If you have ever walked into a home that just felt comfortable or been in a garden that peaked your senses so that you can recall the sensations of that space years later, you have experienced universal forces in harmony and balance. Whether you live in an apartment, the suburbs or in the country, you can create and enjoy such a wonderful space by using Feng Shui principles.

Feng Shui developed as observations in ancient rural China of the harmonious relationship to the earth's energies. Though the princples of Feng Shui were formulated in China, its origins are much older and universal. This art is really an expression of man's connection to and knowledge of the earth and its energies. This knowledge came naturally to our ancestors who built tree houses or lived in caves. It is instinctive for the indigenous people who live close to the earth today.

Feng Shui is commonly dated back 3000-4000 years. It was born from people's observations of the fluxes and flows of the land and the fortunes and misfortunes of their neighbors. People observed that when one's house and land is placed in a way that is harmonious with the forces of nature, good fortune results. Conversely, when a house is not well placed, disaster and ill fate can occur. We only need to watch the news for confirmation of these principles. In California where houses are overbuilt on unstable hills, mudslides correct this condition. Throughout the United States where we build in flood plains, we are always surprised when nature asserts the balance and we are displaced. These principles extend to more fortuitous and less disastrous situations in everyday life. Business people as well as common folks throughout the world improve all aspects of their lives using Feng Shui.

Feng Shui, like many of the world's disciplines, has changed and grown as it moved throughout China and to the rest of the world. Different schools of philosophy have developed to accommodate the distinct circumstances. One early school of Feng Shui that developed in rural China is known as the Form School. It uses forms and directions of the land and water masses to assess the best location for a home and its elements. Another, the Compass School, employs a compass to relate various elements in nature to Chinese philosophy such as the I Ching, The Book of Changes and a person's birthday to determine their luckiest and most auspicious placement.

The Black Sect School of Feng Shui is a practical, diverse compilation of teachings including ideas from Buddhism, Taoism, I Ching and folk remedies and cures. We owe the popularization of Feng Shui outside of China to this sect, its leader His Holiness Master Lin Yun and books by Sarah Rossbach that have made information about Feng Shui accessible to the average person.