The History of Feng Shui

Feng Shui is the art of placing and situating a structure so it is in harmony with nature. Also known as Kanyu, cultural and social issues are influenced by cosmological, metaphysical and natural factors.




The instrument used to select the correct burial site was known as the Lo Pan. This invention was traced back to the Yellow Emperor where it is said that the Lady of the Nine Heavens gave him this knowledge.

This ancient compass was called the Hin Shi and is described as a square base called a diviners board, holding a bowl of water which floated a magnetic south pointing spoon. The Hin Shi then developed into the Lo Pan and during the Sang Dynasty, this was used to navigate at sea. When this was brought to Europe somewhere during the 13th Century, this was better known as the compass which helped navigators explore the rest of the world.

But going back to Feng Shui, if the Lo Pan can be used to pick good burial sites, couldnt it do the same for erecting buildings where people could live? The answer is yes and so this device was now used to analyze the orientations in a relationship to the main door, the bed and the stove.






The history of Feng Shui was almost forgotten when the communists took over in 1949. If it wasnt for the masters who practiced it and shipped it out to Hong Kong or China, we would have never known it existed. Feng Shui made its way to the US only in the 1970s. Various articles and shows have focused on it and people now use it to help in building a house or a building.

The History of Feng Shui
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