China – Fengshui POC

Comforted Sounds Of Music Wind Chimes

Posted on September 10, 2019 by blogger

Modern wind chimes have their origins. By the second century, these wind chimes were being hung on the corners of large pagodas with the purpose of scaring away birds and evil spirits. Later, wind chimes were introduced to China and were also hung in temples, palaces and homes. Japanese glass wind chimes known as Frin have been produced since the Edo period. Wind chimes are thought to be good luck in parts of Asia and are used in Feng Shui.

Wind chimes are made from hanging tubes, rods or other objects. These are usually made of metal or wood. Wind chimes are often hung outside a building, on the window or door to be played by the wind. These wind chimes give visual and aural effects.

Wind chimes can be compared to garden ornaments as well as concrete garden ornaments. The garden ornaments and accessories set the looks of the garden. For a country garden, simple statues, garden ornaments and accessories can be used. Some gardeners prefer their concrete garden ornaments to have an aged look, even from new. Garden gifts are best suited for friends when the occasion comes around. Garden gifts can be easily purchased on websites. Garden gifts can be found either online or at nurseries.

Wind chimes can be made of materials other than metal or wood and in shapes other than tubes or rods. Other wind chimes materials include glass, bamboo, shell, stone and porcelain. More exotic items, such as silverware or cookie cutters, can also be recycled to create wind chimes. The selected material can have a large impact on the sound a wind chime produces. The sounds produced are not tunable to specific notes and range from pleasant tinkling to dull thuds.

Wind chimes produce inharmonic spectra, although if they are hung at about 1/5th of their length (22.4%), the higher partials are dampened and the fundamental is brought out. This is common practice in high-quality wind chimes, which are also usually hung so the center ball strikes the center of the wind chimes length. Frequency is determined by the length, width, thickness, and material. There are formulas that help predict the proper length to achieve a particular note, though a bit of fine tuning is often needed.
For more info: http://www.home2garden.co.uk

Facts You May Not Know About Frangipanis (plumeria)

Posted on July 4, 2019 by blogger

According to Mexican myth the gods were born from Frangipani flowers.

Frangipani (Plumeria) is very rare in China, and even more precious than orchids. So, when a person gives frangipani flowers to a sweetheart, it is the closest thing to saying you’re special, I love you in a culture where expression of personal feelings is frowned upon.

The colorful caterpillar of Pseudosphinx tetrio feeds predominantly on the leaves of Plumeria rubra (frangipani).

“Warming” oils — such as those from frangipani are said to have a calming influence on those suffering from fear, anxiety, insomnia or tremors, according to the principles of Ayurveda, a 5,000-year-old Indian holistic science that seeks to balance mind, body and spirit.

Frangipanis are good hosts for dendrobium orchids.

According to Vietnamese myth, ghosts live in trees with white and fragrant flowers including the frangipani. In Vietnam and China the colour white is associated with death and funerals.

In Hindu culture, the flower means loyalty. Hindu women put a flower in their hair on their wedding days to show their loyalty to their husbands.

There is a theory that Catholic missionary priests spread frangipanis around the world as they travelled. This may explain why the frangipani is so popular and common in the Philippines and Thailand but very rare in China and Vietnam. Thailand and the Philippines welcomed the Christian missionaries while, in China and Vietnam, they were persecuted until around the 1850s.

The frangipani is regarded as a sacred tree in Laos and every Buddhist temple in that country has them planted in their courtyards.

Frangipanis wont burn except in extreme temperatures (over 500 degrees).

In Caribbean cultures the leaves are used as poultices (a healing wrap) for bruises and ulcers and the latex (sap) is used as a liniment for rheumatism.

The frangipani is also associated with love in feng shui.

In India the frangipani is a symbol of immortality because of its ability to produce leaves and flowers even after it has been lifted out of the soil. It is often planted near temples and graveyards, where the fresh flowers fall daily upon the tombs.

In Vietnam the frangipani is used for its healing qualities: the bark, mashed in alcohol, prevents skin inflammation. It is also used to treat indigestion and high blood pressure, while the roots have purgative effects on animals and the milk-like sap serves as a balm for skin diseases. The white flowers are used in traditional medicine to cure high blood pressure, haemophilia, cough, dysentery and fever.

