My friend Debbi and I signed up for a local tour this week to learn about the ancient art of Feng Shui. Feng Shui is the study of harmony with nature, and is all about the balance of negative and positive forces - "yin" and "yang". I was just hoping to learn how to pronounce it! Our tour guide was a local Singaporean who pronounces it "fung shwee". Now you are in the know!
Evidently the Chinese people who believe in Feng Shui are concerned with their well-being and good health. Some people consult Feng Shui masters, who are educated and trained and will come out to your house or place of business to do an analysis and try to help you harness your "Chi"-which is energy. The object is to have the good chi flow in and the bad chi flow out! I learned that the five elements in a productive cycle are wood, water, fire, earth, and metal. It is important to have each of these elements represented in your life/home/business. The Feng Shui masters come to your home, draw up a blueprint, and plan renovations to your house according to your needs. Some of these guys even specialize in certain areas; for example, helping you to choose an auspicious wedding date, which is vital for a successful marriage. Some experts in name analysis help you to select a name for your baby, a name for your business, or even to change your own name! They say "Do not fear a bad life; be afraid of having a bad name!" If things often go wrong in your life, it may be due to the curse of your name. We visited several buildings and hotels in Singapore and learned why they were built or positioned the way they are. For example, there are two clock towers outside of the Shaw Centre that chime every 15 minutes to break the negative energy that is coming from the Borders bookstore across the street! (because it has a lot of sharp angles in its design) It was suggested never to buy a house on a corner because there is too much rushing energy that cannot be collected. Also said you are not to buy a clock as a gift for a person, because a clock has the same meaning as a funeral, marking the end of your days. And not to hang a clock in the kitchen! (which of course I do!) There are numerology experts who really believe in lucky numbers. We were told to add up the digits in our phone numbers and then consult a chart. The numbers are either in red which is good, or black meaning change your phone number, it is a bad number! It appears as if I may need to change my phone number....... Also if you have water at your home, like a fountain, it needs to be bubbly - no stagnant water! That's why they love koi ponds because even if the pump breaks there is always the motion of the fish. No wonder there are so many fountains and koi ponds in Singapore! We visited the Fountain of Wealth, which is supposed to bring you luck if you put your right hand in the water and circle around it three times, making a wish. But don't dry off your hand or the wish won't come true! You have to let it air-dry....
It was a really interesting tour, and I'm glad I went - but I can't believe so many people believe in this! I suppose I should change my phone number and see if my chi improves before I go calling it hokey. :)
