‘Science’ of living
INEXORABLY, the hours and days accelerate toward Dec. 24-25, yet feng shui masters already have one foot in the door of the Year of the Dog, to start no sooner than the day after Valentine’s. Masters and Grand Masters all over the world have read their ephemeris: Will man’s best friend make the world a friendlier place in 2018?0
At the annual convention last week of the Feng Shui International Association, some hints were dropped by the visiting experts, but listening to their conversations over dinner at Shangri-la EDSA, it was just as interesting to hear an Englishman, an Australian, and a Ukrainian talk about China’s cultural heritage and how it has inspired foreign civilizations from east to west. Grand Master Stephen Skinner, with roots in London and Sydney and now based in Singapore, has not a drop of Chinese blood in him, but due to his interest in feng shui, he mastered the written language of Mandarin – “I don’t speak it” – and with that one big step translated the original texts into English. From that knowledge he has written 37 books for the English-speaking world to try and taste feng shui, the art of living in harmony with nature and its elements (wind and water).
While feng shui is not legally recognized in China, said Mr. Skinner, the government calls it by a euphemism, “environmental science,” which is not as far off as it may sound, e.g., it’s not good science to “kill the dragon” – don’t flatten the raw land just to build on it.
To Tyler Rowe, feng shui expert from Australia, “Feng shui constitutes the seventh wave of Chinese influence in the world, the first six being cuisine, martial arts, tai chi, medicine, acupuncture, and silk.” Chinese cuisine is so globally popular it needs no explanation. And silk, that lustrous, luxurious fabric woven by silkworms and worn by emperors, has just been given a 21st-century update through the Chinese government’s ambitious One Belt, One (Silk) Road that spans geographically east and west.
Princesse Fernandez of Manila is relieved that while signs portend earthquakes, they’ll happen (mostly) in the northern hemisphere.
Grand Master Tan Khoon Yong of Singapore likens Davao City to Canton, China’s perennially booming port city; both are located in the bustling south, each a hub of commerce. Any advice to those seeking wealth and luck? “Respect the triangle of Heaven, Earth, and Man.”