In Malay folklore the scent of the frangipani is associated with a vampire, the pontianak.

In modern Polynesian culture, the frangipani can be worn by women to indicate their relationship status – over the right ear if seeking a relationship, and over the left if taken.

Frangipani trees were once considered taboo in Thai homes because of superstitious associations with the plant’s Thai name, lantom, which is similar to ratom, the Thai word for sorrow. As a result, frangipanis were thought to bring unhappiness. Today, however, the blossoms are presented as fragrant offerings to Buddha and Thai people wear them on special festival days like Songkran (Thai New Year).

The frangipani is the national flower of Nicaragua and it features on some of their bank notes.

The name, frangipani, comes from the Italian nobleman, Marquis Frangipani, who created a perfume used to scent gloves in the 16th century. When the frangipani flower was discovered its natural perfume reminded people of the scented gloves, and so the flower was called frangipani. Another version has it that the name, frangipani, is from the French frangipanier which is a type of coagulated milk that the Plumeria milk resembles.

The name, Plumeria, is attributed to Charles Plumier, a 17th Century French botanist who travelled to the New World documenting many plant and animal species, although according to author Peter Loewer (The Evening Garden: Flowers and Fragrance from Dusk Till Dawn; Timber Press, 2002) Plumier was not the first to describe Plumeria. That honour goes to Francisco de Mendoza, a spanish priest who did so in 1522.

Understanding The History Of Feng Shui

Posted on July 1, 2019 by blogger

Feng shui has been around for centuries. Those who believe in its power are usually more in balance with their surrounding and exhibit a positive energy. However, this chinese philosophy is not something that can be understood overnight.

This is a complicated and confusing philosophy. However, if one is truly devoted to its knowledge and historical meaning, then a person can truly achieve harmony within and with their surroundings.

This Chinese philosophy began in ancient China around the third century B.C. with the West Han dynasty. According to feng shui design, a belief exists that the earth is a being with life that has an energy surrounding it.

That energy in Chinese is called “chi”. Chi is determined by the placement of an object and the actual physical surroundings placed around that object. The site around an object, usually a building, is believed to have either positive or negative energy.

In ancient China feng shui design was practiced by rich and poor alike. According to the website Indobase who gives a wonderful detailed explanation of the history of this chinese philosophy, “In ancient China a city was planned in concentric rectangles surrounded by walls surrounded by lakes, hills, valley, gardens, courtyards and parks.”

The Chinese tried to ensure that both the manmade and the natural environment were planned to promote and enhance positive energy. Then they were landscaped using the Yin and Yang ideas.

Good feng shui was ensured by the ancients when they constructed the buildings to enhance harmonious relationships between members of a family and between the family and country.

According to feng shui design, “the left of the building represented Yang or male force and was connected to the forces of heaven and the right of the building represented Yin or the female force and was connected with the energies of the earth.” The Yang forces were represented in sun lit roofs and elevation in the front.

Yin forces were represented in structures that had shadowed eaves and elevations in the back. If a structure was not balanced and leaned more toward either Yin or Yang forces then this would be considered improper and unbalanced.

Ancient emperors built their palaces based on this feng shui guide and this was thought to be very favorable to power.

Feng shui needs to be fully researched in order to be understood. The ancient Chinese were looking for a way to promote a more harmonious environment when they began to use this chinese philosophy. In today’s society, lives are becoming more and more hectic.

If a person can find tranquility and peace by using feng shui, then more should try this unique and life altering philosophy.

Mike Selvon has some informative feng shui articles for the creative mind. Find out more about the history of feng shui at his resourceful site. We appreciate your feedback at our feng shui blog.

Feng Shui And Numbers

Posted on June 26, 2019 by blogger

Chinese who believe in Feng Shui are extremely superstitious about the figures they choose as their telephone number, house number, car number and the like. The categorization of some numbers as lucky and some as unlucky depends on the way they sound when spoken. For instance, in western numbers -eleven’ sounds like -heaven’ or number -eight’ sounds like -weight’ or number -one’ sounds like -son’.

Numbers considered unlucky by the Chinese: Number 4 (pronounced as Sei) is known to be a bad number because in Cantonese it sounds like the word -death’. Number 13 is unlucky because it adds up to 4. Apart from this, number 24 and 104 are also unlucky for the same reason.

