THE CHI TO SUCCESS - SHUI'S THE ONE
Ever wondered why there are always nine fish in an aquarium in a Chinese takeaway? And is that clean desk policy just a load of rubbish? Nicky Glatter sorts through the yin and yang of the ancient philosophy of Feng Shui.
Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Madonna and Donald Trump have all done it without seeming to harm their fortunes. Likewise British Airways, the Body Shop and Marks & Spencer. Even Irene from EastEnders has recently been seen waving a book on the subject around Albert Square.
To the naked eye, what these individuals and organisations have in common are talent and/or good business sense - with the exception, perhaps, of Irene.
But there's another factor too. They have all taken the advice of a feng shui consultant.
People may have heard of feng shui. Certainly, they're familiar with the terms yin and yang and probably know about chi, the Chinese term for energy, all of which are incorporated into feng shui. But what exactly is feng shui? It's an ancient Chinese science dating back 3,000 years.
Widely used throughout Asia to enhance business practices, it is becoming increasingly popular in the West and is being used to improve fortunes by applying it to homes, offices, hotels. The list is endless.
Soozie Jayes, chairwoman of the feng shui Society in London, explains how it affects livelihoods. "It's all about living in harmony with your environment and being in the right place at the right time. It can enhance creativity and foster harmony and happiness in the workplace. Feng shui can reduce absenteeism, and actually increase profit as well as enhance the reputation of a business," she says.
Feng shui is part of what the Chinese call the trinity of luck. The first part is time and space, referred to as heaven luck. "Time is when you were born and who you are. Space is where you are, where your business is and how you can make it run smoothly," says Jayes. Next is mankind luck - do a good deed for someone and the favour will be returned.
Then there is earth luck, and this is where feng shui comes in. "It's about making your office the most auspicious place and making your desk and environment work for you, depending on what you want to create. It could be buyers coming in, or the telephone never ringing, or about needing a more creative environment," says Jayes.
A feng shui consultant uses compass charts, Chinese astrology and a degree of intuition to work on a whole office, a single room, or even business cards. Feng shui can work in cyberspace, too. "If a company is moving into ecommerce, I would definitely advise it to feng shui its website," says Jayes. In theory, someone could feng shui a shoebox - but whatever the subject, the basic practice is the same.
The main object of the exercise is to keep energy, or chi, in motion, without obstructions. A consultation begins at the bagua or eight house, an eight-point design tool that corresponds to points of the compass.
Jayes explains: "There is an invisible but real connection between people, places and space. The bagua defines that connection. We look at a part of the grid and compare it with that part of the business that needs to be enhanced."
Each of the eight sectors on the bagua corresponds with one of life's aspirations, such as wealth and prosperity, recognition and fame, and career prospects. The bagua is placed over the office or entire building.
North on the grid corresponds with north on the compass. Once the consultant has established where each aspiration lies, they can begin to enhance them, using a variety of methods.
Also marked on the grid are the five elements - metal, wood, earth, water and fire, which create the all-important productive cycle. It is important to keep them in harmony, says Jayes. She lists the relation of the elements thus:
- wood feeds fire
- fire turns into ash, which represents earth
- earth turns into metal; gold and other metals from earth
- water comes from metal; metal melted becomes water
- water nourishes wood
"Within the productive cycle, these elements must be kept in harmony, but without destroying these vital relations - water destroys fire, metal cuts wood and earth muddies water," says Jayes.
"Looking at the bagua, there might be a need to improve profit. This would relate to the South East corner, which is wood. To enhance wood, water is added."
Anyone who has ever been to Chinese restaurants late at night, after drinking for all England, may have not noticed that one thing they all have, apart from prawn crackers, is an aquarium. That's because it's a typical feng shui cure used in Chinese businesses the world over. Those sober and bored enough would find if they took to counting the fish, that there's always an odd number.
"The ideal is eight goldfish and one black fish," says Jayes. "Goldfish symbolise money and prosperity, the black fish absorbs whatever negativity may be around. It's traditional. The number is important, too. Eight has always symbolised money for the Chinese. And water itself is significant in feng shui - it's a symbol of money."
Wood is also important in feng shui, usually symbolised by plenty of lush plants. Plants with spiked leaves are no good, as they are believed to have cutting energy, known as sha chi. The idea is that anything with right angles cuts things. That includes shelves that jut out, a pillar with corners or a filing cabinet with sharp edges. Ideally, plants should grow upwards, not downwards. But sometimes, as in the case of a right-angled pillar, a plant trailing downwards can soften the edge.
