The Lo (River) Chart (Luoshu, or Later Heaven Sequence) and the River Chart (Hetu, or Early Heaven Sequence) are linked to astronomical events of the sixth millennium BCE, and with the Turtle Calendar from the time of Yao. The Turtle Calendar of Yao (found in the Yaodian section of the Shangshu or 'Book of Documents') dates to 2300 BCE, plus or minus 250 years.
It seems clear from many sources that time, in the form of astronomy and calendars, is at the heart of feng shui.

In Yaodian, the cardinal directions are determined by the marker-stars of the mega-constellations known as the Four Celestial Animals.

East: the Bluegreen Dragon (Spring equinox) --- Niao (Bird), %u03B1 Hydrae

South: the Red Bird (Summer solstice) --- Huo (Fire), %u03B1 Scorpionis

West: the White Tiger (Autumn equinox) --- Xu (Emptiness, Void), %u03B1, %u03B2 Aquarii

North: the Dark (Mysterious) Turtle (Winter solstice) --- Mao (Hair), %u03B7 Tauri (the Pleiades)

The bagua diagrams are also linked with the sifang (four directions) method of divination used during the Shang dynasty. The sifang is much older, however. It was used at Niuheliang, and figured large in Hongshan culture's astronomy. And it is this area of China that is linked to Huangdi, the Yellow Emperor, who allegedly invented the south-pointing spoon.

Feng Shui Decorating for Luck and Prosperity

The first time I heard of feng shui decorating was when my friend brought me a wonderful laughing Buddha with the advice that this would be bring me luck and prosperity. My wife laughed at the idea, but because the little figurine was exquisite, we decided to place it as advised. Within two months my wife got the news that she was selected for a prestigious freelance assignment that she only dreamed of qualifying for.

Does Feng Shui Decorating Influence Luck?

Many people I know would answer yes. I am still not totally sold on the idea, but I have to accept the fact that the little laughing Buddha figurine that my friend gave me just a few months ago has made its presence felt in my house. A lot of small "lucky" things happened to my wife and I after this statue came to my house.

Among other things, my friend had said that we would know that the feng shui decorating charm -- in this case the laughing Buddha -- was working if people comment on it positively. It so happened that everyone, and I really mean everyone, who came to our house noticed the Buddha in appreciation. As if its benevolence grew with the praises it got, we observed that almost everyday we had some nice things happening to us.

Is Feng Shui Effective?

Call it coincidence or providence, but I can vouch for the fact that after the laughing Buddha came into our house, we have become more positive about life in general, and we are happier. Everything looks easy and troubles seem to just melt away. The developments that followed this incident prompted me to look deeper into the principles of feng shui and its meaning.

I found that feng shui decorating of a home or office, which for most is just a passing trend of good luck and prosperity charms, is actually an ancient science which originates in China. This is a vast subject, which needs years of study before you really know what is going on. You can compare the science of feng shui with that of astrology. Both are exact science which are based on serious math calculations and fixed principles.

The basic principle of feng shui is the balancing of yin and yang, i.e. the female and male side of the universe - a fact that makes perfect sense. The feng shui decorating of a home thus is actually a serious matter, which can change your life for the better if applied well.

Chinese Feng Shui; What is It?

Chinese Feng Shui (pronounced as fung shway) dates back to thousands of years, and is an old Chinese tradition that lives on today. Today, it isn't limited to a certain culture as it had been known to do many years ago, because many people around the world are taking Chinese Feng Shui and incorporating it into their own lives.

The Basics

Chinese Feng Shui is an art form that was created to help enhance the elements people experience between themselves and the objects and areas around them. Five elements are taken into account when creating Chinese Feng Shui, which are:

* Fire
* Earth
* Metal
* Water
* Wood

Chinese Feng Shui is based on a Taoist belief that everything found around us in regard to objects, places, and people, are made up of a continuous flow of energy known as chi. This energy is picked up by us and translated into different feelings, thought processes, and actually effects our all around well being.

Tips For Creating some Chinese Feng Shui in Your Home

Getting rid of clutter is the number one thing to do when creating Chinese Feng Shui in your home. With clutter present in your living spaces, no amount of Feng Shui will be beneficial, as the chi created by Feng Shui can only move about freely when clutter is not there to inhibit it.

Healthy and invigorating plants that are placed within your home can do wonders to encourage a positive chi flow throughout your living spaces. Make sure to use real plants that thrive in your specific living conditions, and the easier they are to take care of, the better.

Using light to fill the more empty spaces of your home will help to produce positive energy, while without lighting to fill these spaces, chi is limited if at all present. Another great element to add to your home is small fountains of water found in any department store which brings nature and calming effects to your space. Aquariums create the same kind of energy as small water fountains do, and having living animals in your home adds an element of peace among lives that you cannot get any other way.

