Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Feng Shui: A way of life Part 1

By: Wits Vuvuzela

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Feng Shui: A way of life Part 1 - Video

Feng Shui (pronounced Fung Shway) is the ancient Chinese art of placement to enhance the flow of "vital life energy" known as . Practitioners believe that rooms, buildings and all environments can be arranged and decorated in a way that maximizes the flow of Qi and, resulting in improvements to health and happiness of those who live in that environment. Although the translation of Feng Shui basically means "Wind and Water", its scope and breathe are much deeper than this.

Feng Shui is an expression of the oneness and interconnectedness of all things on all levels and all dimensions. This is a "key concept" in understanding how our essence relates to everything else around us, including our environment. As we begin to sense this oneness we then find that it is possible to gain insight from looking at our environment on a broader scale. It is often said that "Feng Shui teaches us what we already know".

The Art of Feng Shui is just that; an Art. You may have heard that there are several schools of thought in Feng Shui- the Form School, the Compass School and the Intuitve School. Yet another Feng Shui derivative, Blackhat sect is said to have originated in Tibet, is newer, and was introduced to the West by Professor Lin Yun.

Form School is a more traditional Chinese, older form of Feng Shui. This school of feng shui began in southern China. It is based on looking at and evaluating land forms, waterways and geography.

Black Sect Tantric Tibetan School, which has gained popularity in the United States, disregards compass directions. Instead, you stand at and use the entrance of the room, house or office as your main reference point. Then you place objects and other enhancements according to what you aspire to and wish to accomplish.

Both the Form school and the Black Sect are used extensively in the West, and both are good introductions to Feng Shui. The difference is that in Blackhat sect, the career area is centered on the wall that contains the main entrance, while Form school has the career area always in the North.

Compass School is the most predominate practice. The absence of geographical and geological features and the relative flat topography of northern China necessitated the development of the Compass School, which dominates throughout most of the world. This is the traditional, classical feng shui practice which uses either a Chinese (luo pan) or Western-style compass to determine the eight compass directions in a room, office or home. This compass is used to determine the direction in which a building faces, and where the portents will fall based on that direction. Because those directions govern various aspects of your life, you place the corresponding colors, animal symbols, numbers and elements in the areas that you wish to activate.

The ancient text, the I Ching, describes the one universal flow of nature's energy. Feng Shui derives from the ancient Taoist tradition. The I Ching is the definitive text in which all Chinese Metaphysics is based. It includes a full range of techniques that include Chinese Astrology, compass methods, form methods and divining techniques. Feng Shui utilizes two Chinese astrological systems. These are called the Batzu - or "eight word" (also called "the four pillars"). And the Jyo Hsing - or "nine stars" (also called the "north star method" or "study of Qi").

In Feng Shui, a map called a Bagua is used to maximize the of a given environment. The map divides a room into 9 squares of equal size, with each grid corresponding to a specific "gift" in life, such as health, love, and knowledge. The various schools of thought in Feng Shui all use the bagua in one form or another. The bagua, generally an octagon or square divided into nine areas, which are sometimes referred to as "guas", is superimposed over a floor plan of the building, room or property. Blackhat sect and Form school Feng Shui use essentially the same bagua.

The nine areas of the bagua are (clockwise, from the northern area) career, knowledge, family, wealth, fame, marriage, children, and helpful people. The ninth area is the center. Each area is associated with direction, elements, and I Ching trigram (the ancient system of Divination). In arranging a room, 9 areas are noted to be of special significance. The following table, which cooresponds to the Baqua, illustrates the relationship of areas in a room (or home) in relation to the room's Main Entrance. Imagine dividing your room (home, office) into the following 9 areas. We have highlighted the ideal items to enhance the movement of within each location. They are as follows:

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Feng Shui, Feng shui Tools, Tips, Products, Gifts, Feng Shui Cures ...

Authentic feng shui principles and theoriessurpasses the test of time, recording and compiling our natural phenomenon like attributes of geographical terrain, sunrise, sunset,movement of stars, rain, rivers, etc. Some of the traditionalmethods of feng shui applicationsthrough my years of regular consultative reviewfromclients'feedback are redundant or needed fine-tuning to improve it's effectiveness.Feng Shuihomeor office haveto keepin alignment withtechnology advancement and environmental changes. Having say that there are stillanomalies in today's feng shui applicationsdeviated fromthe original feng shuiteachings.

