The traditional term for “Feng Shui” was Kan Yu. “ Kan ” means heaven and relates to invisible energy (chi) and “Yu” means earth and relates to visible chi. The term “Feng Shui” means “wind and water”. It is the art of placement, of designing your home and work environment to promote a healthy, happy, successful life.

Although the exact origin of Feng Shui is unknown, it is clear that this practice predates the time of Confucius, Lao-Tsu and the Buddha by many centuries. The I Ching, or the Book of Changes, is one of the most important of China 's ancient books and Chinese philosophy, both Confucianism and Taoism. It offers a view on the trinity of heaven, earth and man and the way that energy

flows. This trinity and movement of energy is the basis of much Feng Shui theory.

It is believed that the mythical emperor, Fu Hsi, discovered the Ba Gua, or Eight Trigrams (combinations of 3 lines of Yin and Yang) of the I Ching, on the shell of a turtle. This symbol became the representation of the eight directions in Feng Shui. King Wen (B.C. 1105-249) was the man credited with the invention of the 64 hexagrams, a development of the eight trigrams. The 64 hexagrams are 64 possible combinations of 6 lines of Yin and Yang.

A systematic approach to Feng Shui began when a scholar named Yang Yun-sung (A.D. 618-907) hypothesized that the environment in which people lived played a major role in shaping their lives. As the art of Feng Shui developed, a more academic approach was taken utilizing precise mathematic formulas and astronomical equations calculated on a Chinese compass called the Luo Pan.

The underlying premise of Feng Shui is that everything in your surroundings has an impact on you and the outcomes in your life. By understanding the subtle energies that flow through you and the universe you can arrange both your living and working environments to help you achieve your goals.

The key concepts include Yin and Yang, two broad opposing energies, the Five Elements (Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood) and Eight Directions (North, South, East and West and sub-directions between these). Together these provide a set of principles for understanding the way energy moves through our environments to affect all areas of life.