Feng Shui Styles
There are many schools of practice or styles in the long tradition of Feng Shui. It is
important that you choose a style that best reflects your sensibilities and approach to living. Here at Midwestern Sanctuaries Feng Shui I practice what is affectionately known as BTB Feng Shui based on Feng Shui Grand Master Lin Yun's developments from training in many schools of practice. These developments were pivotal in introducing Feng Shui to modern and Western cultures. In this style the front door of a home or office is used to orient the bagua ("energy map") to a dwelling. Other traditional Feng Shui practitioners often use a compass for orientation of the bagua. The underlying principles describing the primary elements--fire, earth, metal, water and wood--signifying types of energy and how they behave within a space are fundamentally the same. There is much interconnection, overlapping and interplay among these practices. Nonetheless, there are variations which have a special resonance for each individual client. For very brief, very simplified, descriptions of various styles, take a look below. |
BTB Feng Shui
BTB (Black Sect Tantric Buddhism) Feng Shui was developed by Grand Master Lin Yun,
His Holiness Rinpoche, through his studies and practice in many schools of Feng Shui, philosophy, metaphysics, Confucianism, Taoism, I-Ching, Five Element Theory, Buddhism, modern science, religious practice, and meditations, to name many, but by no means all, BTB incorporates traditional concepts and approaches of many Feng Shui schools while retaining in its center, the awareness of Chi--energy. The Chi or energy of the environment is manifested in the home, the lot, the surroundings, objects within the home, their use and condition, the shapes of the home, lot, furniture, room placement and use, people, animals and plants living in the environment, color use and placement, the quality of life, the history of the home and neighborhood, and electrical energies at work, to name a few. These principles are at the heart of all forms of Feng Shui. Some BTB practitioners also incorporate Eastern (primarily) or Western astrology into their practice while others do not place much emphasis on this aspect. Space clearing rituals are used as they are also in many traditional schools of Feng Shui. The client's intention and desire are major elements at work in BTB practices as well In BTB, the front entry to a home or business is considered the "mouth of the Chi" as the energy flows into the dwelling circulating through and around from there. The entry is used as the "beginning place" for orienting the bagua (energy map) in order to identify flow and blockage of energy through the dwelling. Unlike many other forms of Feng Shui, in BTB, it is not necessary for the front door to be oriented to any particular compass direction in order to have "good Feng Shui" in one's home or life--the balance of elements and energy within the individual space, as well as the individual's intention are critical factors. Many BTB practitioners incorporate elements of other schools of thought into their practices, to varying degrees. Quite a number of practitioners provide space clearing services, emf readings (coming soon here), color and aroma therapy consultations and references to integrative healing practices that relate to Feng Shui approaches. To learn more about Master Lin and his ideas you may want to visit these websites: http://fengshuiclasses.ca/?page_id=148 fengshuidesigns.com/articles/blacksect.htm www.lighthousefengshui.com/index.php?page+temple
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North - South - East - West
As evidenced by its name the Compass School is based on direction. Very specific
energies and qualities are associated with each cardinal direction, North, South, East, West, as well as the sub-directions, NE, NW, SE, SW and so on, totaling in 24 directions known as the 24 Mountains. Originating in northern China Compass School is often regarded as the most scientific Feng Shui methodology, incorporating the five elements, the Lo Shu-the Magic Square, the I Ching (Book of Changes) and of course, the compass. Flying Star Feng Shui, Nine Star Ki and Eight Mansions Feng Shui are also based on the 24 Mountains and incorporate the elements of time—year, month, day, birth dates, and building construction dates . The traditional compass used by Feng Shui practitioners is known as the Lo'Pan and encompasses an entire body of knowledge regarding the nature and movement of energy when one is familiar with the names and meanings of the various signs on the compass. Often a Western-style compass showing all 360 degrees will suffice for many purposes. |
Land Form School
Form, or Land Form school originates in Southern China and is based the shapes of the
terrain, and dwelling locations within various land formations and their relationships to bodies of water. These elements and their characteristics affect the Chi of homes and individuals. Distinct shapes of land forms signify various animals in their natures and the types of energy they embody: the serpent, the dragon, the phoenix, the tortoise, and the tiger. The animals are associated with specific directions, seasons, and colors as well as the bagua and the five elements. In the West, Black Sect Tantric (BTB) Feng Shui, the Western School, and Intuitive Feng Shui are among the most commonly known practices developed from Form School although there are a number of Land Form practices used throughout the world. |