Take for instance olden dayscharcoal operated stove and today's induction oven, there is adifference in placement and orientation.In the past,we do not have air-condition andrely solely on actual wind movements. The currentrole of air-condition systemtoday plays a more important role in altering the properties of air, temperature and humidity.Sanitation systemof today aremorehygienic than in the past. Modern transportation andinfrastructurelike expressways,MRT, LRT do accelerate the "luck" of our environment which influences 2 schools of fengshuiluck period calculation;Xuan Kong Da Gua Di Yun (Earth Luckenergiesand Xuan Kong Flying Star Tian Yun (Heavenly Luck energies).

Today we have ultra modern building designs, skyscrapers, artificial landscapesthatis non-existentin the past andsome feng shui masterswronglyimprovise theproperty fascadeor windowas the basisfor calculating theDestiny of the house. They interpret air (qi)in the literal senseand overlookus as "human beings" to mobilise the"qi" or invisible energies.Take for instancethere are 500 units in acondo, theimpact to you is only a mere1/500 or 0.2%.Another reasonis thatno home owner willclimb through their own window to get into the house except burglars.Besides thisthere are otheranomalies in feng shui calculation such as the use of water, fish tank, bagua, fengshui products,12 chinese astrology signs, Gua Mingand so forth.Till today fengshuiremainsan enigma to most people. The acid testto gauge feng shuieffectivenessareresults. This could only be possible if we follow-through with our clients and listen to their feedback after doing the feng shui audit.Unfortunately there is no short-cut to this learning curve, it isa lifelongprocess of "research-and-exploration"so long asoursociety progress,our environment evolve. Today's feng shui home or office needs updating. Modern interpretations and adaptations are necessarybecauseolden classical fengshuitheories/principlesare notscientific facts unless proven.

Feng Shui MasterSingapore uses more"science"toexplorefeng shui problems andcures unlike others who churn outmoreannual feng shui products or religious talisman

It is without a shadow of doubt thattechnology advancement has improve our quality of life. It brings convenience, medical breakthrough, communications, education, business and many others.However modern lifestyle improvements comes with a hefty price tag ofcomplex fengshui problems to resolve. Environmental issues like Global warming, Polluction, Waste and Recycling. In this new age, we simply cannot ignore the fact that we unfortunately consume more "electricity"and exposed to electromagnetic fields much more than our forefathers.Including myself, we simply cannot live without smart phones, internetand tablets. We have nuclear plants, satellite, power stations.Classical fengshui wisdomneeds a more "open-minded" approach when comes to solving today's modern home and office fengshui problems.Through the years thanks to myclients valuable feedback,we definitelyneed a more systematic,scientific approachin Feng Shuicalculation, usingprobability math, physics, biology, research, experimentation, trial and error,inductive/deductive reasoning,psychology and other exploratory methodologiesto enhance our life.

On a positive note modern technologies and advancement in science do help us to understand feng shui better. Take the above example of a common fallacy to associate houses at the end of the corridor as bad fengshui and fengshui masters call it as . We are in the 21st century and we need to examine the root of the problem that causes this so-call bad energy. This problem can be explain by understanding the theory of energy flow. Then it should be solve by using a scientific approach to disperse the "conserved energy" rather than using fengshui products like lion or unicorn or 6 coins in a rampant manner. See the picture assuming that both houses are situated in the red circle, is it different? In the first picture air is squeeze between a narrow passage between 2 taller buildings where the air is accelerated explained by physics "continuity equation" fluid dynamics and Bernoulli's equation which is bad fengshui. In feng shui Singapore a lot of HDB houses are located at the two ends of a common corridor and looking at the picture you can tell that the air energies are dispersed by wide space above the wall, so this is no bad fengshui energy at all. Moreover most corner HDB houses have steps and this also helps to reduce the speed of energy flow. Having say that not all feng shui theories and principles can be explained or proven by science but i am working on it for the last 10 over years.

UnlearnCommon Misconceptions about feng shui

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Feng Shui Master Singapore

Saturday November 2, 2013

If you have not done so yet, use this time to thoroughly check the feng shui of your office. We are getting close to the busiest time of the year (for most people and businesses); so it is good to take a breather and check the energy flow around you.

You have to be sure that your workspace is not only a healthy place to be, but is also supportive of your goals and dreams. Yes, I know the many arguments that can be given against this statement, but best to focus your energy in a positive direction and do the best you can with what you've got.

Try it and you might be amazed as to how much you can actually change in a seemingly unchangeable office environment.

If you work in a home office, you sure have much more freedom in using feng shui to design your space, and if you work outside home, you just have to use your creativity to achieve the desired results in a subtle way.

Nobody will really mind a vibrant plant in a beautiful pot on (or close to) your desk, images from your fantastic vacation or a small collage with views from around the world, fun floor plans of your dream house or photos of all the fantastic people you truly admire.

And, if you work in a cubicle, with your back to the door or in a small office with no windows, be sure we have all the feng shui tips to help you out.