So that's chi and most people know of yin and yang. Now concentrate, here comes the science part: feng shui is based on the balance between yin and yang. "Yin is female - it's inward and dark," says Jayes. "Yang is male and less subtle. It craves attention. An office must be balanced.
A windowless office is very yin and too dark. It has to have yang energy - but not too much or everyone will be climbing walls."
Chi is the concept of a universal energy that surrounds everyone. feng shui is about changing the quality or flow of that energy. This is done partly through balancing yin and yang, and partly through softening the sharp lines of sha chi.
A feng shui consultant will make anyone who has ever complained about clean desk policies, to think again. If the chi is to have a smooth path through the office, the environment needs to be free of clutter, because clutter stagnates. So, if there is a pile of documents waiting to be filed, the chi literally can't flow.
Jayes illustrates the sha chi concept adopted by the Bank of China in Hong Kong. "The building has many triangles," she says. "These point to the Hong Kong Shanghai Bank, the Legislative Council - which used to be the UK government when the Bank of China was built, and the governor's house. None of the last three governors, including Chris Patten, had a particularly auspicious time in office."
In an office, one of the first things a feng shui consultant looks at is the reception. The ideal is to create what is known as ming tang, or a bright hall. The hall is seen as a gathering point for chi to gather and wander through the office. Chi shouldn't be obstructed and it shouldn't move too fast.
The Hong Kong Bank went as far as to buy the land in front of the building before giving it back to the government to use as a park, purely because the bank wanted to create a place for chi to gather before entering the building. Not everyone's budget can afford to donate a public green space, but plants, flowers and water features in a reception area are all seen as creating the right environment.
The exterior of a building is also important. The company name should be written clearly and numbers set in an upward slant to lift the chi.
The car park should also be considered. "This could be difficult in the UK, but I would advise a business not to have cars parked facing the building," says Jayes. "Cars have a negative energy so they should be reversed in or parked parallel."
A feng shui consultation will also look beyond the main gates to the road fronting the office. Feng shui reads roads as rivers - again, water corresponds with profit. A busy road symbolises water and energy as moving too fast. Plants in front can help slow down the chi and, for those not bothered about their building resembling something out of The Last Days of Disco, a big silver ball is recommended to deflect energy and slow it down as it enters the building.
Donald Trump is one feng shui client who has used the silver ball cure.
"New York's Trump Tower is at a busy cross-roads," explains Jayes. "Chi from the roads is too much, so he built a big ball that looks like a globe. What it does is deflect chi coming in from the road, allowing it to meander gently."
However, the building itself constitutes only part of a feng shui consultation.
A consultant also has to concentrate on the people inside. According to Jayes, everyone has an auspicious direction and if they work facing that direction, it will optimise their luck.
Directions relate to different birth years. It's clearly not practical to consider everyone in a large organisation, but Jayes would concentrate on the managing director, the financial director and as many of the other directors as possible. If there's a boardroom reshuffle, she says a quick phone call and a look at the original compass readings are sufficient to re-locate the relevant staff to the best desks.
Within the office, each workspace will receive the feng shui treatment.
A consultant will apply the compass and the bagua, with the addition of a five-animal map. The most important thing is for everyone to sit with a solid wall behind them or, failing that, a solid structure such as a bank of filing cabinets. The solid structure is for protection, eliminating the possibility of surprises from behind. On the animal map, it represents the tortoise, which uses its shell for protection.
To the front should be a symbolic red bird, which represents open vision and creativity. In an office, this can be a window or just open space.
"The red bird never dies. It is a symbol of new beginnings, hope and prosperity," says Jayes. "People can see what's in their office, who's coming in, and they are not open to surprises."
According to feng shui principles, to the left of the desk should be a symbolic dragon and to the right a tiger. The dragon is believed to breathe auspicious breath over a person, while the tiger symbolises wild spirit and excitement. The dragon should always be bigger than the tiger to prevent it becoming unruly. The dragon can be represented by a computer monitor, the tiger can be an out tray or paper files. In the centre is the snake - the person whose office it is.
It's also advisable to place objects on the desk according to the bagua.
