Feng Shui at the “SPACE” Exhibit

The Ancient study of the Environments Effects on Man.

       While this is not going to be an in-depth explanation of Feng Shui (pronounced “fung-schway”), it will be a brief description of an Art that has had it’s beginnings traced back to a time when people first viewed the night sky and observed the predictable changes in the world around them. These observations were recorded and quantified by the Chinese Ti Li Masters of the ancient world. This information was handed down through the ages in the form of coveted formulas that allowed the practitioner insight into predicting the flow of Chi over and through the land which became known as Feng Shui (Wind and Water). On Thursday, March 19 at the International Gallery of Contemporary Art (IGCA) Master Feng Shui consultant and instructor Emy Aurigue, president of Feng Shui Alaska, Presented an overview of the traditional Chinese principles of Feng Shui based on the compass method. Speaking to an intimate crowd of individuals who had a growing curiosity for this interesting subject, Emy imparted some of the most basic

Do’s and Don'ts in Feng Shui.

• Don’t leave the toilet seat up.
• Don’t leave the bathroom door standing open.
• Don’t plan a home where there is a bedroom directly above the kitchen stove.

And now the Do’s:
• Do keep the house clean. Good Chi doesn’t flow through cluttered spaces.
• Do get rid of old items that are not being used. Suggestion, donate them.

Her presentation also covered some of the basics of calculating your Gua. This is one of the easier formula
to calculate. Let’s take a look at an example so were sure everyone gets the math right. Say we
meet a man who was born March 20th 1922. What is his Gua? Born after Feb 5th of the year… Check!
That means he was actually born in 1922 on the Chinese calendar.
Take the last two digits and add them, 2+2=4.
He’s a man and we have a single digit so we subtract from 10, 10 – 4=6
This man is a Gua 6.
Now let’s do one for the ladies. Our mystery woman was born January 12, 1935
What is her Gua? Born after Feb 5th of the year in question? Nope! This means
she was really born in 1934. Please don’t tell her, she may become upset with the
fact of becoming a year older if only for a moment. All joking aside let’s continue
on.
Take the last two digits and add them 3+4=7.
Now for the ladies we add our single digit number to 5, 5+7=12.
Oops, 12 isn’t a single number so let’s add the digits again 1+2=3.
That’s it. Our lady is a Gua 3.

Emy also gave a brief overview of the flying star chart and an explanation of the annual afflictions and basic methods of curing them to produce Health, Love and Harmony. Following Mrs. Aurigue’s lecture I, Paul Moyers, was introduced as a recent graduate of her Master Practitioners course and is a Healthcare Designer for BiNW Alaska . It was at this time that I proceeded to give a short presentation of how Feng Shui was being utilized in some of the up-coming projects that I have been involved with. While brief, I demonstrated the practical applications of the basic principles of Feng Shui introduced by Mrs. Aurigue. The vehicle of my presentation was a Sleep Laboratory Project. As a result of past projects with this particular client, the Healthcare Team was afforded an opportunity to layout all aspects of the rooms. This included consulting on architectural aspects such as:
Space Allocation
Hallways and egress

Window and door placements

Bathrooms Furnishings and placement

Space allocation for art and plants. I recognized the opportunity offered and the need to incorporate the principles of Feng Shui into the design.

As with all design projects there are a number of issues that must be accounted for as well as needs that must be met. As this is a clinical environment within a hospital and my knowledge of Feng Shui was still limited in its scope (Residential verses Commercial). I needed to approach the project from the standpoint of the patient and not the business. After all it is the patients’ recovery in the healing process that determines the success of the procedure. The Obstacles, as in most healthcare environments is Real Estate, Work Flow, and Access (to the Patient and the Equipment). Follow that with the requirements dictated by Feng Shui (Location, Direction and Time) and you can start to gain an understanding of the complexity of harnessing the particular elements that create Harmony and Balance in the environment.

As a result of this discussion one question was asked by an audience member.

“How will the patients utilizing the facility know how to take advantage of the Feng Shui of the space?”

The answer to this question can only be education. Only through knowledge are we able to make use of any modern day object (Cell Phone, Computer, Auto mobile) in our possession. It is the same with Feng
Shui. There is a short learning curve, however once it has become integrated into everyday life as the Chinese have done, it becomes a tool for enhancing the environment. It is important to remember that it is the whole of the environment that is the actor and the acted upon. As we are elements within that environment and having the ability to arrange the environment to our own needs. We can through the principles of Feng Shui create harmonious areas, rooms, homes and work places.

Admittedly, this was a very vague attempt to describe an event, that introduced an incredibly complex set
of systems and variables. However, learning to see something from a fresh new perspective and develop
new ideas as a result. That is what makes Design such a noble pursuit.