she learnt more about feng shui, she
discovered some of the spatial influences behind
problems in her life. In rectifying some of
these, she has effectively turned her home into
a feng shui laboratory.
"I always experiment with energy and cures
for a particular combination of energy in (my)
home before making any recommendations to
clients. When examining the hexagram at the door
of our house it shows literally a woman injuring
bones by a fall from a horse," says Moane.
"This had a resemblance to my personal life.
I had a back injury in a riding accident in
1993. Since then, my faith in classical feng
shui has doubled. I have made some changes to
balance the qi (or ch'i; energy) in our home but
most particularly at the front door."
In February 2004, Moane made some changes to
her garden and house.
"Water is a very important activator of
energy and we moved water features and rocks
around in the garden so the correct energies
were activated and other energies negated," she
says.
Since then, Moane hasn't looked back. Her
professional work is devoted to harmonising and
correcting energies in homes and businesses.
She has worked on veterinary clinics,
kennels, oilfield pipe yards, factories, medical
clinics, an acupuncture clinic, spas, beauty
salons and jewellery shops.
In an interview with Friday, she debunks some
misconceptions about feng shui and explains what
we can learn from the ancient art.
Feng shui is an ancient Chinese
philosophy. Its practitioners believe you can
change your life by balancing the energies in
your environment. What's your take on this
belief?
Feng shui is certainly not
magical or superstitious. It's a very
down-to-earth science that incorporates a lot of
mathematical formulas, calculations and the use
of a compass.
Feng shui literally means 'wind water'. The
name originates from the concept that the two
natural elements of wind and water direct qi to
a building, settlement or burial site. The term
means the art and science of living in harmony
with one's environment.
Feng shui dates back some 6,000 years. It was
first developed by the neolithic Chinese. By the
time of the Tang dynasty (618-907) it was a
sophisticated and well-honed tradition.
Classical feng shui is based on the
observation of heaven (time) and earthly forces
(exterior and interior space).
The study of feng shui is how these forces
and qi interact. When the forces are balanced
there is the likelihood of better health, wealth
and relationships.
Feng shui is a relatively modern term; the
original Chinese characters used to describe the
science were 'ham' - which means the receiving
of energy - and 'yu' - the connection between
planet earth with the universe.
In traditional Chinese philosophy,
yin is female 'passive' energy, whereas yang is
male 'active' energy: both being the opposite of
the other. Does feng shui use the principles of
yin and yang?
Although relative
concepts, yin and yang form the basis of feng
shui. For example, a mountain is yang and water
is yin when we compare their relative height.
But water is yang and a mountain is yin when
we compare their activity (which is done when
practising feng shui). Although opposites, yin
and yang are interdependent and cannot be
separated from one another.
Optimising the qi, or energy flow, in
an environment is the main goal of a feng shui
practitioner. What is Qi?
Qi is
energy. Some know it as prana or 'the reath of
life'. Qi is everywhere, it flows through a
living body and it also flows through the earth.
Qi moves; we can see the movement of cars on
road or the feel of wind against our face but
there are subtler movements of energy which are
in action all the time.
To give an example, we can sit in a chair in
a room and feel very uncomfortable, uneasy or
impatient. When we can change chairs to sit in
another area of the room, we will feel more
relaxed or at ease.
If someone opens a window and it is cold or
windy outside, we immediately feel the air
movement in the room, but cannot see it. This is
how we experience energy.
Try standing in an open doorway - normally
this is something we subconsciously avoid
because of the effect it has on us. This is how
qi has an impact on our bodies or environment.
Traditional or classical feng shui
seems to have taken a backseat. Do you
agree?
Classical feng shui took a
backseat when Western feng shui (sometimes known
as black hat feng shui) was developed in the
1970s and 1980s. Although easier to learn and
apply, Western feng shui is plagued with
misconceptions.
On the positive side, it has brought feng
shui to the attention of the Western world. This
is how I was introduced to the subject.
As a classical feng shui
practitioner, what do you require to complete an
audit?
In any feng shui audit it is
necessary to know (the date) a building (was
completed). Beside this, the compass direction
of the 'facing' of the building is important. By
facing, it is meant the front of the building
from a feng shui perspective, not necessarily
the architectural front of the building.
It is also necessary to look at the overall
effect a building has on its occupants. This is
why a practitioner needs to know the birth dates
of the occupants. With this information, a map
is built of the qi of the building using a
method called 'flying stars'. Using the five
elements of qi - namely, fire, metal, earth,
water and wood - I interpret the interaction of
energies.
Accordingly, I have to enhance or neutralise
the energy in a specific area to make the qi
more balanced for optimum results.
Does feng shui complement a home's
interior?
Feng shui is a science
and an art. (Practioners) are taught to be more
scientific than just to walk into a room and see
how it feels.
The placement of furniture will depend on its
use. A room should look beautiful, the objects
should be beautiful and the overall result
should be harmonious. This is where feng shui is
an art because there is an art of achieving the
neutralisation of energy and making something
appear beautiful.
However, if the room has very negative
energy, no amount of beauty will make it feel
good. Using traditional feng shui, the negative
energy can be neutralised or turned into
positive qi.
Different colours have radically
different effects on people's behaviour. Does
feng shui propagate the right use of colours on
walls?
Colours have an impact,
depending on the qi of the room. For instance,
if there is too much 'fire', a room may need to
be cooled by the use of dark blue or very
neutral colours. We need to ascertain what the
occupant needs ?
Colours are secondary but do have an impact
on qi. For instance, we use the light blue as
wood energy, or yellow as earth energy. If used
incorrectly, colour can have a negative impact
(on) a room.
.gif)
.gif)
.gif)
.gif)
