5 - Cosmological principles, schools of interpretation and the feng shui compass

Summary

This chapter will outline the essential concepts, theories and doctrines that are found in feng shui. The most common ingredients such as Heaven, Earth, dragon, tiger, qi, bagua and Five Elements were drawn from Chinese natural philosophy through the ages and were given many individual interpretations; some classical and modern uses of the terms will be offered. The most fundamental doctrines of feng shui, at least when seen from the outside, were also shared with other strands of Chinese philosophy and rooted in classical Chinese literature. More than anything else, the Book of Changes is the mother of Chinese divination, having fostered both its diversity and persistence; it will be shown how feng shui is anchored in its perception of reality.

Being a broad tradition with both a large philosophical literature and rooted popular uses as well as both classic forms and new interpretations, it may only be depicted in terms of very broad generalizations. Moreover, from at least the time of the Neo-Confucian synthesis, several interpretations of feng shui have competed in China, giving rise to separate ‘feng shui schools’. In the Chinese sources, these are known by a range of different terms. This chapter will outline the main concepts and principles of these two schools and indicate their historical significance as well as how and where they are applied. In addition, some of the schools recently developed in the western world will be explained and compared to the original ones.