Feng Shui and Dragons in the Earth.

In Southwest Florida, the compass coordinates for our island destination are about as far south as anywhere in the United States. The Calusa Native Americans were living on Marco and the southern archipelago of the Ten Thousand Islands for hundreds of centuries, and many believe the lost culture and forgotten knowledge of the first inhabitants of our islands and other ancient cultures is a secret treasure and something to consider. Especially when some of that early knowledge is available from other parts of the world that are also ancient. 

Anthropologists have linked our current stage of human development to ancient Samaria. Over 6,000 years ago, in what is now Iraq, a cataclysmic and terrible event scattered different tribes in distant directions to populate the earth.

In China, the people who cared for, harvested, and herded animals were in one social order, the fire starters and alchemists were in another, but the farmers and stewards of agriculture were in the highest social order because they were responsible for bringing forth the food that rose out of the ground and came from the energy in the earth.

The Chinese believe there is an invisible energy that flows, surrounds, and passes through everything between heaven and earth. The invisible and mystical energy is Chi, and after hundreds of generations, a finely tuned science is now in place to direct the flow of Chi in positive directions.

Whenever designing a home or office building in Asia and before construction begins, a Feng Shui - pronounced “Fung Schway” - expert is always waiting to give advice. The Feng Shui consultant is a master of the school of the compass. Feng Shui believers insist the flow of Chi energy through and around buildings is vital for everything from success to health and happiness. Quite often in Asia, the doorway of a home or office building will be tilted at an oblique angle to direct the flow of positive energy in and deflect the bad Chi away.

According to ancient Chinese legend, a wise and ancient dragon lives in the earth. The dragon, in many places, dwells just below the surface, but in other locations, he lives deep in caverns far under the ground. Every home, business, and skyscraper is resting above some part of the earth dragon. It is very good to be situated above the dragon's back but very bad to be near his teeth, eyes, or tail. The correct positioning of every structure is vital to maintain the comfort and harmony of the earth dragon and the flow of Chi - after all, who would want to build something to make a dragon angry, uncomfortable, or vindictive - especially a dragon that lives throughout the entire earth? Some Chinese believe earthquakes rumble and volcanoes erupt when the earth dragon and the flow of Chi is upset.

The magnetic compass is a very old Chinese invention. Fortune Tellers in ancient China used loadstones pointing to the north as proof of their powers over the vast populations of Asia and all of the middle kingdom. The Chinese consider China to be the middle kingdom - the kingdom between heaven and earth. Without too much fortuneteller savvy, it soon became apparent that north was the direction of winter and the southern compass bearings were the source of warmth, sustenance, and happy seasons of comfort - much like the Marco Beach Boys and Girls find Marco, Goodland, and the Isles of Capri.

Soon, the compass masters established a Feng Shui guild and began roaming Asia to direct the correct and positive flow of Chi over the earth dragon’s back. The beginnings of Feng Shui were as simple as building a house with the front facing the south. The entrance to the home would have the warm sunny side and the back of the structure could protect the front from the harsh winds of winter. Feng Shui literally translates to wind and water.

The wind and water concept of Feng Shui is the early Chinese science of balancing harmony and directing the flow of positive energy. A fundamental of Feng Shui is the process of aligning certain items according to bearings on a compass. According to Feng Shui and the form school of the compass, we should never sleep with our heads facing north. Doors at opposite ends of a home should never be directly in line - this this will allow positive Chi to escape and invite the dragon’s breath to enter. It is always important to fix leaky plumbing immediately. The Chinese believe that water represents cash flow and leaking faucets and plumbing fixtures are very bad for good Feng Shui. 

As with almost everything between heaven and earth, the positive and the negative have tangible outcomes that affect the lives of everyone. In Feng Shui, there is also a negative side that is something to avoid at all costs. Bad Chi or dragon’s breath can creep into a home or business and linger around clutter, old furniture, or unused clothing. 

According to Feng Shui, a cluttered space filled with old junk should be cleaned for the New Year. An attic filled with prehistoric bric-a-brac, moldy shoes, and melted candles should be the next items for trash day.

A cluttered closet is the perfect haven for bad Chi to dwell, and as many know, a clean and organized closet is a pleasure to behold, but a disorganized mess is always an episode of frustration or perhaps a place for dragon’s breath to linger.

With another New Year once again beginning to dawn upon the ancient land of the Calusa Native Americans and the Ten Thousand Islands, why not use a little antediluvian knowledge to clear away the clutter and cobwebs from some of the most southern homes on the American compass and bring in some positive energy for the upcoming New Year.