By Mario Najm

“Feng Shui is an outdated superstition and absolute nonsense! It’s a con that plays on the self-indulgence of a feeble-minded public with the aim of making its practitioners rich. Through subliminal suggestion, a gullible public believes their lives will improve if they spend a fortune on redecorating their homes,” I once heard a shrink say on the National Geographic Channel.

No doubt, such a statement would get anyone thinking. Especially me, since I had my house designed according to the most exacting Feng Shui principles possible. Here, I found myself faced with a dilemma. Had I fallen into the trap of self-suggesting that with Feng Shui my life would move along more smoothly or did Feng Shui actually yield results?

At one point or the other in our lives, we have all read or come across books that encourage us to practise positive thinking. Why? Because according to many respected authors and scientists, everything happens in the brain. In short, we have the power to create our own reality. Now, that’s a very powerful assertion. If the power is in our hands to shape our lives, where does that leave Feng Shui?

Granted, I personally tend to agree with the power of positive thinking, and yes, it does work – up to a point. Life is how we perceive it. Yet, certain challenges and surprises we face defy the very foundations of the power of positive thinking. So, is there anything that exists beyond our control? The answer is yes.

Look at it this way, if there’s a meteorite heading towards the earth, say about now, I doubt that through positive thinking I can prevent it from crashing and sending us into oblivion. For a simple reason: I am not ‘aware’ the meteorite exists. Can you control something you can’t see? This means, even though we can control a great part of our obvious reality, we can’t control all of it, because they are so many variables involved in our day-to-day existence.

In all my research, I found one main factor to be true about Feng Shui: it’s a science and not a superstition. Hence, it has a strong foundation. When the Chinese were perfecting Feng Shui in ancient times, half the population in the West lived in caves. The Chinese understood (and we still don’t know how) the earth’s energy grids and used this knowledge to build great cities and homes that were in harmony with nature. Of course, modern science scoffs this “superstition” and refrains from giving it scientific recognition.

Nevertheless, these scientists endorse the Hartmann grid. “It is a worldwide grid in accordance with the earth’s magnetic field, i.e. approximately N/S, E/W. There are considerable variations in the grid spacing dependent on local conditions and the degree of latitude. High voltage power lines and radio stations can affect the straightness of the grid lines!”

Science is now telling us what Feng Shui has been saying for thousands of years! Note the last line in the paragraph above. It reinforces what modern Feng Shui practitioners say: stay away from high voltage stations because they affect the Feng Shui in your home negatively! Coincidence? I think not.

Again, this same modern science mindset once poked fun at Chinese acupuncture and labelled it “unscientific” and “ineffective”. Today, it is widely accepted as a “genuine and alternative tool to surgery in many cases”. The same goes for the “aura”. Before aura cameras existed, the existence of auras was attributed to the metaphysical stories of the ancient world. Now, it’s an accepted part of science albeit with different definitions!

The point is this. Science always refutes ancient knowledge until it rediscovers aspects of it. Note the word: rediscovers. The ancients always knew somehow, but we still don’t. Nothing exists in a vacuum and once we understand that, we will not only understand Feng Shui, but also our lives and the world around us.

So, What do I think of the psychiatrist on National Geographic? Either he needs a shrink or his house has bad Feng Shui.
About the contributor

Mario Najm is a well-respected English-language author and gifted writer. Backed by years of writing experience, he has previously held senior positions in both the advertising and magazine industries. Silver, his first novel, caused a stir. He is currently working on his second hard-hitting and controversial book. Najm’s talented writing skills have been greatly sought after by many prestigious companies and individuals for a variety of writing jobs. He can be contacted via e-mail: mario.najm@yahoo.co.uk