The art of Chinese Feng Shui is limitless in its possibilities, but these simple tips will help you to create a beneficial living space that can improve your life in more ways than one including finance, love, and all around thought processes.

How to Use the Feng Shui Bagua to Improve Your Life

The Feng Shui bagua is basically a detailed map of the relationship between the different areas of your life and your home. You can apply the concept of the bagua to a room, or even your desk, if you want to.

The Different Guas

There are nine different guas in the Feng Shui bagua: wealth, family, self-understanding, fame, health and balance, career, relationships, children and creativity, and helpful friends and travel. While traditionally a bagua is in the shape of an octagon, for our purposes and to make it easier, most practitioners stretch out the corners to form a square so you have nine equal parts.

The top three squares contain in this order the wealth, fame and relationships baguas, the middle three contain family, health & balance, and children and creativity. Finally the last three squares have self-understanding, career, and helpful friends and travel. Each of these squares represents a different aspect or area of your life. Whatever is happening in an energetic sense in that area of your home will affect the corresponding part of your life.

One Way to Use Your Feng Shui Bagua

One way to use your Feng Shui bagua is to draw it on a transparent piece of paper and then put the transparency over a diagram of your home. Since very few homes are a perfect square there will most likely be guas that are cut down to a smaller size or missing.

When this happens you can take items that represent the area that is missing, say a green plant for wealth, and put the item where the partial gua is, or as close to the spot where the missing gua would be. If the gua is outside and still on your property you could even plant a tree there, or bury a coin in the soil at that spot, maybe even hang some wind chimes, to name a few ideas.

A Second Way to Use Your Feng Shui Bagua

An additional way to use your Feng Shui bagua is to align it with the wall where the main entrance to a room is, and then mentally stretch it out so your bagua is covering the floor of the room. Notice areas which might be missing, or smaller than another area and decorate accordingly in order to strengthen that gua.

A Feng Shui bagua is a fantastic tool to help you bring what it is that you want into your life in addition to making corrections in an energetic sense to your home and rooms within it, as well as even say your desk. Another example for using the Feng Shui bagua is for a couple who want a child and been having difficulty conceiving. One way to help this along in an energetic sense might be to put a toy or other item representing a child in the children and creativity gua.

As you can see there are as many options for how to use your Feng Shui bagua as there are ideas. All it requires is a little time and effort spent to bring the energy in your home, the rooms, or even your desk space into harmony with the universe.

Symbolism or Lack Thereof in the Feng Shui Coin

Having a lucky coin is something that many people use in lieu of a rabbit's foot or other symbol of good fortune. Granted, most of these symbols of luck are fairly trite and lacking a clear, motivating philosophy. Their origins date back to earth-based religions and the origins behind the symbols are lost unto all except the most ardent scholars of world religions.

West Absorbs East

In the western world, there is at least some minor, cursory understanding of eastern mysticism and philosophy. Granted, what people 'know' about eastern mysticism is usually an extremely abbreviated knowledge base. This is probably due in part to the western world's reliance on having everything 'yesterday.'

This attitude is an offshoot of the highly commercialized culture that defines the mindset of the populace. There is interest in the mysticism of the East, but that interest is more of an interest in symbols than a deep desire to understand or cultivate the philosophy. Regardless of the motivations and execution of the philosophies, the western world embraces much eastern philosophy and mythos.

The Intro of Feng Shui

This is probably a determining factor in Feng Shui achieving some popularity in the United States, as Feng Shui became another form of eastern mysticism that is embraced in the west. However, the western concept of enlightenment through symbolism leads to the prominence of items such as a Feng Shui coin.

Now, the Feng Shui coin does not originate in the West. It is, of course, eastern in design and origin. What a Feng Shui coin represents is a symbol of financial prosperity and, to true believers, it can go beyond being a mere symbol and providing a meridian channel that will enhance one's personal prosperity.

Difference Between the Coin of the East vs. the Coin of the West

The main difference between the symbolism of the Feng Shui coin of the East and that of the coin of the West centers on the definition of prosperity. In ancient eastern societies, famine was a very real danger. Financial prosperity was a way of maintaining existence.

In the West, the Feng Shui coin becomes a perversion as financial prosperity is defined as materialism and comfort level. That is, the West is primarily a technocratic society and financial prosperity means the wheels of empire roll so as to create a comfortable life. That may be well and good, but it is not the path to enlightenment. In fact, a materialistic life is probably the single greatest obstacle to enlightenment possible. So, in that sense, the western embrace of the Feng Shui coin is an embrace that misses its meaning.

Owning a Feng Shui coin does not lead one to the path of enlightenment unless one embraces the core that it represents. Can a technocratic society do that? Doubtful, but the coins make nice decorations.

