Can our environment have a direct impact on our luck and the life opportunities that come our way? Amira El-Naqeeb examines the power of the healing art of Feng Shui "Feng Shui is a way of life," said homeopath Juan Martin, an emergency physician and practitioner of Chinese medicine, when we started our conversation. "Recently, we're more aware of the impact of changes in ecology, the biosphere and pollution. We know we are not isolated from the environment." For computer engineer and Feng Shui expert Ahmed El-Azazi, the whole thing started when he first established his computer company. "I couldn't figure out why the devices do not work properly in certain places and why networks fail without any technical explanation," he said. After considering the relevant facts, El-Azazi became convinced that the energy of the place has influence on devices and, subsequently, on humans. Shaimaa El-Fayed's first encounter with Feng Shui was when she overheard a friend talking about an acquaintance who had a back problem that physicians did not know how to cure. "I found out that it wasn't until he met a Feng Shui consultant, who told him that the problem was actually in the position of his bed, that he actually became fine," El-Fayed, a freelance journalist, said. El-Azazi had the same experience when his doctor friend suffered from chronic back problems. She got advice from a Feng Shui expert who told her that her bed was positioned in a spot where horizontal and vertical latitudes intersect at certain points that produce negative energy, especially in the long run. "That is when the sparks of interest in Feng Shui were really ignited in me," El-Azazi told Al-Ahram Weekly. THE ART OF PLACEMENT: Feng Shui, which is the art of placement, originated more than 4,000 years ago in China. According to Martin, it was one of the sacred sciences that were only taught to the emperors of China. The masters of Feng Shui taught it secretly to their students out of fear of its loss. It started to spread after the Chinese revolution and in the 1990s, when many Chinese masters fled to America and took up low-paying jobs. As time passed, they started to open schools to teach Feng Shui and martial arts. "When the masters interacted with the new societies in the United States, they started to modify Feng Shui to suit society needs," said Amr El-Dessouqi, an energy healer and Feng Shui teacher and consultant. FENG SHUI'S MAIN SCHOOLS: There are four main schools in Feng Shui: Form, Black Hat, Compass and Flying Star. According to El-Azazi, each school is concerned with a certain philosophy, while sharing certain broad principles with the others. If we are going to start building from scratch, El-Azazi recommends beginning with the Compass and Form schools, because they deal with directions and terrain. However, if you already have a house or an apartment, you should utilise the Black Hat, which is mostly concerned with the entrance of the house and focuses on colours, shapes and forms. As for the Flying Star, it is mostly concerned with astronomical calculations. THE BAGUA: The main tool used in Feng Shui is the bakua / ba-gua, which is used to divide a home into eight sectors; each responsible for a form of energy that denotes human's different areas of life: career, culture, relationships, health, family, and so forth. Each form of energy is connected with an element. The main elements used in Feng Shui are wood, water, metal, earth and fire. All these elements have a nourishment cycle and a destruction cycle. "If a person checks the sector in his home that is connected to his problem, he will find that this area is not balanced," said El-Dessouqi. "I had a friend who was desperate to get married, but somehow his efforts didn't seem fruitful," El-Azazi said. "When I went to check his house, I found that his love and marriage sector, according to the bagua, was in his balcony, which was cluttered and full of dust. As soon as he cleaned up this area and used the elements that enhance the energy in this spot, he got married in three months." FENG SHUI'S MAIN PRINCIPALS: One of the main principals in Feng Shui is to remove clutter. Cleanliness and organisation are also imperative. According to El-Dessouqi, dust accumulates negative energy, which sucks the Chi -- or vital energy -- out of the place. "My room was my sleeping, relaxing and working space. Lately, I began having sleeping problems and an aversion to spending time in my room," El-Fayed said. It was not until she removed all clutter and unnecessary objects from that room that she felt some peace and tranquillity. "I contacted El-Dessouqi and when he checked my room, he advised me to change my bed position and try to minimise the objects in my room, making sure to hide all the electrical cords," she said. El-Dessouqi explained that cords are symbols of