Schools of FENG SHUI

Classical Feng Shui (also sometimes referred to as Authentic Feng Shui or Traditional Feng Shui) is a combination of the Form and Compass Schools of Feng Shui. The Form School encompasses what the eye can see (i.e., the “seen” or the “visible”), such as physical landscapes like mountains, rivers, and roads, and the placement of the interior features of a dwelling while the Compass School works with the energies (Chi) that cannot be seen (i.e., the “unseen” or the “invisible”) but that are still very real and present.

To explain a bit more in depth, following is a brief description of different schools of Feng Shui:

• FORM SCHOOL
  The Form School is the first and oldest school of Feng Shui and is the foundation upon which Classical Feng Shui was built. It analyzes the shape, size, and location of physical landscapes (mountains, rivers, roads, etc.); exterior structures, sites, and buildings; and interior architectural features, room arrangements, floor plans, and furniture layouts, and how they are all designed to best enhance the flow of Chi. The relationship between the physical environment and the placement of a building is also very important.
  
  An armchair is a good example of what the Form School is about directionally: The backrest is the Black Turtle area; the “eastern” armrest is the Green Dragon; the “western” armrest is the White Tiger; and the open space in the front is the Red Phoenix. These same names may be applied to geographical locations as well (i.e., the mountains are the Black Turtle, etc.)

• TRADITIONAL COMPASS SCHOOL
  The Form School eventually evolved into the Compass School, which also considers the influence of time and space (or compass direction) on Chi. The Compass School is based on Yin and Yang; the Five Elements (fire, earth, metal, water, and wood); the construction date of a building; and the theories of the Eight Mansions (or Trigrams) and the Flying Stars, both of which use a compass or Lo Pan (Chinese compass) to calculate the distribution of unseen energy (Chi) and which also deal with time and space and the impact of the environment. The Compass School involves calculating a natal chart (or “horoscope”) for a building or building site, and locating its unseen energy (Chi) and how all this would affect the occupants of that dwelling. This practice is used to locate the positive and negative Feng Shui energies in each area and to map the Chi flowing from different locations. In Classical Feng Shui, the "Chi" pattern of a building is determined in relation to time (daily, monthly, and/or yearly cycles), along with the direction of that building in relation to the Earth.

• FLYING STARS
  Each person and building is unique. The Flying Stars theory takes into account the uniqueness of each individual and both their space and time profiles. It is one of the most powerful methods of Feng Shui and uses precise compass readings (the directional aspect) and numerical charts based on a building’s year of construction. It works with the aspect of time, allowing for the analysis of influences upon a building during certain years, months, and/or days, thereby being a useful tool in projecting which years, months, and/or days will be more favorable than others for positively affecting your health, business, relationships, etc. This method is one of the most accurate methods of determining the suitability of locations for specific types of activities. The Flying Stars theory serves as the foundation for the Feng Shui assessment provided by LIFE&SPACE.

• EIGHT MANSIONS
  (Also known as the Eight House System, the East/West System, Trigrams)
  Eight Mansions uses a person’s birth date and the construction date of a building in order to find the best (“lucky”) and worst (“unlucky”) personal directions for that person and their home, office space, or building. This method is applicable to the placement of workstations and executive offices with the intent of maximizing productivity and financial success as well as at home for better sleeping.

• BLACK HAT SECT FENG SHUI
  (Also known as Black Hat Sect Tantric Buddhist, or BTB, Feng Shui)
  This is a newer school of Feng Shui developed in the 1980s in the United States by Thomas Lin Yun. The Black Hat School’s methods are based on Tibetan Buddhism and have been simplified to cater more easily to Western sensibilities and have gathered a popular following. In the Black Hat School, the Chinese compass (one of Classical Feng Shui’s essential tools) is not used at all to determine direction; instead, buildings are only analyzed based on the location of the entrance, thereby treating direction as something that is always the same, while according to Classical Feng Shui, direction depends on and is defined by a compass reading. The Black Hat School also relies heavily on ceremonial rituals and transcendental cures.

back to top