Here's how to feng shui your office ... Read more

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Feng Shui Tips - How To Apply Feng Shui - Bedroom Tips, Colors ...

Neighbors who oppose the fences lining Vista Bridge had one thing to say to city officials Thursday: we told you so.

The city installed 9-foot-high suicide-prevention fences on both sides of the historic Vista Bridge in Southwest Portland in August. Since then two people have gone around or over the fencing and threatened to jump, though both came down unharmed.

On Wednesday, police had to cut a hole in the barrier to either provide a way for a suicidal man to get off the edge which he did not use or physically intervene if he attempted to jump.

Its kind of like, We told you so, and you didnt listen, said Jerry Powell, a resident of the Goose Hollow neighborhood.

The installation of the chain-link fences, a $236,000 temporary solution intended to last five years, was controversial. Residents expressed their support for suicide-prevention measures to City Commissioner Steve Novick, who runs the citys transportation bureau, at a meeting in July. Two months later, neighbors railed against Novick for hastily pushing the temporary fences through and ruining, they said, the view and look of the bridge. They suggested alternatives like nets or an alarm system.

Had the city moved more slowly and engaged with the neighborhoods, Powell said, the result likely would have looked better and been more effective. The barriers clearly arent enough to stop would-be jumpers, he said, and the money could have been put toward a solution that works.

Concerned neighbors have appointed a committee of seven four of whom are architects to look at better options, said Bill Failing, a Southwest Hills resident and co-organizer of the committee.

The purpose is to find an aesthetic solution to replace the temporarily blight that right now is allegedly protecting the bridge from suicides, Failing said.

Novick has met with the committee and agreed to work with them, Failing said.

Christa Moe doesnt live in the neighborhoods surrounding Vista Bridge, but she knows them well. Moe cleans a number of homes in the area. The families that live there come from old money, she said, and take almost a sacred ownership of the land and its history.

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Vista Bridge neighbors say fences were a bad idea, consider other solutions

Liebherr R944 Demolition Excavator
En Liebherr R944 river ett höghus med skopa och en balk. A Liebherr R944 destroys a building.

By: swedengines

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Liebherr R944 Demolition Excavator - Video

COLUMBIA, SC The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control halted the demolition of a building on Catawba Street earlier this week after work crews disturbed soil at the site, which once was the focus of a federal pollution cleanup.

Few details were available Friday afternoon, but DHEC spokesman Jim Beasley said the work stoppage occurred at an old fertilizer site. DHEC ordered a silt fence to be erected in the area of the demolition to keep soil from washing off the property, he said in an email.

On Wednesday, members of our staff were at a nearby site and observed a contractor doing some demolition work at the site on Catawba St, Beasley said in an email to The State. It appeared the building's foundation was being removed, which disturbed soil that is known to be part of the former Columbia Fertilizer site. Demolition was halted and a silt fence erected to prevent soil from leaving that property.

An EPA directed pollution cleanup occurred in the area in 2010. It was unclear Friday if DHEC had concerns about any lingering contamination of the property where the building was being torn down. The building is in the area of the 700 block of Catawba Street between Assembly and Huger streets.

-- Sammy Fretwell

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DHEC stops work on building demolition

Demolition of the residential red zone is behind schedule - but the Government has a plan.

New figures show about 38 per cent of the nearly 8000 homes in the Canterbury residential red zone have been demolished.

The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (Cera) had hoped to demolish 3000 homes by June this year, but this target was not reached until September due to insurance delays.

Implementation deputy director Baden Ewart said the clearance process was slower than expected.

"We have all wished this could be faster. We want this to double in pace by the end of the year," he said.

"This process has had its challenges. We are now in a place where we can get in and clear that land. Now we can get the engine going and get the properties off the land."

Cera has agreements in principal with insurance companies for a plan they hope will accelerate demolition. Cera, EQC and insurance companies will focus on one area at a time so about 15 homes can be cleared for demolition in one go. The approach has been trialled on three sites and tenders for wholesale demolition will go out soon.

Ewart said he hoped they would be demolishing about 100 homes a week by the end of the year. For the 12 months to September, about 40 homes have been demolished a week on average. The average since demolition began in January 2011 is about 23 homes a week.

Cera has a target of 5,000 homes demolished on flat land by June next year, with the remainder of flat land homes demolished by the end of 2014. Port Hills clearance will take until the end of 2015 at the earliest.

"The time taken has been necessary because of the way insurance contracts work and the offers were voluntary so people needed time. We would have liked to have got the work underway quicker," said Ewart.

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Red zone demolition behind schedule

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Kitchen Countertops at The Home Depot

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