An Introduction to Feng Shui Schools

Feng Shui started being practiced in China almost 3000 years ago. Back then it was mostly known as Kanyu, the art of observing and comprehending the cosmological and natural forces and the interaction between heaven and earth. Feng Shui was not very popular in the beginning and was definitely not developed enough. The practitioners of Feng Shui at that time based their sayings only on the principles of Yin and Yang and the basic five elements of the philosophy. Over the years, Feng Shui was developed and enhanced by philosophers who studied the origins and tested the power of the concept. The additions were added to the main principles and were passed down to the new students.

There are many Feng Shui schools, as many different philosophers tried to ameliorate and contemporize the fundamentals of the basic philosophy. One of the most important schools is the one of San He, which is the oldest form of Feng Shui. This school denoted the importance of geographical and natural elements, such as the earth and water, the mountains and valleys. The shape and the ability of energy to flow became a very important component in the architectural designs. Later on, the Ming Dynasty denoted the importance of Time, following the principles of San He.

Feng Shui schools agreed on the basic idea of Chi, which is the energy that flows. Feng Shui is actually the art of managing and controlling this energy, so as to achieve a positive flow, thus happiness. According to Feng Shui experts, combining two or more schools can give you a better idea and more effective methods of the manipulation of Chi.

The most important Schools of Feng Shui are:

The Xuan Kong: This is also known as the School of Flying Stars. This school based its theory on observations made by ancient scholars. The Xuan Kong is supposed to be the highest and most important form of Feng Shui and is the one that holds the greatest respect in Upper East.

The Ba Zhai: It is also known as the Eight House. This school was developed over the centuries and also bases its principles on the basic theories and observations of the Chinese philosophers. It is supposed to be one of the most respectful schools of Feng Shui, although it applies a few different rules on the future predictions.

The Black Hat Sect: This is a black hat school which is supposed to be relatively newer. It is considered to be modern and fancy, therefore it has been condemned by many Chinese philosophers and scholars. Scholars accuse the Black Hat School of fabricating new principles, ignoring the tradition of the Chi energy rules. The Black Hat is supposed to be pseudo Feng Shui for the East, but is very popular in the West.

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