For instance, South symbolises fame and recognition. "If the employee is a key IT expert, for example, the South is where I'd put a picture of Bill Gates," says Jayes. "In the South West I'd put a picture of the person's family or a colleague - that corner signifies relationships.
And in the West I'd put the project they've presented to the chairman and one that they want to take on, because that's the creativity area," she adds.
Another factor to look for is areas missing from the bagua, a sloping roof or a corner that's been chopped off perhaps to create an extra wash closet. "An irregular-shaped room is unbalanced," says Jayes. "Energy must be brought back into the room by rebalancing the elements. If it's missing from the North or North West - the metal areas, just simply place more metal in that part of the room. Also look at what's behind the wall. If it's auspicious, place a mirror there to reflect it back into the room."
The boardroom is another key area. "Even if rarely used, you need to make sure the energy feels good because when the room is used, it's for important meetings and making deals. People have to be seated auspiciously," says Jayes.
"The leader in the meeting needs to sit with his back against the wall, so he's supported and has a clear view of the door. He's in control of the room and knows exactly what's going on," she adds.
There are also auspicious places to sit clients, depending on the nature of the deal. But then people would need to know the dates of birth of their clients and asking their age could hamper the deal before even getting started.
Also important is what's in the boardroom. "If the room is rarely used, a dried flower arrangement will do instead of fresh flowers," says Jayes.
"The Chinese and other Asians never use dried flowers as they're dead. In Western culture they're fine because they're traditional. But flowers are inauspicious if they're full of dust."
The centre of the boardroom table should have a focus to draw attention.
A rock crystal works very well, but not a manmade one. And clear crystal can look more professional than a coloured one. The lighting should be angled upwards to lift the chi.
Art is very important. "Images on walls create a subconscious effect on our lives," says Jayes.
"In the boardroom, the managing director could have a picture of his father in full military fig to reflect power. In a staff canteen, there might be pictures of sailing ships to boost morale and inspire creativity and harmony."
So feng shui appears to be a comprehensive guide to a way of life. But why, after 3,000 years, has it suddenly become popular in the West? Jayes has her own theories. "As we enter the next millennium, people are becoming aware of their environment and how it can affect them," she says. "In World War II, Winston Churchill said, 'We create our buildings and thereafter they affect us'. Perhaps he was referring to feng shui."
Oddly enough, modern technology could also have spearheaded this revival of an ancient science. Jayes says: "There's more sick building syndrome and firms are experiencing more absenteeism. It's not productive. Computer firms were once more concerned with having the air conditioning at a temperature that was correct for the machines. Now they often have windows open and access to their own task lighting."
To this end, a feng shui consultant will measure electromagnetic fields around individual desks. But before rushing to replace monitors and printers, Jayes recommends a quick fix: "Place a peace lily in the office - it absorbs electromagnetic vibrations - and a big bowl of salt near a photocopier. It will change the ionisation."
Making your way in the world of modern business is never easy and many people would welcome any help they can get. Whether you want happy staff, Donald Trump's money, British Airways style profits, or just a bit of good old luck, can you afford to not look into feng shui? May the tortoise be with you ...
10 TIPS FROM THE FENG SHUI SCHOOL TO MAKE THE BUSINESS A RUNAWAY SUCCESS
- Decide what it is you want to achieve in the office and in your career in general. Be very clear. Where intention goes, energy flows - money will flow with success in your aims
- Clear any clutter. Get rid of anything you haven't used for a long time. Broken monitors, outdated keyboard, leaking pens - all impede energy flow
- Sit in the best position you can possibly be in, ideally with your back against the wall, to protect you from hidden surprises
- Buy a healthy, happy peace lily for every monitor you have in the office - peace lilies absorb electromagnetic radiation
- Ensure the company name is well displayed outside the office and well lit. Get help with designing an auspicious business card; check colours, shape and design
- Develop a prosperity signature by ensuring it starts and ends with a firm upward stroke
- Using a compass, note the direction of each corner of your desk: in the East, place flowers to attract good income; in the South West, put a crystal paperweight to create harmony; in the South, have task lighting for a good reputation and luck
- Use the number eight as much as possible: eight goldfish, a telephone number with many eights or a PIN code with as many eights as possible
- Install a water feature in the South East of the office. Make sure it has the appearance of flowing into the office rather than out of it
- Check that artwork in the office symbolically represents the image you are trying to project.