electrical energy, which invaded her natural and tranquil sleeping space. "After implementing those tips, I felt more visually serene. I also had a sense of mental clarity," she sighed. According to El-Azazi, the main principles of Feng Shui are based on very logical considerations. "For example, we shouldn't have things that are too fragile, with sharp edges, or indoor plants with thorns, like cactus. The subconscious mind recognises these things as dangerous," El-Azazi explained. Additionally, balance and equilibrium are very important concepts in Feng Shui, according to Martin, since Feng Shui is an attempt to grasp the essence of the relationship between the environment and the human being, whether it is the micro-environment or the global one. It is quite imperative to stay away from anything that causes stress or anxiety in our home. El-Fayed said that what she really liked about Feng Shui is that "it all made sense." IS FENG SHUI UNIVERSAL? According to Mohamed El-Sawi, a PhD holder in architecture and biogeometry, Feng Shui is accumulated experiences and observations that had been recorded by people. The art of placement is a knowledge that was shared by numerous peoples throughout history in all civilisations. The Indian Vasto had more or less the same concepts and ancient Egyptians used it but never recorded it. El-Azazi agreed that Feng Shui was known ages ago, as "all the main corridors in the Pharaohs' tombs are facing the north, which is no coincidence." It indicates that they wanted to preserve their bodies for a longer time as energy moves from the north. "For me, Feng Shui is universal. It belongs to no country and is timeless. It can be applied anywhere," Martin conceded. El-Dessouqi agreed that Feng Shui is very flexible and it can be applied to any culture and any country. "The Chinese use a wooden statue of Buddha, because it is symbolic of their culture. However, if we used the same element, which is wood, it will give the same effect. Feng Shui is not connected to a certain religion or belief," El-Dessouqi concluded. Hadi Abaza, an interior designer, agreed that Feng Shui concepts are easy to implement in any culture. "I took a course in Feng Shui and started implementing its concepts in my work. I started with my office by using the bagua. I took care of the relationships corner and it paid well with my clients," Abaza said. FENG SHUI... FACT OR FICTION? Although many proponents testify that Feng Shui has an effect on health, wealth and personal relationships, others consider it a pseudoscience. According to El-Sawi, the problem with Feng Shui is that nobody has ever evaluated its concepts in a scientific way. The most important thing in Feng Shui, he continues, is that it should be applied according to one's environment. Martin said the Chinese never tried to define Feng Shui as a science and that not a single Feng Shui practitioner has ever said that it is a science. Nevertheless, it can be evaluated. "The Chinese are practical people and they practise Feng Shui not as art, culture or religion, but to get results. Simply put, if something doesn't work, they won't do it," he said. "We observe the changes in people's lives. Sometimes, the results are instant and can be observed at once," El-Dessouqi said. Martin agreed saying what makes Feng Shui unique is also the fact that there are millions of solutions and alternatives to any problem, "so if a solution did not achieve the expected result, we try something else." Reem Farouk, a human development trainer, said that it was the books she read about Feng Shui that enticed her to take it to a deeper level. "I took a course in Feng Shui and started applying very simple tips, which had a magical effect on me," she said. She used some crystal quartz in some places in the house to absorb the negative energy and reflect the positive. Also, she covered the dressing table's mirror facing her bed while sleeping, because mirrors reflect energy, which alters deep sleep. El-Dessouqi opined that Feng Shui does not have to be scientifically examined in a lab to be valid. Martin agreed, saying that, "it's an art based on experience, like all arts. You can't judge a painting by Picasso scientifically." Valuable tips: - Follow one book, or one Feng Shui expert. - Get rid of clutter. - Cleanliness and organisation are essential in Feng Shui, as dust accumulates negative energy. - Use crystal quartz to absorb the negative energy and reflect positive energy. - Try to put your shoes outside the bedroom because it picks up the negative energy from outside the house and brings it inside the room. - Try to balance the five elements in all the rooms inside your house. - Put something in pairs in the relationship corner, such as two candle holders, and a metal or a glass bowl filled with golden or silver coins in the wealth section.