How to Create Feng Shui for Your House

When it comes to creating Feng Shui for your house, it's not a matter of just what you put into it, it's also a matter of what you eliminate and the energy you choose to create for your home. Notice the difference in the homes you visit when you go to see friends or family. Some house may offer a presence of peace and tranquility, allowing you to relax and feel right at home.

Other homes may have you ready to leave as soon as you get there, because of the cluttered and disorganized energy felt upon entering the residence. This all has to do with Feng Shui and the chi created from it. Even if you are not a believer in Feng Shui for your house, you will have to agree that when you really sit down and think about how different homes produce different kinds of feelings for you, that the energy in these homes must have something to do with it.

The First Step

Knowing what Feng Shui is and how it can help you and your quality of life is the first thing you'll want to be sure you know in order to successfully create Feng Shui energy within your living areas. Feng Shui (pronounced as fung shway) is an old Chinese tradition dating back thousands of years. It was implemented and is still used today to balance our lives with our surroundings, offering positive energy known as chi which can help us prosper in day to day activities, our financial status, and our love lives. This is what Feng Shui for your house is all about.

By working with five elements; fire, earth, metal, water, and wood, we can produce chi that works well within our beings, adding great benefits to our lives in the form of energy, attitude, and quality of living. This does not mean you need to go through your house and chant spells or try to create magic, it simply means that you can create Feng Shui for your house by simply moving furniture in the right places and creating a sense of peace for you to live with.

What's Next?

Get rid of the clutter. As a part of creating Feng Shui for your house, clutter has to be eliminated. Clutter in a house not only stops the flow of chi, but it seriously inhibits your ability to feel relaxed, think clearly, and benefit from any calming effects you try to incorporate throughout your home. Make sure magazines, books, and other miscellaneous items like these are thrown away or properly stored instead of sitting in piles throughout your house.

You will also want to make sure that blinds, fans, curtains, rugs, floors, furniture, and all other elements are clean and comfortable. If you have a lumpy couch that hurts after sitting on it for awhile, you are better off just getting rid of it and implementing big fluffy pillows on the floor to relax on if need be.

The Front Door

The front door of your home is probably the most important place to start in creating Feng Shui for your house. Making sure there is no clutter and the door opens and closes freely without things in the way is the first step. You will also want to make sure the doorknob and locks all work easily and the door doesn't creak when it's used. The flow of chi begins here and flows throughout the house, so if the door is cluttered or compromised in any way, the energy you receive throughout the house will produce these kinds of feelings.

The Rest of The House

Once the door is ready to offer a flowing river of chi throughout your home, you will want to make sure your furniture is placed in a way that the chi can easily flow around. Any area that does not flow freely such as a coffee table that you have to squeeze by to get around, the chi will have the same problem. Arrange your home to be open and free from clutter and too much furniture, and walk through it to make sure you can freely move about. If you achieve this, you have achieved the most important part of Feng Shui for your house.

Keeping Up Your Energy: Read Feng Shui Books

So many books are available for self-education, on any topic you can imagine. Some are about romance, relationships and dieting, and are laden with subjective advice on how to organize every aspect of your life. If you are looking to increase health, wealth and love in your life, consider Feng Shui books as a good resource to help you achieve optimum well-being. If you like what you learn, you can find out more by taking online classes or signing up for a Feng Shui workshop at a local community college. Here's some background on Feng Shui, and how Feng Shui books can possibly help you with your life:

What Does 'Feng Shui' Mean?

Feng shui literally means "wind" and "water". It is the Chinese practice of circulating chi (positive energy) throughout one's home and personal space. The wind is to carry the chi in the space and the water is to also help with carrying chi. Feng Shui is used nowadays as a way to decorate one's home or office space so that chi can flow healthily through the environment and help the inhabitant achieve their personal goals and desires. Different areas of the home represent different types of energy; for instance, the entrance into a house represents career wellness, and the back of the house represents marriage and family. There are maps that describe these sections in detail.

Read Up

FengS books are written for a variety of people and their homes, offices, and even cars. There are books for single people, with instructions for rearranging objects in their homes in a way that increases the potential for love. Other Feng Shui books are written for newlyweds, families and others. The basis of these books is not just to teach you what to buy or wear, or how to rearrange your bed, but to instruct you on how negative energy in your space may be blocking you from achieving financial, familial or intimate success.

Feng Shui books also can help you to find a "power spot" in your home, and help your master that spot so you can get what you are looking for. So, the next time you're at the local bookstore, head towards the home and garden section. The nice thing about Feng Shui books is that they not only show interesting and creative ways to decorate your home, but also illustrates how these changes can benefit you, your environment, and those around you.