Feng shui (traditional Chinese: 風水; simplified Chinese: 风水; pinyin: fēng shuǐ; pronounced /ˈfəŋˌʃueɪ/ foong-shoy in Chinese Mandarin, "fheng-schway" in American English) is an ancient Chinese system of aesthetics believed to utilize the Laws of both heaven (astronomy) and Earth (geography) to help one improve life by receiving positive Qi. The original designation for the discipline is Kan Yu (traditional Chinese: 堪輿; simplified Chinese: 堪舆; pinyin: kānyú; literally: Tao of heaven and earth).

The words feng shui literally translate as "wind-water" in English. This is a cultural shorthand taken from the following passage of the Zhangshu (Book of Burial) by Guo Pu of the Jin Dynasty:

Qi rides the wind and scatters, but is retained when encountering water.

Traditional Feng Shui practice always requires an extremely accurate Chinese compass, or Luo Pan, in order to determine the directions in finding any auspicious sector in a desired location.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Can Feng Shui Help Your Business?

Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese practice designed to maximize the flow of "chi", or energy, through yourself and your environment. Feng shui supposes that balancing these energies creates good chi, which results in good fortune. Bad chi, however, results in hardship. The Chinese swear by it, whilst others think it is the biggest load of nonsense they have ever heard. Although feng shui has been used for many years in the home to improve happiness, the same principles can also be applied in the workplace to help bring business success and prosperity.

Office layout is an important factor in feng shui. Desks and workstations should be arranged harmoniously so that chi is able to flow smoothly. Doors should not open up onto desks or tables, as this can create bad chi and cause bad luck and obstacles.

The office should be well-lit with a good amount of natural light, preferably from a window. Ideally, everyone in the office should be able to see out of a window by looking up from their desk, but not necessarily positioned front of a window. Air quality is another important issue - fresh air should be available through a good air circulation system. Poor air quality is accountable for fatigue and low productivity.

Water is a key aspect of feng shui, the word 'shui' actually means water, so having a water feature in the building, such as a fountain in the reception area, is considered good practice. Running water is considered very calming, so this will have a positive effect on both your employees, and visitors to your building. The presence of flowers in an office can also help invigorate people who feel low and increase energy levels in your staff.

Ensure that desks are kept tidy and clutter free - a good storage facility can help with this. Many believe that the state of your desk is a reflection of your state of mind.

When decorating your office, have a good balance of yin and yang in your office furniture, wall coverings and flooring by using both light and dark colours, hard and soft surfaces and rough and smooth textures. Good colours to use are greys and blues, which represent metal (encouraging focus and clarity) and water (encouraging prosperity and creativity).

There are also more peculiar rules to follow should you wish to, for example, placing a money frog in the office, which is supposed to bring good luck to the business; or hanging a picture of a merchant ship loaded with coins and gold to help the business prosper in international markets.

Whether or not you believe in feng shui, by following the tips listed above, you will improve your office environment. By improving your employees' work environment, their happiness and energy levels should be enhanced, hopefully resulting in boosted company profits.



Autor: Lucy Penn

Lucy Penn is an online marketer and researcher who is currently researching Office Furniture at http://www.klcontracts.co.uk/furniture


Added: October 11, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

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