Feng Shui

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Permalink Reply by Carla on November 21, 2008 at 11:32am

Hi There ginbellen....Feng Shui is a New Age teaching.......
If we proclaim to have faith in Jesus, There is no reason to rely on anything but Jesus.....He is all we need.

Here is the Wikipedia definition of Feng Shui...
Feng shui (traditional Chinese: 風水; simplified Chinese: 风水; pinyin: fēng shuǐ; pronounced /ˈfəŋˌʃueɪ/ fehng-shway in English) is an ancient Chinese system of aesthetics believed to utilize the Laws of both heaven (astronomy) and earth (geography) to help one improve life by receiving positive Qi. [1] The original designation for the discipline is Kan Yu (traditional Chinese: 堪輿; simplified Chinese: 堪舆; pinyin: kānyú; literally: Tao of heaven and earth)[2].

The words 'feng shui' literally translate as "wind-water"in English. This is a cultural shorthand taken from the following passage of the Zhangshu (Book of Burial) by Guo Pu of the Jin Dynasty:[3]

Qi rides the wind and scatters, but is retained when encountering water. [3]

Many modern enthusiasts claim that feng shui is the practice of arranging objects (such as furniture) to help people achieve their goals. More traditionally, feng shui is important in choosing a place to live and finding a burial site, along with agricultural planning.

[edit] Foundation theories
The goal of feng shui as practiced today is to situate the human built environment on spots with good qi. The "perfect spot" is a location and an axis in time. Some areas are not suitable for human settlement and should be left in their natural state.


[edit] Qi (ch'i)
Qi is a difficult word to translate and is usually left untranslated. Literally the word means "air". In martial arts qi refers to internal or physical energy.

In New Age interpretations of Feng Shui, "qi" typically is synonymous with "energy" (sometimes interpreted as willpower and initiative, but more commonly as "life force"). A more traditional explanation of qi as it relates to Feng Shui would consider a holistic understanding of local microclimates, the orientation of the structure, its age, and its interaction with the surrounding environment from the slope of the land to the vegetation and soil quality.

According to one writer on the subject, Stephen L. Field, one use for a Luopan is to detect the flow of qi. Field has written that he views feng shui as a form of divination that assesses the quality of the local environment and the effects of space weather, coining the term qimancy for the concept.[20]

Professor Max Knoll suggested in a 1951 lecture that qi is a form of solar radiation.[21] Compasses reflect local geomagnetism which includes geomagnetically induced currents caused by space weather.[22]

Beliefs from the Axial Age, feng shui among them, hold that the heavens influence life on Earth. This seems preposterous to many people, yet space weather exists and can have profound effects on technology (GPS, power grids, pipelines, communication and navigation systems, surveys), and the internal orienting faculties of birds and other creatures.[23][24][25] There is some evidence that suicide rates in Kirovsk, Russia, fluctuate along with the geomagnetic field.[26] Atmospheric scientists have suggested that space weather creates fluctuations in market prices.[27][28]


[edit] Polarity
Polarity is expressed in feng shui as Yin and Yang Theory. Polarity expressed through yin and yang is similar to a bipolar magnetic field. That is, it is of two parts: one creating an exertion and one receiving the exertion. Yang acting and yin receiving could be considered an early understanding of chirality. The development of Yin Yang Theory and its corollary, Five Phase Theory (Five Element Theory), have also been linked with astronomical observations of sunspots.[29]

The so-called "elements" of feng shui (water, wood, fire, earth/soil, metal) are made of yin and yang in precise amounts (Greater wood has less yin than lesser wood, but not as much yin as water, and so forth). Earth is a buffer, or an equilibrium achieved when the polarities cancel each other. This explains why feng shui is said to be about balance.


[edit] Bagua (eight symbols)
Two diagrams known as bagua (or pa kua) loom large in feng shui, and both predate their mentions in the Yijing or I Ching. The Lo (River) Chart (Luoshu, or Later Heaven Sequence) and the River Chart (Hetu, or Early Heaven Sequence) are linked to astronomical events of the sixth millennium BCE, and with the Turtle Calendar from the time of Yao.[30] The Turtle Calendar of Yao (found in the Yaodian section of the Shangshu or 'Book of Documents') dates to 2300 BCE, plus or minus 250 years.[31]

It seems clear from many sources that time, in the form of astronomy and calendars, is at the heart of feng shui.

In Yaodian, the cardinal directions are determined by the marker-stars of the mega-constellations known as the Four Celestial Animals.

