Feng shui is developed based on the principle or philosophy that encourages harmony, balance, and positive energy flow in one’s environment. It is more than just an interior decorating project; it is a way of life, as its principles can be applied not just to one’s physical environment such as the home or office, but to one’s life in overall.
What made this also true is that many of these things happened during the New Age movement, when people found it fascinating to get in touch with their spiritual side, and were trying to learn how certain spiritual elements could help them, heal them, and revitalize them. So, it was very easy for people to intermingle new age ideas and teachings with those of feng shui.
So how can one really decide if something they read about or hear about is really a true principle of feng shui and not just some new age hocus pocus with no foundation in reality?
There are a few things you can consider.
Does it encourage order, harmony, and balance?
Feng shui is all about ushering positive energy into your life, and this energy cannot exist where there is chaos, confusion, or an imbalance of any factors. The Chinese principles of two opposing forces existing in complete harmony, the yin and the yang, are abundant in all applications of feng shui.
If someone is trying to sell you a philosophy or encourage you to make a change that will only put your life and your environment into chaos, then chances are this is not true feng shui.
Is it scientifically sound?
Many erroneously think that feng shui is some sort of magic or folk remedy. However, there are many scientific principles involved in feng shui, and things without scientific merit are probably not within its realms.
For example, some may tell you that feng shui teaches that you should keep the lid to the toilet closed at all times so as to not flush away fortune, actually you do that because you worry that the unattended water may lead to possible cases of Dengue. Your money cannot be flushed away unless you throw your money into the toilet bowl and flush it off. Or that the number 4 is unlucky. If number 4 is unlucky, you would not want to have any association with anything that has the number 4 in it. In that case, why does most tables and chairs have 4 legs? Does that mean you will not sit on them?
People who try to convince you of these types of things while calling them “Fengshui methods” are probably just trying to sound mystical and spiritual. If something that someone is telling you sounds comical and silly, then chances are it has no basis in feng shui and should not be thought of as such.