Numbers considered lucky Numbers such as 108, 168, 99, 88, 84, 80, 68, 54, 48, 38, 28, 18, 8, are all good numbers. The main reason why 8 is lucky because if you pronounce the word (patt) it sounds like “faat” which denotes “prosperity and abundance”

Consequences of some lucky numbers and combinations:
289: Long-term prosperity
5: myself, me
518: I will flourish
5189: I will flourish for a very long time
516289: I will tread a long, smooth wealthy road
5918: I will prosper soon
6: smooth and easy
7: together
8: prosperity or sudden fortune

The cure If you have a house or businesses with 4 or 13, then just draw a circle around that number. The circle is tremendously powerful and captures the ill-fated effects of the negative number. There are two ways of doing it, one way is to go to the local hardware store and find a ceramic door number that can be customized with a circle. However, if you cannot afford to shelve out too much money then a simpler method is to simply go out and make a circle around the number. Also note, if you live or work at a place that has an unlucky number but is outside of China, consider how that number sounds in the native language of that particular country. How seriously should one take numbers? If you’re still looking for a house, office or car number then make sure you comply with the norms set by fengshui. However, if you already have bought one with number 4 or 13, don’t worry too much, just use the cure provided above or consider changing the number to a name like “rose cottage” -your company name- etc.

Numbers in Feng shui plays an important role, believers of fengshui always follow the number guide provided Chinese astrology . For more information on Fenghui and related topics please visit www.vaastshaastra.com

Ancient Chinese Secrets For A Lasting Marriage Or Relationship

Posted on February 19, 2018 by blogger

Are most long married couples unhappy with their relationship? This is the question that has being bugging me for a while. As a Feng Shui consultant, I come across many clients with less than happy marriages. Many times my clients will ask me for a secret cure or recommendation that would miraculously improve their relationship with their spouse.

So, I asked a few of my married friends for their opinion. I chose this select group because they are older – over fifty years old – and have been married for many years. Their answer was quite shocking- to me. Based on their personal experience and those of their friends, they think that 90% of married couples are, in one way or another, unhappy with their relationships.

Granted that they do not live happily ever after, as in the fairy tales, this is still quite sad if it is indeed true.

Is there a cure? Maybe there is.

In many olden societies, such as the Chinese, where arranged marriages are commonplace, it is a practice to check the horoscope (Ba Zi) of the intended couple for compatibility, before they are allowed to tie the knot.

Does this always work? It increases the chance but it does not work all the time. However through years of observation, they found out that if you combine it with some conditions, you can increase the chances of having a happy and lasting marriage.

While this wisdom is for everyone, it is even more critical for those with a history of unsuccessful marriages or relationships, to take note.

Here are some of the conditions.

In the old days, the husband must always be older than the wife. This is like a tradition. It cannot and should not be broken. However the ancients also observed that for those with unsuccessful marriages or relationships, breaking the tradition – i.e. having an older wife can strangely be the answer. To the ancient Chinese, the wife is considered older even if she is a day older than the husband. However for better results, a wider age gap is preferred.

The other option for a more successful relationship is for the husband to be much older than the wife. To the ancient Chinese, much older means at least 8 years apart. In practice, 10 or 15 years older is perfectly acceptable or desired.

It would also increase the chances if there is a big disparity in the social and economic standard between the husband and the wife. For example the husband is a highly educated CEO of a large corporation while the wife is a much lesser educated person from a poor family. Can it be the other way around? It is unlikely in the old days because the husband is always the breadwinner. However in this modern times, where many women out-earn their husbands, why not?

This next condition only applies to the woman at least in the old days. If she cannot be a successful first wife, it does not mean that she cannot be successful being the second or third one. So, being the other women can be an option that leads to success! I am not sure about being the other man though!

What if none of the above works?

The final option is to have a spouse that is of a different race or from a different culture. For example, an Indian and a Chinese or between two Chinese brought up in different places. For example, one brought up in China and in the other in the United States.

These are wisdoms that our forefathers have passed down to us. So, and especially, if you are relationship challenged, give it a try. There is nothing to lose!