Many people think of the mystical when Feng Shui is mentioned, but this traditional Chinese philosophy is more about creating a good living space for each of us. The basic belief is we need a harmonious place to just be and Feng Shui shows us how to make it.

At its outset, Feng Shui was actually known as Kan You, which mean the Laws of Heaven and Earth. As it evolved into the name Feng Shui, pronounced fung shway, it became more about placement of things and harmony with the environment.

Given the minimize role of Feng Shui today, you might be surprised to learn that ancient China ran primarily on it. Politics were ruled by it and every city was designed using Feng Shui as applied to the position of celestial bodies.

This political dominance ran from roughly 5,000 to 3,000 BC. Feng Shui was so highly regarded that all of the major cities in the various Chinese states were created in a layout based on Feng Shui as it related to the Northern axis from an astronomical aspect.

As you well know, the prospects of Feng Shui have faded over time. The ideas of energy and flow may be making a comeback, but one needs to only look at the conflicts in the world and state of our cities to know it has a long way to go.

In truth, modern Feng Shui has gone local. The largest applications are no longer cities, but individual projects where the purchase of land and building upon it are determined using the philosophy.

Where Feng Shui has really taken roots is in the individual. As more of us become familiar with the philosophies of the east, applying there lessons to the places we spend our lives is becoming more and more common.

Perhaps the oddest fact about Feng Shui has to do with China. Why? It is forbidden by the communist government. The versions you and I are familiar with are actually from schools of thought based in the UK and USA.

For a philosophy that has been with us for so long, there would be seem to be a bit of a harmony break given the fact it isn't practiced formally in China. That being said, it should return to prominence as communism continues its fade.