It comes from different sources and points of view.
The contributors of feng shui to the media have based their information on these sources:
- Feng Shui and Interior Design
- Classical Feng Shui (use of feng shui formula – eight mansions, flying star)
- Chinese symbols
- Western Comtemporary Feng Shui
- Intuitive Feng Shui
Author (books), writers (magazine or internet) and teachers base their information on these sources. They have to differentiate themselves from each other from the marketing point of view. For authors and writers, they have to convince the commissioning editor they have a different angle or have found a better way. Secondly, for teachers to attract new students, they have to show they are different from the crowd – they have a simpler or more effective method, perhaps?
The various people come up with different interpretations of the source material. There is a good chance there will be contradictions from these variations. I do not think that these variations are tested.
Also, people are adding non-Chinese practices and calling it feng shui. For example – practises from Indonesia especially Bali, Philippines, India etc. It was not originally called feng shui, but in the UK, it is called Feng Shui. This adds to the confusion.
It is literally a “free for all” in the use of the term feng shui.
New Formulae or Methods are being devised
A case in point is Roger Green, a teacher based in Australia. He devised a formula specifically for the southern hemisphere. In this part of the world, their winter is in June, and their summer is in December. This is the reversed to the northern hemisphere.
From my research, this formula has not been verified or tested, but it is being taught and used. There could be practitioners using it in the Southern Hemisphere. This interpretation has been questioned by many in the feng shui world.
Another feng shui formula that has been published is Celtic Feng Shui. It is said to be practised by the ancient Celts. From what I have seen, it is a derivation of the triple gate formula practised by Lin Yin. The Celts were ancient peoples of Europe at about the times of the Roman Empire. The Triple Gate Formula was first published in the book “Feng Shui “by Sarah Rossbach in 1998.
Traditional Chinese Feng Shui
The difference between Traditional Chinese Feng Shui and the other methods
- The training is based on the established methods of passing down the practise knowledge from one generation to the next. This includes student selection, 10 year training programmer, mentored work experience, range of work from a house to the design of a new city etc
- The consultants are trained to visualise the flow of energy. This way, they can monitor the situation and know whether it is going to work or not. These methods have been used for millennia and are recognised as established working procedures. They have a track record that shows it works, not for a few occasions but millennia.
- The practice and ethics kept to the standards set by the Lineage Society. All client details are kept confidential unless otherwise.
Comment:
The current use of the feng shui is now a generalised term usually implying the house or the interiors of properties. The methods can come from the various parts of the work but also, recently created ones as well.
The term Classical Feng Shui have implied the use of the eight mansions and flying start formulae. There are some practitioners who are also using the same formulae and using the term Traditional Feng Shui.
I have decided to be extremely specific and choose the name – Traditional Chinese Feng Shui. The first two words – Traditional Chinese imply the use of a Chinese Tradition. This is the procedure in lineage societies – the lineage holder duty to pass the knowledge to the next generation. This involves the selection of the student, verbal transmission of the knowledge and close mentoring.
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