There are two schools of thought in Feng Shui, the Compass and Form Schools. When reading about both, some of my students and clients are confused about the difference, and which they should use. I was trained in, and practice the Form school which is known as Western Black Hat Feng Shui. Feng Shui is over three thousand years old in Eastern cultures, but it only really came to be known in the west with the introduction of "Black Hat Feng Shui."
Traditional Compass School Feng Shui masters are more interested in the type of Ch’i (positive life force energy) that enters a site and to do this they use more than just the simple Bagua. In addition, they might also use Chinese Astrology in conjunction with Feng Shui, to determine pillars of destiny, individual charts, house charts, flying stars and much more. Special attention is placed on compass readings for compass directions.
To simplify the complex rules of
traditional Chinese Feng Shui, Black Hat uses the Bagua to divide a building
into eight areas, meaning “Eight Trigrams” with the center for grounding.
Black Hat Feng Shui does not use
a compass, and the main door is usually in only one of three sectors. The
simplicity of this system means that Black Hat Feng Shui is very popular, and
easily accessible. It relies on the power of visualizations and in particular,
the use of decorative "enhancers" or objects that help you arrange
your home to help you live your best life, and achieve your goals. They include using general Feng Shui theories, principles, philosophies, and the correct
use of color, shape and natural materials such as plants and water.
Black Hat Feng Shui is known for
a more simplistic use of the Bagua. This versatility of the Bagua chart makes
this form of Feng Shui more accessible to individuals. Unlike Classical Feng Shui
that requires extensive studying and training, the Black Hat rules are simple
to follow and almost anyone can quickly utilize the Bagua for a home enhancement.
The steps in Black Hat Feng
Shui are simple:
Step One: Procure or draw the
layout of your home. This drawing should indicate your front door. Other
exterior doors should also be added. Be sure to scale-to-size as much as
possible so that each room in your home is accurately represented, including
garages and attached decks.
Step Two: Superimpose the Bagua
map over your layout. In Feng Shui, the bottom of the Bagua map will fall over
the front side of your home layout. Your front door may fall in the left side,
middle or right side of the front, and in the case of an upside-down horseshoe
shaped home sometimes in the center.
Step Three: You can now use the
map to help strengthen various areas of your life, such as career, money,
relationships and health according to Black Hat Feng Shui principles, and
enhancements including color, shapes, art and items. You can learn how to anchor missing areas. Begin by familiarizing yourself with each
sector of the Bagua and how it relates to the room(s) of your home.
If you are experiencing any
negative effects in your life from one of these nine sectors, you can use Feng
Shui principles and remedies to transform the inauspicious aspects, and attract
auspicious Ch’i energy.
Both schools of thought have
powerful, life changing results when applied and followed correctly. Choose the one that works best for you.
