Feng Shui is a combination of interior decorating, architecture, town planning and environmental improvement. Feng Shui places a great deal of emphasis on issues such as proper siting, solar orientation, water orientation, prevailing breezes and proper orientation for usage.

• Feng Shui is not "new age" or the latest "fad".

Recent archeological finds show evidence that Feng Shui was practiced as long as 10,000 years ago.

• Feng Shui is not a religion.

Feng Shui theory arose from the Ruist and Taoist philosophies that dominated China for thousands of years. These philosophies propose that man is part of the Universe he lives in. Man should respect what Mother Nature bestows on him and act in accordance with Heaven. In fact, they say, what man should do is protect the environment.

The philosophies further asserted that man's life path is influenced by Heaven Luck, Earth Luck and Man Luck. A way of saying this today is to say that man's life path can be described by three elements: time, space and action.

• The time element relates to when a person was born (i.e. during the Great Depression or during the 1950's).
• The space element relates to the place of birth of a man and the place where he lives (i.e. born in Paris, France or Houston, Texas).
• The element of action relates to what a man does. If a man does the right thing at the right time and right place, he will be fortunate. Otherwise, he will encounter hardship.

Earth Luck can be enhanced through Feng Shui by finding the proper place to live and work that is in harmony with Nature. This is the art of Feng Shui.

Feng Shui works with qi (chi). Since mass and energy are interchangeable, qi can be in the form of matter or energy or a combination of the two. Therefore, qi can be visible, partially visible, invisible, or partially invisible. We find this qi classified into five types by the ancient Chinese: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Simply said, Feng Shui is the study of the distribution of this qi and the quality of this qi determined by time, position and location. We can validate this distribution through physics, mathematics, astronomy and geography. This qi distribution is affected by the surrounding forms as well as the various combinations that are determined through mathematical formulas. As with the introduction of many technologies, Feng Shui was introduced to the west as a very simple system. That system, albeit simple, is also less effective than the long-time/long-term system we call Time-Space Feng Shui, also known as conventional or traditional Feng Shui. It is important to know the difference.

The Time-Space Feng Shui practitioner will:

• Study the surroundings to determine the suitability of location and shapes of the surrounding mountains, buildings, roads and water features;
• Work with the landscaping so that it enhances the fortunate qi and suppresses the unfortunate qi;
• Measure how the building is sitting and facing;
• Calculate the types and location of various qi on the floor plan and survey;
• Design the interior color and furniture placement so as to enhance the fortunate qi and suppress the unfortunate qi;
• Calculate the Life-Gua of each family member of the family to determine the suitability of bedrooms and living areas;
• Work with the interior and exterior of businesses to bring balance and harmony to the work environment, thereby creating more advantageous space for prosperity and health.

With proper Feng Shui most environments can be optimized for creating what human beings are most interested in: good relationships, good health, prosperity and wealth. Inside those optimized environments we can more fully utilize our Heaven Luck and develop our Man Luck with greater facility and ease.