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What is Feng Shui?
by Nola Wood

Chi (life force energy) flows through all of nature, through the veins of the earth, through each of us. As humans settled down into agrarian life styles, they instinctively knew that they needed to pay attention to this phenomenon to survive. They built homes and developed rituals with deep respect for these forces. Indigenous people throughout the world have consciously aligned themselves with the physical and spiritual world. In China, this evolved into a highly developed science, art, and philosophy known as "Feng Shui," the art of placement. As Feng Shui migrated to the west, it continued and is continuing to evolve in response to topography and climate, our culture, and unfortunately, our poorly designed cities and homes.

Several different schools of Feng Shui co-exist in the west today. The common theme is the recognition of how strongly the environment affects our well-being. The physical blocks that we unconsciously set up are metaphors for the personal blocks that we find in our lives. Stagnate areas can keep us psychologically stuck. A free-flowing, vibrant home and work place encourage a free-flowing, vibrant life. By working with Feng Shui tools, we recognize how important it is to tend to and balance all aspects of our lives, to remember where we came from, to see where we are going, and to care about what we leave behind. Practicing Feng Shui helps us to actively engage in our lives which is what causes it to work better, enabling us to fulfill our goals. "Good Feng Shui" means that our environment is aligned with our purpose.

Nola Wood. Nola is the owner of Elemental Environments, a home and garden shop in the historic Los Rios District of San Juan Capistrano. She is a certified Feng Shui practitioner and is a member of the International Feng Shui Guild and the Orange County Wellness Coalition.