What is qi (chi)? Sheng Qi and Sha Qi
Qi is the force of life, which is the background for all things and living beings. Qi can be defined as an information field relating all living beings among them and with the environment.
The purpose of Feng Shui is to balance the qi in the house and at work in order to increase the possibilities to obtain a good health, wealth and harmonious relationships.
Qi is also called the “breath of life” or the “breath of cosmic dragon”.
The existence of qi has not been scientifically proved, especially the more mystical aspects of this energy. Qi is a holistic force which rules our health, wealth and happiness.
Properties of the energy
Qi is in permanent movement therefore in continuos transformation, on Earth as well as in the entire Universe. The energy has the property to accumulate, disperse, expand and condense. It can move with high or low speed in any direction.
The energy flows in spirals, straight lines, angular or curve lines. It flows together with the wind (feng) and is stored by the water (shui).
Everything is influenced by energy. According to the “Taophysics” author, Fritjof Capra, “Exactly as the cuantic field, qi is a form of the matter without substance and not perceivable, which exists in the space and can condense in solid objects”.
The field or qi is not only the essence of all material objects, but also the vehicle carrying the interactions among them, in a wave form”.
“Good” and “bad” energy
In an attempt to classify energy, we can say there are two types of qi. The positive energy is called “sheng qi” while the negative one is called “sha qi”.
Sheng translates by “vital” or “life”. Sha means “bad” or “distructive”. Sometimes we can feel these types of energy, other times we can totally ignore them.
The beautiful objects are considered sheng qi. These make a good impression on the sight and we feel well when seeing beautiful objects.
They say a house built in a beautiful environment (which observes other principles as well, for example the arrangement of the four cosmic animals in the landscape) has a good Feng Shui because it is surrounded by sheng qi. If the inside of the house is clean and tidy, well ventilated and with a good light, the house is full of sheng qi as well. People living in such houses are calm and have a pleasant life. They also have more energy to work and have fun.
On the other hand, the ugly objects are considered sha qi. They do not please our sight and we do not feel well next to them. A house built next to a waste hole, invaded by flies and mosquitos, polluted by bad smells, sufferes from negative Feng Shui. People in such houses will get easily ill and will feel unhappy.
The three forces of qi
Chinese believe that there are three primary forces sustaining life: energy of the heaven, of the earth, of the human beings.
The heaven’s (celestial) energy comes from the space and is considered the primordial force of nature. It flows from the sky in a spiral shape, coming from the celestial matter: moon, sun, planets and stars. The heaven’s energy is associated to the time, a factor of change and transformation. The year of construction of a building is an essential infromation in Feng Shui in order to determine its personality.
The earth’s energy resides in the forces of the mountains, water streams, deserts, valleys and fields, which affect our health, temperament and compatibility with the others, in the traditional Feng Shui the force of the mountain is associated to the yin (female) force of the nature and controls health and our relationships with people. The rivers, lakes and other water accumulations/streams correspond to the yang or male force which rules over the richess accumulation.
Finally, the human energy is the one the human being is born with and it is unique, different from a human being to the other. The energy we are born with, and which is controlled by the year of birth, controls the way we are compatible with other people and with the energy of our house (this is studied in the Eight Houses School)
Practical exercise
Taking into account the above mentioned, try to become more receptive at the qualities of the energies manifesting in your lives.
Try to develop a “Feng Shui development”, to watch everything with the eyes of a practitioner of this wonderful art. Think that in a city the buildings are metaphoric “mountains” and the streets are “rivers” in movement. Look how the energy flows through this “veins of qi” of the city, how it it stopped by the buildings which act as real barriers for the energy.
Try to establish the way energy flows around your house, searching for qi currents which flow directly and strongly towards the house, thus bringing too much yang (male) energy and the potential of accidents. Watch the energy under its positive aspect as well: if yo have a large space in front of the house, imagine that this is a lake, a water accumulation (shui) which keeps the positive energy next to your house, bringing health and success.
In a first stage it is good to develop your intuition and senses, perceiving the energy with all the sense organs and making small changes in your life according to the information received from them.
Study other Feng Shui books as well and learn the basic principles that you can apply in your every day life, at home and at work. The study of Feng Shui is very well completed by the study of the internal taoist alchemy (that Feng Shui has much in common with) and which will develop the capacities of perceiving the energy in a more direct way.