East: the Bluegreen Dragon (Spring equinox) --- Niao (Bird), α Hydrae

South: the Red Bird (Summer solstice) --- Huo (Fire), α Scorpionis

West: the White Tiger (Autumn equinox) --- Xu (Emptiness, Void), α Aquarii, β Aquarii

North: the Dark (Mysterious) Turtle (Winter solstice) --- Mao (Hair), η Tauri (the Pleiades)

The bagua diagrams are also linked with the sifang (four directions) method of divination used during the Shang dynasty.[32] The sifang is much older, however. It was used at Niuheliang, and figured large in Hongshan culture's astronomy. And it is this area of China that is linked to Huangdi, the Yellow Emperor, who allegedly invented the south-pointing spoon.[33]


A building in Hong Kong with a hollow middle hole, maximizing on fengshui benefits
[edit] School
A school or stream is a set of techniques or methods. The term should not be confused with an actual school -- there are many masters who run schools.

Some claim[34] that authentic masters impart their genuine knowledge only to selected students, such as relatives.


Modern techniques
Classical feng shui is typically associated with the following techniques. This is not a complete list; it is merely a list of the most common techniques.[35]

New Age variants
Wu, Baolin, Lighting the Eye of the Dragon: Inner Secrets of Taoist Feng Shui, St. Martin's Press, 2000.
Bender, Tom, "Building with the Breath of Life: Working with Chi Energy in Our Homes and Communities" Fire River Press, 2000.
Drews, Norbert, "Feng Shui Essentials" [1], 2000.
Bender, Tom, "The Physics of Qi". DVD. Fire River Press, 2007.

You Don't have to search very far to see the Spiritual New Age connections.

Living for my King, Carla

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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on November 21, 2008 at 11:37am

Feng Shui should not be engaged in by Christians. A quick study takes you to several red flags:

It come sot of Taoism.
It relies on astrology.
It has consultants (a tupe of spiritist) that you can call in to help.
It draws on the, in their view, powers of nature and the universe.
The word literally means wind and water.
Though it is older, it aligns with New Age beliefs and techniques.
It opens one up to demonic activity in their life as you call upon the non-God powers to assist you.

This is only a couple of examples.

God's Word clearly tells us to stay away from such things. We are to seek Him and trust him to guide and bless us, not some man-made system.

DT 18:9 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. 10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. 13 You must be blameless before the LORD your God.

1CH 10:13 Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD; he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance, 14 and did not inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.

LEV 19:31 " `Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.

Lord Bless,
LT

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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on November 21, 2008 at 6:35pm

There are other sources to get decorating advise from that would not put you into contact with something that practices things that are opposed to God.

1TH 5:22 abstain from every form of evil.

Lord Bless,
LT

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Permalink Reply by Judy Wirjadinata on November 21, 2008 at 7:47pm

Hi ginbellen,
My ex boss applied feng shui because he believes that it is a scientific approach to make success in business, life etc. One day i asked a fengshui master (who helped my ex boss) when he used his compass that looks like a pa koa symbol. This man answered that it is buddha. Oh? i became aware that this is apparently not scientific at all. It has a connection with a certain religion. Of course it works because there is a power behind it. The question is, whose power? Certainly this is not Jesus Christ's power. Scientifically i just don't understand how a change in the placement of tables, doors etc (as it is done by fengshui) could increase a company's business instead of improving its management, efficiency etc ?
One day the fengshui master came with my ex boss to my ex boss' new office building to give his advice regarding the position of doors etc to attract luck. Right after they left, i came with a friend to the building to pray and ask God's help to free the building from its influence. We prayed at 6:30pm. Afterward, at about 2:30am the next morning, my friend who prayed together with me had a dream wherein he met a man (his body looks like a man's body but his head was a dragon's head) who was in great pain of heat. That man in his dream threatened and screamed saying "I will report you to my master !!" I believe this is not just a coincident. The spirit behind fengshui is real and it is not God's. Now, 10 years later, almost all of my ex boss business declined. I asked a pastor who formerly was a fengshui master about the decline in my ex boss business.This pastor answered that it is time for my ex boss to pay back. There is nothing free...
Pray and ask God for His guidance because Satan can hide his game with something that looks like scientific. He used the term "energy" so it sounds scientific, whereas it is actually "his power" and his power is real. But God has given us His power to overcome evil's power. Luke 10 : 19.
Lord Jesus bless you,
judy wirjadinata

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Permalink Reply by Retha on November 23, 2008 at 10:13am

How can you believe in feng shui if Jesus is holding you in the palm of His hand? Ps 139 says He called out your days before birth. Who is the god that feng shui worship?

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