You must have heard of FENG SHUI. The practice is becoming more and more popular and commercialized, as various masters of the trade open outlets in malls, conduct a handful of seminars and even appearing on TV. And that’s just the beginning. But to truly understand Feng Shui and its purpose, we have to go back to its roots, where we find Chinese Feng Shui Masters who have been studying natural and manmade environments and their impact on people for thousands of years now.
Feng Shui and interior design
Originating from rural parts of China where farmers had to understand nature to give them the best chance of successful crops, Feng Shui is now widely practised globally and in many different principles including business, politics and home.
While the combination of the Eastern philosophy and interior design (ID) has been around for some time now, only recently has it been more widely accepted and looked upon more seriously in Malaysia. On the surface, Feng Shui and ID seem to go hand in hand as both relates with the interiors and arrangement of objects. But according to Feng Shui Master Paw Sandy, balancing both of these aspects is not as easy as one might think.
Master Paw Sandy said that many practitioners often disregard the functional and aesthetic aspects when applying Feng Shui to a home. An architect and designer herself, Master Paw, who runs her own ID business and Feng Shui consultancy in Johor Bahru, brings a new edge to her projects by blending design with philosophy.
However, she does share that sometimes, it is a challenge to achieve the best of both aspects and thus some adjustments must come into play. “For example, a round dining table is more favored to be used for good Feng Shui, however some dinning spaces just can’t fit a perfectly round table. Therefore, we have to see what then next best shape is, be it an oval or rectangle,” says Master Paw who has studied under renowned Feng Shui Masters and has about 15 years of experience under her belt.
Nature of science
Contrary to popular belief that Feng Shui is a mystical philosophy or a bunch of mumbo-jumbo, Master Paw shares that there’s actually much more science involved than many would think.
“Real Feng Shui has nothing to do with neither religion nor superstitions!”, says Master Paw
She adds that it is about the unseen energy which is present throughout the world – otherwise more commonly known in Chinese as Qi, or Yin and Yang. The aim of Feng Shui is to create harmony between the bipolarity of the energy and tapping into the positive energy.
We were a little curious about this “unseen energy, so we did a little digging and more often than not , it pointed towards a niche area of science known as Quantum Physics. Guess there’s some truth in Feng Shui after all.
Yet for the most part, Feng Shui is still seen as a taboo topic in Malaysia and one which only appeals to those of Chinese descent. Or is it? Master Paw begs to differ as she herself is experiencing a growth in demand.
She said, ” Five years ago, only those aged 40 and above showed interest in Feng Shui, but lately, I have seen younger people, especially those who have just bought their first home, interested in applying Feng Shui to their interior designs,” says Master Paw whose company has also been tasked with major projects by several developers.
On whether it is still something only Chinese people believe in, she shares that more and more non-Chinese are opening up and accepting Feng Shui bit by bit, in subtle ways. No doubt it is still mostly practised by the Chinese community but only because it originated from China.
Conclusion
Feng Shui is one of those things where one needs be equipped with much knowledge before embracing it fully. For skeptics out there, maybe it’s worth exploring about it before tossing it into the back seat. But please note that due to its hard-to-explain nature,Feng Shui has been twisted and skewed by many so-called experts , sometimes turning it into a religious and mythical obsession.
So, just be sure that you are looking at Feng Shui and not Magic.