Feng Shui Schools

The Form School of feng shui is a very VISUAL form of practice which began in rural southern China. Practitioners focus on the topography of the land surrounding your home or space and how the position of each area within your space relates to the land.

The Form School places additional emphasis on the symbolism of animals, specifically the celestial animals, calling topographic features things such as the dragon or tiger hills, turtle mountains, and phoenix footstools. The five elements, fire, water, metal, earth, and wood, also play an important role. A directional compass is often used.

• A mountain (or tall building) should sit behind your home.
  
• Your main entrance should not be blocked.
  
• The ground to the left should be higher than the ground on the right of the home.
  
• Land with slow, meandering rivers are especially auspicious.

The Compass School of feng shui is a TECHNICAL form of practice that began in northern China where fewer hills prompted the people to develop another way to find good locations for their homes. Practitioners use mathematics and a special feng shui compass called a Luo Pan. Kua numbers, Flying Star feng shui, star numerals, and the Lo Shu grid are part of Compass School practice, as is the Bagua.

• Each individual has a Kua number that determines their auspicious and inauspicious directions.
  
• Your main door should face your auspicious direction
  
• Sleep with your head toward your auspicious direction.
  
• Work facing your auspicious direction.
  
• Sickness Stars change location with time; it's essential to take measures to counteract these Stars.

The Black Hat School of feng shui is very INTUITIVE and much younger than the other two schools. The only tool used is a Bagua map. Beyond that, practitioners rely heavily on intuition and hold an if-it-feels-right-it-probably-is attitude, assuming chi flows freely and positively.

Black Hat practice, which originated in China like the Form and Compass schools, also incorporates the Buddhist practice of Zen meditation.

The Black Hat Sect borrows basic tenets from the other schools such as

• "a mountain should sit behind you" (sit in front of a screen or solid background rather than in front of a window) and
  
• "land with slow, meandering rivers are auspicious" (take measures to stop chi from moving too slow or fast in and around your house)

However, practice is less precise and more subjective but requires a strong awareness of feelings caused by changes in environment.