History of Feng Shui

How did Feng Shui get started? Most people wonder what the history is behind this mystical thing that people hear about.  Well, it shouldn’t be a surprise that it has its origins in China.  The beliefs of Feng Shui are based on the idea that both inanimate objects and animals generate energy that can affect us.  When someone wants to achieve Feng Shui they place things so that there is a balance and a harmony that exists between places, things, and people, and that they also are in harmony with the environment.

The first parts of Feng Shui were based on astronomy.  They used the pole stars and the celestial pole that was determined by them to figure out the north and south axis of settlements. That is why the Shang walls are so precise at Zhengzhou and Yanshi. 

The Chinese used instruments in Feng Shui long before the compass was invented. There are some arguments which device was used first; some say it was a gnomon, while others say it might have been something like a south pointing chariot.  A two sided, lacquered board that has astronomical sightlines on it is the first instrument that has been excavated and is known as an Liuren astrolabe.  The tombs that they were found in were dated anywhere from 278 BC and 209 BC. So Feng Shui has been around for a long time.

There are five earth elements that make up Feng Shui, and the part that they play is something very important when it comes to how the environment achieves the flawlessness.