While living in Asia and since my return to North America I've noted that many "experts" tend to keep parts of their craft secret or "mystical" in some way.  Whether it is financial advice or Feng Shui readings, experts feel a need There are various reasons for this, the least being earning potential.

In my experience, Feng Shui is as much a science as Physics or Chemistry and can be learned by anyone who is willing to put their mind to studying it.  You don't have to "believe" it for it to be real, just as we don't have to believe in gravity for it to be real.  That is just another way for an "expert" to say, "If these Feng Shui solutions I am giving you are not working, it's because you are not believing hard enough and so, therefore, I am not at fault."

Just as there are factors determining the effects that gravity has on you, there are also mitigating factors in how Feng Shui has influences in your life.  To say that someone does not seem "affected" by negative or positive Feng Shui arrangements in their environment is too easy.  One's wealth may have no problems, yet their health may be in imminent danger.  One's health may be robust, yet their marriage may secretly be in shambles.  Feng Shui is about maintaining balance in the mitigating influences in your life by manipulating the physical environment in which you live and work.  Basically it is leveraging the flow of chi to benefit your life and the lives of others.

Now all you have to do is sift through all the "experts" out there to find one who actually knows what they are doing and is willing to teach you.  Good luck!

I am still learning and processing. I agree that it works, but am confused about the difference between so called traditional vs. Americanized. Traditional uses the bagua based on the direction on the compass. Americanized is based on the direction of the home/room.

How does that work? I'm confused.

Woodsprite

Hey there, Woodsprite.

Always refer the traditional methods.  What you refer to as "Americanized" is actually "commercialized".  Commercialized Feng Shui allows people who have not been studying it for very long claim to be consultants or experts, when, in reality, they understand very little about the underlying principles of this ancient science.

Everything you do regarding Feng Shui will start from your date of birth and genger in order to determine your kua.  Once you know this, you can discover which directions you best suit you.  Upon finding your best directions, you can use an ordinary orienteering compass and the basic tenets of Feng Shui to help you evaluate your surroundings.

A good reference for traditional Feng Shui is Eva Wong at http://www.shambhala.com/fengshui/.  It may help answer many of your questions.  Another good reference book is the Idiot's Guide to Feng Shui.

Good luck!

hi all, ive just been reading all the postings and thought i might add my 2 cents worth... i've been interested in feng shui for a good 6-7 years now but have only just started looking into it in-depth.  I have found a really good UK site http://www.fengshuiweb.co.uk. Its a good site for beginners and explains alot, it does have its online store but the author does also explain how to use home made cures such as round metal weights (apparently the best type of metal cure) and salt water cures (i used our old New Zealand copper coins and they worked).  

I refer to this site every month for the monthly updates, have calculated our gua numbers have learnt about the flying stars and animal predictions and have learnt how to take a proper compass reading and how to place the bagua map over the map of our home to get our directions etc, i believe in feng shui, i believe in energy, and i believe that the changes i am making are for the better, positive thoughts equals positive energy i think.

When things in my life are a bit tough or im a bit down, i dont get worked up over the cures not working or that something is not in the right place instead i leave the cures where they are and place an enhancer in a specific location, for example, i might put a colourful pot plant in the middle of my dining table which is just inside my front door and for me it brightens the dining room and i see it every time i walk passed it, i also light incese sticks just outside my front door so that the nice smelling aroma flows thru the house and because i have a door off the dining room which leads into my kitchen area which then flows to the back door i make sure to keep this door closed so that the chi has to flow thru the rest of the house and not take a short cut thru the kitchen.  I have found the outside incese sticks smell better then the inside ones, dont no why that is.

I make sure that my front door is always clear of clutter, shoes etc and is clean, i have placed alot of bright blooming pot plants just outside of it to form a pathway so that visitors no that this is the front door as it is easy for them to mistakingly walk to the back door.  Pot plants are good feng sui enhancers as they can be moved around and they are living.  Silk flowers apparently are better than cut or dried flowers as these are seen as dead, i have grown many of my pot plants from seeds (.99c a pkt) and i get alot of joy out of watching them grow and my children love helping to water and care for them, this i believe is more positive chi flowing around us.

I had some single photos of dead family members on only 1 of my living room walls, i removed these pictures and changed them to show the same dead family member but in a happy environment with other people e.g my dad with family members at my son's birthday with a big smile on his face, my spirit is lifted now every time i see this happy photo, i am prompted to remember other happy times with him, i have placed all of these new pictures in the family area of my living room and now every one who comes to visit always comment's on how good they look and they too start to reminis about happier times as opposed to sitting on my couch staring at my lonely dad and feeling sad because he's left us.

These few suggestions are part of my feng shui journey, i am learning new things every day, i now do alot of changes according to my own intuition - gut feeling, if it feels wright then do it, i watch for signs and if anything negative happens i remove my last enhancer(s) and place it/them somewhere else, 8 out of 10 times the situation calms down, gets sorted quickly or just goes away.  I cant 100% say that this is feng shui happening but i do no that because of feng shui my house has been de-cluttered, is kept nice and tidy and im more aware of who and what surrounds me....now thats gotta be good for anyone.

Happy feng shui-ing from me -  Aio