Feng Shui Schools of Thought

In its earliest forms, Feng Shui included two principle schools. The form school, whose theory relates chiefly to landform of property, including mountains, waterways, roads etc., and the compass school of thought whose calculations, is based on the I Ching trigrams of the Bagua and the points of compass directions.  Similar in many ways, you will find that in the form school theory, there is more attention upon where and how to place buildings, and in compass school, how and what you do to those buildings comes more into play. Later, a popular form developed in the western world known as the Black Hat Tantric Buddist Sect. It is interesting and used by many outside the Asian influence.  Although many do not consider it authentic feng shui in spite of its relative popularity. It bases the use of feng shui placement rather than direction and the use of cures more than the meaning of land forms.

The two original schools base much of their teachings upon the directionality of compass points.  

The ancient luo pan, the original feng shui compass, is filled with concentric bands of different information. It is used for both forms. However, you will find many consultants within their practice use a regular directional compass to define the spaces and directions for placement within a home or building. These practitioners, familiar with the meanings of the individual trigrams within the bagua, use the degrees contained in this type of compass, although it contains only 16 true directions compared to the luo pans more precise 24 degrees of direction.

Your original compass reading should be taken from inside your home as you look out of your front door. Next, step outside of your front door about ten feet and take another reading.  Once you have accurately discovered the facing direction of you house, place the bagua over your floor plan and begin the process of

creating a home wonderfully suited to your individual need. You can now begin to make plans for the subtle corrections that come about only through the use of feng shui cures. You are beginning one of the most exciting calculations of you life! Much happiness to you.