The importance of the Celestial Animals or Protectors whenplanning and planting bamboos and grasses in oriental style Feng Shuigardens

The Book of Changes.

Feng Shui is basedon  the ‘I Ching’, and it’s associated Lines, Trigrams, andHexagons. The “I Ching” is a philosophical book that interprets the energies of the universe. Its teachings consider that allsimultaneous events are not purely random, but are in some way connected witheach other. Moreover, that the laws of nature are in fact the laws ofhumanity.

If this is indeedtrue, and everything in the universe is inter connected in some way, we can bydetermining the rising and falling of energies and by the subtle  andsympathetic manipulation of the elements and energies of nature that co-existaround us, create an environment that is harmonious and balanced. Enabling usto see through the confusion to the where the truth of liferesides. 

Determining the facing direction,

Determining thefacing and sitting directions of any property requires a logical and detailedanalysis.

Contrary to whatsome say, this cannot be done properly from a floor plan or house plan alone.Although a detailed house plan is very important to the analysis it is notenough to facilitate an informed decision.

The property needsto be looked at examined and felt to decide which the facing directionis.

The facingdirection is the side of the property that receives the most Yang Energies; itis not determined solely as being the side where your front door is. Thereare many more considerations.

In many cases, itwill be quite straightforward to determine the facing direction. Most modernhouses do in fact have their front doors at the front, and the front of thehouse usually has a lawn or open space and the house will usually front a roador a courtyard or mews.

All of which areimportant considerations. However, what is  on the other side of theroad?

Does the frontdoor of the house open directly on to the road or in to an alleyway? If so thefacing direction could well be in a different direction. It could be one thatfaces a garden or overlooks a park or even a traffic roundabout if it has grassand trees and has a more open aspect and is  brighter.

If you live in anapartment building or work in an office block, your facing direction isprobably not on the same side as the other apartments or offices on your floor.It is very likely not on the same side of the building as the apartment oroffice block main entrance. In these cases, all the relevant factors needtaking into account. Some factors will emerge predominant. It will be thesedominant factors, which will decide the facing direction.

The Yang energythat comes from your Facing Direction is the most beneficial the most activeand expansive. It is this energy that it is in our best interests to encourage.The Ming Tang or Bright Hallway: Is  the area or side of the property thathas the nearest physical properties to that of the Red Phoenix.

The Form School'Xiang-shi-pai'
	TheArmchair Configuration:
		The Form represented by the FourCelestial Animals or Protectors is some times referred to as the Armchair Form,and you can see why. From the illustration below, we can see how conducive theconcept of the armchair configuration is when we are considering the protectiveForm of the Celestial Animals in and around the exterior of theproperty. Phyllostachys Nigra the 'Black Bamboo' the stunning ebony culms represent the black tortoiseat the back of the form. When the form of the land or the arrangement of thebuilding is such that we cannot face South, we should still try to maintain theconfiguration of the Four Celestial Animals based the properties facingdirection. That means the Red Phoenix is to the front as you look out from yourfront entrance or from the facing direction   The Green Dragon. Hibanobambusa tranquillans 'Shiroshima' in pots or underplant with blueperriwinkle. The Red Phoenix Pennisetumsetaceum 'Rubrum' Dwarf fountain grass, long red flowers. Best forpots. White Striped Tiger Luzula sylvatica. 'Marginata' Once we have established the properties facing direction, seethe column on the right  we can make the adjustments  to simulatethe perfect form
	To be simplistic and recap  in layman's terms.When you stand looking out of your facing direction, which is probably your mainentrance. The tortoise is behind you the Red Phoenix straight in font of you,the White Tiger is on your right and the Green/Azure Dragon is on yourleft. Of course it is not necessary to use plants and grass tosymbolise the Celestial protectors and reproduce the form. A rockery or fence(preferably blue) will make an admirable black tortoise at the rear. Any hedgeapart from Golden Privet or Purple Beach is perfect to symbolise the GreenDragon and a white picket fence or any silver leafed shrubs or plants canrepresent the White Tiger. The red phoenix could be represented by a statue ofa red bird, a tub of bright red Pelagoniums, or even a red painted gate. Theoptions are endless when you give it some thought. One of the most delightfulthing about Feng Shui is that when it is right it looks rights and you know andfeel it is right. In fact if you think about it we practice the principals ofFeng Shui  most days of our lives without even realising it. It comesnaturally. Its good taste.

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