In our contemporary world, concern for the natural environment has been escalating on a worldwide scale. Many people are now aware of the issues connected with the different sort of wastes disposal, the greenhouse effect, depletion of the ozone layer, the issues created for our wildlife as a result of felling of our older woods and the dumping ground our oceans have become. It is becoming more widely accepted that if this attack on the environment continue then it will at the very least, endanger life as we know it and undermine our efforts to improve conditions for the countless different people ravaged by war, poverty, hunger and sickness. Whilst people and various cultures have varying attitudes toward the natural environment, more people have become aware of the value of re-evaluating the manner in which we see nature and in so doing, how we are going to take care of it.
I was at a function recently and through one conversation I was stunned that the opinion espoused was that humankind was different to nature. Additionally, that science can establish all elements of nature being able, through scientific investigation to predict and control the environment with little if any consequential impact should science want this to be true. Science generally encourages the belief that its existing explanations of nature would be the complete truth. Western science is believed to describe physical reality with complete precision – as a consequence, the early and traditional theories of different cultures like Feng Shui, is ridiculed as being only superstition. An authentic Feng Shui consultant encourages an attitude of caution and respect towards character and would never make recommendations based on superstitious beliefs. As I have mentioned before – Feng Shui came about as the result of protracted and dedicated study of character by the Chinese.
Feng Shui has traditionally played the role of fine tuning the connection between humankind and nature by allowing environmental modification only if it was believed not to interrupt natural balances and harmonies. Feng Shui encompasses the evaluation of water courses into a given environment, soil stability and fertility, vegetation, aspect, animal life etc. It was a joy to work with a young couple lately that shared this perspective – wanting to build on 80 acres and showing due respect for the environment by taking extreme care with the placement of the house making sure the most minimal change to the environment. In feng shui consultation, the environment is regarded as an extremely complicated living complete and includes humanity. All parts of the whole are inherently connected and the balances between them are delicate to say the least, consequently balance between all elements of character must be protected.