Self Actualization

When people find out about feng shui they sometimes are shocked at the entire concept and label it as superstition. What they are missing is the essence of what feng shui is and why it works. The quick glance does not understand that the entire gestalt is a form of self actualization. In applying feng shui you physically learn through kinetic action and conscious thought to be aware of what you are doing in life and why you are doing it.

 The typical western reaction to feng shui is to glance at the idea and discard the idea without thinking the deeper ramifications through. The western mind wants something immediate and practical and makes sense and are put off by the layers of mysticism that have been traditionally attached to feng shui. Many are quick to label the entire system as superstition, without taking the time to see how it does apply and what the core ideas really represent.

 What does feng shui do

 Feng shui at its core is more than a design system, it is more than common sense cloaked in tradition, what it actually reveals after deep study is an entire modality. Feng shui provides a unique representational system for organizing your dreams and priorities. To provide a system for actualization of what you want in life.

 By codifying your physical environment and working through the process, you are forced to think through everything you have, what it represents to you and to define where it fits into your life. Essentially it is a physical categorization system through which you can look around you at a glance and be reminded what your priorities are and how you intend to have them work for you.

 Meta programming with feng shui

 Meta programming is all about teaching yourself to react in ways that are desirable and accelerating the process of reaching your goals. By taking a systemic approach to your life, you are able to not only see the message you are projecting through your "stuff", you are able to determine what has a part in your life and what doesn't. You learn to eschew gathering for the sake of gathering and instead choose to select that which is most important to you, without creating distractions and clutter. By creating a navigational space with your items you are consciously creating a road map for your life.

 Goal Setting

 In this way, feng shui is similar psychologically to the way goals lists work, you define a goal, set your sites on the task and set about accomplishing it. The most important step in goal setting is defining your goals. Without a clear vision of what you are trying to accomplish in life it is impossible to systematically take the steps for attaining that goal. If you find that you lack a sense of direction, then the first order of business is to determine a direction in life. If you don't know where you are going then it is difficult to determine where you are arriving. Although you may get lucky and stumble across your destination, it is more likely that you will find yourself wandering around trying to figure out how to get there. Feng shui provides a road map

 Using feng shui to set goals

 At this point, you may be confused about what setting goals has to do with feng shui. You may ask yourself "isn't feng shui just a way of placing furniture so that it looks nice, a sort of interior design system?"

 Here is where it gets interesting. The feng shui bagua, or map, provides a starting point for setting up your symbolic system. By matching your environment with your intent, you can quickly look around, remember why things are where they are and be reminded of the reason it is there. This is a process of basically anchoring your goals and aspirations in a way that helps your conscious and subconscious processes align. This use of intent, is effectively teaching yourself that you are in control of your world and of what you desire to see happen in it.

 The road map

 The road map, or feng shui bagua, is a construct which provides a common language for people discussing the system. It is also a strong map of the aspirations that the majority of people have. These are known as the eight aspirations, each of which is usually referred to as a corner or as an area. These eight aspirations are a methodology for what Robert Anton Wilson would describe as mapping a consensual reality. When other people are using the same symbol system it makes it easier to discuss the finer points of the mapping process. Whether using a consensual map strengthens its influence is a metaphysical question that may or may not mesh with your personal beliefs. What is certain is, that having a road map is useful to an individual even from the direct viewpoint of their self.

 The nine areas can be seen on the feng shui chart. A balanced person has awareness of these areas and by applying a map to their physical world view, can then begin to create solutions where conflicts are perceived. By re-arranging your world view, you begin to change your outlook. There is a strong argument that can be made that your setting has a tremendous impact on your reactions to life. These areas, or the nine corners (the center being considered an area simply by virtue of it being the center) are as follows. By examining this list you can see how this basically covers the priorities that people have in dealing with their environment. This is not a ranking system, all areas have different degrees of importance to each person, although they should operate synergistic as a whole. Different systems give different names, these are the most common.

 life's path and career

 helpful people and spiritual advisers

 creativity and children

 relationships and love

 fame

 wealth and abundance

 family and health

 knowledge and personal growth

 center

Set and Setting

 Timothy Leary broke this concept down into the very basic forms of set and setting. Feng shui affects your setting, which establishes the power of physical symbols upon your consciousness. The setting, in ordinary life is essential as it pervades the mood and the outlook that you project onto the world and the people around you. By having a strong sense of setting, you also prepare yourself for the "set" or group of people you surround yourself with. This is due to the fact that once you have identified what you are working towards, you will naturally seek out people with similar aspirations and outlooks. While this doesn't have the immediacy of suddenly being made aware of your set and setting, as the followers of Timothy Leary often were, it does have a profound effect on your viewpoint.

Building a road map to success

 Once the map is defined into the nine life areas, the process of mapping becomes easier. Already you have established a system to differentiate portions of your life, which prepares you to integrate them as a whole. The practical aspects of this system allow you to look around and see what the environment around you offers in terms of challenges and opportunities. It enables you to remove clutter from your life and create a solid construct for basing your decisions on. It is then up to you, as an individual to define that map further and begin the process of anchoring physical goals through the physical symbols you have surrounded yourself with. Taking physical control of this process by moving items helps you anchor the action with the intent, deepening the strength of the self-actualization process.

 This is the process of feng shui, and may be the real reason why so many people attribute success when they overcome the psychological resistance to  change that utilizing feng shui brings. Feng shui is very much about really thinking through what has value and what does not, at the same time it brings focus to your goals and aspirations by letting you show yourself through aware actions what it is that you want to find on the road of life.