For over four millennia, the Chinese sages observed the forces of nature and tried to understand the effect they had on human beings. Their findings have been carefully preserved and are today known as Feng Shui. It is believed that when a house is constructed, it traps a particular energy pattern within it. With the use of Feng Shui formulae, a consultant can help the residents excel in different areas like career, relationship, health and wealth. This is done through the manipulation of the life giving force or energy called Qi (pronounced as Chee).:



Sadly last few years has seen rapid commercialization of this geomantic study. This highly revered knowledge has been turned into a quick fix, one-pill-for-all, over-the-counter commodity. Scores of shops have mushroomed all over the country, selling Feng Shui trinkets that fail to deliver. Here it is very important to make a distinction between Feng Shui and Chinese faith. Feng Shui is the study of influence on a house of directions, electromagnetic forces, earth's gravity, external landforms and constellations. Statues and trinkets are part of Chinese faith. Shrewd businessmen have realized that if an item is linked with FENG SHUI, chances are that it will sell better. These days you have everything from Feng Shui make up to Feng Shui diet!

Also a spate of books have sprung up in the last four years. Most are clones of each other and only propagate myths. This is due to the lack of proper knowledge about the classical systems of FENG SHUI. We will try to dispel five common myths here:

Myth No. 1 - Toilets send out bad Qi
	This was probably true in ancient China as the sanitation was bad. Human excrement was physically carried away from the house by the underprivileged class. Hence toilets were foul smelling storehouses of germs and diseases. Modern day bathrooms are generally clean and hence are not a source of bad Qi. In fact, they activate the water stars due to presence of water.
Myth No. 2 - Wind Chimes bring good luck and energize rooms
	Wind chimes are by themselves neither positive nor negative. When you hang a wind chime it creates a metallic sound. This sound is used by traditional Feng Shui consultant of break the "bad earth Qi" that a particular location may have. Wrong placement of Wind Chimes can actually aggravate a bad sector of your house.
Myth No. 3 - Death of a pet fish indicates that it has absorbed your bad luck
	A fish is a fish is a fish… how can it "absorb" your bad luck? Fish tanks are kept in sectors where physical presence of water is required. The fish keep the water in continuous motion and hence activate "Water Qi" of that room. If the "Water Qi" in the room is not positive in nature, the resident of that room will face problems. Hence, one should not go by the generalized statement like "Keep a fish tank in the north for good wealth".
Myth No. 4 - Leaking tap will drain away your money
	Another old wives' tale. Leaking taps do not drain away money. We have to realize that in the olden days some wise people propagated myths to keep some checks on the illiterate masses. Such myths helped in conservation of precious resources as in this case. But leaking taps can activate the "Water Qi" of that area, which may be either good or bad.
Myth No. 5 - Dried/ Dead Flowers send out bad Qi
	These are considered as "Dead wood" by some people and hence they are supposed to give out "Yin Qi" or "Dying Qi". This is totally untrue. Using the same logic, all the wooden furniture should be sending out negative Qi! "Dead wood" has no effect on the FENG SHUIof your house. When a traditional Feng Shui consultant wants to use "Wood Qi" to cure a bad location in your house he will use a live plant and not "Dead Wood".

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