Despite what you think, feng shui is not an exotic recipe fro the orient. Its actually a classic, centurys old method of bringing peace and harmony to your home or office. Its becoming increasingly more and more popular so why not read on discover what these two words mean. Feng shui is a spiritual system that began in ancient China about 3,000 years ago. There are many complex notions that go into feng shui but a simple paring down of the philosophy has become popular in the Western hemisphere today. Basically, feng shui revolves around the chi or energy that surrounds all life. In literal translation, feng shui means wind and water. In China, these concepts are both associated with good health and prosperity. Use the basic principles of feng shui to ensure good chi flowing through your home or office. Would you have guessed that your bathroom has energy flowing around it? You might be surprised but it does and using the principles of feng shui you can make it a place that can bring feelings of calmness and serenity to your family. Feng shui enthusiasts use two basic tools to get started. Just as you might use a compass to find your way in the wilderness, feng shui has compass or lopan to guide you in the correct direction. The lopan allows you a greater sense of what should be where in your room to allow the chi to flow unrestrained. The lopan will help you realize that different rooms in your home or office have individual feng shui needs. Using it correctly will determine the colors and array of feng shui elements needed in each room as well as taking into consideration what feng shui element governs the individuals in the room. The feng shui lopan looks somewhat like the regular directional compass. It guides you towards a layout that best allows positive energy flow by using a needle in the center and several concentric rings of the outside. The bagua or energy map is the other feng shui tool. Using a drawing or blueprint, you can create an energy map of your home or office. The eight directional sections that make up the home are: east, northeast, north, northwest, south, southeast, and west, southwest. Feng shui doctrine states you can profoundly affect the energy around you simply by creating a space that favors you. Doing this correctly requires a basic understanding of feng shui colors, the five elements of feng shui and how energy actually moves through each room. More on that next time around.