What Do You Think Feng Shui is About?

October 7, 2019

By Laura Morris Co-Founder of Mindful Design Feng Shui School

We all have to start somewhere

I remember when I first came across feng shui; it was over 20 years ago. One of my closest friends at the time handed me a small paperback book about feng shui - a topic that I had heard of but knew almost nothing about. I was like many people in that my first experience with feng shui was from reading a book… or an article, or nowadays, a video on YouTube.

At the time I didn’t know that there were many schools and perspectives of feng shui. I didn't know the scope and breadth of the practice, or that you could study feng shui for a lifetime and still have more to learn. But I did know one thing: I loved it.

Over the years I read, played, and experimented with feng shui, until finally I knew that reading books wasn't enough. I knew if I wanted to start helping others with feng shui that I needed to study this practice formally. So I did. I studied it. I studied a lot. And over the years I have learned a lot. Now, I even help others to study and learn more about this beautiful practice.

I wouldn’t judge younger me

If you had asked me 20 years ago “What do you think feng shui is about?” My answer would have been pretty basic and simplistic: “Moving furniture, clearing clutter, and I’m getting me some plants!” I wouldn’t judge younger me. Starting with simple, mundane, easy to grasp changes isn’t bad, and it definitely doesn't make you a bad practitioner of feng shui. Frankly, you can do a lot of good by keeping things simple; life is complicated enough. Also, it’s counterintuitive (not to mention petty) to make people feel small because they don’t know the intricacies of a practice that is meant to support and help them.

I did go on to study the intricacies, nuances, and more esoteric aspects of feng shui. I have been very fortunate to have had (and still have) incredible teachers that have passed on the teachings of the Black Sect Tantric Buddhist tradition of feng shui (BTB). And 20 years later, I have a completely different perspective and understanding of feng shui.

If you asked now…

So how would I answer the question “What do you think feng shui is about?” now? Here is my answer, a compilation of the lessons (some surprising and all of them rewarding) I have learned through these years of study, teaching, and working with clients.

• Feng Shui an awareness practice. It helps us to open our eyes to see the world in a new way. It reveals patterns that have turned into ruts that we are constantly repeating in our lives. In feng shui we analyze our environment so we can learn deeper truths about our own inner qi (energy).

• Honouring your lineage. In Black Sect feng shui (BTB) we remember, honour, and acknowledge what came before. The methods and tools that we learn from our teachers are links in a golden chain of wisdom.

• There are many (many) nuances and layers. Feng shui is part of a deeper cosmological system of mind-bending alignments.

  “The One begets two.
  The two beget the three.
  The three begets the ten-thousand-things.” -- Lao Tzu

  The ten-thousand-things is everything in the world, and everything is interrelated and connected. Seasons, colours, our bodies, the cosmos, our environment, nature… it is all connected and we are part of this energetic ecosystem.

• Open heart and compassion. You will do good in this world when you practice feng shui with an open heart, and with the highest good in mind. A large part of the school of feng shui I practice is about cultivating your own personal qi. You will improve your ability to help and support others by strengthening your own qi -- through meditation and mindful observation comes flexibility and compassion.

You have to meet people where they are in this practice

I wouldn’t judge my younger self for thinking that feng shui is only about moving furniture. I would show compassion. I would remember what my teachers taught me, as it was taught to them by His Holiness Grandmaster Lin Yun: You have to meet people where they are in this practice. Hey, look at me: a lifelong feng shui practice and career all started with a book, a plant, and an open heart.