When the Qi circulates properly...
There is nothing in the world more soft and weak than water, and yet for attacking things that are firm and strong there is nothing that can take precedence of it;--for there is nothing (so effectual) for which it can be changed. Every one in the world knows that the soft overcomes the hard, and the weak the strong, but no one is able to carry it out in practice. Therefore a sage has said, 'He who accepts his state's reproach, is hailed therefore its altars' lord; to him who bears men's direful woes they all the name of King accord.' Words that are strictly true seem to be paradoxical.
Feng Shui has been called the Chinese "Art of Placement," that balances the life energies, or Qi, in a living space. Using simple "cures," it increases the flow of positive Qi and subdues the negative flow. And according to the theory of Feng Shui, harmonizing our personal Qi with the Qi in the environment puts us in harmony with the natural forces of nature and, in turn, results in a healthy, happy and prosperous life. The basic tenets of this philosophy are quite simple. If positive energy can flow through an environment, then the people residing there will benefit. Just as an acupuncturist or bodyworker charts the energy flow within a person's body and either stimulates points of stagnation or subdues overactive channels, Feng Shui maps the flow through our surroundings and makes adjustments -- with often startling results. When the Qi circulates properly, we experience a feeling of well-being while good health and prosperity are increased in our lives.
Three men are standing around a vat of vinegar. Each has dipped his finger into the vinegar and has tasted it. The expression on each man's face shows his individual reaction. These are no ordinary vinegar tasters, but are instead representatives of of the "Three Teachings" of China, and the vinegar they are sampling represents the Essence of Life. The three masters are K'ung Fu-tse (Confucius), Buddha, and Lao-tse, author of the oldest book on Taoism. The first has a sour look on his face, the second wears a bitter expression, but the third man is smiling. To Lao-tse (LAOdsuh), the harmony that naturally existed between heaven and earth from the very beginning could be found by anyone at any time, but not by following the rules of Confucianists. As he stated in his Tao Te Ching (DAO DEH JEENG), the "Tao Virtue Book", earth was in essence a reflection of heaven, run by the same laws—not by the laws of man. What he saw operating behind everything in heaven and earth he called Tao (DAO), 'the Way." A basic principal of Lao-tse's teaching was that this Way of the Universe could not be adequately described in words, and that it would be insulting both to its unlimited power and to the intelligent mind to attempt to do so. Still, its nature could be understood, and those who cared most about it, and the life from which it was inseparable, understood it best. In Pooh's words: To know the Way, we go the Way; we do the Way the way we do the things we do. It's all there in front of you, but if you try too hard to see it, you'll only become confused. I am me, and you are you, as you can see; but when you do, the things you can do, you will find the Way, and the Way will follow you...
